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Bain's chemical telegraph, 1850.

Telecommunications

1850

Alexander Bain's chemical telegraph, unknown maker, England, 1850. Includes key not shown on photograph.

Principal varieties of mankind', 3 May 1850.

James Reynolds

1850

Geographical Diagram. The Principal Varieties of Mankind. Published by James Reynolds 174 Strand, London. 3 May 1850. Drawn and engraved by John Emslie.

Cast iron Columbian printing press

Printing & Writing

c.1850

Columbian hand printing press; cast iron with eagles and serpents moulded into casting. Lever operated, and painted black.

Marble statue of George Stephenson, 1852

Fixtures & Fittings from Railway Buildings

1852

Marble statue, George Stephenson, on plinth (weight approx 6 tons). Dimension: 15' high (180" high x 36" square), from the Great Hall of Euston Station

Album of cyanotypes of British and Foreign Ferns

Photographs

1853

Album of cyanotypes of British and Foreign Ferns, made and assembled by Anna Atkins and Anne Dixon for presentation to `CSA' (unknown), 1853

4-wheeled hand crane

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1850

Railway crane, Great Northern Railway, 4-wheeled hand crane, No 112, (LNER 942052), 1850.

'The British Nave' at the Great Exhibition of 1851

Art

1851

Print. Chromolithograph, 'The British Nave', Plate 3 (Proof) of a set of four large prints commemorating the Opening of the Great Exhibition of 1851, [after paintings by Joseph Nash]. Printed and published by Dickinson Brothers, New Bond Street. [1851]. Image 54.5x75cm on card 71x88cm. Signed Joseph Nash in ink on lower left edge of image. View of the Western or British Nave looking East, with long panorama of structure and layout of main avenue. In centre above horse's head is dioptric revolving lighthouse reflector mechanism by Chance Brothers & Co; then Seeley fountain; large Ross telescope; Coalbrookdale Dome. Large case on foreground left with model of Liverpool docks, beside cotton and beneath Philosophical and electric displays. Banners hang from balconies with arms of cities of Britain: York is nearest on right. Queen Victoria with Prince Albert and family are being escorted through on tour; guests and visitors stand watching and waiting. In frame, 84x100x2cm

Specimen of Dover-Calais telegraph cable, 1851

Telecommunications

1851

Specimen of Dover to Calais telegraph cable showing corrosion, made by R S Newall and Company, Millwall, London, England, 1851

Portion of the first submarine cable between Dover and Calais, 1850

Telecommunications

1850

Portion of the first submarine cable laid between Dover and Calais, made by the Gutta Percha Company, Islington, London, England, 1850.

Wax portrait of Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy (1780 – 1854)

Clockmakers

1851

Wax portrait of Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy (1780-1854) by Richard Cockle Lucas 1851

Compound monocular microscope

Public Health & Hygiene

1852

Compound monocular microscope owned by Edwin Lankester and purchased from the makers Smith & Beck of London in 1852, with accessories and case. Possibly used by Lankester when examining water from the pump at Broad St, Soho, the focus of the outbreak of cholera in London in 1854.

Sample of submarine cable laid between Dover and Calais, 1850

Telecommunications

1850

Short length (including a joint) of the original Cross-Channel submarine telegraph cable laid on 28th August 1850 between Dover and Calais. Cable originally made by Gutta Percha Company, Islington, London, England, 1850.

The Great Exhibition Polka 1851

Art

1851

Lithograph, colour: The Great Exhibition Polka 1851, for the pianoforte, composed and dedicated to HRH Prince Albert by Frank B Tussaud. Printed by Stannard & Dixon, issued by Duff & Hodgson, London [1851]. Sheet music cover with picture of Crystal Palace exterior and visitors. 34.5x24cm.

Lucien Sharpe sheet metal gauge

Industrial Metrology

c. 1850

Lucien Sharpe micrometer, c. 1850, steel, plain screw-sleeve type, (without rachet feel), reading up to 30mm by 0.01mm

Portable double-needle telegraph and test set, 1850

Telecommunications

1850

Portable double-needle telegraph and test set, with removable wooden cover, unknown maker, possibly British, 1850

Lead weight marked 'Reid' from the first cross-Channel telegraph cable, 1850.

Telecommunications

1850

Lead weight, marked Reid, with which the original cross-Channel telegraph cable of 1850 was weighted, made by Reid Brothers, Islington, London, England, 1850

Wax portrait of George Atkins (1766 – 1855) by Richard Cockle Lucas

Clockmakers

1852

Wax portrait of George Atkins (1766 – 1855) by Richard Cockle Lucas, London, 1852.

