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.

Place: Washington

Dip Circle

This Kew pattern dip circle is marked "U.S.C.&G.S. No. 23" and was probably made in the instrument shop of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. The vertical circle is silvered, graduated to 30 minutes, and read by opposite verniers and magnifiers to single minutes.
Description
This Kew pattern dip circle is marked "U.S.C.&G.S. No. 23" and was probably made in the instrument shop of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. The vertical circle is silvered, graduated to 30 minutes, and read by opposite verniers and magnifiers to single minutes. The horizontal circle is graduated to 30 minutes and read by vernier to single minutes. On top of the box there is a compass needle in a box with peep sights that measures magnetic variation.
A brass housing on the front of the instrument holds an auxiliary needle (now missing) that serves as a deflector for the determination of total intensity; this technique was introduced by Humphrey Lloyd, professor of natural philosophy at Trinity College, Dublin, in the early 1840s.
Ref: Daniel Hazard, Directions for Magnetic Measurements (Washington, D.C., 1911), pp. 66-69.
Humphrey Lloyd, "On a New Magnetical Instrument, for the Measurement of the Inclination, and Its Changes," Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 2 (1840-1844): 210-217, 226-232.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey
ID Number
PH.314632
accession number
208213
catalog number
314632

Dip Circle

This dip circle was designed by Julius Hilgard of the U.S. Coast Survey, constructed by William Würdemann, and in use by 1860.
Description
This dip circle was designed by Julius Hilgard of the U.S. Coast Survey, constructed by William Würdemann, and in use by 1860. The vertical circle is located outside the wood and glass box, silvered, graduated to 15 minutes, and read by opposite verniers with magnifiers to 30 seconds. It supports two telescopes which are used to take sights on small holes pierced through the ends of the needle. The horizontal circle is silvered, graduated to 30 minutes and read by vernier to single minutes. The inscriptions read "Wm Würdemann, Washington, D.C." and "U.S.C.S. No. 10."
Ref: "Results of Magnetical Observations Made at Eastport, Maine, Between 1860 and 1864, for the United States Coast Survey," Report of the Superintendent of the United States Coast Survey During the Year 1865, Appendix 18.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1860
maker
Wurdemann, William W.
ID Number
PH.314633
catalog number
314633
accession number
208213

Universal Magnetometer with Dip Circle

This instrument was designed and built by the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carnegie Institution of Washington in 1912.
Description
This instrument was designed and built by the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carnegie Institution of Washington in 1912. It incorporates an astronomical telescope and magnetometer for the determination of magnetic declination and horizontal intensity, and a dip circle with a Lloyd-Creak attachment for the determination of inclination and intensity. It is relatively light and easy to manipulate. It was used for a few years and then set aside when the universal magnetometer with earth inductor came into use. The inscription reads "D.T.M. C.I.W. No 21."
This instrument ended up in the hands of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, and that agency transferred it to the Smithsonian in 1959.
Ref: J. A. Fleming, "Two New Types of Magnetometers Made by the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carnegie Institution of Washington," Terrestrial Magnetism 16 (1911): 1-12.
Carnegie Institution of Washington. Department of Terrestrial Magnetism. Land Magnetic Observations, 1911-1913 (Washington, D.C., 1915), pp. 7-9.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1912
maker
Carnegie Institution of Washington. Department of Terrestrial Magnetism
ID Number
PH.316504
accession number
225703
catalog number
316504

Universal Magnetometer with Earth Inductor

This instrument is marked "DEPARTMENT OF TERRESTRIAL MAGNETISM Carnegie Institution of Washington E.I. - M No 26." It was designed and produced by the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carnegie Institution of Washington.
Description
This instrument is marked "DEPARTMENT OF TERRESTRIAL MAGNETISM Carnegie Institution of Washington E.I. - M No 26." It was designed and produced by the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Unlike the Carnegie's original universal magnetometer, this one is equipped with an earth inductor to determine dip. It was completed in 1914, compared with standard magnetic instruments at the Kew and Greenwich observatories in England, and at the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey observatory at Cheltenham, Md., and used in many locations around the world.
Ref: J. A. Fleming and J. A. Widner, "Description of the C.I.W. Combined Magnetometer and Earth Inductor," Terrestrial Magnetism 18 (1913): 105-110.
Carnegie Institution of Washington. Department of Terrestrial Magnetism. Land Magnetic Observations, 1911-1913 (Washington, D.C., 1915), pp. 9-12.
Location
Currently not on view (Tripod at Fullerton)
Currently not on view
Date made
1914
maker
Carnegie Institution of Washington. Department of Terrestrial Magnetism
ID Number
PH.320627
accession number
2003.0312
catalog number
320627

