Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still

1825–1827

The “Paradise Lost” engravings are published

Prowett issues four separate editions of the engravings in monthly instalments — the first appears on 20 March 1825 and the last in 1827; notable prints include “Pandæmonium” and “Satan Presiding at the Infernal Council”, remarkable for the science-fiction element in their architecture, and “Bridge over Chaos”, arguably Martin’s most dramatic composition.

c. 1827 – 1828

Turns from painting to engineering schemes

From about these years Martin turns away from painting and becomes absorbed in engineering plans and inventions, above all London’s water and sewage problems; his schemes include railways on both banks of the Thames, laminating timber, lighthouses and draining islands. Having grown up near one of Britain’s most active coal-mining centres, he keeps a lifelong interest in the infrastructure and safety of mines.

1829

His brother Jonathan sets fire to York Minster

His elder brother, the nonconformist Jonathan Martin, deliberately sets fire to York Minster, causing extensive damage; an onlooker likens the scene to John’s paintings, and his profile rises further. John pays for his brother’s defence at the trial out of his own money: “Mad Martin” is found guilty but is spared the hangman’s noose on the grounds of insanity.