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This portrait of Thomas Telford, attributed to Samuel Lane, is one of many similar portraits with different engineering projects in the background. It is located at the top of the staircase in Inverness Town House. Thomas Telford was born on 9th August 1757, the son of John Telford, a Dumfriesshire shepherd. He worked as a stonemason firstly in the Borders and then in Edinburgh where in his spare time he taught himself drawing and studied architecture. Telford advised on the improvement of many of the harbours throughout the north of Scotland, work which led to his involvement with government surveys of the Highlands. The result was the setting up of a commission in 1803 to construct roads and bridges, and for the building of the Caledonian Canal, with Telford as the principal surveyor.
Inverness Town House
Inverness
Title
Thomas Telford (1757–1834)
Date
19th C
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 156.5 x W 131 cm (E)
Accession number
ITH 62
Work type
Painting