Dip Circle

This is one of eight dip circles that Edward Kahler made for the American expeditions sent to observe the transit of Venus across the face of the sun in 1874. It is marked "106." The vertical circle is graduated to 20 minutes.
Description
This is one of eight dip circles that Edward Kahler made for the American expeditions sent to observe the transit of Venus across the face of the sun in 1874. It is marked "106." The vertical circle is graduated to 20 minutes. The horizontal circle is graduated to 30 minutes and read by vernier to single minutes. Both are silvered.
Ref: Steve Dick, Sky and Ocean Joined (Cambridge, 2002), p. 250.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1874
maker
Kahler
ID Number
PH.327714
catalog number
327714
accession number
283554

Control Console for 105-D Hanford plutonium production reactor

Background on Control Console for 105-D Plutonium Production Reactor; object cat. no. 1993.0138.02The Manhattan Project, the scientific and military undertaking to develop the atomic bomb, was formally launched by the U.S. government in September 1942.
Description
Background on Control Console for 105-D Plutonium Production Reactor; object cat. no. 1993.0138.02
The Manhattan Project, the scientific and military undertaking to develop the atomic bomb, was formally launched by the U.S. government in September 1942. For a short history of it, go to
http://www.atomicarchive.com/History/mp/index.shtml
Author Richard Rhodes has written a highly-regarded comprehensive history of the atomic bomb, including the story of the Hanford reactors, rich in human, political and scientific detail: Rhodes, Richard. 1986. The Making of the Atomic Bomb. Simon and Schuster.
As part of the Manhattan Project, plutonium production reactors were constructed at Oak Ridge, Tennessee and then at Hanford, Washington. The first was the experimental X-10 Graphite Reactor built at Oak Ridge; it went online in 1943 and served as the prototype for the series of reactors at Hanford. The 100 Area is the part of the Hanford Site located along the banks of the Columbia River. It is where the nine reactors built from 1943 through 1965 are found. They were constructed next to the river because they needed plenty of hydroelectric power and cooling water during operation. The first three of these, 105-B, 105-D, and 105-F, were built simultaneously about six miles apart, starting in October 1943. The first completed, the 105-B Reactor, started operations in September 1944, and produced the fissile material for the two plutonium bombs used during World War II, the “Trinity” test bomb and the bomb dropped on Nagasaki. This 105-B Reactor, the world’s first full-scale nuclear reactor, has been designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark, and is also part of the new Manhattan Project National Park. For a detailed description of the construction and operation of this reactor, see the following document:
Historic American Engineering Record; Hanford Cultural and Historical Resources Program,
B REACTOR HANFORD SITE, HAER No. WA. 164, DOE/RL-2001-16
(pdf file posted online at http:/www.b-reactor.org/history.htm)
The world’s second full-scale nuclear reactor was the 105-D. It began operating in December of 1944, ran through June of 1967, and was ultimately “cocooned” in 2004. (Cocooning is a process by which the reactor core is encased in a concrete shell for 75 years to allow residual radioactivity to decay away. This cocoon is designed to prevent any radiation or contamination left over from the nuclear operations from escaping to the environment.)
The control room of each of Hanford’s nuclear reactors, such as the 105-D, received the information necessary for monitoring and controlling the plant and contained the facilities for operating it. These first generation control rooms consisted almost entirely of panel instrumentation with fixed, discrete components such as switches, indicator lights, strip chart recorders, analog gauges, and annunciator windows. The early Hanford reactors were equipped with various safety and control instruments that measured temperature, pressure, moisture, neutron flux, and radioactivity levels. For a description of these measurements, see pp. 51-55 in the HAER document referenced above. Two measurement examples follow.
1) Moisture content in the circulating helium atmosphere surrounding the reactor. “Water was chosen as the coolant for the Hanford piles [reactors] . . . because it was available in large quantities, had a high heat-transfer coefficient, and was well understood among engineers. The decision to use water was not an easy one, because although water is an effective coolant, it is also an oxidizer of uranium and, in a graphite-moderated pile, an effective poison for the chain reaction” (ibid, p. 42). The largest component of air, nitrogen, is a relatively good absorber of neutrons. “Any air within the pile, therefore, would serve to poison the chain reaction. Another problem associated with air in the pile is argon gas. Although it makes up only a tiny portion of a given volume of air (about 0.9 percent), argon readily becomes radioactive when exposed to the intense neutron flux (flow rate or density) of a pile (more so than the all the other gases in air combined). It was almost impossible to make the pile absolutely gas-tight, so any air within the pile could leak into the surrounding work areas, where the radioactive argon gas could present a hazard to the workers. To eliminate both these problems, the