RevolutionCrossroads/si_us_revolutionary_era_collections huggingface dataset:
LIQ TARTAR SOL
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: bottle
bottle; Pharmaceutical Container
date made: 18th century
Physical Description: glass (overall material)
paint (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 8.7 cm x 4.7 cm x 4.7 cm; 3 7/16 in x 1 7/8 in x 1 7/8 in
Credit line: Gift of American Pharmaceutical Association and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
Publisher: Estes, J. Worth. Dictionary of Protopharmacology: Therapeutic Practices, 1700-1850
Urdang, George and Ferdinand William Nitardy. The Squibb Ancient Pharmacy: A Catalogue of the Collection
Topics: Art
Pharmacy
European Apothecary
Health & Medicine
Description (Brief): This square-shaped blown and molded glass apothecary jar is marked <i>LIQ TARTAR SOL</i> in black, with the first letter of each word in red. The apothecary jar would have contained a liquid tartar solution. Tartar, also known as cream of tartar, or potassium bitartrate, is a byproduct of the winemaking process, crystallizing from the pulp and skins of grapes called must, in the fermenting barrel. Tartar was used as a diuretic and as a cathartic.
[None]
Bottle
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: bottle
bottle; Pharmaceutical Container
date made: 18th century
Physical Description: glass (overall material)
paint (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 8.7 cm x 4.7 cm x 4.7 cm; 3 7/16 in x 1 7/8 in x 1 7/8 in
Credit line: Gift of American Pharmaceutical Association and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
Topics: Art
Pharmacy
European Apothecary
Description (Brief): This blown and molded square bottle has a Baroque-style blue, yellow and white label cartouche which has been left blank. The apothecary could use this bottle for a variety of solutions changing the label as appropriate.
[None]
Apothecary Bottle, SPIR VITROIL ACID
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: bottle
bottle; Pharmaceutical Container
date made: 18th century
Physical Description: glass (overall material)
paint (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 15.5 cm x 6.6 cm x 6.8 cm; 6 1/8 in x 2 5/8 in x 2 11/16 in
Credit line: Gift of American Pharmaceutical Association and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
Topics: Medicine
Art
Pharmacy
European Apothecary
Description (Brief): This blown and molded square glass drug jar has a flat circular stopper. The baked enamel label is marked in red and black, <i>SPIR VITROIL ACID</i>.
[None]
Apothecary Bottle, ESS FUMAR
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: bottle
bottle; Pharmaceutical Container
date made: 18th century
Physical Description: glass (overall material)
paint (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 14.7 cm x 6.3 cm x 6.5 cm; 5 13/16 in x 2 1/2 in x 2 9/16 in
Credit line: Gift of American Pharmaceutical Association and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
Topics: Medicine
Art
Pharmacy
European Apothecary
Description (Brief): This blown and molded square glass bottle with a round flat stopper. The blue, red, yellow and black baroque enamel label is marked <i>ESS FUMAR</i>.
[None]
MAGN NITR
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: bottle
bottle; Pharmaceutical Container
date made: 18th century
Physical Description: glass (overall material)
paint (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 10.7 cm x 7.2 cm x 7.6 cm; 4 3/16 in x 2 13/16 in x 3 in
Credit line: Gift of American Pharmaceutical Association and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
Publisher: Estes, J. Worth. Dictionary of Protopharmacology: Therapeutic Practices, 1700-1850
Topics: Art
Pharmacy
European Apothecary
Description (Brief): This blown and molded square shaped bottle is marked "MAGN NITRI". The Baroque-style baked enamel label is blue, yellow, red and black. The jar probably contained Magnesia Opalina. The <i>Dictionary of Photopharmacology</i> by J. Worth Estes, lists Magesia Opalina as a "form of Antimonium prepared with Sal Muriaticus and Niter."
