Robert Scott Burn (14 February 1825 – 31 January 1901) was a Scottish engineer and author, known as prolific writer between 1850 and 1860 on a wide range of subjects ranging from agriculture,

building construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

and mechanical engineering to

architectural Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

and

technical drawing Technical drawing, drafting or drawing, is the act and discipline of composing drawings that visually communicate how something functions or is constructed. Technical drawing is essential for communicating ideas in industry and engineering. ...

Biography

Born at

Lauder The former Royal Burgh of Lauder (, ) is a town in the Scottish Borders in the historic county of Berwickshire. On the Southern Upland Way, the burgh lies southeast of Edinburgh, on the western edge of the Lammermuir Hills. Etymology Alt ...

in the Scottish Borders, Burn received his education as engineer as apprentice at Watson, Ross and Co. in Edinburgh, who were working as agricultural and brewing engineers. After working at the Main Point Foundry in Edinburgh, he visited the United States. Back in the United Kingdom he settled in

Stockport Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt, Rivers Goyt and River Tame, Greater Manchester, Tame merge to create the River Mersey he ...

as consulting agricultural engineer.Institution of Mechanical Engineers (Great Britain).
Robert Scott Burn
in: ''Proceedings – Institution of Mechanical Engineers,'' Memoirs May 1901, p. 466 Late 1840s Burn came into prominence with some technical innovations. He developed an improved roller gin, used in separating the seed from cotton, and made some improvements to steam engines. In the 1850s Burn wrote and edited a series of books on engineering and drawing, starting with ''Practical ventilation as applied to public, domestic, and agricultural structures''. Main works he further edited, were ''The Illustrated Drawing Book'' and ''Practical Geometry'' in 1853, ''The steam engine; its history and mechanism'' in 1854. Burn moved to Castle Farm in

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

. Late 1850s Burn also started writing for the ''Journal of Agriculture.'' He visited Belgium and Holland on three occasions, in 1859, 1860, and 1862, where he examined the peculiarities of the agriculture of the country. He published his findings in the 1862 ''Notes of an Agricultural Tour in Belgium, Holland, & the Rhine,'' and later wrote more works in the field of agriculture. He was a proponent of the idea of a "great extension of small farms in England as a means of improving our agriculture or the well-being of our population." Burn continued to write on the wide ranging from agriculture,

and mechanical engineering to

and

. He specialised in both in textbooks for students, and in "instructions for self-teaching of artistic and mechanical subjects."Mervyn Romans (2005) ''Histories of Art and Design Education: Collected Essays,'' p. 229. Some of his works were translated into German, and one drawing manual was even translated into Japanese. His ''The Illustrated Drawing Book'' was translated in Japanese, entitled ''Seiga Shinan'' uide to Western Pictures(1871), was even the first drawing textbook in Japan. In 1881 Burn had become a member of the

Institution of Mechanical Engineers The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) is an independent professional association and learned society headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that represents mechanical engineers and the engineering profession. With over 110,000 member ...

. In the same year he was also elected a member of the

Iron and Steel Institute The Iron and Steel Institute was a British association originally organized by the iron trade of the north of England. Its object was the discussion of practical and scientific questions connected with the manufacture of iron and steel. History The ...

.Iron and Steel Institute (1901) ''The Journal of the Iron and Steel Institute.'' Vol. 59, Nr. 1, 1901, p. 315 In 1901 Burn died at the age of seventy-sixth in his residence in Edinburgh from

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

, from which he had been suffering for years.

Work

''The Illustrated London Drawing Book,'' 1852

In the preface Burn explained, that Art has long been neglected in the educational system. "Drawing has been generally looked upon as an accomplishment," Burn said," not considered as an essential – as ornamental rather than indispensable in the education of the rising of generation."R.S. Burn ''The Illustrated London Drawing Book,'' 1852. p. i–iv Burn stipulated that "so far from looking upon a knowledge of the art of drawing as necessary merely to the artist or designer, we hold that it should form an essential part of general education – that its proper place is in the daily school, that its principles and practice should be inculcated in the daily lessons; in short, that equally with reading or writing, so should drawing be deemed one of the branches of every-day tuition..." Another attitude toward drawing education was required, according to Burn: "A knowledge of drawing is generally imparted by a course of irregular and desultory lessons, aided by a laborious practice, dependent more upon empirical rules than fixed and certain principles. We are aware that there are many honourable exceptions to this rule; but few, we think, will be disposed to deny that it is the rule. On the supposition that the pupil at the outset is utterly ignorant of the art, we commence our instructions by elucidating." There are principles underlying all drawing. According to Burn the first principle is: :''As all drawings are reducible to certain lines and figures, we hold it necessary to enable the student to draw these elementary parts with the utmost facility; leading him by a series of examples from the drawing of a simple line, up to the most complicated sketch or object which may be offered to him; and then, by an advance to the more intricate rules, making plain the laws of vision (the foundation of perspective), so as to delineate correctly the various views in which they may be presented to his notice: the aim of the introductory lessons being to enable the student thoroughly to understand the reason why every operation is performed as directed, not merely to give him a facility for copying any determined object without reference to principles.''

