Stevengraph picture - st240: Forth Bridge

by Austin Sprake:
The bridge is pictured in its completed state, in black or dark brown and white.

by Geoffrey Godden:
Two distinctly different versions of this landscape view of the famous Scottish bridge are recorded. The bridge was constructed between 1882 and October 1889 at a cost of £3,200,000, and was opened by the Prince of Wales on 4 March 1890. The first version, probably the picture first listed on label 23+34b (of about 1889), shows the bridge in an uncompleted state [st236 on this site].
A later silk, above, was issued which shows the bridge completed. The back-label normally has the history of the bridge recorded in story form in place of the normal back-label giving the titles of other available subjects. This silk can be of quite late period and some examples were issued in calendar form in the present century.

Other comments:
The Stevengraph silk above was also used in the 1933 calendar

The Stevens credit on this silk is "WOVEN IN SILK BY THOMS STEVENS (COVENTRY) LTD.". Godden records this wording as attributed to post May 1906. Bearing in mind the Bridge was completed in October 1889, this perhaps demonstrates just how much interest there was in the Forth Bridge.

Below is an interesting and unique item. It is of the original draft design, signed by the designer Mr James (Jas) C. Seckerson. He was a principal designer with Stevens in the 1920's and 1930's.

Reference Number:-	Sprake Number:-	Godden Number:-
st 240	STG142	27a

Words:	Woven on silk:- Printed at bottom of card-mount:- WOVEN IN SILK BY THOMAS STEVENS (COVENTRY) LTD.
Size:	Card-mount: cm deep by cm wide silk: cm high by cm wide
Comments:	by Austin Sprake: The bridge is pictured in its completed state, in black or dark brown and white. by Geoffrey Godden: Two distinctly different versions of this landscape view of the famous Scottish bridge are recorded. The bridge was constructed between 1882 and October 1889 at a cost of £3,200,000, and was opened by the Prince of Wales on 4 March 1890. The first version, probably the picture first listed on label 23+34b (of about 1889), shows the bridge in an uncompleted state [st236 on this site]. A later silk, above, was issued which shows the bridge completed. The back-label normally has the history of the bridge recorded in story form in place of the normal back-label giving the titles of other available subjects. This silk can be of quite late period and some examples were issued in calendar form in the present century. Other comments: The Stevengraph silk above was also used in the 1933 calendar The Stevens credit on this silk is "WOVEN IN SILK BY THOMS STEVENS (COVENTRY) LTD.". Godden records this wording as attributed to post May 1906. Bearing in mind the Bridge was completed in October 1889, this perhaps demonstrates just how much interest there was in the Forth Bridge. Below is an interesting and unique item. It is of the original draft design, signed by the designer Mr James (Jas) C. Seckerson. He was a principal designer with Stevens in the 1920's and 1930's. the image of this silk picture was kindly donated by John Hartwig, USA

Forth Bridge

(bridge complete - tug boat in centre)