[None]
Etats Unis De L'Amerique
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Map
Print
Date made: January 20, 1783
date made: 1783-01-20
maker: LaMarche
place made: France
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 21.9 cm x 27.7 cm; 8 5/8 in x 10 29/32 in
shield
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Shield
shield
Date made: 18th century
place made: United States: New Mexico, Isleta Pueblo
Physical Description: leather, bullhide (overall material)
paint (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 23 in x 23 in x 1.5 cm x 58.3 cm; 58.42 cm x 58.42 cm x 19/32 in x 22 15/16 in
Credit line: Gift of Capt. John G. Bourke
Topics: Missionaries
Religion
2 Dollars, Continental Congress, 1776
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: paper money
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)
black ink (overall material)
thread (part material)
Measurements: overall: 70 mm x 95 mm; 2 3/4 in x 3 3/4 in
Credit line: Stack's
Publisher: Zoomable Image and Details, Glossary of Coins and Currency Terms, http://americanhistory.si.edu/coins/glossary.cfm
Topics: NNC Colonial Currency
Money
Coins
NNC Continental Currency
Numismatics
Description: By the time they broke with England, the thirteen American colonies had been issuing paper currency for nearly a century. Both they and the loose central government they set up under the Articles of Confederation to oversee matters of common concern would continue to do so throughout the War of Independence. The "national" paper went by the name of "Continental Currency." As its name suggests, it was issued by the Continental Congress.
The paper on which it was printed was of very high quality but was also very soft. Because the notes were often folded horizontally, they often developed top-to-bottom breaks at midpoint. Left to themselves, the two halves would eventually part company. Whether anyone would take just half a note in payment was unclear. That uncertainty led people to adopt all kinds of stratagems to keep notes intact or repair those that had torn apart.
But there was more to it than that. To many, this new money symbolized a new nation-it had to be repaired, kept afloat. Because if it were not, what would that say about the aspiring nation that had issued it? Various methods were devised to do the job. In the case of this two-dollar bill, someone expert with a needle and thread-perhaps a housewife, or a sailor-carefully sewed the two halves back together. That effort has now survived for more than two centuries.
Continental currency was printed by Benjamin Franklin's successors, Hall & Sellers. Franklin also suggested inspiring vignettes and mottoes for the notes. The face of the two-dollar bill bears an image of grain being flailed (separated from the chaff), with the motto, TRIBULATIO DITAT (Troubles make us stronger).
30 Dollars, Continental Congress, 1776
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: note
date made: 1776
date on object: 1776-07-22
maker: Continental Congress
Hall & Sellers
place made: United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
thread (part material)
Measurements: overall: 7.2 cm x 9.2 cm x .01 cm; 2 27/32 in x 3 5/8 in x in
Credit line: Stack's
Publisher: Zoomable Image and Details, Glossary of Coins and Currency Terms, http://americanhistory.si.edu/coins/glossary.cfm
Topics: NNC Colonial Currency
Money
Coins
NNC Continental Currency
Numismatics
Description: The thirty-dollar note was the highest denomination issued during the first three years or so of Continental Currency. We might wonder why the authorities issued such an odd denomination. The answer is that what seems odd to us seemed perfectly logical to them.
The thirty-dollar bills-and threes, fours, sixes, and eights, as well as bills worth a sixth, or a third, or two-thirds of a dollar-were put into circulation for two reasons. First, some of them were conscious substitutes for coins of the same value. And second, they were there to make change: if all you have in circulation is paper currency, you had better give the public the money it needs.
So if a merchant got an eight-dollar Continental note in payment for a five-dollar object, he could give the customer a three in return. This situation in fact lasted through the mid-1860s. Notes in today's familiar denominations are a recent phenomenon.
The image on the face of the note speaks to the advantages of righteous dealing (appropriate for a commercial object such as this note). The images on the back present two views on the reasons for the war against England. The left one (VI CONCITATAE) suggests that the colonies were forced into the conflict, while the one on the right (CESSANTE VENTO CONQUIESCEMUS) promises that they would rest and revive after it was over.
Continental currency often split in half because it was frequently folded. This bill was sewn back together to repair it.
[None None None None]
15 Dollars
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: note
date made: 1776
date on object: 1776-10-07
maker: Virginia
place made: United States: Virginia
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
ink, black (overall material)
steel pin (part material)
Measurements: overall: 6.8 cm x 9.3 cm x .025 cm; 2 11/16 in x 3 21/32 in x in
Credit line: B. M. Douglas
Publisher: Zoomable Image and Details, Glossary of Coins and Currency Terms, http://americanhistory.si.edu/coins/glossary.cfm
Topics: NNC Colonial Currency
Money
Coins
Numismatics
Description: The American colonies (or states, as they now began calling themselves) issued currency of their own to pay war expenses and keep local economies afloat. Issues from Virginia featured an armored Amazon brandishing a sword. She stands above and on the prone body of a dead male ruler, whose crown has fallen on the ground. The motto could not be more plain: SIC SEMPER TYRANNUS (Be it ever thus to tyrants). This vivid image still adorns the Virginia state flag.
