Science & Mathematics

The Museum's collections hold thousands of objects related to chemistry, biology, physics, astronomy, and other sciences. Instruments range from early American telescopes to lasers. Rare glassware and other artifacts from the laboratory of Joseph Priestley, the discoverer of oxygen, are among the scientific treasures here. A Gilbert chemistry set of about 1937 and other objects testify to the pleasures of amateur science. Artifacts also help illuminate the social and political history of biology and the roles of women and minorities in science.

The mathematics collection holds artifacts from slide rules and flash cards to code-breaking equipment. More than 1,000 models demonstrate some of the problems and principles of mathematics, and 80 abstract paintings by illustrator and cartoonist Crockett Johnson show his visual interpretations of mathematical theorems.

Ever since the invention of the telescope around 1600, many opticians have considered the advantages of binocular telescopes, and some actually produced instruments of this sort. The form, however, did not become widely available until the latter decades of the19th century.
Description
Ever since the invention of the telescope around 1600, many opticians have considered the advantages of binocular telescopes, and some actually produced instruments of this sort. The form, however, did not become widely available until the latter decades of the19th century. This example is an aluminum instrument with aluminum sunshades. The objective lenses are about 1.6 inches diameter; the length overall, when closed, is about 11 inches. One eyepiece barrel is marked “T. W. Watson / Optician” and the other is marked “4 Pall Mall / London.” The cross frame has two knobs, one for focusing and one for adjusting the inter-ocular distance. The barrels are covered with black leather. The case is brown leather.
T. W. Watson (fl. 1868 to 1884) sold guns and optical instruments.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 19th century
ID Number
1983.0515.01
catalog number
1983.0515.01
accession number
1983.0515
Brass instrument with a black japan finish. The objective lenses are about 40 mm diameter, and the optics are excellent.
Description
Brass instrument with a black japan finish. The objective lenses are about 40 mm diameter, and the optics are excellent. The “CHEVALIER * PARIS” inscription on each eyepiece refers to an optical firm that was begun by Louis Vincent Chevalier in 1765, and that was still in the business in the late 19th century. The left eye tube is marked “DAY & NIGHT / EXTRA POWER” and the right is marked “ARMY & NAVY / EXTRA POWER.” The case is black leather.
Ref: Paolo Brenni, “19th Century French Scientific Instrument Makers. II: The Chevalier Dynasty,” Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument Society 39 (1993): 11–14.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 19th century
maker
Chevalier
ID Number
PH.323411
catalog number
323411
accession number
251004
Each eyecup of this small instrument is marked “LEMAIRE FABT * PARIS .” The objective lenses are 30 mm diameter and the optics are good. The frame is a gilt metal. The barrels, eyecups and center focusing wheel are covered with mother of pearl.
Description
Each eyecup of this small instrument is marked “LEMAIRE FABT * PARIS .” The objective lenses are 30 mm diameter and the optics are good. The frame is a gilt metal. The barrels, eyecups and center focusing wheel are covered with mother of pearl. An image of a bee, the Lemaire logo, appears on the central brace; if there was once a number there, it is not now visible. The red leather carrying case is probably not original.
Jacques Lemaire began making opera glasses in 1847 and was soon a major manufacturer noted for using mechanization, division of labor and interchangeable parts. M.J.B. Baille joined the firm in 1871, and took charge in 1885.
Ref: Nicholas Gilman, A Dividend to Labor: A Study of Employers’ Welfare Institutions (Boston and New York, 1899), pp. 297–304.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1850-1900
maker
Lemaire
ID Number
PH.336803
catalog number
336803
accession number
1978.2216
When closed, this ingenious device appears as a simple tube covered with dark leather. When opened it is a binocular instrument. The “BTE SGDG” inscription on the focusing knob indicates that it is based on a French patent. The objective lenses are 29 mm diameter.
Description
When closed, this ingenious device appears as a simple tube covered with dark leather. When opened it is a binocular instrument. The “BTE SGDG” inscription on the focusing knob indicates that it is based on a French patent. The objective lenses are 29 mm diameter. The frame is nickel plated.
John Browning in London described an instrument of this sort as a “Portable Binocular.” McAllister in Philadelphia described it as an “Articulated Pocket Opera Glass.”
Ref: John Browning ad in Nature 20 (May 1, 1879): title page.
