Science & Mathematics

Chemical Balance

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.

Resource Type: Prints

Bode’s Northern Celestial Planisphere

Johann Elert Bode (1747-1826) served as the director of the astronomical observatory of the Berlin Academy of Sciences, edited the Astronomisches Jahrbuch, and published several popular texts and atlases.
Description
Johann Elert Bode (1747-1826) served as the director of the astronomical observatory of the Berlin Academy of Sciences, edited the Astronomisches Jahrbuch, and published several popular texts and atlases. This planisphere is derived from a chart in his Anleitung zur Kenntniss des gestirnten Himmels (Hamburg, 1768). It extends from the south equatorial pole to 38° South declination, and shows the stars of magnitudes 1 to 6. The brightest stars are identified by Bayer letters. Some stars are named. The text at the top reads “Stereographischer Entwurf des Gestirnten Himmels / vom Nordpol bis zum 38sten Grad südlicher Abweichung von J. E. Bode.” The “gestochen von C. C. Glassbach” signature at bottom refers to Carl Christian Glasbach (b. 1751), an engraver in Berlin.
This is similar to the other Bode planisphere in the collections, but has several constellations that originated with Bode: Renthier within the bounds of Cepheus; Der Einseidler within the bounds of Die Waage; Messier within the bounds of Casseopeja; Friedrichs Ehre, Die Georgs Harfe within the bounds of Der Fluss Eridanus; Herschels Telescop, Mauer Quadrant, Die Katz within the bounds of Die Wasser Schlanger; Der Luft Ballon within the bounds of Der Steinbock; Die Logleine within the bounds of Der Compas; Die Electrisirmachine within the bounds of Die Bildhauer Werkstadt; and Buchdrucker Werkstadt within the bounds of Das Schiff des Argo.
Ref: Deborah Warner, The Sky Explored. Celestial Cartography 1500-1800 (New York, 1979), pp. 34-39.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1800
ID Number
PH.329961
catalog number
329961
accession number
286290

Lithograph of bird species "Chrysomitris Marginalis"

Thomas Sinclair (ca 1805-1881) of Philadelphia produced this chromolithographic print of "Chrysomitris marginalis [Bonaparte] male and female" (common name: Black-chinned Siskin) after an original illustration by William Dreser (b. 1820, fl. 1849-1860).
Description (Brief)
Thomas Sinclair (ca 1805-1881) of Philadelphia produced this chromolithographic print of "Chrysomitris marginalis [Bonaparte] male and female" (common name: Black-chinned Siskin) after an original illustration by William Dreser (b. 1820, fl. 1849-1860). The image was published as Plate XVII in Volume 2, following page 180 of Appendix F (Zoology-Birds) by John Cassin (1813-1869) in the report describing "The U.S. Naval Astronomical Expedition to the Southern Hemisphere during the Years 1849, 1850, 1851, and 1852" by James M. Gillis (1811-1865). The volume was printed in 1855 by A. O. P. Nicholson (1808-1876) of Washington, D.C.
Description
Thomas Sinclair (c.1805–1881) of Philadelphia printed this lithograph of “Chrysomitris Marginalis [Bonaparte] male and female," now "Carduelis barbata" or Black-chinned siskin, from an original sketch by William Dreser (c.1820–after 1860) of Philadelphia (1847–1860) and New York (1860). The illustration was published in 1855 by A.O.P. Nicholson in Washington, D.C. as Plate XVII in the “Birds” section of volume II of The United States Naval Astronomical Survey to the Southern Hemisphere, written by John Cassin (1813–1869).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1855
graphic artist
Sinclair, Thomas
Dreser, William
printer
Nicholson, A. O. P.
publisher
United States Navy
author
Cassin, John
Gilliss, James Melville
ID Number
2008.0175.03
accession number
2008.0175
catalog number
2008.0175.03

