RevolutionCrossroads/si_us_revolutionary_era_collections huggingface dataset:
wheel cutting engine, clockmaking
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Wheel Cutting Engine, Clockmaking
date made: 18th century
place made: United Kingdom
United States
Measurements: overall: 11 1/2 in x 14 1/4 in x 23 1/4 in; 29.21 cm x 36.195 cm x 59.055 cm
Extracts...Votes&Proceedings...American Continental Congress,1774
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Pamphlet
Pamphlet; Relief
Date made: 1774
1774
place made: United States: Massachusetts, Boston
Measurements: average spatial: 19.1 cm x 12.8 cm; 7 1/2 in x 5 1/16 in
EXTRACTS
FROM THE
Votes and Proceedings
Of the AMERICAN CONTINENTAL
CONGRESS,
Held at PHILADELPHIA on the
5th of September , 1774.
CONTAINING
The BILL of RIGHTS, a List of GRIEVANCES, Occasional Resolves, the Association , an Address to the PEOPLE of GREAT-BRITAIN, and a Memorial to the INHABITANTS of the BRITISH AMERICAN COLONIES.
PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE CONGRESS.
PHILADELPHIA, Printed :
BOSTON, Re-printed : And sold by JOHN BOYLE in Marlborough-Street, and MILLS and HICKS in School-Street. 1774.
warmer, foot
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Warmer, Food
warmer, foot
date made: 1785
place made: Netherlands
Physical Description: brass (overall material)
iron (shovel material)
Measurements: overall: 14 cm x 18.5 cm; 5 1/2 in x 7 9/32 in
mold, gingerbread
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Mold, Gingerbread
date made: 18th century
place made: Austria: Niederösterreich, Waidhofen an der Ybbs
Physical Description: wood (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 23.5 cm x 11.5 cm; 9 1/4 in x 4 17/32 in
mold, gingerbread
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Mold, Gingerbread
date made: 1790
place made: Austria: Niederösterreich, Waidhofen an der Ybbs
Physical Description: wood (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 16 in x 7 1/4 in; 40.64 cm x 18.415 cm
50 Cents, Pattern, United States, 1792
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: coin
Date made: 1792
issuing authority: Getz, Peter
moneyer: Getz, Peter
obverse designer: Getz, Peter
reverse designer: Getz, Peter
maker: United States Mint
place of issue: United States
Physical Description: silver (overall metal)
0 (overall die axis)
0 (overall die axis measurement)
struck (overall production method)
Measurements: overall: 35 mm; 1 3/8 in
Credit line: Harvey and Lawrence Stack
Publisher: Glossary of Coins and Currency Terms, http://americanhistory.si.edu/coins/glossary.cfm
Description: Produced by Peter Getz at a temporary mint in Philadelphia. Obverse: Bust of George Washington in uniform, date below. Reverse: Eagle, stars above. Peter Getz created the dies for these and several other pieces, basing his designs on two British copper proposals of 1791. The United States lacked a mint, and so the Getz pieces were struck in the coach house of John Harper, a metallurgical expert then resident in Philadelphia. Only a few specimens including this piece survive in silver. There are handful more in copper. The scheme for adopting this design came to naught when President Washington declined the honor of appearance on American coinage. Apparently, Washington preferred a depiction of Liberty on the national coinage rather than a portrait of himself.
Petite Ecoliere
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Print
Print; Engraving
Date made: 1771
Measurements: average spatial: 31.5 cm x 23.1 cm; 12 3/8 in x 9 1/8 in
Paper Mills, at the Slitting Mills in Milton
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Sheet
Sheet; Photomechanical Lithography
Date made: 1776
Measurements: average spatial: 29.2 cm x 19.1 cm; 11 1/2 in x 7 1/2 in
10 Dollars
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Paper Money
Date made: 1808
date made: 1808-09-01
place of issue: United States: Connecticut, Derby
United States: Connecticut, Derby
Physical Description: paper (overall materials)
white, black (face color)
Measurements: overall: 67 mm x 161 mm; 2 5/8 in x 6 5/16 in
Credit line: Schlein, Richard S
newspaper
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Newspaper
date made: 1807
Credit line: The Ralph E Becker Collection of Political Americana
Musical Glasses
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: musical glasses
date made: 1800 - 1850
place made: United States
Physical Description: rosewood (overall material)
glass (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 35 3/4 in x 35 3/4 in x 21 1/8 in; 90.805 cm x 90.805 cm x 53.6575 cm
Credit line: Gift of Hugo Worch
Topics: Musical instruments
Music
Percussion
Description: <p>This set of musical glasses was made by an unknown maker in the United States, around 1800-1850. This instrument, also known as a glass harp, is comprised of 24 upright wine glasses tuned to various pitches, set in a rosewood veneer box. It is played by running moistened or chalked fingers around the rim of the glasses. Tuning can be adjusted by adding water to the glasses. </p>
<p>Musical glasses were popular in the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1761, Mrs. Ford [Ann Ford Thicknesse] published a pamphlet entitled: <i>Instructions for playing on the musical glasses : so that any person, who has the least knowledge of music, or a good ear, may be able to perform in a few days, if not in a few hours : with clear and proper directions how to provide a compleat set of well-tuned glasses at a very moderate expense.</i></p>
Bassot Hurdy-Gurdy
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: hurdy-gurdy
date made: 1775 - 1808
place made: France
Physical Description: maple (overall material)
ebony (overall material)
mother of pearl (pegs material)
Measurements: overall: 7 in x 25 in; 17.78 cm x 63.5 cm
Publisher: Densmore, Frances. Handbook of the Collection of Musical Instruments in the United States National Museum.
