Secondary sourceSculpture1832

Statue of James Watt

Francis Legatt Chantrey · 1832

A bronze statue of James Watt by Francis Legatt Chantrey, erected in George Square, Glasgow, in 1832.

This statue, erected soon after Watt's death, shows how Glasgow honoured him as a civic hero.

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Bronze statue of a seated man in a long coat on a tall granite pedestal inscribed 'JAMES WATT, BORN 1736, DIED 1819', set in a circular flowerbed in a city square. Tall column and buildings behind, pink billboard reading 'People Make Glasgow'. — Francis Legatt Chantrey, Statue of James Watt, 1832. George Square, Glasgow.

About this source

What it is

This is a bronze statue of James Watt created by the sculptor Francis Legatt Chantrey in 1832. It stands in George Square in Glasgow, on a granite pedestal inscribed with Watt's birth and death years.

Why it matters

Erected soon after Watt's death, the statue shows how Glasgow, a city closely tied to industry and engineering, chose to honour Watt as a civic hero. Public statues like this reveal how a city wanted its citizens to remember and connect with a famous historical figure.

Look closer

Why might Glasgow have chosen to commemorate Watt with a statue in a central public square?
What does the seated, dignified pose of the statue suggest about how Watt was meant to be viewed?
How does a statue differ from a document or letter as a way of remembering someone?

This sculpture is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of James Watt on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Printed first page of Watt's Specification, patent No. 913 dated A.D. 1769, headed Steam Engines, &c., with a royal coat of arms above. The text begins 'To all to whom these presents shall come, I, James Watt, of Glasgow, in Scotland, Merchant, send greeting.'

Document

Primary source

James Watt Patent No. 913

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