Chymie

This engraving is from the “Chimie” section of vol.
Description
This engraving is from the “Chimie” section of vol. 3 of the Recueil de Planches, sur les sciences, les arts libéraux, et les arts méchaniques (Paris, 1763), of the Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire Raisonné des Sciences, des Arts et des Métiers organized by Denis Diderot and other philosophes. It is the second of the series of plates representing chemical apparatus. The figures run from 8 to 21 and represent various furnaces.
“Pl. II” appears at the upper right. The “Goussier del.” signature at the bottom left refers to Jacques-Louis Goussier, the artist who drew more than 900 plates for the Encyclopédie. The “Desehrt fecit” signature at lower right refers to a French engraver of the period.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1763
ID Number
PH.319743.06
catalog number
319743.06
accession number
239020

Engraving of snake species "Crotalus molossus"

William Dougal (1822–1895) of Washington, D.C. engraved this print of “Crotalus molassus [B & G],” or Black–tailed rattlesnake, from an original sketch likely drawn by John H. Richard (c.1807–1881) of Philadelphia.
Description (Brief)
William Dougal (1822–1895) of Washington, D.C. engraved this print of “Crotalus molassus [B & G],” or Black–tailed rattlesnake, from an original sketch likely drawn by John H. Richard (c.1807–1881) of Philadelphia. The illustration was printed as Plate II in the “Reptiles” section of the second part of volume II of the Report on the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey, which was written by Spencer F. Baird (1823–1887). The volume was printed in 1859 by Cornelius Wendell of Washington, D.C.
Description
William Dougal (1822–1895) of Washington, D.C. engraved this print of “Crotalus molassus [B & G],” or Black–tailed rattlesnake, from an original sketch likely drawn by John H. Richard (c.1807–1881) of Philadelphia. The illustration was printed as Plate 2 in the “Reptiles” section of the second part of volume II of the Report on the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey, which was written by Spencer F. Baird (1823–1887). The volume was printed in 1859 by Cornelius Wendell of Washington, D.C.
Location
Currently not on view
graphic artist
Dougal, William H.
printer
Nicholson, A.O.P.
author
Emory, William H.
printer
Wendell, Cornelius
publisher
U.S. Department of the Interior
original artist
Richard, John H.
author
Baird, Spencer Fullerton
publisher
U.S. Army
ID Number
GA.1367
accession number
1888.20627
catalog number
1367

Caracteres / de Chymie

This engraving is from the “Chimie” section of vol.
Description
This engraving is from the “Chimie” section of vol. 3 of the Recueil de Planches, sur les sciences, les arts libéraux, et les arts méchaniques (Paris, 1763), of the Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire Raisonné des Sciences, des Arts et des Métiers organized by Denis Diderot and other philosophes. It is the fourth of four plates that connected chemicals with their symbols, and runs from “Acide” to “Zinc.”
“Pl. IV” appears at the upper right. The “Goussier del.” signature at the bottom left refers to Jacques-Louis Goussier, the artist who drew more than 900 plates for the Encyclopédie. The “Niodot Sculp” signature at lower right refers to a French engraver of the period.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1763
ID Number
PH.319743.05
catalog number
319743.05
accession number
239020

Laboratoire et table des Raports

The upper part of this engraving represents a well-stocked chemical laboratory with two well-dressed men (identified in the accompanying text as a physician and a chemist) and four workers.
Description
The upper part of this engraving represents a well-stocked chemical laboratory with two well-dressed men (identified in the accompanying text as a physician and a chemist) and four workers. The lower part is an affinity table-showing the relative disposition of various substances to unite with one another-that was copied almost directly from the table that the French chemist Étienne-François Geoffroy had published in 1718. While the chemical symbols used in this table would soon be displaced by those introduced by Antoine Lavoisier and his collaborators, this image indicates the robust tradition of systematically studying the relationships among chemical substances that was well established in France, and elsewhere, by the early 18th century.
This engraving was the first of the “Chimie” plates in vol. 3 of the Recueil de Planches, sur les sciences, les arts libéraux, et les arts méchaniques (Paris, 1763). The illustrations formed a key part of the Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers organized by Denis Diderot and other philosophes. This image is unnumbered and, unlike the other plates in this series, it extends over two pages.
The signatures at the bottom of the image read “Goussier del” and “Prevost fecit.” Jacques-Louis Goussier (1722-1729) drew more than 900 plates for the Encyclopédie. Benoit Louis Prevost engraved many plates for this work.
Ref: Charles C. Gillispie, ed., A Diderot Pictorial Encyclopedia of Trades and Industry (New York, 1993).
Mi Gyung Kim, Affinity, That Elusive Dream (Cambridge, Mass., 2003), p. 136.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1763
ID Number
PH.319743.01
catalog number
319743.01
accession number
239020

