Cantilevers… and that photograph

The cantilever principle is probably most famously displayed by the photograph of John Fowler, Benjamin Baker and a nervous-looking Kaichi Watanabe (a Japanese engineer who worked on the Forth Bridge as a graduate) between them. Taken in 1887 during the Forth Bridge’s construction, it clearly shows the balance fundamental to its design.

While it may not look like it, the new Queensferry Crossing that opened in 2017 is based on the same principle, and with its three towers closely mimics the structural form of the Forth Bridge (albeit using slender modern materials).