pile’s atmosphere was replaced with circulating helium gas. Helium absorbs no neutrons within the pile and is the one element in which radioactivity cannot be induced by neutron bombardment. There were still more advantages to a helium atmosphere. Helium has a fairly high thermal conductivity (five or six times that of air), meaning that it would aid in the transfer of heat from the pile’s graphite shields and control-rod passages to the 2,004 cooling tubes. Helium is inert, which made it easier to detect water leaks within the pile by sampling the gas as it circulated out of the pile, at which point the helium gas could then be dried and purified” (ibid p.36). “The circulating helium was tested for moisture content in order to reveal any leaks within the pile. Samples could be drawn from the main gas duct, or from 10 sampling tubes that penetrated the rear shielding into the 4 in. gas plenum” (ibid p. 37).
2) Neutron flux levels. “The primary measure of the pile’s chain reaction was the neutron density, or flux, within the pile. One problem with the design of the instrumentation that measured this reactivity was the incredible range of neutron density involved. . . . When it was running at full power, the neutron flux was 100 billion times greater than when it was shut down or running at very low power. To handle this range, two different sets of neutron monitors were needed. The high-level flux was measured by four ionization chambers installed in different tunnels under the pile. . . . The very small current developed by these chambers was measured by picoammeters located in the control room. At the time, these Beckman meters (named after the company that made them) were called micro-microammeters, and were state of the art” (ibid p.53). “When the pile was shut down or running at very low power levels, the low-level neutron fluxmonitor system, or subcritical monitor, would measure its reactivity. Its primary use was to determine when the pile achieved criticality and the rate of rise of power level. The galvanometer system consisted of one ionization chamber under the pile connected to two galvanometers in series. One galvanometer provided a signal (deflection) proportional to the neutron flux, while the other registered the deviation from a preset level. In this way, the system could show small changes in the neutron flux. This system also included shunts and potentiometers at the control room console to compensate for range changes” (ibid, p. 54).
The control console, the separate water temperature control panel, and some related artifacts from the 105-D Reactor are in the Smithsonian’s Modern Physics Collection (accession no. 1993.0138). The control console closely resembles the console at Oak Ridge for the X-10 Reactor. It consists of a wooden cabinet with black metal instrument panels occupying the upper part and the right side of the front (see accompanying media images). A console projecting below the center and left portion contains three small inclined control panels designed for a seated operator. Indicators include two chart recorders (one is "Differential Pwr. Recorder"), two translucent glass galvanometer scales (presumably for the neutron flux monitoring function quoted above), and gauges for fuel rods. There are also numerous switches and knobs for equipment such as control rods, pumps, and bypasses. [See curator's file for details on location, dimensions, markings and condition of each section (including details on gauges, recorders, switches, lights, buttons, etc.)].
Brief description of nuclear fission using slow neutrons
Several heavy elements, such as uranium, thorium, and plutonium, undergo both spontaneous fission, a form of radioactive decay, and induced fission, a form of nuclear reaction. Neutrons, because they have no electrical charge, are not repelled by the positively charged atomic nucleus of an atom. Slow neutrons have a greater probability than fast neutrons of being absorbed in the nucleus of certain isotopes. Elemental isotopes that undergo induced fission when struck by a free neutron of any energy are called fissionable; isotopes that undergo fission when struck by a “thermal,” slow moving, neutron are also called fissile. A few particularly fissile isotopes, notably U-233, U-235 and Pu-239, can be used as nuclear fuels because under certain conditions assemblies of these isotopes can sustain a chain reaction through the release of additional neutrons among their fission products. This makes possible a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction that releases energy at a controlled rate in a nuclear reactor or at a very rapid uncontrolled rate in a nuclear weapon. Although Pu-239 is exceedingly rare in nature, it was discovered that U-238 atoms could be transmuted to Pu-239 (capture of extra neutrons by U-238 to form U-239, which then undergoes a series of decays to form Pu-239). The required quantities of Pu-239 were produced in the nuclear reactors at Hanford, in which U-238 atoms absorbed neutrons that had been emitted from U-235 atoms undergoing fission. The plutonium so produced was then chemically separated from the uranium in dedicated separation facilities.
For the basic concepts of nuclear fission, chain reactions, critical mass, fission of uranium and plutonium isotopes, and the basic principles used for atomic bombs developed in the Manhattan Project, go to: http://www.atomicarchive.com/Fission/Fission1.shtml
ID Number
1993.0138.02
catalog number
1993.0138.02
accession number
1993.0138