Chymie

This engraving is from the “Chimie” section of vol.
Description
This engraving is from the “Chimie” section of vol. 3 of the Recueil de Planches, sur les sciences, les arts libéraux, et les arts méchaniques (Paris, 1763) of the Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire Raisonné des Sciences, des Arts et des Métiers organized by Denis Diderot and other philosophes.
This is the sixth of the series of plates representing chemical apparatus. The figures run from 66 to 75. Most pertain to distillation, and most derive from the work of Johann Rudolf Glauber, a German-Dutch alchemist/chemist of the 17th century.
“Pl. VI” appears at the upper right. The “Goussier del.” signature at the bottom left refers to Jacques-Louis Goussier, the artist who drew more than 900 plates for the Encyclopédie. The “Desehrt fecit” signature at lower right refers to a French engraver of the period.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1763
ID Number
PH.319743.10
catalog number
319743.10
accession number
239020

Chymie

This engraving is from the “Chimie” section of vol.
Description
This engraving is from the “Chimie” section of vol. 3 of the Recueil de Planches, sur les sciences, les arts libéraux, et les arts méchaniques (Paris, 1763) of the Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire Raisonné des Sciences, des Arts et des Métiers organized by Denis Diderot and other philosophes.
This is the seventeenth of the series of plates representing chemical apparatus, and the second plate representing salt crystals. The figures run from 8 to 14.
“Pl. XVII” appears at the upper right. The “Goussier del.” signature at the bottom left refers to Jacques-Louis Goussier, the artist who drew more than 900 plates for the Encyclopédie. The “Prevost fecit” signature at lower right refers to Benoit Louis Prevost, a French engraver of the period.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1763
ID Number
PH.319743.19
catalog number
319743.19
accession number
239020

Sphaera Armillaris Copernicana

Stevin Tracy was an artisan in Rotterdam who, around 1670, made a magnificent mechanical model of the solar system. This model depicted the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Moon, Mars, Jupiter and its four largest moons, and Saturn.
Description
Stevin Tracy was an artisan in Rotterdam who, around 1670, made a magnificent mechanical model of the solar system. This model depicted the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Moon, Mars, Jupiter and its four largest moons, and Saturn. Peter Vander Aa, an engraver in Leyden, produced this engraved image of Tracy’s instrument in 1711, the year after the instrument was given to the University of Leyden. The explanatory text is in Latin and French.
Ref: Henry C. King and John R. Millburn, Geared to the Stars. The Evolution of Planetariums, Orreries, and Astronomical Clocks (Toronto, 1978), pp. 213-214.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1711
ID Number
PH.323343
catalog number
323343
accession number
251006

Lithograph of bird species "Buteo calurus"

This colored lithograph of "Buteo calurus [Cassin]," now "Buteo jamaicensis calurus" or Red-tailed Hawk, is believed to have been drawn on stone by William E.
Description (Brief)
This colored lithograph of "Buteo calurus [Cassin]," now "Buteo jamaicensis calurus" or Red-tailed Hawk, is believed to have been drawn on stone by William E. Hitchcock (ca 1822-ca 1906), lithographed by Bowen & Company of Philadelphia (ca 1840-1870), and likely hand colored by Bowen firm colorists or Lavinia Bowen (ca 1820- ca 1872).
The image was published as Plate XIV in the "Zoological Portion of the Reports by Lieutenant E. G. Beckwith, Third Artillery, upon the Route near the 38th and 39th Parallels, surveyed by Captain J. W. Gunnison, Corps of Topographical Engineers, and upon the route near the Forty–First Parallel, surveyed by Lieut. E. G. Beckwith, Third Artillery.” The report was published in volume X of the “Reports and Surveys to Ascertain the Most Practable and Economical Route for a Railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean ... 1853, 1856, Volume X," printed in 1859 by Beverley Tucker of Washington, D.C.
Location
Currently not on view
date on report
1854
date printed in book
1859
original artist
Cassin, John
publisher
U.S. War Department
author
Beckwith, Edward Griffin
publisher
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Topographic Command
printer
Nicholson, A. O. P.
ID Number
GA.16332.017
accession number
1930.110179
catalog number
16332.017

