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Instruments & Innovation

920 items

This digital collection features selected scientific instruments, apparatus, and analytical tools from the Institute's museum as well as photographs, rare-book engravings, and illustrations depicting various types of equipment and machinery found in laboratories, manufacturing plants, and mechanical treatises. Inventions from book wheels to fireballs can be found here, alongside more modern innovations such as Gammacells and Geiger counters.

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  • [Missing]29

  • Machinery526
  • Scientific apparatus and instruments264
  • Employees239
  • Corporations149
  • Chemical industry129
more Subject »

  • Ramelli, Agostino, 1531-approximately 1600196
  • Hercules Incorporated88
  • Dow Chemical Company80
  • Schwänder, Johann Georg52
  • Brawe, Hermann51
more Creator »

  • Photographs429
  • Engravings301
  • Rare books297
  • Catalogs97
  • Scientific apparatus and instruments64
more Genre »

  • Image810
  • Text126
  • Physical Object73
  • Sound6

  • Wood34
  • Metal31
  • Glass25
  • Plastic23
  • Brass12
more Medium »

  • France--Paris198
  • Illinois--Chicago69
  • Germany--Osnabrück52
  • England--London38
  • Michigan--Midland38
more Place »

  • English126
  • German75
  • Latin24
  • French1
  • Italian1

  • Public Domain Mark 1.0466
  • No Known Copyright310
  • Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License71
  • No Copyright - United States31
  • In Copyright24
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  • Archives438
  • Library397
  • Museum79
  • Center for Oral History6
Previous 1 - 25 of 920 Next
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  • 3 items
    Scientific apparatus and instruments

    Dropsonde

    • 1960s

    Dropsonde instruments are cylindrical metal devices containing pressure, temperature, and humidity sensors to capture atmospheric profiles and thermodynamic data. The instruments are designed to be dropped from an…

    • Creator Of Work Bendix Corporation
    • Subject Radiosondes, Dropwindsondes, Weather, Weather forecasting, Storms, Meteorology
  • Photograph of Klaus Biemann
    5 items
    Oral histories

    Oral history interview with Klaus Biemann

    • 2006-Aug-29

    Klaus Biemann's oral history begins with a discussion of his youth near Vienna, Austria. As pharmacy was the family profession, Biemann chose to study it at the University of Innsbruck. He soon developed an interest in…

    • Interviewee Biemann, K. (Klaus)
    • Interviewer Grayson, Michael A.
    • Subject Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Peptides, Chromatographic analysis, Mass spectrometry, Chemistry, Organic, Biemann, K. (Klaus), Chemists--Biography, Chemical apparatus, Analytical chemistry, Emigration and immigration
  • 299 items
    Catalogs, Illustrated works

    Illustrated Catalogue of Chemical and Physical Apparatus and Assay Goods, Manufactured and Imported by Richards & Co., Limited.

    • 1890s

    A three-part catalog of chemical supplies and laboratory apparatus sold by Richards & Co., Limited. The first part lists general laboratory supplies, the second includes specific analytical and physio-chemical…

    • Author Richards & Co. (New York, N.Y.)
    • Publisher Richards & Co. (New York, N.Y.)
    • Subject Chemical laboratories, Chemical laboratories--Equipment and supplies, Scientific apparatus and instruments, Commercial catalogs, Chemical apparatus, Physical instruments
  • 28 items
    Catalogs, Illustrated works

    Chemical Supplies Apparatus Chemicals Books

    • After 1930 – before 1950

    A catalog of chemical supplies and laboratory apparatus manufactured by the Reading Scientific Company. Contains a number of print illustrations depicting the company's products. The advertised supplies range from…

    • Author Reading Scientific Company
    • Publisher Reading Scientific Company
    • Subject Scientific apparatus and instruments, Chemical laboratories--Equipment and supplies, Chemical laboratories, Chemicals, Chemical industry
  • 76 items
    Catalogs, Illustrated works

    Laboratory Wood Work : Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Physiography, Drawing Tables, Office Furniture, Domestic Science, Manual Training, Benches, etc.

