This collection, the bulk of which is digitized here, consists of photographs of buildings, laboratories, and equipment associated with the Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory, Arlington Experimental Farm, and several other U.S. Department of Agriculture sites in the 1920s through the 1950s. The photographs were collected by Travis P. Hignett, a chemist who worked in fertilizer research at the Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory. The majority of photographs date from the 1920s and 1930s and depict numerous stages of the nitrogen fixation process and the various equipment and apparatus used in the production of atmospheric nitrogen, including generators, compressors, filters, thermostats, and vacuum and blast furnaces. The collection also includes several photographs of U.S.D.A. exhibit booths from industrial expositions and trade shows, including the 1926 Sesquicentennial Exposition held in Philadelphia, as well as portraits of various laboratory and U.S.D.A. personnel.
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Group portrait of U.S. Department of Agriculture personnel
- 1952-May
Group photograph of unidentified female personnel at an unidentified United States Department of Agriculture facility. A large board bearing a sheaf of wheat is visible in front of the group.
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Portrait of Gae Adamson Bennett (b. 1917)
- 1950s
Portrait of agricultural economist Gae Adamson Bennett (b. 1917). While working for the United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, Bennett co-authored numerous volumes on agricultural production…
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Richard C. Tolman (1881-1948)
- 1945
Photograph of mathematical physicist and physical chemist Richard C. (Chace) Tolman seated in front of a global map. This photograph is believed to have been taken when Tolman was serving as a scientific advisor to…
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Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory personnel
- 1925-Nov-06
Group photograph of Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory personnel posed outside an unidentified facility. The Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory (F.N.R.L.) was established at American University in 1919 under the…
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L. Testa, glassblower, at work at U.S. Department of Agriculture
- 1931
General view of a glassblower, identified as L. Testa, working in an unidentified U.S. Department of Agriculture facility. Per a 1931 list of technical workers in the Department of Agriculture, Testa worked as a…
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Milton Whitney (Chief of Bureau of Soils)
- 1910s
Photograph of Milton Whitney (1860-1927), Chief of the Bureau of Soils, posed with a map of the United States and assorted scientific apparatus. Whitney served as the first Chief of the Division of Agricultural Soil,…
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Portrait of Milton Whitney (1860-1927)
- 1910s
Portrait of Milton Whitney (1860-1927), Chief of the Division of Agricultural Soil (later alternately known as the Division of Soils and/or Bureau of Soils), a partner in the National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS).…
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Portrait of Henry G. Knight
- 1930s
Portrait of Dr. Henry G. Knight, Chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Chemistry & Soils.
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U.S. Department of Agriculture personnel
- 1940s
Group photograph of U.S. Department of Agriculture personnel at an unidentified facility. The individuals in the photograph are identified as follows:
Standing (left to right): Mr. Whittaker; Louise Gardner; J. R.…
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2 items
U.S. Department of Agriculture personnel
- 1952-Mar-04
Group photograph of U.S. Department of Agriculture personnel at an unidentified facility. The individuals in the photograph are identified as follows:
Standing (left to right): Richard Bradfield; S. S. Obenshain;…
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2 items
Experimental blast furnace on burden of phosphate
- 1930s
Two views of the experimental blast furnace on a burden (a load, especially a heavy one) of phosphate at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory plant.
The Fixed Nitrogen Research…
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Interior of Engine Room at the Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory
- 1932-Jan-19
General view of the Engine Room at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory located in Washington, D.C. showing assorted machinery and apparatus.
The Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory…
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3 items
Experimental blast furnace on burden of phosphate
- 1930s
Three views of the experimental blast furnace on a burden (a load, especially a heavy one) of phosphate at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory plant.
The Fixed Nitrogen Research…
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Employees opening cinder-notch on No. 2 experimental blast furnace
- 1932-Oct-12
General view of unidentified employees opening the cinder-notch on the No. 2 experimental blast furnace on a burden (a load, especially a heavy one) of phosphate at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fixed Nitrogen…
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Experimental blast furnace at Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory plant
- 1930s
General view of an experimental blast furnace at a U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory plant. The Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory (F.N.R.L.) was established at American University in…
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Blowing out experimental blast furnace
- 1934-Jan
General view of the blowing out process for the experimental blast furnace at a Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory facility. The process of blowing out, also known as "raking out," is undertaken when production from a…
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British Phosphate Commission motor ship
- 1961
General view of the M.V. "Triaster" motor ship being loaded with phosphate at the cantilever located in Christmas Island, Nauru. This ship was managed by the British Phosphate Commissioners, a board of representatives…
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2 items
U.S. Department of Agriculture facilities
- 1940-Aug-23
Two exterior views of unidentified facilities believed to be associated with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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2 items
Aerial view of U.S. Department of Agriculture facilities
- Circa 1930
Two aerial views of facilities believed to be associated with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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Technician with Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory apparatus
- 1920s
General view of an unidentified analytical apparatus and technician at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory located in Washington, D.C. The Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory…
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2 items
Aerial view of U.S. Department of Agriculture facilities
- 1936
Two aerial views of the U.S. Department of Agriculture complex located in Washington, DC. The second photograph was taken during the construction of the Administration Building and East and West Wings. The in-progress…
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3 items
U.S. Department of Agriculture buildings
- 1920s
Three exterior views of unidentified buildings believed to be associated with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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U.S. Department of Agriculture personnel
- 1950s
General view of U.S. Department of Agriculture personnel at an unidentified facility. Per a notation on the verso of the photograph, the individuals are identified (in no particular order) as follows: K.S. Love;…
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Portrait of James Wilson (1835-1920)
- 1910s
Portrait of James Wilson (1835-1920), who served as Secretary of Agriculture from 1897 to 1913. Wilson's tenure as Secretary is regarded as a period distinguished by the modernization of agricultural methods, as well as…
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Exhibit concerning fertilizer values
- Circa 1926
U.S. Department of Agriculture exhibition display concerning fertilizer values as determined by per cent of plant food. The display includes several photographs of a range of agricultural crops, including wheat, cotton,…