Engraving of snake species "Dryophis vittatus"

William H. Dougal (1822-1895) of Washington, D.C. produced this engraving of "Dryophis Vittatus, Grd" from an original illustration by John H. Richard (1807- ca 1881).
Description (Brief)
William H. Dougal (1822-1895) of Washington, D.C. produced this engraving of "Dryophis Vittatus, Grd" from an original illustration by John H. Richard (1807- ca 1881). The image was published as Plate XXXVI in Volume 2, following page 210 of Appendix F (Zoology Reptiles) by Charles Girard (1822-1895) in the report describing "The U.S. Naval Astronomical Expedition to the Southern Hemisphere during the Years 1849, 1850, 1851, and 1852" by James M. Gillis (1811-1865). The volume was printed in 1855 by A. O. P. Nicholson (1808-1876) of Washington, D.C.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1855
original artist
Richard, John H.
graphic artist
Dougal, William H.
printer
Nicholson, A. O. P.
publisher
United States Navy
author
Gilliss, James Melville
ID Number
2008.0175.30
accession number
2008.0175
catalog number
2008.0175.30

Engraving of fish and frog species "Trichomycterus Maculatus, Cheiroden Pisciculus, Cystignathus Taeniatus, and Phyllobates Auratus"

William H. Dougal (1822-1895) of Washington, D.C. produced this pre-publication engraving proof of “Trichomycterus maculatus [Cuv.
Description (Brief)
William H. Dougal (1822-1895) of Washington, D.C. produced this pre-publication engraving proof of “Trichomycterus maculatus [Cuv. -Val.], Cheiroden pisciculus [Grd], Cystignathus taeniatus [Grd], and Phyllobates auratus [Grd]” now "Trichomycterus maculatus," "Cheiroden pisciculus," "Batrachyla taeniata," (Banded tree frog), and "Dendrobates auratus" (Poison dart frog, Green poison frog, Green and black poison dart frog) from an original illustration by John H. Richard (1807- ca 1881). The image was published as Plate XXXIV in Volume 2, following page 208 of Appendix F (Zoology-Fishes) by Charles Girard (1822-1895) in the report describing "The U.S. Naval Astronomical Expedition to the Southern Hemisphere during the Years 1849, 1850, 1851, and 1852" by James M. Gillis (1811-1865). The volume was printed in 1855 by A. O. P. Nicholson (1808-1876) of Washington, D.C. The print is also signed in pen "Correct, C.Girard."
Location
Currently not on view
date of book publication
1855
original artist
Richard, John H.
graphic artist
Dougal, William H.
printer
Nicholson, A. O. P.
publisher
United States Navy
author
Girard, Charles
Gilliss, James Melville
ID Number
2008.0175.16
accession number
2008.0175
catalog number
2008.0175.16

Copernican and Ptolemaic Armillary Spheres

This engraving was probably created in France in the 18th century. The “SPHERE DE COPERNIC” on the left is a model of the solar system with the Sun in the middle and planetary orbits out to that of Saturn.
Description
This engraving was probably created in France in the 18th century. The “SPHERE DE COPERNIC” on the left is a model of the solar system with the Sun in the middle and planetary orbits out to that of Saturn. Other circles represent the colures, the zodiac with the ecliptic, and the equator. The “SPHERE DE PTOLEMÉE” on the right is an armillary sphere with the Earth in the middle and bands for the several celestial circles. Both instruments have baroque stands.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
PH.319249
catalog number
319249
accession number
236083

