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Instruments & Innovation

889 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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Current results range from 1588 to 1846

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  • Chemical apparatus8
  • Scientific apparatus and instruments7
  • Commercial catalogs6
  • Artillery2
  • Lamps2
  • more Subject »

  • Gilbert, William6
  • Palmer, Edward, 1803-18726
  • Cadell, T. (Thomas), 1742-18021
  • Elmsley, Peter, 1736-18021
  • Jansson, Jan, 1588-16641
  • more Creator »

  • Rare books✖[remove]11
  • Engravings8
  • Catalogs7
  • Illustrations6

  • Text✖[remove]11
  • Image9

  • England--London7
  • France--Paris1
  • Germany--Osnabrück1
  • Netherlands--Amsterdam1
  • New York (State)--New York1

  • English8
  • French1
  • German1
  • Italian1
  • Latin1

  • Public Domain Mark 1.011

  • Library✖[remove]11
1 - 11 of 11
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  • 44 items
    Catalogs, Rare books, Engravings

    Descriptive Catalogue of Chemical Apparatus, Chemicals and Pure Reagents

    • 1846
    • Creator Of Work Kent, Edward N.
    • Printer Sackett, Israel, 1809-1880
    • Subject Scientific apparatus and instruments, Chemicals, Chemical tests and reagents, Chemical apparatus
  • Catalogs, Rare books, Engravings, Illustrations

    Figures 20-23. Furnace Stoves, For Experimental Purposes, Made to Order

    • Part of Palmer's New Catalogue, with Three Hundred Engravings of Apparatus, Illustrative of Chemistry, Pneumatics, Frictional and Voltaic Electricity, Electro Magnetism, Optics, &c.
    • 1840

    Figure 20. Furnace, Round Iron, very useful.
    Figure 21. Furnace, Dr. Black's.
    Figure 22. Furnace, on Professor Brande's Principle, made to order, price according to size.
    Figure 23. Pair of large Pepy's Copper…

    • Author Palmer, Edward, 1803-1872
    • Printer Gilbert, William
    • Subject Scientific apparatus and instruments, Commercial catalogs, Chemical apparatus, Furnaces, Chemical laboratories--Equipment and supplies, Gas cylinders
  • Catalogs, Rare books, Engravings, Illustrations

    Figures 39-41. Mercurial Troughs, Palmer's Gas Lamp, and Chemical Instruction Chest

    • Part of Palmer's New Catalogue, with Three Hundred Engravings of Apparatus, Illustrative of Chemistry, Pneumatics, Frictional and Voltaic Electricity, Electro Magnetism, Optics, &c.
    • 1840

    Figure 39. Mercurial Troughs, iron, very superior with Pepy's Gasometer attached.
    Figure 40. Palmer's Gas Lamp for heating tubes, which screws on to a common gas pillar.
    Figure 41. Palmer's Chemical Amusement and…

    • Author Palmer, Edward, 1803-1872
    • Printer Gilbert, William
    • Subject Scientific apparatus and instruments, Commercial catalogs, Chemical apparatus, Scientific apparatus and instruments industry, Mercury, Lamps
  • Catalogs, Rare books, Engravings, Illustrations

    Figures 28-35. Lamps

    • Part of Palmer's New Catalogue, with Three Hundred Engravings of Apparatus, Illustrative of Chemistry, Pneumatics, Frictional and Voltaic Electricity, Electro Magnetism, Optics, &c.
    • 1840

    Figure 28. Lamps, Berzelius's portable Blowpipe.
    Figure 29. Lamp, Cooper's for heating Tubes.
    Figure 30. Lamp, Davy's Safety.
    Figure 31. Lamp, Farraday's, with four wicks, as recommended in his chemical manipulations.…

    • Author Palmer, Edward, 1803-1872
    • Printer Gilbert, William
    • Subject Scientific apparatus and instruments, Commercial catalogs, Faraday, Michael, 1791-1867, Davy, Humphry, Sir, 1778-1829, Berzelius, Jöns Jakob, friherre, 1779-1848, Chemical apparatus, Lamps
  • Catalogs, Rare books, Engravings, Illustrations

    Figures 7-11. Blowpipes

    • Part of Palmer's New Catalogue, with Three Hundred Engravings of Apparatus, Illustrative of Chemistry, Pneumatics, Frictional and Voltaic Electricity, Electro Magnetism, Optics, &c.
    • 1840

