RevolutionCrossroads/si_us_revolutionary_era_collections huggingface dataset:
Sighting Instrument
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: semi-circle
sighting instrument
date made: 1775
Associated Name: Gourdin, Pierre
maker: Gourdin, Pierre
place made: France: Île-de-France, Paris
Measurements: box: 11 1/4 in x 7 5/8 in x 2 5/8 in; 28.575 cm x 19.3675 cm x 6.6675 cm
instrument: 10 3/16 in x 6 1/2 in x 4 3/4 in; 25.87625 cm x 16.51 cm x 12.065 cm
Description: This unusual brass instrument, which may have been designed for determining the azimuth of the sun, has a brass plate with half circular hole; a radial arm with safety tube mounted on it; and a leather covered box. The "Gourdin au Quart de Cercle à Paris, 1775" inscription is that of Pierre Gourdin (fl. 1775-1801), an instrument maker who took over the premises previously occupied by Jean-Baptiste Nicholas Bion, son of the more famous Nicholas Bion.
Colonial Bond, United States, 1781
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: bond
date made: 1781
place made: United States
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 16.6 cm x 15.6 cm x .01 cm; 6 17/32 in x 6 5/32 in x in
Credit line: Library of Congress
sheet(paper)
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: sheet(paper)
date made: 1794
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 21 cm x 13 cm; 8 9/32 in x 5 1/8 in
Topics: Art
Communications
Army Pay Voucher, United States, 1789
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: voucher
note
date made: 1789
date on reverse: 1893
place made: United States: Connecticut
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 18.7 cm x 15.8 cm x .01 cm; 7 3/8 in x 6 7/32 in x in
Credit line: B.M. Douglas
Continental Army
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: voucher
date made: 1783
1783-12-04
place made: United States
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 17.4 cm x 18.55 cm x .01 cm; 6 27/32 in x 7 5/16 in x in
John Baxter Allen, Colonial Bond, United States, 1777
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: bond
date made: 1777
date on object: 1777-12-01
place made: United States
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 23 cm x 22.5 cm x .01 cm; 9 1/16 in x 8 27/32 in x in
Credit line: J.B. Stack
1/6 Dollar, Continental Congress, 1776
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: note
date made: 1776
date on object: 1776-02-17
maker: Hall & Sellers
Continental Congress
place made: United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 7.9 cm x 6.3 cm x .01 cm; 3 1/8 in x 2 15/32 in x in
Credit line: Stack's
Topics: NNC Colonial Currency
NNC Continental Currency
1/6 Dollar, Continental Congress, 1776
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: note
date made: 1776
date on object: 1776-02-17
maker: Continental Congress
Hall & Sellers
place made: United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 8 cm x 6.2 cm x .01 cm; 3 5/32 in x 2 7/16 in x in
Credit line: John L. Roper
Topics: NNC Colonial Currency
NNC Continental Currency
[None None]
30 Dollars, Continental Congress, 1776
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: note
date made: 1776
date on object: 1776-11-02
maker: Continental Congress
Hall & Sellers
place made: United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 7.3 cm x 9.4 cm x .01 cm; 2 7/8 in x 3 11/16 in x in
Credit line: Stack's
Topics: NNC Colonial Currency
NNC Continental Currency
30 Dollars, Continental Congress, 1777
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: note
date made: 1777
date on object: 1777-02-26
maker: Continental Congress
Hall & Sellers
place made: United States: Maryland, Baltimore
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 7.2 cm x 9.35 cm x .01 cm; 2 27/32 in x 3 11/16 in x in
Credit line: Stack's
Topics: NNC Colonial Currency
NNC Continental Currency
Flag
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Flag
associated date: April 19, 1801
Associated Name: Walcott, Charles D.
referenced: United States: New York, New York City
Physical Description: cloth (overall material)
red; white; blue (overall color)
Measurements: overall: 4 1/4 in x 3 in; 10.795 cm x 7.62 cm
Credit line: Walcott, Charles D.
Topics: Patriotic
Smithsonian Institution
American Revolution (1775-1783)
Flags
Knife Sharpener
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: knife sharperner
Physical Description: metal; plastic (overall material)
Measurements: overall w/o cord: 5 in x 12 1/2 in x 5 in; 12.7 cm x 31.75 cm x 12.7 cm
Credit line: Gift of Edgecraft Corporation thru Sam Weiner and Daniel D. Friel, Jr.