QUADRANS MAGNUS CHALIBEUS

Tycho Brahe, the preeminent astronomical observer of the 16th century, established an observatory on the Danish island of Hven in the 1570s. There he built an impressive assortment of astronomical instruments. Among these was a large steel quadrant on an azimuthal base.
Description
Tycho Brahe, the preeminent astronomical observer of the 16th century, established an observatory on the Danish island of Hven in the 1570s. There he built an impressive assortment of astronomical instruments. Among these was a large steel quadrant on an azimuthal base. This engraving representing that instrument was published in Joan Blaeu, Atlas Maior, vol. 1, book 2 (Amsterdam, 1662). It is derived from an engraving that first appeared in Tycho Brahe, Astronomiae Instauratae Mechanica (Wandesburg, 1598).
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
PH.319248
catalog number
319248
accession number
236083

Chymie

This engraving is from the “Chimie” section of vol.
Description
This engraving is from the “Chimie” section of vol. 3 of the Recueil de Planches, sur les sciences, les arts libéraux, et les arts méchaniques (Paris, 1763) of the Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire Raisonné des Sciences, des Arts et des Métiers organized by Denis Diderot and other philosophes.
This is the sixteenth of the series of plates representing chemical apparatus, and the first of the plates representing salt crystals. The figures run from 1 to 7.
“Pl. XIII” appears at the upper right. The “Goussier del.” signature at the bottom left refers to Jacques-Louis Goussier, the artist who drew more than 900 plates for the Encyclopédie. The “Prevost fecit” signature at lower right refers to Benoit Louis Prevost, a French engraver of the period.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1763
ID Number
PH.319743.18
catalog number
319743.18
accession number
239020

Engraving of lizard species "Phrynosoma regale, Doliosaurus m'callii"

William Dougal (1822–1895) of Washington, D.C.
Description (Brief)
William Dougal (1822–1895) of Washington, D.C. engraved this print of “Phrynosoma regale [Girard] and Doliosaurus m’callii [Girard]”—now "Phrynosoma solare" (Regal horned lizard) and "Phrynosoma mcallii" (Flat–tail horned lizard); from one or more original illustrations by John H. Richard (c.1807–1881) of Philadelphia. The illustration was published as Plate 28 in the “Reptiles” section of the second part of volume II of the Report on the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey, written by S.F. Baird (1823–1887). The volume was printed in 1859 by Cornelius Wendell of Washington, D.C.
Description
William Dougal (1822–1895) of Washington, D.C. engraved this print of “Phrynosoma regale [Girard] and Doliosaurus m’callii [Girard]”—now "Phrynosoma solare" (Regal horned lizard) and "Phrynosoma mcallii" (Flat–tail horned lizard); from an original sketch by John H. Richard (c.1807–1881) of Philadelphia. The illustration was printed as Plate 28 in the “Reptiles” section of the second part of volume II of the Report on the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey, written by S.F. Baird (1823–1887). The volume was printed in 1859 by Cornelius Wendell of Washington, D.C.
Location
Currently not on view
date of book publication
1859
author
Baird, Spencer Fullerton
original artist
Richard, John H.
graphic artist
Dougal, William H.
printer
Wendell, Cornelius
author
Emory, William H.
publisher
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Army
ID Number
2009.0115.062
catalog number
2009.0115.062
accession number
2009.0115

J. D’ALEMBERT

This half-length engraved portrait of Jean LeRond d’Alembert (1717-1783) shows this French mathematician and philosophe sitting with quill pen in one hand and dividers in the other.
Description
This half-length engraved portrait of Jean LeRond d’Alembert (1717-1783) shows this French mathematician and philosophe sitting with quill pen in one hand and dividers in the other. Papers, books, and other drawing instruments are strewn across the desk in front of him, and more books, a rolled chart, and a globe sit on the cabinet behind. The text at bottom reads: “Dessiné par M. R. Jollain, Peintre du Roi, et Gravé par B. L. Henriquez, Graveur de S. M. I. de / toutes les Russies, et de l’Academie Imperiale des Beaux Arts de St. Petersbourg.”
This image was published in Paris in 1777, along with similar portraits of Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Diderot, the other principal authors of the Encyclopédie. The prints were commissioned by Charles-Joseph Panckoucke, the Paris bookman who was then producing a Supplément to the Encyclopédie. They sold for three francs each. Nicholas-René Jollain was an artist in Paris. Benoît-Louis Henriquez was an engraver in Paris.
Ref: Thomas L. Hankins, Jean d’Alembert. Science and the Enlightenment (Oxford, 1970).
George B. Watts, “The Supplément and the Table Analytique et Rainsonée of the Encyclopédie,” The French Review 28 (1954): 4-19, on 16.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1777
ID Number
PH.329189
accession number
280072
catalog number
329189