Lithograph of "Indian Antiquities" pottery artifacts

P. S. Duval and Company (ca 1840s-1858) of Philadelphia produced this chromolithographic print from an original illustration by John M. Stanley (1814-1872).
Description (Brief)
P. S. Duval and Company (ca 1840s-1858) of Philadelphia produced this chromolithographic print from an original illustration by John M. Stanley (1814-1872). The image of "Wooden Ware, etc." was published as Plate X in Volume 2, following page 116 of Appendix E (Indian Antiquities) by Thomas Ewbank (1792-1870) 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
Wallis, O. J.
Dreser, William
Herbst, Francis
graphic artist
Sinclair, Thomas
Dougal, William H.
Duval, Peter S.
printer
Nicholson, A. O. P.
publisher
United States Navy
original artist
Richard, John H.
Stanley, John Mix
Siebert, Selmar
author
Cassin, John
Ewbank, Thomas
Baird, Spencer Fullerton
Gilliss, James Melville
ID Number
2007.0204.01
accession number
2007.0204
catalog number
2007.0204.01

Book, Development of Arithmetic as a School Subject

This paperbound monograph describes the history of arithmetic teaching in the United States to its time of issue, with particular emphasis on the work and influence of William Colburn.
Description
This paperbound monograph describes the history of arithmetic teaching in the United States to its time of issue, with particular emphasis on the work and influence of William Colburn. The author, Walter Scott Monroe (1882–1961), was professor of school administration at the Kansas State Normal School. He went on to take an active interest in the development of educational tests (see MA.316371.045) .
The monograph was issued by the Bureau of Education of the United States Department of the Interior. This copy was the property of L. Leland Locke, a Brooklyn mathematics teacher and an historian of mathematics.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1917
maker
Monroe, Walter Scott
ID Number
2011.3051.02
nonaccession number
2011.3051
catalog number
2011.3051.02

Game, Concentration Wildlife Edition

This "entertaining and approved educational game" consists of forty playing cards. Each card has a drawing of a plant or animal on it, with appropriate background. Instructions describe playing the game and give information about the wildlife shown.
Description
This "entertaining and approved educational game" consists of forty playing cards. Each card has a drawing of a plant or animal on it, with appropriate background. Instructions describe playing the game and give information about the wildlife shown. The cards and instructions are in a box. One card has a back that is a different color than the others.
The mathematician Olive C. Hazlett once owned this game. For related objects, see 1998.0314 and 2015.3004.
According to Dan Gifford, former archivist at the National Wildlife Foundation, the cards date from about 1959 (when the character Rick the Racoon (later called Ranger Rick) that is shown on the back of the cards was introduced) to 1961.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1959-1961
ca 1959-1961
maker
National Wildlife Federation
ID Number
2015.0027.08
accession number
2015.0027
catalog number
2015.0027.08

