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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James Wilson (Secretary of Agriculture 1897-1913)
- 1910s
Photograph of James Wilson, Secretary of Agriculture from 1897 to 1913, seated in a horse-drawn carriage with an unidentified African American driver. Wilson's tenure as Secretary is regarded as a period distinguished…
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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 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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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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Chemical warfare research laboratory at American University
- Circa 1917
Exterior view of a chemical warfare research laboratory under construction at American University near Washington, D.C. American research concerning chemical warfare was initially organized under the Bureau of Mines,…
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2 items
Exterior view of the Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory
- 1920
Two views of the exterior of the Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory facilities located at American University near Washington, D.C. The Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory (F.N.R.L.) was established at American…
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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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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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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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Apparatus for studying the separation of ammonia from carbon dioxide
- Circa 1926
Apparatus used at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory to study the separation of ammonia from carbon dioxide.
The Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory (F.N.R.L.) was established at…
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Electric arc furnace for making ferro-aluminum alloys
- Circa 1926
Electric arc furnace used to make ferro-aluminum alloys at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory.
The Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory (F.N.R.L.) was established at American…
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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,…
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Exhibit concerning the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen
- Circa 1926
Exhibition display concerning the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory located in Washington, D.C. The display includes several diagrams depicting…
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2 items
Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory exhibition display
- 1926
Two views of an exhibition display concerning the work of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory located in Washington, D.C. The display includes assorted sample jars and a photograph…
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High-temperature vacuum furnace
- Circa 1926
High-temperature vacuum furnace used at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory.
The Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory (F.N.R.L.) was established at American University in 1919 under…
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Potentiometer at Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory
- Circa 1926
General view of a Brown Potentiometer and other assorted apparatus and machinery used at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory located in Washington, D.C. Potentiometers are used to…
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Rotary filter for extracting cyanamide from calcium cyanamide
- Circa 1926
Rotary filter used at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory to extract cyanamide from calcium cyanamide.
The Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory (F.N.R.L.) was established at American…
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2 items
U.S. Department of Agriculture exhibition display
- Circa 1926
Two views of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's exhibition display at the Chemical Industries Exposition in New York. Highlighting the work of the Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory, the display includes panels on…
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4 items
Apparatus for measuring the compressibility of gases
- 1926-Apr
Four assorted views of a thermostat and equipment used to determine the compressibility of gas at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory located in Washington, D.C. In chemistry,…
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Apparatus for measuring the effect of radiation
- 1926-Apr
General view of an apparatus used to measure the effect of radiation on chemical reactions at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory located in Washington, D.C.
The Fixed Nitrogen…
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Apparatus for measuring thermionic properties
- 1926-Apr
General view of an apparatus used to measure the thermionic properties of catalyst surfaces at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory located in Washington, D.C. In chemistry, the term…
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Apparatus for nitration of organic substances
- 1926-Apr
L.A. Pinck demonstrating an apparatus used for the nitration of organic substances at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory located in Washington, D.C.
The Fixed Nitrogen Research…
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2 items
Apparatus for oxidizing ammonia
- 1926-Apr
Two views of an apparatus used to oxidize ammonia with pure oxygen using bed catalysts at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory located in Washington, D.C. The individual visible in the…
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Apparatus for removal of carbon monoxide from water gas
- 1926-Apr
W.E. Kuentzel demonstrating use of an apparatus to remove carbon monoxide from water gas by means of scrubbing with a cuprous (i.e. copper) solution at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fixed Nitrogen Research…
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Apparatus for testing water gas catalysts
- 1926-Apr
J.F. Shultz demonstrating use of an apparatus to test water gas catalysts at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory located in Washington, D.C. The term "water gas" commonly refers to…