William Y. McAllister, Illustrated Catalogue of Spectacles, Opera Glasses, Opthalmoscopes and Meteorological Instruments (Philadelphia, 1882), p. 49.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th century
ID Number
PH.336785
catalog number
336785
accession number
1978.2216
This is a gold-plated brass instrument with a tortoise-shell handle. The barrels are covered with black lacquer. The eyecups are flat and marked “WALDSTEIN ET SOHN MÜNCHEN.” The objective lenses are 23 mm diameter. The three crossbars are fixed.
Description
This is a gold-plated brass instrument with a tortoise-shell handle. The barrels are covered with black lacquer. The eyecups are flat and marked “WALDSTEIN ET SOHN MÜNCHEN.” The objective lenses are 23 mm diameter. The three crossbars are fixed. Focus is by rotating the left barrel. The pouch is blue velvet.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 19th century
maker
Waldstein et Sohn
ID Number
PH.336791
catalog number
336791
accession number
1978.2216
A heliostat throws sunlight where it might be needed, whether for photography or scientific observations. This example resembles the Foucault heliostat made by the Société Genevoise.
Description
A heliostat throws sunlight where it might be needed, whether for photography or scientific observations. This example resembles the Foucault heliostat made by the Société Genevoise. A tag on the base reads: “PRESENTED TO COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY BY ERNEST KEMPTON ADAMS.” Ernest Kempton Adams was a graduate of Columbia University. Following his untimely death in 1904, his large collection of scientific and engineering instruments was given to Columbia, and his father provided $50,000 to support physical research.
Ref: Société Genevoise, Illustrated Price List of Physical and Mechanical Instruments (Geneva, 1900), pp. 85-86.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
ID Number
PH.335221
catalog number
335221
accession number
315390
Refracting telescope with a brass pillar-and-tripod base, a 38-inch long wooden tube with brass fittings, a sliding rod for holding the telescope at a particular elevation, an achromatic objective of 2 inches aperture, four eyepieces, and a wooden box with a hinged lid.
Description
Refracting telescope with a brass pillar-and-tripod base, a 38-inch long wooden tube with brass fittings, a sliding rod for holding the telescope at a particular elevation, an achromatic objective of 2 inches aperture, four eyepieces, and a wooden box with a hinged lid. The inscription on the brass ferrule at the eye end of the tube reads “DOLLOND LONDON.”
The Dollond family began in business as opticians in London in 1750. George Dollond took responsibility for the firm around 1820 and shortened the signature to Dollond.
Ref: Gloria Clifton, “Dollond Family,” in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 19th century
maker
Dollond
ID Number
PH.335518
accession number
321714
catalog number
335518
Each eyecup of this instrument is marked “BARDOU & SON * PARIS.” The objective lenses are 40 mm diameter. The frame is brass. The barrels are brass covered with black leather. A center wheel adjusts the focus.
Description
Each eyecup of this instrument is marked “BARDOU & SON * PARIS.” The objective lenses are 40 mm diameter. The frame is brass. The barrels are brass covered with black leather. A center wheel adjusts the focus. The carrying case is black leather with a red silk lining.
The Bardou firm was established in 1818, and trading as Bardou & Son by 1876.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 19th century
maker
Bardou
ID Number
PH.336808
catalog number
336808
accession number
1978.2216
This is a refracting telescope on a pillar-and-tripod stand. The achromatic objective has an aperture of slightly more than 2 inches. The tube is 29 inches long and, with eyepieces, extends to 32½ inches.
Description
This is a refracting telescope on a pillar-and-tripod stand. The achromatic objective has an aperture of slightly more than 2 inches. The tube is 29 inches long and, with eyepieces, extends to 32½ inches. The “Ed LUTZ / Paris” inscription on the eyepiece is that of Édouard Lutz, an optical instrument maker who showed his wares at the international exhibitions held in Paris in 1878 and 1889.
The federal Bureau of Education was formed in 1867 and charged with providing educational information to the states and territories. To this end it collected apparatus and text-books from around the world, and recommended that funds be provided for the organization of an educational museum and the exchange of educational “appliances.” It mounted an extensive display at the World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition in New Orleans in 1885, but folded soon thereafter. This telescope was among its instruments. It came to the Smithsonian in 1910, a transfer from the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Ref: “Catalogue of the Educational Museum. U.S. Bureau of Education. Sketch of the Origin, Growth, and Objects of the Museum,” in accession file, NMAH.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 19th century
maker
Lutz, Edouard
ID Number
PH.261258
catalog number
261258
accession number
51116
The words “12 Verres” on the crosspiece probably indicate that this instrument was made in France.
