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Babbage's Analytical Engine, 1834-1871. (Trial model)

Computing & Data Processing

1871

Analytical engine constructed by the late Chas. Babbage, F.R.S., (this was not put together when received and there are still many pieces, moulds etc. received in 1878, on exhibition in the gallery) Charles Babbage's calculating engines are among the most celebrated icons in the prehistory of computing. His Difference Engine No. 1 was the first successful automatic calculator and remains one of the finest examples of precision engineering of the time. The portion shown was assembled in 1832 by Babbage's engineer, Joseph Clement. It consists of about 2000 parts and represents one-seventh of the complete engine. This 'finished portion of the unfinished engine' was demonstrated to some acclaim by Babbage, and functions impeccably to this day. The engine was never completed and most of the 12 000 parts manufactured were later melted for scrap.

Royal Saloon, Queen Mary's

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1908

Railway carriage, East Coast Joint Stock, No. 395, King Edward VII Saloon (later used by Queen Mary), built 1908, Doncaster.

Queen Victoria's Saloon

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1869

Railway carriage, London & North Western Railway, Queen Victoria's Saloon, built Wolverton Works, 1869.

Rover 'Safety' bicycle, 1885

Road Transport

1885

Rover safety bicycle of 1885. (First embodiment of the modern arrangement.) (Saddle re-made by Brooks in 1961).

Builder's whole, rigged model, of SS 'Great Eastern', 1853-1857

Water Transport

1853-1857

Builder's whole, rigged model, scale 1:96, of SS 'Great Eastern' by John Scott Russell and Company, Millwall, London, England, 1853-1857

'Over London-by Rail', engraving, London, England, 1872

Gustave Doré

1872

Wood engraving from 'London: a pilgrimage', by Gustave Dore, 1872. Signed in the block blc: Over London - by Rail. Depicting [East End] tenements, washing in back gardens, chimney pots, railway in distance.

Louis Pasteur’s compound microscope

Microscopy (Wellcome)

1857-1865

Compound monocular microscope used by Louis Pasteur

South Eastern & Chatham Railway Class D 4-4-0 steam locomotive No 737

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1901

Steam locomotive and tender, No 737, Class D, 4-4-0, South Eastern & Chatham Railway, designed by H S Wainwright, built at Ashford in 1901, withdrawn in 1956. Fifty Class D 4-4-0s were built. Length over buffers 57'; width 8' 6"; weight: 50 tonnes; area 42.89m square. Driving wheel diameter 6 feet, 8 inches.

Alcock and Brown's Vickers Vimy biplane

Aeronautics

1919

Alcock and Brown's Vickers Vimy biplane

Queen Alexandra's Saloon

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1902

Railway carriage, London & North Western Railway, Queen Alexandra's Saloon, No 801, built in 1902.

Thompson's Revolver Camera

Photographs

1862

Thompson's Revolver camera, serial number 44, manufactured by A Briois, Paris 1862. Camera body engraved: `Thompson Invtr, A Briois, 4 rue de la Douane, Paris, Brevete SGDG, No.44'

Battery locomotive, North Staffordshire Railway

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1917

Battery locomotive, North Staffordshire Railway, Bo, built 1917 for T. Bolton & Sons, withdrawn from service 1963.

Lumière Cinématographe

Cinematography

c. 1896

35mm Lumiere Cinematographe camera/printer/projector, serial number 254, with brass taking and projection lenses with Lumière thread, crank handle. Claw mechanism designed for Edison perforations, c.1896.

Edison Kinetoscope

Cinematography

1894

Main part of Edison Kinetoscope. Invented by Edison's British employee, William Kennedy Laurie Dickson (1860 - 1935), this was the first device to show moving pictures. Painted in white on left side 'Dept II No 584'. Brass plaque on upper front inscribed 'No 509 / Edison Kinetoscope / Manufactured by Edison Mfg Co Orange / NJ USA'.

Glass copy negative of Roundhay Garden Scene

Cinematography

1930s (1888)

Single large glass copy negative of Louis Le Prince's footage, Roundhay Garden Scene, shot in October 1888. This copy negative was made by the Science Museum in the 1930s from the original paper negatives created by Le Prince.

Furness Railway steam locomotive 'Coppernob' 0-4-0, No 3, 1846

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1846

Steam locomotive and tender, No 3, 'Coppernob', 0-4-0, for Furness Railway, designed by E Bury, built by Bury, Curtis and Kennedy in 1846, withdrawn in 1900. Length over buffers: 37' 3"; width: 7' 4": weight: 19 1/2 tons; driving wheels 4' 9".

The Demon Detective camera

Photographic Technology

1889

O'Reilly's Patent No 10823. Conical metal camera for 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 inch plates, uncemented achromatic lenses c.F:1 1/2 inch fixed aperture and focus. Flap and shutter before lens work by elastic band. The American Camera Company, c.1890.