Unlike most Revolutionary War currency, this note was printed on only one side. And the paper for its printing left something to be desired. It looks as if this note were forcibly torn in two. But whether it was torn deliberately or by accident, someone pinned it back together-crudely but effectively.
The denomination is given as "fifteen Spanish milled dollars." Those coins were the famous "pieces of eight," now minted by machinery ("milled") in Mexico City and elsewhere. They were the monies of choice when coins were available, and Americans liked them so much that they eventually based their own United States dollar on the Spanish-American prototype.
2 Shillings and 6 Pence, Connecticut, 1776
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: paper money
note
date made: 1776
date on object: 1776-06-07
maker: Connecticut
Green, Timothy II
Place Made: United States: Connecticut, Hartford
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
thread (part material)
newspaper (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 90 mm x 68 mm; 3 9/16 in x 2 11/16 in
Credit line: Mr. Carl H. Jaeschke
Publisher: Zoomable Image and Details, Glossary of Coins and Currency Terms, http://americanhistory.si.edu/coins/glossary.cfm
Topics: NNC Colonial Currency
Money
Coins
Numismatics
Description: One can't be too careful. This Connecticut note was falling apart when someone backed it with part of a contemporary newspaper, full of news about the war between England and France in the Caribbean. But simple glue would not suffice to mend the note. Someone carefully stitched the note again and again, covering it with an irregular but very strong reinforcement.
And it worked. The bill was later canceled and retired by means of a cut from the center to the bottom margin, and it still held together-as did the dreams of the patriots who created and kept it in circulation.
Sugarcane saw
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Saw
Date made: 1800s
place made: United States: Hawaii, Hawaii
Japan
Physical Description: metal (overall material)
wood (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 21 7/8 in x 2 1/2 in; 55.5625 cm x 6.35 cm
1 2/3 Dollars, Maryland, 1775
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: note
date made: 1775
date on object: 1775-07-26
maker: Maryland
Place Made: United States: Maryland
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 6 cm x 11.5 cm x .01 cm; 2 3/8 in x 4 17/32 in x in
Credit line: Library of Congress
Publisher: Zoomable Image and Details, Glossary of Coins and Currency Terms, http://americanhistory.si.edu/coins/glossary.cfm
Topics: NNC Colonial Currency
Money
Coins
Numismatics
Description (Brief): One (1) 1 2/3 dollar note
Maryland, 1775
Obverse Image: Patriotic scene depicts King George III setting fire to the city of Baltimore.
Obverse Text: (126) / [NO. 38663] / ONE DOLLAR AND TWO THIRDS OF A DOLLAR / THIS BILL OF ONE DOLLAR AND TWO THIRDS OF A DOLLAR, SHALL ENTITLE THE BEARER HEREOF TO RECIEVE GOLD AND SILVER, AT THE RATE FOUR SHILLINGS AND SIX-PENCE STERLING PER DOLLAR, FOR THE SAID BILL ACCORD-ING TO A RESOLVE OF THE PROVINCIAL CONVENTION OF MARYLAND, HELD AT THE CITY OF ANNAPOLIS, ON THE 26TH OF JULY 1775.
Reverse Image: Patriotic scene on back depicts an allegory of peace between Great Britain and America.
Reverse Text: ONE DOLLAR AND 2/3 OF A DOLLAR / PAX
Description: American currency was sometimes used to mold public opinion during the War for Independence. The high-minded Latin mottoes suggested by Ben Franklin had this intent. So did a series of small, printed messages on North Carolina currency issued between 1778 and 1780. But an early series of Maryland notes, including this specimen, stand out.
The note is worn, and, in common with several of its fellows, it was carefully stitched together, obscuring part of the design. But if we could see everything, we would see that, on the front of the note, a figure representing Great Britain receives a petition of the Continental Congress. It is handed to her by an America, who is simultaneously trampling on a scroll marked SLAVERY and holding aloft a Liberty cap on a pole, a beacon for American troops who are hastening to the scene from the right.
Meanwhile, George III (the figure at the center-left) is doing his best to set fire to an American city (perhaps Baltimore) already under attack from a British fleet. He's also trampling a copy of Magna Charta, just to underscore the point. Inscriptions along the sides read "AN APPEAL TO HEAVEN" and "PRO ARIS ET FOCIS" (For altars and hearths). The other side of the note conveys hope. Britain and America are shown achieving peace, with the reminder that "PAX TRIUMPHIS POTIOR" (Peace is preferable to victory).