1780-1800 Unfinished Quilt Top
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: quilt
date made: 1780 - 1800
maker: unknown
place made: United States
Physical Description: fabric, cotton (overall material)
thread, linen (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 50 in x 50 in; 127 cm x 127 cm
Credit line: Gift of Katherine Yoder
Topics: Children
Quilts
Furnishings
Presidents
Textiles
Description: Unfinished quilt top. Twenty-five blocks (each approximately 11" x 11"); 13 pieced in a star pattern alternating with 12 one-piece printed fabric blocks. A note with quilt top and donor information states the quilt was "one pieced for babies [sic] crib . . .by the wives of the officials in George Washington's Cabinet." Sewing thread is 2-ply linen; no lining or filling.
Notes on quilt included with donation. "This quilt is reported to be one pieced by the wives of the officials in George Washington's Cabinet. L.G. Adams." Another: "The old old quilt among your mothers things is one pieced for a babies crib by the ladies of George Washington's Cabinet officials. Every piece is American weave and thread home-spun. Sister got it from Elder Query's wife at Benton [Illinois]. It has been handed down from family to family and Mrs. Query having no heirs gave it to your mother whom she loved dearly."
Chapelier, Preparations et Fabrique des Chapeaux, Plate I
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: print
Engraving
date made: 18th century
Associated Name: Bernard, Robert
publisher: Diderot, Denis
graphic artist: Bernard, Robert
place made: France
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
ink (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 32.5 cm x 47 cm; 12 25/32 in x 18 1/2 in
Chapelier, Attelier de Batissage et l'appareil dela Foule, Pl. 2
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: print
Engraving
date made: 18th century
Associated Name: Bernard, Robert
maker: Diderot, Denis
graphic artist: Bernard, Robert
place made: France
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
ink (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 32 cm x 47 cm; 12 19/32 in x 18 1/2 in
Epinglier, Pl. 1
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: print
Engraving
date made: 18th century
Associated Name: Bernard, Robert
maker: Diderot, Denis
graphic artist: Bernard, Robert
place made: France
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
ink (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 31 cm x 24 cm; 12 7/32 in x 9 7/16 in
Epinglier, Pl. 2
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: print
Engraving
date made: 18th century
Associated Name: Bernard, Robert
maker: Diderot, Denis
graphic artist: Bernard, Robert
place made: France
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
ink (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 31 cm x 47 cm; 12 7/32 in x 18 1/2 in
Fer, Grosses Forges, 5 Section, Fenderie, l'Operation de Fendre, Pl. 3
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: print
Engraving
date made: 18th century
Associated Name: Bernard, Robert
maker: Diderot, Denis
graphic artist: Bernard, Robert
place made: France
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
ink (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 31 cm x 23 cm; 12 7/32 in x 9 1/16 in
Fer, Grosses Forges, 5 Section, Fenderie, Bottelage, Pl. 4
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: print
Engraving
date made: 18th century
Associated Name: Bernard, Robert
maker: Diderot, Denis
graphic artist: Bernard, Robert
place made: France
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
ink (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 24.7 cm x 17.7 cm; 9 23/32 in x 6 31/32 in
Fils d'Archal, Fil de Fer, Trefilerie, Pl. 1
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: print
Engraving
date made: 18th century
Associated Name: Bernard, Robert
maker: Diderot, Denis
Bernard, Robert
place made: France
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
ink (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 24 cm x 17 cm; 9 7/16 in x 6 11/16 in
Marechal Grossier, Outils, Pl. 1
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: print
Engraving
date made: 18th century
Associated Name: Bernard, Robert
maker: Diderot, Denis
Bernard, Robert
place made: France
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
ink (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 24.7 cm x 17.5 cm; 9 23/32 in x 6 7/8 in
Menuisier en Voitures, Berline, Elevation Laterale, Pl. 1
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: print
Engraving
date made: 18th century
Associated Name: Bernard, Robert
maker: Diderot, Denis
Bernard, Robert
place made: France
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
ink (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 24.5 cm x 17.7 cm; 9 21/32 in x 6 31/32 in
Passementerie, Travail des Fleurs Artificielles, L'Operation de Decouper, Emportes Pieces et Outils Decorative, Pl. 19