Voigtlander daguerreotype camera

Photographic Technology

1841

Daguerreotype camera made by Voigtlander & Sohn, Wien. All metal camera for circular daguerreotype plates 95mm in diameter. Petzval lens c.f/3.8; conical focusing screen holder; darkroom loaded; camera rests on telescopic stand with three levelling screws. Plate holder and lens hood possibly reproductions. No 81.

Short Magazine Mark III Lee Enfield .303 rifle (deactivated)

Public Health & Hygiene

c. 1917

Short Magazine Mark III Lee Enfield bolt action rifle (deactivated), used in First World War, barrell length 731 mm / 28.7 in and calibre 7.65 mm / .303 in, by Birmingham Small Arms Company Limited, United Kingdom, 1917

Great Northern Railway 0-6-0ST steam locomotive, No 1247, 1899

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1899

Steam locomotive, No 1247, 0-6-0ST, Great Northern Railway, designed by Ivatt, built by Sharp Stewart & Company in 1899, withdrawn from service in 1959. Length: 31' 3 3/4"; width: 8' 7"; weight: 51 tons.

Bottle of Alertis Cordial, United States, 1901-1920

Materia Medica & Pharmacology

1901-1920

brown glass bottle containing aletris cordial (sometimes known as 'Mother's cordial'), uterine tonic prepared by Rio Chemical Co. bottle and contents from U.S.A., 1901 to 1920

Steam locomotive, number 245

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1897

Steam locomotive, London & South Western Railway, M7 class 0-4-4T No 245, designed by Dugald Drummond, built at Nine Elms in 1897, withdrawn in 1962.

Great Northern Railway, locomotive 251

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1902

Steam locomotive and tender, Great Northern Railway, 4-4-2 No 251, designed by H A Ivatt, built at Doncaster in 1902, withdrawn in 1947.

Hindu astrolabe

Astronomy

1870

Hindu planispheric astrolabe in copper [brass?], single plate, made for Raja Ramasimha by Sivalala in 1870. Engraved in Sanskrit with instrument laid out for the latitude of Bundi (25º 28'), Rajasthan, India. Alidade at rear missing.

London Brighton & South Coast Railway locomotive Gladstone

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1882

Steam locomotive and tender, London Brighton & South Coast Railway, 0-4-2 No 214, "Gladstone", designed by William Stroudley, built at Brighton in 1882, withdrawn 1927.

The Munition Girls

Stanhope Alexander Forbes

1918

Painting, [The Munition Girls] / by Stanhope Alexander Forbes, 1918. Oil on canvas; 40x 50" or 103x127cm, in decorative gilt frame 132x152x8.5cm. Signed and dated bottom left. Female operatives making 4.5-inch shells at the Kilnhurst Steel Works of John Baker and Co. Ltd., Rotherham; steel billets are re-heated in a separate furnace and, still glowing, moved by hand to a steam hydraulic press for forging. Mr. George Baker commissioned this scene "to produce a memento for our women workers", and each of them received a framed copy of it.

Thomson's (Lord Kelvin) First Tide Predicting Machine, 1876

Geophysics

1876

(Lord Kelvin) William Thomson's first tide-predicting machine, 1876. Built by A. Légé & Co., 20 Cross Street, Hatton Gardens, London.

Pullman Car Company, called Topaz

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1913

Pullman Car Company First Class Parlour Car "Topaz".

Carbolic steam spray used by Joseph Lister

Surgery

1866-1870

Carbolic steam spray used by Lister by D. Marr, English, c. 1867

Pasteur-Chamberland-type water filter

Public Health & Hygiene

1884-1900

Water filter, stoneware, Pasteur-Chamberland design, by J.G. Defries & Sons of London, c. 1900

London & North Western Railway 'Hardwicke'

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1873

Steam locomotive and tender, London & North Western Railway, 2-4-0 No 790 "Hardwicke", designed by F.W.Webb, built at Crewe in 1873, withdrawn 1932.

Strowger automatic telephone, 1901-1910

Telecommunications

1901-1910

Strowger table pattern telephone, manufactured by the Automatic Electric Company, Chicago, United States, 1901-1910

Rolls-Royce 10 hp, two cylinder motor car

Road Transport

1905

10 hp two-cylinder Rolls-Royce motor car, 1905. Reg. No. AX148; Chassis No. 20162; 10 hp

Bo-Bo No 1

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1902

Electric locomotive, North Eastern Railway, Bo-Bo No 1, 3rd rail and overhead pick-up, built by Brush in 1902, withdrawn in 1965.