    Figure 7. Blowpipe, self-acting Spirit for bending glass tubes, Tin.
    Figure 8. Blowpipe, self-acting in brass with sliding Lamp.
    Figure 9. Blowpipe, Glassblower's Table, with double bellows, jets, lamp, and stand,…

    • Author Palmer, Edward, 1803-1872
    • Printer Gilbert, William
    • Subject Scientific apparatus and instruments, Commercial catalogs, Blowpipe, Scientific apparatus and instruments industry, Chemical apparatus, Chemistry
  • Catalogs, Rare books, Engravings, Illustrations

    Figures 58-61. Barometers

    • Part of Palmer's New Catalogue, with Three Hundred Engravings of Apparatus, Illustrative of Chemistry, Pneumatics, Frictional and Voltaic Electricity, Electro Magnetism, Optics, &c.
    • 1840

    Figure 58. Best Wheel Barometer with Thermometer & Spirit Level, plain mounted.
    Figure 59. Best Wheel Barometer with screw Hygrometer, rosewood inlaid with pearl and German silver fittings, very elegant.
    Figure 60. Upri…

    • Author Palmer, Edward, 1803-1872
    • Printer Gilbert, William
    • Subject Scientific apparatus and instruments, Barometers, Commercial catalogs, Chemical apparatus
  • Catalogs, Rare books, Engravings, Illustrations

    Figures 50 and 51. Retort Stand and Chemical Scales

    • Part of Palmer's New Catalogue, with Three Hundred Engravings of Apparatus, Illustrative of Chemistry, Pneumatics, Frictional and Voltaic Electricity, Electro Magnetism, Optics, &c.
    • 1840

    Figure 50. Retort Stand large, brass, with tubulated retort, receiver.
    Figure 51. Scales, Chemical, with decimal weights to the tenth of a grain, brass pans, warranted to weigh accurately to the tenth of a grain.

    These…

    • Author Palmer, Edward, 1803-1872
    • Printer Gilbert, William
    • Subject Scientific apparatus and instruments, Commercial catalogs, Chemical apparatus, Scales (Weighing instruments), Clamps (Engineering)
  • Rare books, Engravings

    Plate I: Retorts, alembics, aludels, distillation apparatus, etc.

    • Part of A Dictionary of Chemistry, Vol. III
    • 1777
    • Author Macquer, Pierre Joseph, 1718-1784
    • Contributor Keir, James, 1735-1820
    • Engraver Westwood
    • Publisher Elmsley, Peter, 1736-1802, Cadell, T. (Thomas), 1742-1802
    • Subject Chemistry--Dictionaries, Chemical apparatus
  • 194 items
    Rare books

    Vollenkommene Unterweisung, wie Raketen, Feuer- Wasser- Sturm-Kugeln, Granaten, Pech-Sturm-Kräntze, und allerhand Lust und Ernsthaffte Feuer-wercke zubereiten

    • Praxis Artolloriae Pyrotechnicae
    • Complete Instruction on the Making of Rockets, Fire-, Water- and Storm-Bullets, Grenades, Pitch- and Storm-Wreaths and Every Kind of Delightful and Serious Fireworks
    • 1660
    • Publisher Schwänder, Johann Georg
    • Subject Ordnance, Explosives, Artillery
  • 24 items
    Rare books

    Artis Magnae Artilleriae

    • The Great Art of Artillery
    • 1650

    Kazimierz Siemienowicz's treatise was used for over a century as a basic manual on artillery, rocketry, and pyrotechnics. It was originally published in Latin (1650) and was translated into French (1651), German (1676),…

    • Author Siemienowicz, Kazimierz, -1651?
    • Publisher Jansson, Jan, 1588-1664
    • Subject Rocketry, Gunpowder, Ordnance, Artillery, Fireworks, Weights and measures
  • 694 items
    Rare books

    Le diverse et artificiose machine del capitano Agostino Ramelli

    • The Various and Ingenious Machines of Captain Agostino Ramelli
    • 1588

    Le diverse et artificiose machine belongs to a new genre that emerged in the late 16th century, the "theatre of machines," which offered original mechanical solutions to the problems of everyday life. Ramelli's book…

    • Author Ramelli, Agostino, 1531-approximately 1600
    • Subject Machinery

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