The note was designed by Annapolis silversmith Thomas Sparrow in the summer of 1775. His initials are inscribed on the front and his full name on the back. This series of Maryland notes remains the most politically charged currency ever issued in the United States during wartime.
Indenture agreement between ship's captain and apprentice
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Document
Date made: 1807
Measurements: overall: 12 1/4 in x 7 3/4 in; 31.115 cm x 19.685 cm
Engraver
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Print
Intaglio Processes
Etching
Date made: 1804
August 11, 1804
publisher: Tabart & Co.
graphic artist: Tabart & Co.
place made: United Kingdom: England, London
Measurements: overall: 5 3/8 in x 3 1/8 in; 13.6525 cm x 7.9375 cm
Topics: Printing
Engravers
Double-Barrel Flintlock Blunderbuss Coach Gun with Spring-loaded Bayonet
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Blunderbuss
blunderbuss, flintlock
Date made: 1800
maker: Bennett, John
Bennett, John
place made: United Kingdom: England, London
Measurements: overall: 8 in x 35 1/2 in x 5 in; 20.32 cm x 90.17 cm x 12.7 cm
overall, blunderbuss: 48 1/4 in x 4 1/8 in; 122.555 cm x 10.4775 cm
Model 1763 Musket Inscribed Calvin Burpee 1780
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Musket
musket, flintlock
Date made: ca. 1770
maker: Maubeuge Armory
Measurements: overall: 7 in x 60 in x 3 in; 17.78 cm x 152.4 cm x 7.62 cm
overall, musket: 61 in x 2 1/2 in; 154.94 cm x 6.35 cm
Sevres porcelain plate
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Plate
date made: 1804
maker: Sevres
Physical Description: hard-paste porcelain (overall material)
polychrome enamels and gold (overall color)
Egyptian revival after D. V. Denon (overall style)
Topics: Manufacturing industries
Industrialization
Art
Furnishings
Bottle
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Bottle
Date made: ca. 1800
Physical Description: glass (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 25.5 cm x 11.5 cm x 8 cm; 10 1/16 in x 4 1/2 in x 3 1/8 in
Credit line: Gift of Mr. Miles V. and Mrs. Helen S. Engelbach
Cylinder-type Electrostatic Machine
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: electrostatic generator
frictional cylinder electrostatic machine
date made: ca 1785
maker: Adams, Jr., George
Physical Description: glass (overall material)
leather (overall material)
wood (overall material)
brass (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 65 cm x 43 cm x 69 cm; 25 9/16 in x 16 15/16 in x 27 3/16 in
Credit line: from the Burndy Library
Topics: Electrostatic Machines
Science
Mathematics
Description (Brief): People from ancient times knew that rubbing certain materials and then touching something caused a spark. Studying what is called electrostatics laid the groundwork for understanding electricity and magnetism. Natural philosophers, scientists, and instrument makers created many ingenious devices to generate electrostatic charges starting in the 1600s. These machines varied in size and technique but all involved rotary motion to generate a charge, and a means of transferring the charge to a storage device for use.
This electrostatic machine was made by George Adams, Jr., of London and is set on a base that includes a drawer containing various experimental accessories. During the 1750s electrical researchers refined the design of electrostatic machines by replacing earlier spherical globes with a glass cylinder, a design used for many years. This change increased the surface area of the glass in contact with the rubbing pad and improved the efficiency of the generator. The accessories include dischargers, along with a variety of hanging balls and rods that show electrical properties like attraction, repulsion, and strength of charge. Adams took over his father’s business after George Adams, Sr. died in 1772 and in 1784 published an <i>Essay on Electricity with an Essay on Magnetism.</i>
U.S.S. Bon Homme Richard Print
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Photograph, Black And White
maker: Stipe, John Wesley
Measurements: overall: 8 in x 10 in; 20.32 cm x 25.4 cm
Spherometer
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: spherometer
date made: ca 1800s
maker: Alvan Clark & Sons
place made: United States: Massachusetts, Cambridgeport
Physical Description: metal (instrument material)
wood (box material)
Measurements: overall: 4 in x 3 1/4 in x 4 in; 10.16 cm x 8.255 cm x 10.16 cm
overall: 4 in x 3 1/4 in x 4 1/8 in; 10.16 cm x 8.255 cm x 10.4775 cm
Credit line: U.S. Naval Observatory
Topics: Science
Mathematics
Spherometers
Description: A spherometer is used primarily to measure the curvature of objects such as lenses and curved mirrors. This example came from the U.S. Naval Observatory. It was made by Alvan Clark & Sons for the U.S. expeditions to observe the 1874 transit of Venus. It has only a horizontal scale and no vertical scale common to most spherometers. The box for this sphereometer appears to be homemade.