    • After 1910 – before 1913

    An early 20th-century catalog of laboratory furniture equipment manufactured and sold by Leonard Peterson & Co. The fully illustrated catalog primarily advertises custom-built benches and cabinetry for science…

    • Author Leonard Peterson & Co.
    • Subject Commercial catalogs, Industrial laboratory equipment industry, Science rooms and equipment, Laboratories, Benches, Furniture--Catalogs, Laboratories--Equipment and supplies, Schools--Furniture, equipment, etc.
  • 2 items
    Glassware, Scientific apparatus and instruments

    Kipp's Apparatus

    • Circa 1880 – 1920

    A Kipp's apparatus, also called a Kipp generator, was an instrument designed for the preparation of small volumes of gases. The instrument was invented around 1844 by the Dutch pharmacist Petrus Jacobus Kipp (1808-1864)…

    • Creator Of Work Reading Scientific Company
    • Subject Scientific apparatus and instruments, Kipp, Petrus Jacobus, 1808-1864, Evaporation, Gases, Chemical apparatus, Laboratories--Equipment and supplies
  • 8 items
    Scientific apparatus and instruments

    Mass Spectrometer

    • 1972

    Components of a mass spectrometer as designed by Alfred Otto Carl Nier (1911-1994). Mass spectrometers are analytical instruments used to measure the mass-to-charge ratio of one or more molecules in a sample. The…

    • Creator Of Work Nier, Alfred O. (Alfred Otto), 1911-1994
    • Subject Nier, Alfred O. (Alfred Otto), 1911-1994, Mass spectrometry, Space sciences, Chemical elements, Mass spectrometers, Uranium, Scientific apparatus and instruments, Interplanetary voyages, Space sciences--Research
  • 5 items
    Glassware

    Dairy Science Instruments

    • After 1959 – before 1989

    Pyrex 70% Gerber Bottle - A glass tube bottle with bulbous ends and a flattened midsection. The mid-section has measurements from 0 to 70 mL. One end is inscribed in red "Cheese".

    Used Gerber Bottle 8% - A glass tube…

    • Creator Of Work New Jersey Dairy Laboratories
    • Subject Dairy scientists, Scientific apparatus and instruments, Dairy products, Dairy products industry, Measuring instruments, Laboratories--Equipment and supplies, Pyrex
  • Scientific apparatus and instruments

    Hand-crank Centrifuge, Babcock Milk Tester

    • After 1900 – before 1950

    A metal, hand-crank centrifuge with a three-pronged metal base. The base is painted a rusty red color and has been attached to a wooden board for stability. A long metal crank on the side of the base bends at a…

    • Subject Babcock, S. M., Centrifuges, Dairy products industry, Laboratories--Equipment and supplies, Lactose, Milk, Dairy products, Oils and fats
  • Glassware, Vessels (Containers)

    Glass vial with cork stopper

    • Undated

    Glass vial with cork stopper belonging to Georg Bredig (1902-1944).

    • Subject Glassware
  • Artifacts

    Porcelain mortar

    • Undated

    Porcelain mortar owned by Georg Bredig (1868-1944). Mortar and pestles are used to manually grind or crush a sample into a fine powder.

    • Subject Mortar, Porcelain, Scientific apparatus and instruments, Laboratories--Equipment and supplies
  • Artifacts, Scientific apparatus and instruments

    Mortar and Pestles

    • After 1868 – before 1944

    Two sets of mortar and pestles belonging to Georg Bredig (1868-1944). The larger is made of white porcelain and the smaller is made from agate. Mortar and pestles are used to manually grind or crush a sample into a fine…

    • Subject Mortar, Pestles, Laboratories--Equipment and supplies, Scientific apparatus and instruments, Porcelain, Agates
  • 6 items
    Scientific apparatus and instruments

    No. 4 Inverted Mantle with No. 8 Magnesia Ring

    • 1890 – 1930

    Unused Welsbach No. 4 Inverted Mantle and No. 8 Magnesia Ring in its original cardboard box from Lindsay Light and Chemical Company.