Notebook, Shop Mathematics

This black notebook, distributed as War Department Technical Manual TM 9-2820, contains text and illustrations relating to practical aspects of mathematics. Topics discussed include arithmetic, algebra, plane and solid figures, trigonometry, and mechanics.
Description
This black notebook, distributed as War Department Technical Manual TM 9-2820, contains text and illustrations relating to practical aspects of mathematics. Topics discussed include arithmetic, algebra, plane and solid figures, trigonometry, and mechanics. Other chapters consider mathematics for such specific practitioners as machinists, sheet metal workers, electricians, and carpenters. Appendices give miscellaneous formulae and tables.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
From 1945-05-03
1945-05-03
Maker
Burroughs Adding Machine Company
maker
U.S. War Department
ID Number
1989.3123.01
nonaccession number
1989.3123
catalog number
1989.3123.01

Psychological Test, Test for Ability to Sell

During the 1920s American psychologists proposed a wide range of tests for use by employers and educators. George Washington University psychology professor Fred August Moss (1893-1966), working with H. Wyle, W.M. Loman, and W.
Description
During the 1920s American psychologists proposed a wide range of tests for use by employers and educators. George Washington University psychology professor Fred August Moss (1893-1966), working with H. Wyle, W.M. Loman, and W. Middleton, prepared a set of tests to gauge “ability to sell.” These typed sheets give instructions to administering and scoring the test. Sections included judgment in selling situations, memory for names and faces, observation of behavior, learning selling points, following store directions, and selling problems (e.g. commercial arithmetic). An example of the test is not included. The material was published by the Center for Psychological Service at George Washington University and it became known as the “George Washington Test of Ability to Sell.”
References:
M. Asch, The Scope of Industrial Psychology, New Delhi: Sarup & Sons, 2004, p. 202.
Gertrude H. Hildreth, A Bibliography of Mental Tests and Rating Scales, New York: Psychological Corporation, 1933, p. 179.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1929
publisher
George Washington University. Center for Psychological Service
ID Number
1989.0710.08
accession number
1989.0710
catalog number
1989.0710.08

National Bureau of Standards SP-376 Pocket Rule

This white plastic promotional rule has a scale of centimeters along the top edge, divided to millimeters and numbered by ones from 1 to 15, and a scale of inches along the bottom edge, divided to 1/16" and numbered by ones from 1 to 6.
Description
This white plastic promotional rule has a scale of centimeters along the top edge, divided to millimeters and numbered by ones from 1 to 15, and a scale of inches along the bottom edge, divided to 1/16" and numbered by ones from 1 to 6. The center of the rule is marked: For Good Measure from the National Bureau of Standards (/) Washington, D. C. 20234.
The back of the rule has a table comparing metric and customary units of length, volume, and weight. A second table explains the prefixes used in the metric system and gives conversions to yards, quarts, and pounds. The back is marked: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE (/) National Bureau of Standards (/) Washington, D. C. 20234 (/) NBS Special Publication 376 (/) Issued December 1972 (/) For sale by the Superintendent of (/) Documents, U.S. Government Printing (/) Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 (/) (Order by SD Catalog No. C13.10:376). (/) Price 25 cents.
In order to encourage Americans to adopt the metric system, NBS (now the National Institute of Standards and Technology) distributed this rule in the 1970s both individually and as part of a "metric kit," NBS Special Publication 410, which also included four informational pamphlets and a conversion card.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1972
maker
National Bureau of Standards
ID Number
1990.3146.02
catalog number
1990.3146.02
nonaccession number
1990.3146

Documentation on Psychological Tests, Assembled Test Technical Series #3, #24, #26

These three documents were prepared by the U.S. Civil Service Commission as part of its Assembled Test Technical Series. They are:1. Number 3 in the series, by Ernest Primoff, entitled: Job Analysis for Constructing Written Tests.2. Number 24 in the series by Melvin D.
Description
These three documents were prepared by the U.S. Civil Service Commission as part of its Assembled Test Technical Series. They are:
1. Number 3 in the series, by Ernest Primoff, entitled: Job Analysis for Constructing Written Tests.
2. Number 24 in the series by Melvin D. Davidoff, Dorothy E. Green and Elaine Kirby, entitled: The Interrelationships of Several Types of Verbal Tests.
3. Number 26 in the series by Robert J. Wherry, entitled: A Review of the J-Coefficient.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1955-07
author
U.S. Civil Service Commission
ID Number
1979.3064.10
catalog number
1979.3064.10
nonaccession number
1979.3064