Description
The words “12 Verres” on the crosspiece probably indicate that this instrument was made in France. They also indicate that each eye lens and each objective lens is a triple achromat, a design that was developed by Joseph Petzval, a professor of mathematics at the University of Vienna, and introduced to practice by Voightländer & Sohn in the early 1840s. Because of this design, the optics are exceedingly good. The objectives lenses are 44 mm diameter. The frame is gilt metal. The barrels and eyecups are covered with mother of pearl, as is the center wheel that adjusts the focus. The case is dark leather lined with magenta silk.
Ref: Charles Chevalier, Catalogue Explicatif et Illustré des Instruments d’Optique et de Météorologie (Paris, 1860), p. 17.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 19th century
ID Number
PH.336796
catalog number
336796
accession number
1978.2216
This is a brass instrument with ivory focusing screw, handle, and covering over the cylindrical barrels. The objective lenses are 24 mm diameter. “LUNETTE PAR INVENTION ET PERFECTIONEMENT*” appears around each eyepiece.
Description
This is a brass instrument with ivory focusing screw, handle, and covering over the cylindrical barrels. The objective lenses are 24 mm diameter. “LUNETTE PAR INVENTION ET PERFECTIONEMENT*” appears around each eyepiece. The case is made of black cellulose nitrate.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 19th century
ID Number
PH.336789
catalog number
336789
accession number
1978.2216
This is a 9 power instrument with objective lenses 23 mm diameter. The eye end of the left prism housing is marked “C. P. GOERZ BERLIN.” That on the right is marked “TRIEDER” and “BINOCLE” with the trademark initials “C.P.G.” between.
Description
This is a 9 power instrument with objective lenses 23 mm diameter. The eye end of the left prism housing is marked “C. P. GOERZ BERLIN.” That on the right is marked “TRIEDER” and “BINOCLE” with the trademark initials “C.P.G.” between. The cross-frame at the eye end is marked “9X” and “GERMANY.” The “22700” on the cross-frame at the field end is a serial number indicating a date of around 1900. The word “RESARD” scratched into this cross-frame may refer to an early owner. The frame is aluminum and brass. The eyecups seem to be of a plastic material. There is a set of wheels in the center that adjusts the focus. Another wheel adjusts the distance between the two halves of the instrument. The carrying case is leather with a dark velvet lining.
Carl Paul Goerz began in business in Berlin in 1886. The Opticsche Anstalt C.P. Goerz (C.P. Goerz Optical Institute) was formed in 1890. It began making Galilean binoculars in 1891 and prism binoculars in 1896. The Triëder binoculars were available in powers of 3, 6, 9 and 12, and were advertised as being were “small as an opera glass” and “more powerful than the largest field glass.”
Ref: C. P. Goerz, Triëder-Binocles (Berlin, 1906).
Queen & Co., Inc., Priced and Illustrated Catalogue of Opera Glasses, Marine and Spy-Glasses, Binocular and Astronomical Telescopes (Philadelphia, 1899), p. 46.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
maker
Carl Paul Goerz
ID Number
PH.336363
catalog number
336363
accession number
1977.0991
Each eyecup of this instrument is marked “LEMAIRE FABT * PARIS *.” The objective lenses are 35 mm diameter. The frame and barrels are textured aluminum. A center wheel adjusts the focus.
Description
Each eyecup of this instrument is marked “LEMAIRE FABT * PARIS *.” The objective lenses are 35 mm diameter. The frame and barrels are textured aluminum. A center wheel adjusts the focus. The carrying case is black leather with a blue silk lining.
Jacques Lemaire began making opera glasses in 1847 and was soon a major manufacturer noted for using mechanization, division of labor and interchangeable parts. M.J.B. Baille joined the firm in 1871 and took charge in 1885.
Ref: Nicholas Gilman, A Dividend to Labor: A Study of Employers’ Welfare Institutions (Boston and New York, 1899), pp. 297–304.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1850-1900
maker
Lemaire
ID Number
PH.336807
catalog number
336807
accession number
1978.2216
Each eyecup of this small instrument is marked “LEMAIRE FABT * PARIS*.” The objective lenses are 30 mm diameter and the optics are good. The frame is a gilt metal. The barrels, eyecups and center focusing wheel are covered with mother of pearl.
Description
Each eyecup of this small instrument is marked “LEMAIRE FABT * PARIS*.” The objective lenses are 30 mm diameter and the optics are good. The frame is a gilt metal. The barrels, eyecups and center focusing wheel are covered with mother of pearl. The number “61” appears on the central brace as does the Lemaire logo, an image of a bee. The carrying case is black leather with a reddish-brown silk lining.