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: print
Engraving
date made: 18th century
Associated Name: Bernard, Robert
maker: Diderot, Denis
Bernard, Robert
place made: France
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
ink (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 32.4 cm x 47 cm; 12 3/4 in x 18 1/2 in
Tartre, Purification, &c Procedes de Venise et de Montpellier, Pl. I
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: print
Engraving
date made: 18th century
Associated Name: Bernard, Robert
maker: Diderot, Denis
Bernard, Robert
Bernard, Robert
place made: France
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
ink (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 25 cm x 17.2 cm; 9 27/32 in x 6 25/32 in
Tailleur, Pl. I
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: print
Engraving
date made: 18th century
Associated Name: Bernard, Robert
maker: Diderot, Denis
Bernard, Robert
place made: France
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
ink (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 24.5 cm x 17 cm; 9 21/32 in x 6 11/16 in
Schantz Grand Piano
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: piano
date made: ca 1800
place made: Austria: Vienna state, Vienna
Physical Description: wood (overall material)
metal (overall material)
ivory (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 32 3/4 in x 39 in x 88 1/4 in; 83.185 cm x 99.06 cm x 224.155 cm
Topics: Musical instruments
Pianos
Music
Description (Brief): This piano was made by Johann Schantz in Vienna, Austria, about 1800. It is a grand piano, with 63 notes, compass: FF - g3, double and triple (b1 - g3) strung, ivory accidentals, and ebony naturals with light and dark wood veneered arcades. There are 2 knee levers, 1 brass knob on bass side (bassoon stop?), and a small brass knob on nameboard to activate "moderator." The case is made from medium brown-stained wood with metal bead trim around lid and case, 5 tapered legs with metal trim and metal feet. And metal cartouches on the case above the legs.
10 Dollars, Dayton, Ohio, ca 1800
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: note
date made: ca 1800
place made: United States: Ohio, Dayton
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 7.5 cm x 18.1 cm x .01 cm; 2 15/16 in x 7 1/8 in x in
Credit line: Mrs. C. F. Wolters
2 Dollars, Maryland, 1774
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: note
date on object: 1774-04-10
date made: 1774
maker: A. C. and F. Green
place made: United States: Maryland
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 6 cm x 10.7 cm x .01 cm; 2 3/8 in x 4 7/32 in x in
Credit line: Library of Congress
Topics: NNC Colonial Currency
2 Dollars, Maryland, 1774
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: note
date on object: 1774-04-10
date made: 1774
maker: A. C. and F. Green
place made: United States: Maryland
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 6.2 cm x 10.6 cm x .01 cm; 2 7/16 in x 4 3/16 in x in
Credit line: Library of Congress
Topics: NNC Colonial Currency
2 Dollars, Maryland, 1774
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: note
date on object: 1774-04-10
date made: 1774
maker: A. C. and F. Green
place made: United States: Maryland
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 6.5 cm x 11.7 cm x .01 cm; 2 9/16 in x 4 19/32 in x in
Credit line: Library of Congress
Topics: NNC Colonial Currency
1/6 Dollars, Continental Congress, 1776
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: note
date on object: 1776-02-17
date made: 1776
maker: Hall & Sellers
Continental Congress
place made: United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 8 cm x 6.05 cm x .01 cm; 3 5/32 in x 2 3/8 in x in
Credit line: Miss Louise Boyd
Topics: NNC Colonial Currency
NNC Continental Currency
Sun Glass
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Sunglass
date made: around 1790-1800
Measurements: overall: 2 1/2 in; 6.35 cm
overall: 4 5/8 in x 1/8 in x 2 1/2 in; 11.7475 cm x .3175 cm x 6.35 cm
Credit line: C. A. White
Topics: Scientific apparatus and instruments
Science
Description: This small lens, in a copper ring with copper handle, came to the Smithsonian in 1899. The donor, Charles Abiathar White, referred to it as a "sun glass" that had been used by his grandfather, Daniel Corey of Dighton, Mass.
Telescope (Spyglass)
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: telescope (spyglass)
Measurements: overall: 9 1/2 in x 1 7/16 in; 24.13 cm x 3.65125 cm
Topics: American Revolution (1775-1783)
Description: Cardboard draw-tube telescope (spyglass) that may date from the eighteenth century. Webster Full, the donor, believed it had been brought out of the Revolutionary War by William Powers, a resident of western Virginia (later West Virginia) who believed it had belonged to his Colonel. One of Powers’ descendants transferred it to Webster Full’s father.
