A recently uncovered 350-year-old piece of graffiti reveals that Sir Isaac Newton’s interest in motion began much earlier than his later renowned work in mathematics and science.

Before becoming famous for his work as a mathematician and scientist, Sir Isaac Newton was once a young artist without a proper canvas. A 350-year-old sketch discovered on a wall at Newton's childhood home in England now offers a fresh perspective on the early genius and his fascination with motion, as reported by Live Science.

While exploring Woolsthorpe Manor, the birthplace of Sir Isaac Newton in Lincolnshire, conservators found a small windmill drawing next to a fireplace in the downstairs hallway. This sketch, believed to be made by Newton as a child, might have been inspired by the construction of a nearby windmill.

Born at Woolsthorpe Manor in 1642, Sir Isaac Newton returned there for two years in 1665 when a bubonic plague outbreak forced Cambridge University, where he was studying mechanical philosophy, to close. It was during this time in the countryside that Newton carried out his prism experiments with white light, developed his theory of 'fluxions'—now known as calculus—and famously observed an apple fall from a tree, a moment often credited with inspiring his theory of gravity.

In 17th century England, paper was scarce, so Newton frequently used the walls and ceilings of Woolsthorpe Manor to sketch and jot down notes. During the 1920s and '30s, while removing old wallpaper, tenants found several sketches thought to be by the scientist. However, the windmill sketch remained hidden for centuries until conservators applied a light imaging technique called Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) to examine the manor's walls.

RTI utilizes different lighting conditions to reveal shapes and colors that are not immediately visible to the naked eye. “It’s incredible to use light, which Newton understood better than anyone before him, to learn more about his time at Woolsthorpe,” said conservator Chris Pickup in a press release.

The windmill sketch indicates that young Newton “was captivated by mechanical objects and the forces that powered them,” explained Jim Grevatte, a program manager at Woolsthorpe Manor. “Paper was costly, and the house walls were likely repainted often, so using them as a canvas while exploring the world around him makes perfect sense,” he added.

This newly uncovered graffiti might be just one of many hidden drawings by Newton. Conservators plan to use thermal imaging to detect slight differences in the thickness of wall plaster and paint, which may uncover even more small sketches.