    The Welsbach gas mantle is a device made of fibers impregnated with oxides of cerium…

    • Creator Of Work Welsbach Gas Light Company
    • Contributor Auer v. Welsbach, Carl (Auer von Welsbach), 1858-1929
    • Subject Lighting--Equipment and supplies, Incandescent lamps, Auer v. Welsbach, Carl (Auer von Welsbach), 1858-1929, Gas-lighting, Incandescent gas-lighting, Rare earth industry, Welsbach Gas Light Company, Rare earths
  • 3 items
    Scientific apparatus and instruments

    Beckman Model E Ultracentrifuge Rotor

    • 1950s

    Beckman Instruments began producing centrifuges after their January 1, 1955 acquisition of industry leader, Specialized Instruments Corporation, or Spinco. With Spinco came the famous Model E Ultracentrifuge, which was…

    • Creator Of Work Beckman Instruments, Inc.
    • Subject Beckman Instruments, Inc., Rotors, Centrifuges, Biochemistry, Ultracentrifugation, Solution (Chemistry), Scientific apparatus and instruments, Beckman Instruments, Inc. Spinco Division
  • 8 items
    Scientific apparatus and instruments

    Klett Bio Colorimeter

    • 1929

    Klett Bio Colorimeter, a device used in colorimetry to measure the absorbance of particular wavelengths of light by a specific solution. Colorimeters are commonly used to determine the concentration of a known solute in…

    • Creator Of Work Klett Manufacturing Company
    • Contributor Klett, Robert E.
    • Subject Duboscq, J. (Jules), 1817-1886, Colorimetry, Analytical chemistry, Klett Manufacturing Company, Colorimetry--Instruments, Colorimetric analysis, Absorption spectra, Klett, Robert E.
  • 2 items
    Scientific apparatus and instruments, Medical instruments and apparatus

    Hand Operated Centrifuge

    • Circa 1930

    Brass instrument with removable wooden handle. Holds two centrifuge tubes. Used for rapid settling of suspended solids from small quantities of liquid in analytical or clinical procedures. Manufactured by Charles Lentz…

    • Creator Of Work Bausch & Lomb Optical Company
    • Contributor Charles Lentz and Sons
    • Subject Centrifuges, Bausch & Lomb Optical Company, Charles Lentz and Sons, Medical laboratories--Equipment and supplies, Analytical chemistry, Biochemistry, Laboratories--Equipment and supplies
  • 2 items
    Photographs, Stereographs

    Portrait of a sitter, possibly Aleksandr Nikolaevich Lebedev, 1910

    • 1910-Aug-01

    Black and white stereograph addressed to Georg Bredig (1868-1944) of a scientist, possibly Aleksandr Nikolaevich Lebedev (1869–1937) posing with a table of glassware and apparatuses. The work is signed by Peter…

    • Subject Bredig, Georg, 1868-1944, Chemists, Chemistry, Physical and theoretical, Glassware, Scientific apparatus and instruments, Lebedev, Aleksandr Nikolaevich, 1869–1937
  • Photographs

    Naumann in the physical chemistry lab in Leipzig

    • Circa 1900

    Sepia-toned and annotated photograph of two men, one identified as "Naumann," at the physical chemistry department of Leipzig University. Behind the men are shelves with glassware.

    • Subject Chemistry, Physical and theoretical, Laboratories, Universität Leipzig (1409-1953), Chemists, Glassware
  • 2 items
    Photographs

    Chemists at University of Leipzig, 1892

    • 1892

    Black and white photograph depicting a group of chemists posing with glassware in a laboratory at the University of Leipzig in 1892. A handwritten caption on the back of the photograph identifies those pictured as "Dr.…

    • Subject Laboratories, Universität Leipzig (1409-1953), Chemistry, Chemists, Scientific apparatus and instruments, Glassware, Le Blanc, Max Julius Louis, 1865-
  • Catalogs, Illustrations

    Models of engines

    • Part of Physical Apparatus for Universities and Colleges Manufactured and Imported by Central Scientific Co.
    • 1912

    Catalog entries for steam and gas engines.

