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Wheatstone automatic tape transmitter, 1840-1860

Telecommunications

1840-1860

Wheatstone automatic tape transmitter, unknown maker, England, 1840-1860

National Cash Register co model 422X cash register

Cash Registers

c.1910

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

Great Northern Railway brake van

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1887

Brake van, Great Northern Railway, 6-wheel passenger brake van, No 948 of 1887.

Baudot five key keyboard, 1897-1926

Telecommunications

1897-1926

Baudot five key keyboard (without message desk) with 'send' and 'receive' switch for simplex working, Post Office pattern, unknown maker, British, 1897-1926

Dining Car number 76, London & North Western Railway

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1900

Railway carriage, London & North Western Railway, No.76, first class dining car, sometimes used in the Royal Train.

Green glass bottle of 'Apenta aperient water'

Materia Medica & Pharmacology

1901-1940

A green glass bottle with a metal foil cap containing Apenta aperient water, Hungarian, 1900-1940

Foucault Pendulum for demonstrating the Earth's rotation, 1883

Astronomy

1883

Brass Foucault pendulum bob and suspension piece made respectively in the Physics Laboratory and Mechanical Laboratory of the Royal College of Science in 1883, with a divided brass arc on a wooden board with lapse time clock indicator dial and wooden bob stand made in the Science Museum workshop, 1928. Set up in a stair well in the Western Galleries [1883-1920s] and then the Science Museum [1920s-1988]

Wheatstone printing telegraph, 1841

Telecommunications

1841

Wheatstone original printing telegraph, designed by Charles Wheatstone, unknown maker, England, 1841.

Anatomical model of a horse, c. 1850-1880.

Veterinary Medicine

1850-1880

Part of anatomical model of horse, half scale, annotated parts, by Dr. Auzoux, France, 1850-1880

Myoma Screw, Liverpool, England, 1871-1900

Surgery

1871-1900

Myoma screw, steel, by Alexander and Fowler of Liverpool, late 19th century

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.

Fowke's Bellows camera

Photographic Technology

1856

Camera with fittings etc, formerly the property of Captain Fowke Royal Engineers. Two ivory plaques: 'Capt Fowke's Camera, T. Ottewill & Co. London', 'Henry Cole Esq, In memory of Capt Fowke. R.E. 4th Dec 1868'.

The original Wimshurst electrostatic machine.

Electricity and Magnetism

1882

Electrostatic influence machine, invented and made by James Wimshurst, England, United Kingdom, 1882

Crystal radio receiver

Radio Communication

c.1923

'Goltone' crystal radio receiver, made by Ward & Goldstone Ltd, Salford, c.1923.

Wooden Kareau statue

Asian Medicine

1880-1925

Kareau figure of carved and painted wood, anthropomorphic, representing standing male with wings and European clothes, from Nicobar Islands, Bay of Bengal, 1880-1925

Clay tobacco pipe, Paris, France, 1840-1910

Smoking

1840-1910

Clay tobacco pipe, tip of mouthpiece missing, bowl in form of skull, glass eye, one missing, nose bone, teeth touched up in white, short carved wood stem, by Gambier of Paris, French 1840-1910

Stock ticker for Stock exchange printing telegraph, 1907

Telecommunications

1907

Receiver printer, or stock ticker, for Stock Exchange printing telegraph, No. 5022, made by the Exchange Telegraph Company, England, 1907

Model of the ‘Optimus’ water closet, England

Domestic Appliances

1870

Model of the 'Optimus' patent water closet, invented by Stevens Hellyer and made by Dent & Hellyer Limited, British, 1870

Conch shell trumpet used by people of New Guinea a

Ethnography and Folk Medicine

1850-1920

Conch shell trumpet used by people of New Guinea as call to arms and for warding off spirits of sickness from village, Papua New Guinea, 1850-1920

'Italian Navy' detector, 1899-1901

Radio Communication

1899-1901

Carbon-mercury-iron semiconductor diode detector, of the type invented by J C Bose in 1899, modified version, unknown maker, 1899-1901. Known as the ‘Italian Navy coherer’, used by G Marconi in Newfoundland to receive the first wireless communication across the Atlantic, December 1901.

Photographs of the Works in Progress of the Midland Railway

Photographic Collections (Railway)

1860-1868

A collection of approximately 101 albumen print photographs mounted in 3 albums commissioned by the Midland Railway. Consists of one brown hardback cover entitled "Photographs of the Works in Progress of the Midland Railway - Rowsley to New Mills, 1860-1865", and two red hardback covers entitled "Photographs of the Works in Progress of the Midland Railway - Extension to London", featuring the construction of St Pancras Station, 1867-1868. Photographs of St Pancras are primarily the work of J B Pyne of Haverstock Hill and J Ward of Euston Road, London.

'Wagon' Boiler, 19th Century

Motive Power

1801-1840 (original); 1901 (model)

model, scale 1:12, of a 20 hp wagon boiler, 1801-1840.

Marconi coherer and Admiralty pattern decoherer, 1900-1910

Radio Communication

1900-1910

Marconi coherer and Admiralty pattern decoherer, unknown maker, British, 1900-1910

Volume 1 No. 1 of "Television" monthly magazine, 1928

Radio Communication

1928

Volume 1 number 1 of "Television" monthly magazine, "The Official Organ of the Television Society", published by Television Press Limited, British, March 1928.

Coolidge X-ray tube, 1913-1923.

X-rays

1913-1923

Coolidge x-ray tube, 1913-1923.

