Artist and inventor Robert Fulton lived a full life and had many accomplishments. As a teenager he discovered a talent for artistic trades such as metalworking, miniature painting, and hair weaving. Later, his interests turned to ships and other sea vessels. He is most well-known for his steamship, the Clermont. Though it was not the first steamship to set sail, it could sail faster than those that came before it. The Clermont offered passengers a quicker and less expensive way to travel than the alternative stagecoach.