Hologram of Toy Train

Hologram of Toy Train

Usage conditions apply
Downloads
Description
This glass plate records the hologram, “Toy Train” by Emmett Leith and Juris Upatnieks. Made in late 1963, this hologram demonstrated their method of making high-resolution three-dimensional images of three-dimensional objects. Their success at the University of Michigan’s Willow Run Laboratory came after several years work on advanced radar techniques and lensless photography for defense purposes.
Leith and Upatnieks created this transmission hologram by exposing a black and white photographic plate to the laser light reflected from a toy train model. The image is reconstructed in three dimensions when the correct laser light shines through the glass. When they displayed this hologram at a conference in April 1964, other scientists lined-up to see their breakthrough. “Toy Train” was not the first hologram ever made, but the quality of the image stunned everyone. And so it became the first hologram many people heard about. Since then, many other types of holograms have been devised.
In 1948, British scientist Dennis Gabor had used two beams of electrons to record a microscopic image. He then tried to make images of larger objects using filtered light from an arc lamp but obtained poor results. The invention of lasers in 1960 gave researchers a better light source for making three-dimensional photographs and spurred Leith and Upatnieks’ work.
Location
Currently not on view
Object Name
hologram
date made
1963
maker
Leith, Emmett N.
Physical Description
glass (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 5 in x 4 in x 1/4 in; 12.7 cm x 10.16 cm x.635 cm
ID Number
PG.69.186.05
catalog number
69.186.5
accession number
285032
Credit Line
Emmett N. Leith and Juris Upatnieks
subject
Science
Hologram
See more items in
Work and Industry: Photographic History
Science & Mathematics
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Nominate this object for photography.   

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.

Comments

"The model train was a replica of the General. My father, an avid model railroader, built it from a kit. I used to play with it as a kid. Last time that I saw it was in 1972 in the Smithsonian."

Arthur DiTullio

Fri, 2017-02-03 20:58

Note: Comment submission is temporarily unavailable while we make improvements to the site. We apologize for the interruption. If you have a question relating to the museum's collections, please first check our Collections FAQ. If you require a personal response, please use our Contact page.