London Brighton & South Coast Railway locomotive Boxhill

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1880

Steam locomotive, London Brighton & South Coast Railway, 0-6-0T No 82, "Boxhill", designed by William Stroudley, built at Brighton in 1880, withdrawn in 1946.

Exercise chair, England, 1840-1900

Therapeutics

1840-1900

English exercise chair, 19th century

Writing frame for the blind, Stockholm, Sweden, 1871

Printing & Writing

1871

Writing frame for the Blind made by C.A. Carlsson, Stockholm, 1871

enamelled notice regarding stone throwing, 1910-1936

Telecommunications

1910-1936

Enamelled notice "Persons throwing stones at the telegraph will be prosecuted", unknown maker for the General Post Office, British, 1910-1936

"Brownie" Crystal Receiver Set No. 2, c.1925

Radio Communication

1925-1930

Crystal wireless set, No. 2 model manufactured by Brownie Wireless Company. No headphones, c. 1924

Rexophone crystal set with two pairs of Telefunken headphones (out of three), 1923-1930

Radio Communication

1923-1930

Rexophone crystal set manufactured by Morch Borthers Limited, London, 1924-1930. Complete with 3 pairs of headphones manufactuered by Telefunken, Germany, 1923-1930. The radio set used tapped inductance tuning and came in a mahogany cabinet with lid, a ‘Xylonite’ control panel available in different colours with imitation marble control knobs and nickel-plated fittings. Gold-plated fittings were supplied for an extra 5/-. It came with terminals for two pairs of headphones and had operating instructions inside the lid. The detector was twin-enclosed cats whiskers / galena detectors with a selector switch on the panel.

Bryant & May ‘Brymay’ safety matches, London, England, 1890-1940

Smoking

1890-1940

Cardboard and chipboard safety matchbox, "Brymay" trademark, made by Bryant and May, 1920-1960

Binocular stereoscopic camera

Photographic Technology

c.1856

Binocular stereoscopic camera no. 12, made by John Benjamin Dancer, Manchester, c.1856 and probably owned by Joseph Sidebotham in the 1860s. Rear plate holder removeable. Focussed by turning milled nut on top. Fitted with a focal plate shutter as well as a front of lens shutter. Missing spirit level, brass plunger for changing plates and changing box.

Bronchitis amulet

Ethnography and Folk Medicine

1914

London bronchitis amulet, white and yellow glass beads, Dalston, London, 1914

Gower-Bell telephone, 1881

Telecommunications

1881

Gower-Bell telephone transmitter, Post Office pattern with porcelain mouthpiece, made by Scott and Wollaston, England, 1880

Bartholomew's Railway Map of the British Isles

Railway Maps & Plans

1939

Bartholomew's Railway Map of the British Isles, c. 1939.

Midland Railway locomotive number 1000

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1902

Steam locomotive and tender, Midland Railway, No.1000 4-4-0 compound, designed by S.W. Johnson, built at Derby in 1902, rebuilt Derby 1914, withdrawn in 1951.

Brush for cleaning textile mill machinery

Textile Industry

1880-1940

Hand held wooden brush, used for sweeping cotton dust from machines and floors in a textile mill.

borough market junction signal box

Signalling & Telecommunications

1895

Signal box, South Eastern Railway, ex Borough Market Junction, London Bridge. Built in 1895 to standard South Eastern Railway design. Equiped with Westinghouse K frame in 1928. Closed in 1976, when London Bridge power box was opened.

Left prosthetic leg, Cyprus, 1914-1918

Orthopaedics

1914-1918

Left metal below knee prosthesis with leather thigh corset made for a Cypriot truck driver during 1914-18 War. Made in Cyprus.

Green glass Woulfe bottle, Europe, 1851-1900

Laboratory Medicine

1851-1900

Woulfe bottle, green glass, European, possibly Italian, second half 19th century

Post Office 332 telephone, 1938

Telecommunications

1938

Post Office no. 332 telephone, black, unknown maker, England, 1938.

Thomson's Mirror Galvanometer, 1858

Telecommunications

1858

(Lord Kelvin) Thomson's mirror galvanometer (land type) used at Valentia Island end of the original Atlantic cable, made by White and Barr, Glasgow, Scotland, 1858.

Vertical Compound Steam Engine with Hackworth's Valve Gear, 1898

Motive Power

1898

model of inverted compound steam engine fitted with Hackworth's valve gear, scale 1:6, original made by the Brush Co for the City Road Substation of the County of London Electric Supply Co.

Leather truncheon used at Narborough Mental Asylum

Psychology, Psychiatry & Anthropometry

1901-1930

Truncheon, leather covered spring, reputedly used at Narborough Mental Asylum, early 20th century

Broca goniometer for measuring angles of the face

Psychology, Psychiatry & Anthropometry

1862-1900

Broca goniometer for determining the "facial angle" and "facial triangle" in anthropometrical studies, invented by Paul Broca. No maker marked, French, 1862-1900

Copy of Morton's inhaler

Anaesthesiology

1870-1920

Copy of Morton's inhaler for ether anaesthesia, first used 16 October 1846, possibly English, 1870-1920

Queen Alexandra's Saloon

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1902

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

Brownie crystal receiver and pair of Lissen headphones, 1924-1927

Radio Communication

1924-1927

Brownie crystal receiver and pair of Lissen headphones, made by the J W B Wireless Company and Lissen Limited, London, England, 1924-1927

Gresley Buffet Car

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1937

Railway carriage, London & North Eastern Railway, Buffet Car No. 9135, built York, 1937, teak body.