30 Shillings, New Jersey, 1776
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: note
date on object: 1776-03-25
date made: 1776
maker: Collins, Isaac
place made: United States: New Jersey
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 5.6 cm x 9.9 cm x .01 cm; 2 7/32 in x 3 29/32 in x in
Credit line: Stack's
Topics: NNC Colonial Currency
15 Shillings, Pennsylvania, 1773
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: note
date on object: 1773-10-01
date made: 1773
maker: Hall & Sellers
place made: United States: Pennsylvania
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 9 cm x 6.7 cm x .01 cm; 3 17/32 in x 2 5/8 in x in
Credit line: The Stack Family
Topics: NNC Colonial Currency
18 Pence, Delaware, 1777
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: note
date on object: 1777-05-01
date made: 1777
maker: Adams, James
place made: United States: Delaware
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 8.7 cm x 7.1 cm x .01 cm; 3 7/16 in x 2 25/32 in x in
Credit line: Library of Congress
Topics: NNC Colonial Currency
2/3 Dollar, Continental Congress, 1776
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: note
date on object: 1776-02-17
date made: 1776
maker: Continental Congress
Hall & Sellers
place made: United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 7.9 cm x 6.2 cm x .01 cm; 3 1/8 in x 2 7/16 in x in
Topics: NNC Colonial Currency
NNC Continental Currency
Description (Brief): One (1) 2/3 dollar note
United States, 1776
Obverse Image: Sundial.
Obverse Text: 2 THIRDS OF A DOLLAR / NO. 353421 / TWO THIRDS OF A DOLLAR, ACCORDING TO A REFOLUTION OF CONGRESS, PAFFED AT PHILADELPHIA FEBRUARY 17, 1776. / C / FUGIO / MIND YOUR BUSINESS
Reverse Image: Thirteen links representing the colonies around a sunburst in the center.
Reverse Text: TWO THIRDS OF A DOLLAR / AMERICAN CONGRESS / WE ARE ONE / PHILAD. PRINTED BY HALL AND SELLER. 1776.
Print
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: print
date made: 1796
1796-1801
place made: United Kingdom: England, London
Measurements: overall: 11 1/4 in x 8 1/2 in; 28.575 cm x 21.59 cm
overall: 11 1/8 in x 8 5/8 in; 28.2575 cm x 21.9075 cm
Topics: Scientific apparatus and instruments
Science
Description: This engraving image was prepared for vol. 1 of John Wilkes, ed., <i>Encyclopaedia Londinensis</i> (London, 1801). The text at bottom reads “Improved Air Pumps / London Published as the Act directs, Feby 20th 1796, by J. Wilkes” and “J. Pass sculp.” Fig. 1 shows Vreem’s modification of Hauksbee’s pump. Fig. 2 show’s Cuthbertson’s pump.
Francis Hauksbee the elder (1660-1713) was a scientist in London who experimented with electrical machines and air pumps. Guillaume Vreem was an instrument maker in London who, in 1717, published an account of an improved form of Hauksbee’s air pump. John Cuthbertson
Ref: T Brundtland, “From Medicine to Natural Philosophy: Francis Hauksbee’s Way to the Air Pump,” <i>British Journal for the History of Science</i> 41 (2008): 209-240.
Guillaume Vreem, <i>Description de la machine du vuide: selon la maniere de feu Monsieur Hauksbee, avec quelques avantages que la sienne n'avoit pas</i> (1717).
Print
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: print
date made: 18th century
place made: United Kingdom: England, London, City of London
Measurements: overall: 11 in x 13 7/8 in; 27.94 cm x 35.2425 cm
Description: Etched image showing five people (two gentlefolk, and three workers) in a large room containing various vessels and kilns. The inked caption in the bottom corner (not original with the print) reads "Godfrey and Cooks - Laboratory - Southampton Street."
Ambrose Godfrey-Hankwitz (1660-1741) was a German scientist who went to England, worked with Robert Boyle, and became a prosperous phosphorous manufacturer and Fellow of the Royal Society. His pharmacy on Southampton Street, London, opened in 1707, remained in family hands for several generations, and was, allegedly, one of the best equipped laboratories in England. In the late 1790s, Ambrose Towers Godfrey formed a partnership with Charles Cooke, and that firm continued at this location until 1863.