Chymie

This engraving is from the Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire Raisonné des Sciences, des Arts et des Métiers organized by Denis Diderot and other philosophes. It was published in the “Chimie” section of vol.
Description
This engraving is from the Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire Raisonné des Sciences, des Arts et des Métiers organized by Denis Diderot and other philosophes. It was published in the “Chimie” section of vol. 3 of the Recueil de Planches, sur les sciences, les arts libéraux, et les arts méchaniques (Paris, 1763).
This is the third of the series of plates representing furnaces and other chemical apparatus. The figures run from 22 to 38. The large figure at top represents the furnace as arranged by the German metallurgist Johann Andreas Cramer. The tall figure at the lower right represents the furnace used by the Prussian chemist Johann Heinrich Pott.
“Pl. III” appears at the upper right. The “Goussier del.” signature at the bottom left refers to Jacques-Louis Goussier, the artist who drew more than 900 plates for the Encyclopédie. The “Desehrt fecit” signature at lower right refers to a French engraver of the period.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1763
ID Number
PH.319743.07
catalog number
319743.07
accession number
239020

CHEMISTRY

This engraving is marked “Plate VIII” and “1. Machine for the Combusion of Phosphorus. 2 to 6 The Mercurial Gazometer. 7 Guyton’s Eudiometer” and “Heny Lascelles delt” and “J. Pass Sculpt” and “London, Published as the Act directs, Feby 5, 1801. By J.
Description
This engraving is marked “Plate VIII” and “1. Machine for the Combusion of Phosphorus. 2 to 6 The Mercurial Gazometer. 7 Guyton’s Eudiometer” and “Heny Lascelles delt” and “J. Pass Sculpt” and “London, Published as the Act directs, Feby 5, 1801. By J. Wilkes.” It was prepared for the fourth volume of the Encyclopaedia Londinensis (1810).
The mercurial gasometer shown here was developed by William H. Pepys Jr., an apparatus maker in London. It was used for collecting gases that could not be maintained over water. Eudiometers measure the extent to which nitrous gases can absorb oxygen. The form shown here was described in 1795 by the French chemist Guyton de Morveau.
John Wilkes (1750-1810) was a London printer and bookseller. He compiled the Encyclopaedia Londoniensis which was published in 24 volumes between 1810 and 1828.
Ref. W. H. Pepys, “Description of a Mercurial Gazometer,” Philosophical Magazine 5 (1799): 154-157 and plate III.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1810
ID Number
PH.329199
accession number
280069
catalog number
329199

CHEMISTRY

This engraving is marked “Plate IV” and “Van Marum’s Gasometer” and “Heny Lascelles delt” and “J. Pass Sculpt” and “London, Published as the Act directs, Feby 21, 1801 by J.
Description
This engraving is marked “Plate IV” and “Van Marum’s Gasometer” and “Heny Lascelles delt” and “J. Pass Sculpt” and “London, Published as the Act directs, Feby 21, 1801 by J. Wilkes.” It was prepared for the fourth volume of the Encyclopaedia Londinensis (1810).
Martinus Van Marum was a Dutch chemist who, after having seen Lavoisier’s demonstrations of the composition of water in Paris in 1785, devised a user-friendly gasometer for measuring the amount of hydrogen and of oxygen produced by this operation.
John Wilkes (1750-1810) was a London printer and bookseller. His Encyclopaedia Londoniensis was published in 24 volumes between about 1801 and 1828.
Ref: “A Letter from Doctor Van Marum to M. Berthollet, containing a description of a new Gasometer,” The Monthly Review 7 (1792): 493-494.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1810
ID Number
PH.329200
catalog number
329200
accession number
280069