Steam locomotive, 'Beattie Well Tank'

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1874

Steam locomotive, London & South Western Railway, 2-4-0WT No 298, 'Beattie Well Tank', designed by W.G. Beattie, built in 1874, withdrawn in 1962. Renumbered 30587 by British Railways.

Edison telephone, 1879

Telecommunications

1879

Wall telephone with Edison chalk receiver, unknown maker, probably United States, 1879.

Aveling and Porter steam traction engine

Road Transport

c.1871

Aveling and Porter steam traction engine, by Aveling and Porter Ltd., Rochester, Kent, England, 1870-1872. In 1860 Thomas Aveling invented the traction engine, offering an alternative to horses in agricultural haulage. Eleven years later, approximately when this engine was built, Aveling was improving his design for the self-propelling power plant. This engine was one of the first to be steered by its front wheels (earlier designs were steered by a fifth wheel) and to have gear-driven rear wheels. These features as well as the Aveling patented method of supporting the crankshaft were to become standard on all traction engines. This engine was renovated by Aveling-Barford Ltd in the 1950s before being donated to the Science Museum.

Steam locomotive, named Lode Star, Great Western Railway

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1907

Steam locomotive, Great Western Railway, 4-6-0 No 4003 "Lode Star", designed by G.J. Churchward, built at Swindon in 1907, withdrawn in 1951.

Sewing machine by Elias Howe

Textiles Machinery

c. 1846

Lockstitch sewing machine by Elias Howe, Lowell, Massachusetts, United States, made about 1846, the first sewing machine to be brought to England from America in that year.

Steam locomotive, number 673

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1897

Steam locomotive, Midland Railway, 4-2-2 No 673, Midland Spinner, designed by S.W. Johnson, built at Derby in March 1897, withdrawn in 1923.

Early inhaler for ether anaesthesia

Anaesthesiology

1847-1848

Early inhaler for ether anaesthesia, ether bottle connected by tubing to face mask, by Weiss of London, 1847-1848

Alarm clock, mounted on model of coffin

Anatomy & Pathology

1840-1900

Alarm clock, mounted on model of coffin with skeleton, probably English, 1840-1900

Hypodermic syringe with glass phials of drugs

Therapeutics

1885-1910

Hypodermic syringe, glass and nickel plated brass, in aluminium case with velvet purse, containing 6 glass phials of hypodermic tablets. 84 mm x 43 mm x 20 mm, .08kg. Phials: 76 mm x 5 mm diameter each. Phials of strychnine nitrate, atropine sulphate, cocaine hydrochloride, apomorphine hydrochloride, morphine and atropine sulphate and morphine sulphate hypodermic tablets. Made by Parke, Davis and Co., USA, 1885-1910, once the property of F. Treves, FRCS.

Grand Junction Railway locomotive 'Columbine'

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1845

Steam locomotive and tender, Grand Junction Railway, (London & North Western Railway), 2-2-2 No 49, "Columbine", designed by Alexander Allen, built at Crewe Works in 1845, withdrawn in 1902, cab separated from locomotive.

Cash register

Cash Registers

c.1910

Cash register, National model 422X, mechanical with paper receipt printer, serial no. 1520476

Quarter-plate `Cameo' camera used to take 'second phase' of Cottingley Fairies photographs, 1918-1920

Photographs

1915-1920

Quarter-plate `Cameo' camera manufactured by W Butcher & Sons, London, 1915-1920, used to make a `second phase' of `Cottingley fairies' photographs between 1918 and 1920. Lukos II symmetrical lens back, made by Wollensak Optical Co. of USA.

L&YR locomotive, number 1008

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1889

Steam tank locomotive, Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, 2-4-2T No 1008, designed by John Aspinall, built at Horwich in 1889, withdrawn in 1954. 55 tons 19 cwt: weight kg

'Midg' Camera Used to Make the First Two `Cottingley fairies' Photographs in 1917

Photographic Technology

1902-1917

Quarter-plate `Midg' camera manufactured by W Butcher & Sons, London, 1902-1920, used by Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths to make the first two `Cottingley fairies' photographs in 1917.

Artificial arm, below-elbow prosthesis

Orthopaedics

1895-1904

Right below elbow prosthesis made for a lady pianist, Elizabeth Burton. Blocked leather socket connected by jointed side steels to a long leather upper arm corset with four strap and buckle fastenings. Large wing nut on inner side of elbow, to lock the joint. Shaped wooden oval wrist with detachable wooden hand. Wide spread fingers, the index, middle and ring being shorter than normal, both thumb and little finger tips are padded. This design allowed the wearer to span an octave of a piano and was made by a Mr Royden of Abingdon St, Northampton, c.1904.

Artificial left arm, Europe, 1850-1910

Orthopaedics

1850-1910

Artificial arm, steel with brass wrist mountings, leather top piece, European, 1840-1940.