Sample of 1851 Dover-Calais telegraph cable, 1851

Telecommunications

1851

Specimen of Crampton's Dover and Calais telegraph cable, laid in 1851 and remained in use until 1875, made by R S Newall and Company, Millwall, London, England, 1851

Railway bridge section, portion of rivetted girder from Britannia Bridge

Railway Infrastructure

1850

Railway bridge section, portion of rivetted girder from Britannia Bridge, Menai Straits, with painted inscription LAST RIVET / MARCH 5 1850 / R.STEPHENSON.

Judkin's lock-stitch sewing machine, 1851.

Textiles Machinery

1851

Reproduction of Judkin's lockstitch sewing machine made by Platt Bros & Co Ltd., Oldham, Manchester, England, shown at 1851 Exhibition.

Mummy of a peregrine falcon, Egypt, 2000-1001 BCE

Classical & Medieval Medicine

2000-1001 BCE

Mummy of peregrine falcon, Egyptian, 2000-1001 BC

Pocket watch belonging to Joseph Lister

Wellcome (general)

1853

Gold pocket watch with second hand dial, formerly belonging to Lord Lister, by Simmons, London, 1853

Gold chain for Lister's pocket watch

Wellcome (general)

1853

Gold chain for use with pocket watch, formerly belonging to Lord Lister, in case, by John Simmons, Fleet Street, London, 1853

Spectacles, gold rims, blue lenses, given to James

Ophthalmology

1853

Spectacles, gold rims, blue lenses, given to James Brown by W. Barnington, in silver case, by Mills, Birmingham, 1853

Microscope Slide, 1852

Public Health & Hygiene

1852

Glass microscope slide. Part of compound monocular microscope owned by Edwin Lankester and purchased from the makers Smith & Beck of London in 1852. Possibly used by Lankester when examining water from the pump at Broad St, Soho, the focus of the outbreak of cholera in London in 1854.

Poster advertising lectures on phrenology, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, 1851

J Diplock

1851

Lectures on phrenology, physiology, etc. April 3-10 1851. On yellow paper, 58x23cm. In frame, 64x28.5x2cm.

View of the Britannia Tubular Bridge

Art

1850

Lithograph, coloured. View of the Britannia Tubular Bridge (opened 1850) over the Menai Strait, with the road Suspension Bridge of 1826 in background. [c1850]. Overall: trimmed to 27x46cm. Shipping below bridge includes paddlesteamer. In frame 42x60.5x2cm

Hughes 'Typograph', Typewriter for blind people

Printing & Writing

1850

Hughes' typograph for the use of the blind, 1850. This machine enabled people who were blind to write without using type, done by using raised characters which could be read by touch. It was awarded medals at the Great Exhibitions of 1851 and 1862.

Copy of clay liver used for divination, original from Babylon, 2050-1750 BCE

Classical & Medieval Medicine

2050-1750 BCE

Babylonian clay liver used for divination, c.2050-1750 BC, copy, 1981

Cyanotype of Equisetum sylvaticum, 1853

Photographs

1853

A cyanotype of Equisetum sylvaticum, or Wood Horsetail, from 'Cyanotypes of British and Foreign Ferns', made by Anna Atkins in 1853.

Daguerreotype of the Moon in leather case

Photographs

1851

Daguerreotype of the Moon in leather case; (size 4 1/2" x 3 1/4"). M.F.H. Cat. No. 37. A daguerreotype of the moon taken in 1851 by John Adams Whipple (1822-1891) and George Phillips Bond (1825-1865). Whipple, working with Bond, the director of Harvard College Observatory, endeavoured (and eventually succeeded) in creating lunar daguerreotypes of a quality never seen before. Following several failed attempts, this successful photograph probably occurred after a slight adjustment the men made to the focus and resolution of the Harvard telescope. One of Whipple and Bond's lunar daguerreotypes was shown at the Great Exhibition of 1851 where it won a medal.

Figure of Alexander Humboldt

Carl Wolgast

1851

Figure of Friedrich Heinrich Alexander Baron Humboldt (1769-1859) by C. Wolgast 1851. Bronze, 50cm high

Harvey demonstrating to King Charles I his theory of the circulation of the blood, print, London, England, 1851

H. Lemon

1851

Mezzotint, William Harvey demonstrating to King Charles I his theory of the circulation of the blood, by H Lemon after R Hannah, issued Lloyd Bros 25 March 1851

Lock stitch sewing machine made by W. F. Thomas, 1853

Textiles Machinery

1853

Lock stitch sewing machine made by William Frederick Thomas, Holborn, London, England, 1853.