    Part of Catalog K: Physical Apparatus for Universities and Colleges, a catalog of laboratory instruments for the physical sciences made by the Central Scientific Company.…

    • Author Central Scientific Company
    • Printer Evening Wisconsin Printing Company
    • Publisher Central Scientific Company
    • Subject Scientific apparatus and instruments, Laboratories--Equipment and supplies, Universities and colleges, Internal combustion engines, Steam-engines
  • Catalogs, Illustrations

    Wimherst Self-Charging Static Machine

    • Part of Physical Apparatus for Universities and Colleges Manufactured and Imported by Central Scientific Co.
    • 1912

    Catalog entry for a Wimhurst Machine, a static electricity generator used for experiments and powering X-ray machines.

    Part of Catalog K: Physical Apparatus for Universities and Colleges, a catalog of laboratory…

    • Author Central Scientific Company
    • Printer Evening Wisconsin Printing Company
    • Publisher Central Scientific Company
    • Subject Scientific apparatus and instruments, Laboratories--Equipment and supplies, Electric generators, Electrostatic accelerators
  • Catalogs, Illustrations

    Wave Apparatus

    • Part of Physical Apparatus for Universities and Colleges Manufactured and Imported by Central Scientific Co.
    • 1912

    Catalog entry for wave apparatuses for the study of transverse and longitudinal waves.

    Part of Catalog K: Physical Apparatus for Universities and Colleges, a catalog of laboratory instruments for the physical sciences…

    • Author Central Scientific Company
    • Printer Evening Wisconsin Printing Company
    • Publisher Central Scientific Company
    • Subject Scientific apparatus and instruments, Laboratories--Equipment and supplies, Waves
  • Catalogs, Illustrations

    CENCO Meters

    • Part of Physical Apparatus for Universities and Colleges Manufactured and Imported by Central Scientific Co.
    • 1912

    Catalog entries for voltameters, instruments for measuring both voltage and amperes of direct electric current.

    Part of Catalog K: Physical Apparatus for Universities and Colleges, a catalog of laboratory instruments…

    • Author Central Scientific Company
    • Printer Evening Wisconsin Printing Company
    • Publisher Central Scientific Company
    • Subject Scientific apparatus and instruments, Laboratories--Equipment and supplies, Voltameters, Voltammetry
  • Catalogs, Illustrations

    Various Vacuum Tubes

    • Part of Physical Apparatus for Universities and Colleges Manufactured and Imported by Central Scientific Co.
    • 1912

    Catalog entry for various vacuum tubes for cathode-ray demonstrations, including Crookes' Tubes, Holtz' Tube, and Lenard's Tube.

    Part of Catalog K: Physical Apparatus for Universities and Colleges, a catalog of…

    • Author Central Scientific Company
    • Printer Evening Wisconsin Printing Company
    • Publisher Central Scientific Company
    • Subject Scientific apparatus and instruments, Laboratories--Equipment and supplies
  • Catalogs, Illustrations

    Melloni's Apparatus and Parabolic Reflectors

    • Part of Physical Apparatus for Universities and Colleges Manufactured and Imported by Central Scientific Co.
    • 1912

    Catalog entries for Parabolic Reflectors, used to collect sound, light or radio waves,
    and Melloni's Apparatus, for demonstrating the phenomena of absorption, polarization, reflection, and refraction of radiant heat.
    …

    • Author Central Scientific Company
    • Printer Evening Wisconsin Printing Company
    • Publisher Central Scientific Company
    • Subject Scientific apparatus and instruments, Laboratories--Equipment and supplies
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