Chemistry
Chemistry
Previous
Next
Usage conditions apply
- Description
- William Ramsay (1852-1916) was a Scottish chemist who received a Nobel Prize in 1904 for having identified four inert gases: Helium, Argon, Krypton, and Xenon. This colored print shows him giving a lecture, pointing to the positions of these gases on the periodic table. It was drawn by Leslie Matthew Ward (1851-1922), a British artist who produced some 1325 cartoon portraits for Vanity Fair, a popular British magazine. Like many of Ward’s portraits, this one captured the personality of the subject and was signed “Spy.” It was published on Dec. 2, 1908.
- The text above the image reads “VANITY FAIR Supplement.” The text below reads “Hentschel-Colourtype, London” and “(Sir William Ramsay).” The accompanying text begins by saying that Ramsay was “an apostle of the great modern Religion of the Established Fact,” and it ends by saying that “He has hordes of friends, but his real loves are Fountain pens and cigarettes.”
- The Hentschel colourtype process was developed by Carl Hentschel (1864-1930), a Pole who immigrated to England.
- Ref: Morris W. Travers, A Life of Sir William Ramsay, K.C.B., F.R.S. (London, 1956).
- “Personalities in Process: Carl Hentschel,” The Process Engravers Monthly 19 (Feb. 1912): 33-35.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Object Name
- date made
- 1908
- place made
- United Kingdom: England, London
- Physical Description
- paper (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 14 1/2 in x 8 1/2 in; 36.83 cm x 21.59 cm
- ID Number
- PH.330433
- catalog number
- 330433
- accession number
- 290940
- subject
- Chemistry
- See more items in
- Medicine and Science: Physical Sciences
- Science & Mathematics
- Prints from the Physical Sciences Collection
- 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.
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.