ET LUCE ACCORDINE CONSTANT

This engraving depicts a tall arched structure and some two dozen putti, or cherubs, cavorting with long-focus telescopes, a celestial globe, an astronomical quadrant, an astrolabe, a cross staff, and other mathematical instruments.
Description
This engraving depicts a tall arched structure and some two dozen putti, or cherubs, cavorting with long-focus telescopes, a celestial globe, an astronomical quadrant, an astrolabe, a cross staff, and other mathematical instruments. It was one of the engraved plates in Franz Joseph Garzaroll von Garzarolshoff, Regia Virtutum Serenissimo, et Potentissimo Hungariae Regi Josepho I. Magni Caesaris Leopoldi I. Filio . . . Oblata, a book published in Vienna in 1690 on the occasion of the coronation of the young Joseph I as what was termed King of the Romans.
The signatures at bottom read “Wilhelm Schupert von Ehrenberg inv. Et del:” and “J. J. von Sandrart fecit Norib.” Wilhelm Schubert von Ehrenberg (1637-1676) was an artist in Antwerp who specialized in architectural images. Johann Jacob von Sandrart (1630-1708) was an engraver in Nuremberg.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1690
ID Number
PH.319032
catalog number
319032
accession number
236080

Caracteres / de Chymie

This engraving is from the “Chimie” section of vol.
Description
This engraving is from the “Chimie” section of vol. 3 of the Recueil de Planches, sur les sciences, les arts libéraux, et les arts méchaniques (Paris, 1763), of the Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire Raisonné des Sciences, des Arts et des Métiers organized by Denis Diderot and other philosophes. It is the third of four plates that connected chemicals with their symbols, and runs from “Pinte” to “Urine.”
“Pl. III” appears at the upper right. The “Aubin fecit.” signature at the bottom left probably refers to a family of artists in Paris in the 18th century.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1763
ID Number
PH.319743.04
catalog number
319743.04
accession number
239020

Caracteres / de Chymie

This engraving is from the “Chimie” section of vol.
Description
This engraving is from the “Chimie” section of vol. 3 of the Recueil de Planches, sur les sciences, les arts libéraux, et les arts méchaniques (Paris, 1763) of the Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire Raisonné des Sciences, des Arts et des Métiers organized by Denis Diderot and other philosophes. It is the second of four plates that connected chemicals with their symbols, and runs from “Esprit de Vitriol” to “Pierre Sanguine.”
“Pl. II” appears at the upper right. The “Aubin fecit.” signature at the bottom left probably refers to a family of artists in Paris in the 18th century.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1763
ID Number
PH.319743.03
catalog number
319743.03
accession number
239020

SURREY INSTITUTION

This charming hand-colored aquatint shows Friedrich Accum giving a chemistry lecture at the Surrey Institution in London, a short-lived organization (it opened in 1808 and closed in 1823) that presented scientific, literary, and musical programs for ladies and gentlemen in London
Description
This charming hand-colored aquatint shows Friedrich Accum giving a chemistry lecture at the Surrey Institution in London, a short-lived organization (it opened in 1808 and closed in 1823) that presented scientific, literary, and musical programs for ladies and gentlemen in London. The inscriptions at the bottom read “Rowlandson & Pugin delt et sculpt” and “J. C. Stadler aquat” and “London Pub. Sept 1st 1809, at R. Ackermann’s Repository of Arts 101 Strand.”
Augustus Charles Pugin (1762-1832), an Anglo-French artist, drew the architectural features of this image. Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827), a London artist, drew the people. Joseph Constantine Stadler (active 1780-1812), a German artist working in England, produced the plate. Rudolph Ackermann, a German immigrant whose popular print and picture emporium was known as the Repository of Arts, commissioned the work and included it in The Microcosm of London (1808-1810), an ambitious three-volume work produced under his auspices.
Ref: F. Kurzer, “A History of the Surrey Institution,” Annals of Science 57 (2000): 109-141.
John Ford, Ackermann 1783-1983: The Business of Art (London, 1983).
Matthew Payne & James Payne, Regarding Thomas Rowlandson, 1757-1827 (London, 2010).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1809
ID Number
PH.317523
catalog number
317523
accession number
230391

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