Our image is one of three that, although lacking inscriptions or signatures, have long been associated with Godfrey’s laboratory. It might have been created by the English engraver William Henry Toms (1700-1765), or by Hubert-Francois Gravelot (1699-1773), a French engraver who emigrated to London in 1732.
Ref: R. E. W. Maddison, “Studies in the Life of Robert Boyle, F.R.S. Part V: Boyle’s Operator, Ambrose Godfrey-Hankwitz, F.R.S.,” <i>Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London</i> 11 (1955): 159-188.
Book, "The Life of George Washington", 1813
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: book
Measurements: overall: 7 in x 4 in; 17.78 cm x 10.16 cm
Description: Mason Locke Weems’s biography of George Washington became the most widely read 19th century book about the Revolutionary War and its celebrated hero. Weems recounted many familiar anecdotes about Washington, including the famous story of the cherry tree, and helped to establish a national narrative that cemented Founding Fathers in our national consciousness. Washington’s stature as Father of our Country is borne out by the dozens of pageants and plays that celebrated the bicentennial of his birth and continue today.
Tournai soft-paste porcelain teapot
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: teapot
date made: ca. 1787
Physical Description: soft-paste porcelain (overall material)
polychrome on-glaze enamels and gold on cobalt blue ground (overall color)
subjects after Buffon, Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux (overall style)
Measurements: overall: 5 1/8 in x 7 in x 4 3/8 in; 13.0175 cm x 17.78 cm x 11.1125 cm
Topics: Manufacturing industries
Industrialization
Art
Furnishings
65 Dollars, Continental Congress, 1779
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: note
date on object: 1779-01-14
date made: 1779
maker: Continental Congress
Hall & Sellers
place made: United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 7.2 cm x 9 cm x .01 cm; 2 27/32 in x 3 17/32 in x in
Credit line: Morton Stack
Topics: NNC Colonial Currency
NNC Continental Currency
Sèvres porcelain vase
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: vase
date made: 1807-1808
1807
1808
place made: France: Île-de-France, Sèvres
Physical Description: hard-paste porcelain (overall material)
gold on transparent glaze (overall color)
Neo-classical (overall style)
stoneware (overall material)
imitation porphyry (overall color)
Measurements: overall: 12 13/16 in x 10 in x 9 1/8 in; 32.54375 cm x 25.4 cm x 23.1775 cm
15 Shillings, Pennsylvania, 1773
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: note
date on object: 1773-10-01
date made: 1773
maker: Hall & Sellers
place made: United States: Pennsylvania
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 9.1 cm x 6.8 cm x .01 cm; 3 19/32 in x 2 11/16 in x in
Credit line: The Stack Family
Topics: NNC Colonial Currency
Description (Brief): One (1) 15 shilling note
Colonial America, United States, 1773
Obverse Image: A crest with crown and flower details with two (2) pillars on each side.
Obverse Text: NO. 21535 / FIFTEEN SHILLINGS / ACCORDING TO THE ACT OF GENERAL AFFEM-BLY OF PENFYLVANIA, PAFFED IN THE THIR-TEENTH YEAR OF THE REIGN OF HIS MAJEFTY GEORGE THE THIRD. DATED THE FIRFT DAY OF OC-TOBER, 1773 / FIFTEEN SHILL.
Reverse Image: The engraving of a field with a raindow, sun and storm cloud.
Reverse Text: FIFTEEN SHILLINGS. / TO COUNTERFEIT IS DEATH / PRINTED BY HALL AND SELLERS
ale bottle
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: ale bottle
date made: ca. 1810
area of use: United States: New York, Albany
Physical Description: glass (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 9 in x 2 1/2 in; 22.86 cm x 6.35 cm
Credit line: Walter H. Voigt
School Regulations
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: booklet
date made: 1799-12-24
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
cotton (overall material)
ink (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 19 cm x 16 in; 7 15/32 in x 40.64 cm
Credit line: Gift of Dr. Richard Lodish American School Collection
Topics: Education
Description: Handwritten school regulation booklet divided into 3 sections and articles and the last page is blank. The 8 pages are covered in thin pressed paper and bound with twine.
The first page of this booklet outlines several regulations pertaining to town schools. It instructs an unspecified school committee to visit each school under its jurisdiction twice per year. Dated 1799, this booklet may be an early signifier of bureaucratic control over schools.