Jacques Lemaire began making opera glasses in 1847 and was soon a major manufacturer noted for using mechanization, division of labor, and interchangeable parts. M.J.B. Baille joined the firm in 1871, and took charge in 1885.
Ref: Nicholas Gilman, A Dividend to Labor: A Study of Employers’ Welfare Institutions (Boston and New York, 1899), pp. 297–304.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1850-1900
maker
Lemaire
ID Number
PH.336801
catalog number
336801
accession number
1978.2216
With the turn of a key, this doll appears to crawl along a flat surface. Inside the doll’s body is a spring-driven brass mechanical movement that actuates the arms and legs in imitation of crawling.
Description
With the turn of a key, this doll appears to crawl along a flat surface. Inside the doll’s body is a spring-driven brass mechanical movement that actuates the arms and legs in imitation of crawling. But the doll actually rolls along on two concealed wheels.
Its date and place of manufacture are not known with certainty. The doll was based on two patents: No. 112,550 granted 14 March 1871 to Robert J. Clay of New York, N.Y.; and No. 118,435 granted 29 August 1871 to Clay’s associate George Pemberton Clarke. Clay’s firm, the Automatic Toy Company, was founded about 1870 and purchased by Edward Ives in 1874. With his brother-in-law Cornelius Blakeslee, Ives established a business for making clockwork toys in Bridgeport, Conn., that operated from 1872 to 1932.
The patent model for Clarke’s invention is also in the Smithsonian collections (catalog number 1984.0923.01).
This mechanical toy is part of a fascinating continuum of figures built to imitate human life. This long Western tradition stretches from ancient Greece through the mechanical automatons of the Enlightenment, through wind-up toys to contemporary robots and other machines with artificial intelligence.
date made
ca 1900
ID Number
2011.0204.01a
accession number
2011.0204
catalog number
2011.0204.01a
Each eyecup of this small instrument is marked “LEMAIRE FABT * PARIS .” The objective lenses are 35 mm diameter and the optics are good. The frame is metal. The barrels are covered with black leather. A center wheel adjusts the focus.
Description
Each eyecup of this small instrument is marked “LEMAIRE FABT * PARIS .” The objective lenses are 35 mm diameter and the optics are good. The frame is metal. The barrels are covered with black leather. A center wheel adjusts the focus. The words “MADE IN / FRANCE” appear on the central brace, as does the trade mark image of a bee. The number “327412” appears on the eye end brace. The carrying case is black leather with a reddish-brown silk lining.
Jacques Lemaire began making opera glasses in 1847 and was soon a major manufacturer noted for using mechanization, division of labor and interchangeable parts. M.J.B. Baille joined the firm in 1871 and took charge in 1885.
Ref: Nicholas Gilman, A Dividend to Labor: A Study of Employers’ Welfare Institutions (Boston and New York, 1899), pp. 297–304.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1850-1900
maker
Lemaire
ID Number
PH.336805
catalog number
336805
accession number
1978.2216
Frederick William Voigtländer took charge of the family business in 1839 and renamed it Voigtländer & Sohn.
Description
Frederick William Voigtländer took charge of the family business in 1839 and renamed it Voigtländer & Sohn. The field glasses that he introduced around 1840 were essentially larger and more robust versions of the binocular opera glasses that his father, Johann Friedrich Voigtländer, had been making since 1811, and for which he had received a patent from the Emperor of Austria, Franz I, in 1823.
This example was probably made in the Voigtländer factory in Brauschweig, Germany. The body is aluminum with a black finish. The barrels are covered with black leather. The objective lenses are 46 mm diameter, and the optics are cloudy. The eyecups are marked “VOIGTLÆNDER & SOHN.” The case is dark leather lined with blue silk. The BENJ. PIKE, JR.” inscription in this case indicates that this instrument was sold in the United States.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 19th century
maker
Voightlander & Sohn
ID Number
PH.336787
catalog number
336787
accession number
1978.2216
This brass telescope has an achromatic objective of about 2 inches aperture and two eyepieces (one marked “Astronomical Eye Piece”). The tube extends from 12.5 to 44 inches. The outer tube is covered with wood. The pillar-and-tripod base has inward-facing feet. The “J. P.
Description
This brass telescope has an achromatic objective of about 2 inches aperture and two eyepieces (one marked “Astronomical Eye Piece”). The tube extends from 12.5 to 44 inches. The outer tube is covered with wood. The pillar-and-tripod base has inward-facing feet. The “J. P. Cutts London Warranted” inscription refers to John Priston Cutts, an optician who worked in London from 1822 to 1841.
