Art, science and the Industrial Revolution

Event type: Monthly meeting
Date: Mon 9 Feb 2026
Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm
Venue: St Margaret’s United Reformed Church, N3 1BD
Booking: Note that booking is required.
Coalbrookdale by Night by Philipp Jakob Loutherbourg (1801)

The far-reaching economic and social changes that took place in Britain during the first phase of the Industrial Revolution also influenced the art that was produced. In this talk, Angela Cox discusses the impact of science and technology on artistic techniques, and on what artists painted – portraits of key individuals, advances in technology, and the visible changes to the landscape.

Angela is an art historian specialising in British painting, and a NLU3A member. She was the first Head of Education at the National Portrait Gallery, and she has organised courses on aspects of British art at the V&A, the National Portrait Gallery, Birkbeck College, The Arts Society and elsewhere. Angela also manages the Art We Like group for NLU3A.