Natural Philosophy Diagram. Illustration of Natural Philosop

Emslie, John (engraver); Reynolds, James (publisher)

1850

Natural Philosophy Diagram. Illustration of Natural Philosophy. Properties of Bodies. Published by James Reynolds, 174 Strand. Drawn and engraved by John Emslie. 10 Dec 1850. Popular diagram No. 25

Standard weights and measures

Weighing & Measuring

1851

21 Standard brass weights and measures by De Grave, 1851.

Model of a sugar cane mill

Domestic Appliances

c. 1850

Model of a sugar cane mill, c.1850

Station platform with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

Pictorial Collection (Railway)

c. 1850

Colour print. Station platform with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert about to board Royal Train (possibly en route to Scotland). (At Maiden Lane temporary terminus before the opening of Kings Cross Station, c1850).

Alphonse Bertillon

1853 - 1914

1853-1914, police officer, French

Polyrama Panoptique

Cinematography

c. 1850

Polyrama Panoptique. A paper covered wooden box with sliding lens panel connected by paper covered cloth bellows. Hinged lid and back is coupled by wire strut to permit change from frontal to back lighting. The underside of the lid is covered in gold foil. Sold by J Arnold's Wholesale Retail & Export Toy, Archery & Fancy Warehouse, 38 King William Street, London Bridge. With six transparencies. 'POLYORAMA PANOPTIQUE/BREVET D' INVENTION 3Che du Gouvt' stamped in gold lettering on lid.

Ottewill folding box camera

Photographic Technology

1853

Ottewill wetplate sliding box camera with hinged sides, folding flat, for wholeplates. Grubb's Aplanatic lens with wheel stops; sold by Watson and Sons; rising and cross front; sliding focusing on rear (locking screw missing); focusing screen (glass missing); no plate holder; nameplate missing (photographic reproduction from similar camera in the Science Museum).

Frontispiece of 'Cyanotypes of British And Foreign Ferns' album, 1853

Photographs

1853

The frontispiece of the album 'Cyanotypes of British and Foreign Ferns', made by Anna Atkins (1799-1871) in 1853.

Astronomical diagram: Telescopic Appearance of the Moon

James Reynolds

c. 1851

Astronomical Diagram. Telescopic Appearance of the Moon. Drawn and engraved by John Emslie. Published by James Reynolds, 174 Strand.

Elliott Brothers

1853 - 1921

active 1853-1921, optical, mathematical, philosophical & electrical inst. maker, London, England

Parautoptic lock, exhibited at the 1851 Great Exhibition

Locks & Fastenings

1851

Parautoptic lock, by Day & Newell, Manhattan, New York, New York State, United States of America, 1851. Exhibited at the 1851 Great Exhibition, London, England. Despite many attempts, there is no record that this lock has ever been picked.

Flat iron

Domestic Appliances

1850

Flat iron one of three, by J. & .J.Siddons, West Bromwich, England, marked 'No.8', 1850

Geographical Diagram. Ethnographical map showing the Distrib

Emslie, John (engraver); Reynolds, James (publisher)

1851

Geographical Diagram. Ethnographical map showing the Distribution of the Human Race and prevailing Religions. Published by James Reynolds, 174 Strand. Drawn and engraved by John Emslie. 13 Dec.1851

Mummy of a crocodile, Egypt, 2000-1001 BCE

Classical & Medieval Medicine

2000-1001 BCE

Mummified crocodile, no provenance, Egyptian, 2000-1001 BCE.

Nasmyth reflecting telescope on turntable stand, 1850-1852

Astronomy

1850-1852

Reflecting telescope, 20-inch aperture with speculum mirror and altazimuth mounting, by James Nasmyth at Patricroft, Manchester, England, 1850-1852. Later the instrument was moved to ‘Hammerhurst’, Nasmyth’s new home at Penshurst, Kent, when he retired from industry in 1856. (see note)

Samples of crystals used in the development of ASDIC transducers, 1917-1918

Acoustics

1917-918

Samples of crystals, probably quartz piezoelectric crystals, used by Canadian physicist Albert B. Wood in the development of transducers for ASDIC, a prototype active sound detection system later known as SONAR, developed by the British Admiralty and Royal Navy in 1917. This was a key part of research into the hydrophone, a method of underwater detection to combat the German U-boat threat during the First World War. These crystals were associated with the work of Albert B. Wood at the Admiralty Research Laboratory at Teddington, London. The ASDIC hydrophone consisted of an electronic sound transmitter and receiver housed in a metal dome beneath the ship's hull or sometimes towed behind the ship. High-frequency beams - audible 'pings' - were sent out and bounced back when they hit a submarine. The time that passed before an echo was received showed the range of the submarine. The pitch of the echo revealed if it was approaching or moving away. A highly trained operator was required to use the equipment effectively.