Alvan Clark (1804-1887) was the first prominent American telescope maker. In 1846 he went into business with his two sons, Alvan G. and George B. Clark, founding Clark & Sons. At first they repaired scientific instruments, but the firm quickly progressed on to making telescopes. During the second half of the 19th century, five of Clarks' telescopes held the record for world's largest. To aid in grinding lenses, Clark & Sons also made devices such as spherometers.
Ref: Warner, D. J., "Alvan Clark & Sons: Artists in Optics," <i>United States National Museum Bulletin </i> 274 (1968): 1-13.
Balance
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Scale
balance
Date made: ca 1790
place made: United Kingdom
Measurements: overall: 3.5 cm x 18.2 cm x 9 cm; 1 3/8 in x 7 3/16 in x 3 9/16 in
Credit line: Janice M. Bryant
Topics: Weights and measures
Description: Hand balance with a 6-inch iron beam with index, 2.5-inch brass pans, rectangular wooden case, four nested brass weights, and five rectangular brass weights. A paper label in the lid of the box reads: “A TABLE of the Value and Weights of Coins, as they now pass in England, Philadelphia and New-York.” It also reads: “N.B. In Boston and Connecticut Dollars pass for 6S. and C (?) by weight.”
Giovanni Gagliano Violoncello
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: cello
Date made: 1800
maker: Gagliano, Giovanni (Joannes)
place made: Italy: Campania, Naples
Measurements: overall: 45 1/2 in x 15 1/2 in x 11 in; 115.57 cm x 39.37 cm x 27.94 cm
overall- excludes endpin: 45 in x 15 5/8 in x 9 3/4 in; 114.3 cm x 39.6875 cm x 24.765 cm
Credit line: Bequest of Helen and Karl Fruh (through: Jim Dunlap)
Topics: Musical instruments
Cellos
Music
Description: This violoncello was made by Giovanni (Joannes) Gagliano in Naples, Italy, in 1800.
Rev. John McNiece
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Print
Engraving
Date made: circa 1810
Associated Name: Leney, William Satchwell
original artist: Bailie
graphic artist: Leney, William Satchwell
Measurements: overall: 13.5 cm x 11.7 cm; 5 5/16 in x 4 5/8 in
Portrait of Louis XVI
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: print
Engraving
Date made: 1790
printed: ca 1815
depicted: Louis XVI King of France
original artist: Callet, Antoine
engraver: Bervic, Charles-Clement
place made: France
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
ink (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 70 cm x 54.5 cm; 27 9/16 in x 21 7/16 in
Topics: Art
History
Description: Louis XVI, King of France from 1774 to 1792, was an important American ally during the American Revolution. His full-length oil portrait by the painter Antoine Callet was engraved by Charles Clement Balvay, known as Bervic, in 1790. This print has been described as the best reproductive engraving of its time, and Bervic was credited with making an admirable image from a rather ordinary painting. Jean-Baptiste Ternant, the first French ambassador to the new United States, gave a copy of this engraving to George Washington in 1791. It descended in the Washington family, and eventually came back to the collection now at Mount Vernon.
The Museum's copy of this engraving has a more complicated history. During the upheaval of the French Revolution in the early 1790s, portraits of the deposed king were not only unpopular, they were something of a liability. Bervic cut his engraved copper plate in half, perhaps intending to use the reverse for two smaller, and presumably safer, prints. After the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy in 1815, however, he rejoined the two halves and issued a second edition of the late king's portrait. The line across the center of the plate is not as easy to see as the impressions in the margins of the nails that held the divided plate securely on a support for printing.
Bervic (1756–1822) was a talented and influential engraver who was elected to the French Royal Academy and the Institut de France, as well as to many other European art academies. He worked only with the burin, an engraver's tool, to cut the lines of the image into the surface of the copper plate. The Museum owns another of his important engravings, the <I>Education of Achilles</I> (1798) after Jean-Baptiste Regnault, a print which remained popular with collectors well into the 19th century.