This is a simple three-armed brass spectroscope with one glass prism, on a black iron tri-leg base. It also has a black iron tube to provide gas a flame. The “P. Desaga / Heidelberg / No. 401” inscription on the eye tube refers to Peter Desaga, the University of Heidelberg instrument maker who, in the late 1850s, made the instrument that Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff used for their pioneering work in spectroscopy.
This was used by cadets at the U.S. Military Academy.
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.