Half-length photographic portrait of William Crookes seated next to a table containing a scientific instrument. Taken at age 18 when Crookes was August Wilhelm von Hofmann's assistant.

Plate from the biography of Sir William Crookes, a British chemist and physicist known for his work on spectroscopy. He notably discovered thallium and conducted experiments on the properties of highly rarified gases, rare earth elements, the separation of uranium-X from uranium, chemical elements as well as dyeing and calico printing and photography, to mention a few. Four portrait photographic reproductions plates have been digitized along with the title page and last page of the forward featuring a facsimile of forward's author, Sir Oliver Lodge.