Engraved woodblock of seven American Indians in an enclosure

This engraved woodblock of seven American Indians inside an enclosure was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C. for the Bureau of American Ethnology in about 1880. The engraving is marked with the initials WLS and DN for the original and graphic artists.
Description
This engraved woodblock of seven American Indians inside an enclosure was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C. for the Bureau of American Ethnology in about 1880. The engraving is marked with the initials WLS and DN for the original and graphic artists. The full names of the artists have not yet been identified.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1880
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
block maker
V. W. & Co.
ID Number
1980.0219.1121
catalog number
1980.0219.1121
accession number
1980.0219

Engraved woodblock of an "Eskimo child's clothing"

This engraved woodblock of “Eskimo child’s clothing” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 512 (p.557) in an article by Franz Boas (1858-1942) entitled “The Central Eskimo” in the Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of
Description
This engraved woodblock of “Eskimo child’s clothing” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 512 (p.557) in an article by Franz Boas (1858-1942) entitled “The Central Eskimo” in the Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian,1884-85.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1888
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Boas, Franz
ID Number
1980.0219.0477
accession number
1980.0219
catalog number
1980.0219.0477

Engraved woodblock of a "Zuni Paint Cup"

This engraved woodblock of a “Zuni Paint Cup” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 457 (p.364) in an article by James Stevenson (1840-1888) entitled “Illustrated Catalogue of the Collections Obtained from the Indian
Description
This engraved woodblock of a “Zuni Paint Cup” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 457 (p.364) in an article by James Stevenson (1840-1888) entitled “Illustrated Catalogue of the Collections Obtained from the Indians of New Mexico and Arizona in 1879” in the Second Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1880-81. BAE photographer John K. Hillers (1843-1925) accompanied Stevenson on this expedition.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1883
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
photographer
Hillers, John K.
author
Stevenson, James
ID Number
1980.0219.0986
catalog number
1980.0219.0986
accession number
1980.0219

Engraved woodblock of a "Haida medicine rattle"

This engraved woodblock of a “Haida medicine rattle” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Plate XXII.50 (p.189) in an article by William Healey Dall (1845-1927) entitled “On Masks, Labrets, and Certain Aboriginal Customs w
Description
This engraved woodblock of a “Haida medicine rattle” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Plate XXII.50 (p.189) in an article by William Healey Dall (1845-1927) entitled “On Masks, Labrets, and Certain Aboriginal Customs with an Inquiry into the Bearing of Their Geographical Distribution” in the Third Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1881-82. According to the annual report, the mask shows “the shaman, frog, and kingfisher with continuous tongues.” The image was drawn from a “specimen obtained by J. G. Swan [(1818-1900)] at Port Townsend, W. T. from a Queen Charlotte Island Haida.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1884
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Dall, William H.
ID Number
1980.0219.1294
catalog number
1980.0219.1294
accession number
1980.0219

Engraved woodblock of a "Basket with pendant buckskin"

This engraved woodblock of a “Basket with pendant buckskin” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 312 (p.213) in an article by William H.
Description
This engraved woodblock of a “Basket with pendant buckskin” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 312 (p.213) in an article by William H. Holmes (1846-1933) entitled “A Study of the Textile Art in its Relation to the Development of Form and Ornament” in the Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1884-85.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1888
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Holmes, William Henry
ID Number
1980.0219.0850
catalog number
1980.0219.0850
accession number
1980.0219

Engraved woodblock of a "Vase of unusual shape"

This engraved woodblock of a “Vase of unusual shape” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 211 (p.144) in an article by William Henry Holmes (1846-1933) entitled “Ancient Art of the Province of Chiriqui, Colombia” in
Description
This engraved woodblock of a “Vase of unusual shape” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 211 (p.144) in an article by William Henry Holmes (1846-1933) entitled “Ancient Art of the Province of Chiriqui, Colombia” in the Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian,1884-85.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1888
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Holmes, William Henry
block maker
J. J. & Co.
ID Number
1980.0219.1289
catalog number
1980.0219.1289
accession number
1980.0219