The telescope fits into a walnut case lined with velvet. A brass inlay on the box reads: “James Radcliffe Architect Huddersfield.”
Ref: Gloria Clifton, Directory of British Scientific Instrument Makers 1550-1851 (London, 1995), p. 75.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 19th century
maker
Cutts, John Priston
ID Number
PH.329794
catalog number
329794
accession number
286914
This is a metal instrument with black barrels. The eyecaps, probably of tortoise shell, are marked “H. WALDSTEIN · NEW YORK.” The objective lenses are 38 mm diameter. A central wheel adjusts the focus.
Description
This is a metal instrument with black barrels. The eyecaps, probably of tortoise shell, are marked “H. WALDSTEIN · NEW YORK.” The objective lenses are 38 mm diameter. A central wheel adjusts the focus. The soft pouch is blue velvet.
The signature refers to Henry Waldstein, a Jewish immigrant who began working as an optician in New York around 1840. Some of the instruments in his shop were made by his relatives in Munich and in Vienna.
Ref: "Waldstein," in Illustrated New York (New York, 1888), p. 198.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 19th century
ID Number
PH.336788
catalog number
336788
accession number
1978.2216
The objective lenses are 26 mm diameter. The frame is aluminum. The eyecups and central focusing knob are made of mother of pearl. The “ED. MESSTER BERLIN” inscription on the eyecups refers to an optical and mechanical instrument shop that opened in Berlin around 1859.
Description
The objective lenses are 26 mm diameter. The frame is aluminum. The eyecups and central focusing knob are made of mother of pearl. The “ED. MESSTER BERLIN” inscription on the eyecups refers to an optical and mechanical instrument shop that opened in Berlin around 1859. The barrels and lorgnette handle are covered with a light blue plastic material. The word “Busch” scratched onto the front crosspiece may refer to a previous owner. A pink velvet drawstring pouch carries a label reading “MADE IN FRANCE.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 19th century
maker
Messter, Ed
ID Number
PH.336792
catalog number
336792
accession number
1978.2216
Brass instrument with ivory focusing screw, handle, and covering over the barrels. The objective lenses are 24 mm diameter. The words “LUNETTE D’INVENTION ET DE PERFECTION” appear around each eyecup.Currently not on view
Description
Brass instrument with ivory focusing screw, handle, and covering over the barrels. The objective lenses are 24 mm diameter. The words “LUNETTE D’INVENTION ET DE PERFECTION” appear around each eyecup.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 19th century
ID Number
PH.325419
catalog number
325419
accession number
256202
The objective lenses are about 29 mm diameter. The frame is black metal, as are the eyecups and the center wheel that adjusts the focus. The barrels are covered with a 3-dimensional leaf pattern. The “PAT’D. OCT. 19 1886” inscription on each barrel refer to U.S.
Description
The objective lenses are about 29 mm diameter. The frame is black metal, as are the eyecups and the center wheel that adjusts the focus. The barrels are covered with a 3-dimensional leaf pattern. The “PAT’D. OCT. 19 1886” inscription on each barrel refer to U.S. Patent 351125 describing a “Process of manufacturing colored relief impressions on sheet metal” issued to Friedman Priester and Otto Weidemann, both of Berlin.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 19th century
ID Number
PH.336794
catalog number
336794
accession number
1978.2216
This engraving was produced for volume 10 of the Encyclopaedia Londinensis, a multi-volume work published between 1810 and 1829.
Description
This engraving was produced for volume 10 of the Encyclopaedia Londinensis, a multi-volume work published between 1810 and 1829. The text at the top reads “HYGROMETRY.” That at the bottom reads “Instruments for Measuring the moisture of the Air / London Pubd as the Act directs, June 1, 1810, by J. Wilkes” and “Pass sc.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
early 19th century
ID Number
PH.330428
catalog number
330428
accession number
290491
This is a gold-plated brass instrument with black bakelite handle. The barrels are in part filigreed, and in part covered with simulated tortoise shell. The objective lenses are 24 mm diameter.
Description
This is a gold-plated brass instrument with black bakelite handle. The barrels are in part filigreed, and in part covered with simulated tortoise shell. The objective lenses are 24 mm diameter. The words “PAR BREVETE D’INVENTION ET DE PERFECMENT *” appear around each eyepiece--but what patent this refers to is not known. The case is red cardboard lined with silk.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 19th century
ID Number
PH.336790
catalog number
336790
accession number
1978.2216

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