''Practical Geometry,'' 1853

The full title of this work is ''The Illustrated London Practical Geometry: And Its Application to Architectural Drawing; for the Use of Schools and Students,'' published by Ingram, Cooke, and Company in 1853. In this work Burn goes on describing the basics of all drawing: :"Practical Geometry is the basis of all drawing. As the combination of lines and curves of the various letters form the foundation of written language, so the like combinations in geometrical construction form, we conceive, the foundation of the art of general drawing in all its branches. We do not insist so much on the fact, that the Unes and figures known as geometrical, are to be found more or less strongly indicated in all the varied and graceful forms scattered before us—floating in the air—waving in the trees—adding beauty to the rich landscape, or mirrored in our glassy ponds; but we would rather impress upon the mind of the reader the importance of the truth, that a knowledge of Geometry is essentially requisite before an acquaintance with accurate drawing is attainable." Looking back in his later work ''The illustrated architectural, engineering, & mechanical drawing-book'' Burn (1856) summarised, that the work in ''Practical Geometry'' gave "simple definitions and constructions of the various forms and figures which may be said to constitute the foundation of all drawing." He further explained: :"We have there endeavoured to show that a knowledge of geometrical construction is necessary, before a thorough appreciation of the principles of outline sketching can be obtained, and a ready facility acquired in performing its operations. However much this position may be controverted as regards its application to an art which is generally looked upon as independent of, rather than dependent on, strict and formal rules, there can be no doubt, we think, that it holds with all completeness in reference to that which it is now our duty to illustrate and describe. In fact, so much do the various branches treated of in the following pages depend upon a knowledge of geometry, that many class them under the generic title of "geometrical drawing." Those commencing the study of these arts – so useful to the architect and the mechanic – without this knowledge of geometry, will be disappointed as to their speedy proficiency, and will labour under great disadvantages, from not understanding the principles upon which the constructions are founded."

''Mechanics and mechanism,'' 1853

The 1853 ''Mechanics and Mechanism,'' is an illustrated educational work on

mechanics Mechanics () is the area of physics concerned with the relationships between force, matter, and motion among Physical object, physical objects. Forces applied to objects may result in Displacement (vector), displacements, which are changes of ...

and

mechanism Mechanism may refer to: *Mechanism (economics), a set of rules for a game designed to achieve a certain outcome **Mechanism design, the study of such mechanisms *Mechanism (engineering), rigid bodies connected by joints in order to accomplish a ...

, published as part of the publishers Popular Educational Series. About the importance of this work, Burn explained in the preface of the first edition, citing himself from elsewhere: :"Mechanicians—and mechanism, the emanations of their genius — occupy an important position in our social and commercial system. It is now scarcely, if at all, an exaggeration to affirm that, to the improvements recently effected in the various branches of the mechanical arts we owe our present position as a nation. The

steam-engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be transf ...

, and the powers it gave us, enabled us to cope successfully with the otherwise overwhelming disadvantages which a long and expensive war entailed upon us. To mechanism we owe the factories from which we send out our cloths to supply the world's markets; to mechanism we owe that giant power which, with equal facility, propels our ships in the ocean storm, as in the calm waters of our inland rivers. It is mechanism, well arranged and modified, which whirls the traveller along the iron way with an untiring speed which the swiftest race-horse bred by man can never rival; it is mechanism, finely constituted and cunningly devised, which forms the plainly useful as well as the beautifully elegant of our numerous and varied fabrics; in fact and in short, there is scarcely an article we use but what owes its production to one of the many combinations of mechanism. Nothing to the accomplished mechanician comes amiss; constructing the simple mechanism which effects a single purpose with ease, he as freely masters that which is imitative of operations which, apparently, nothing less than human skill could execute or human brains dictate. No matter what the operation to be effected : let it be complex in its details, to a degree stultifying to an ordinary mind, no sooner is it required than machinery is devised and set to work; and the operation is effected apparently with as much ease as the forms are made which constitute written language by the pen of the ready writer, or the throwing of the shuttle in the weaver's

hand-loom A loom is a device used to weaving, weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the Warp (weaving), warp threads under tension (mechanics), tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of ...

." Within one year a second edition was published. A review of this second edition of in the newspaper ''

Derby Mercury The ''Derby Mercury'' was a local, broadsheet newspaper, based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. It ran from 1732 until 1900. References

Publications disestablished in 1900 1732 establishments in England Publications established in 1732 New ...

'' stated:

One of the best-considered and most judiciously-illustrated elementary treatises on mechanics and mechanism which we have met with. The illustrations, diagrams, and explanations are skilfully introduced, and happily apposite; numerous, and beautifully executed. As a hand-book for the instruction of youth, it would be difficult to surpass it.Advertisement in:
Jabez Hogg Jabez Hogg (4 April 1817 – 23 April 1899) was an English ophthalmic surgeon and early photographer. A 1843 daguerreotype of him taking someone's photo is the earliest known photo of a photographer at work. Biography Hogg was the youngest son o ...
''The Microscope: Its History, Construction, and Applications,'' 1854, p. 444

Legacy

In the early 20th century, Burn was remembered as "author of a large number of technical handbooks, some of which maintained a steady sale during the last thirty-five years. The subjects dealt with included mechanics and mechanism, the steam-engine, building construction, and various branches of agriculture. He also wrote several works of a religious character, some of which were issued through the Religious Tract Society." According to Mervyn Romans (2005), Robert Scott Burn and William S. Binns are considered the two most popular and influential writers of technical manuals in the

Victorian Age In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed th ...

. Especially Burn's ''The illustrated London drawing book'' and ''Mechanics and mechanism'' stayed in print for over 40 years. In the late 19th century according to Romans (2005) the "increased demand for technical manuals reflects a fundamental shift in the way instruction in drawing was already moving away from being strictly the preserve of artists, towards a wider role in scientific and vocational education as well."

Selected publications

1850s

1860s and later

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Burn, Robert Scott 1825 births 1901 deaths 19th-century Scottish writers British agricultural writers Scottish engineers Data and information visualization experts