James Watt, a Scottish instrument maker, patented a separate condenser for the steam engine, dramatically improving its efficiency by condensing steam in a separate chamber rather than in the main cylinder. This innovation, patented in London, reduced coal consumption by two-thirds and made steam engines practical for a wider range of applications. Watt's engine was a foundational technology of the Industrial Revolution.

Watt's improvement is the quintessential symbol of the Industrial Revolution, an era that inspired both awe and anxiety in poets. His engine's ability to power factories and mills is a recurring motif in the work of Romantic poets, who often contrasted the mechanical, 'dark Satanic Mills' with the natural world, a tension that defines much of 19th-century poetry.