Engraved woodblock of cliff dwellings and pueblos

This engraved woodblock of cliff dwellings and pueblos was prepared by John Minton and the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the print was published in John Wesley Powell's Report of the Exploration of the Colorado River of the West and Its Tributaries.
Description
This engraved woodblock of cliff dwellings and pueblos was prepared by John Minton and the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the print was published in John Wesley Powell's Report of the Exploration of the Colorado River of the West and Its Tributaries. Explored in 1869, 1870, 1871, and 1872, under the direction of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in 1875. Thomas Moran (1837-1926) was the original artist.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1880
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
original artist
Moran, Thomas
graphic artist
Minton, John
block maker
V. W. & Co.
ID Number
1980.0219.1512
catalog number
1980.0219.1512
accession number
1980.0219

Engraved woodblock of a "Zuni effigy"

This engraved woodblock of a “Zuni effigy” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the print was published in 1883 as Figure 463 (p.365) in an article by James Stevenson (1840-1888) entitled “Illustrated Catalogue of the Collections Obtained from the I
Description
This engraved woodblock of a “Zuni effigy” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the print was published in 1883 as Figure 463 (p.365) in an article by James Stevenson (1840-1888) entitled “Illustrated Catalogue of the Collections Obtained from the Indians of New Mexico and Arizona in 1879” in the Second Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1880-81.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1883
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Stevenson, James
ID Number
1980.0219.0141
catalog number
1980.0219.0141
accession number
1980.0219

Engraved woodblock of an "Indian mask from the northwest coast of America"

This engraved woodblock of an “Indian mask from the northwest coast of America” was prepared by Henry Hobart Nichols (1838-1887) and the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the print was published in 1884 as Plate XIII.20 (p.171) in an article by William Healey Dall (
Description
This engraved woodblock of an “Indian mask from the northwest coast of America” was prepared by Henry Hobart Nichols (1838-1887) and the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the print was published in 1884 as Plate XIII.20 (p.171) in an article by William Healey Dall (1845-1927) entitled “On Masks, Labrets, and Certain Aboriginal Customs with an Inquiry into the Bearing of Their Geographical Distribution” in the Third Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1881-82.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1884
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Dall, William H.
graphic artist
Nichols, H. H.
block maker
N. J. Wemmer
ID Number
1980.0219.0165
catalog number
1980.0219.0165
accession number
1980.0219

Engraved woodblock of a "Zuni eating bowl"

This engraved woodblock of a “Zuni eating bowl” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the print was published in 1883 as Figure 427 (p.357) in an article by James Stevenson (1840-1888) entitled “Illustrated Catalogue of the Collections Obtained from
Description
This engraved woodblock of a “Zuni eating bowl” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the print was published in 1883 as Figure 427 (p.357) in an article by James Stevenson (1840-1888) entitled “Illustrated Catalogue of the Collections Obtained from the Indians of New Mexico and Arizona in 1879” in the Second Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1880-81.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1883
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Stevenson, James
ID Number
1980.0219.0038
accession number
1980.0219
catalog number
1980.0219.0038

Psychological Test, Sample Technical Questions for the Maintenance Branch, Motor Vehicle Branch Supervisory Examinations

This document is entitled “Sample of Technical Questions for the Maintenance Branch Motor Vehicle Branch Supervisory Examinations.” It is booklet B. It was published in July 1968 by the Bureau of Personnel Post Office Department. The questions all appear to be multiple choice.
Description
This document is entitled “Sample of Technical Questions for the Maintenance Branch Motor Vehicle Branch Supervisory Examinations.” It is booklet B. It was published in July 1968 by the Bureau of Personnel Post Office Department. The questions all appear to be multiple choice. It is 82 pages long and is of interest to researchers working on the history of the postal service as well as the history of mental testing.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1968
author
United States Postal Service
ID Number
1979.3064.09
catalog number
1979.3064.09
nonaccession number
1979.3064

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