Topics: Musical instruments
Music
Description: This hurdy-gurdy was made by Joseph Bassot, Mirecourt/Paris, France, around 1775-1808. It has 6 strings (2 melody with chromatic scale - 4 drones) and 23 keys. The instrument is made of yellow varnished maple body with ebony veneers on keybox and tailpiece. Ebony inlay around edge. Woodburned "BASSOT" on keybox side.
Non-pedal Harp
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Harp
date made: ca 1804 - 1810
maker: Erard, Sebastien
place made: France: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Les Paris
Physical Description: wood (overall material)
paint (overall material)
gesso (decoration material)
iron (tuning pins material)
brass (thumb keys material)
ivory (strings stops in belly material)
Measurements: overall: 36 1/2 in x 8 3/4 in x 20 in; 92.71 cm x 22.225 cm x 50.8 cm
Publisher: Densmore, Frances. Handbook of the Collection of Musical Instruments in the United States National Museum.
Grenser 1-Keyed Flute
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: flute
date made: 1780 - 1799
maker: Grenser, Heinrich
place made: Germany: Saxony, Dresden
Physical Description: boxwood (overall material)
ivory (overall material)
silver (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 59.5 cm; 23 7/16 in
in tray: 29 1/4 in x 4 1/4 in x 2 1/8 in; 74.295 cm x 10.795 cm x 5.3975 cm
Publisher: Densmore, Frances. Handbook of the Collection of Musical Instruments in the United States National Museum.
Topics: Musical instruments
Music
Flutes
Description: <p>This flute was made by Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Grenser, in Dresden, Germany around 1780 to 1799. It is a 1-keyed flute in C made of boxwood with ivory ferrules and tuning slide, and a silver key. This flute has seven upper joints of different lengths numbered 1 through 7 for tuning. All of the pieces are stamped:</p>
<p>[symbol]<br>H. GRENSER<br>DRESDEN</p>
<p>Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Grenser (1764-1813) started his career as an apprentice, working with his uncle August Grenser in Dresden from 1779-1786. Heinrich Grenser took over the shop in 1796 and continued making musical instruments until his death.</p>
<p>This flute was acquired from the collection of Leopoldo Franciolini in 1892. Leopoldo Franciolini (1844–1920) was an Italian antique dealer who flourished in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is remembered as a fraudster who sold faked and altered historical musical instruments.</p>
cap
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Cap
Cap; Headwear; Accessories Worn on the Body; Woman; 1800 00 00+, 1809 00 00
date made: 1800-1810
Monsters of All Kinds Can Be Destroyed
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Newspaper
Measurements: overall: 15 in x 11 1/2 in; 38.1 cm x 29.21 cm
Credit line: Thomas B. Allen
Topics: Peace movements
Wars
Social reformers
The Pennsylvania Gazette
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Newspaper
date made: 1775
Measurements: overall: 16 in x 10 in; 40.64 cm x 25.4 cm
Credit line: George Rinsland
The Continental Journal and Weekly Advertiser
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Newspaper
date made: 1778
Measurements: overall: 15 1/4 in x 10 in; 38.735 cm x 25.4 cm
Credit line: Smithsonian Institution
newspaper
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Newspaper
date made: 1776
Measurements: overall: 16 1/4 in x 11 in; 41.275 cm x 27.94 cm
Credit line: W. Phelps
needleholder pincushion
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Needleholder Pincushion
Date made: 1775 - 1800
maker: unknown
place made: United Kingdom
Physical Description: ceramic (overall material)
fabric (overall material)
fibers (overall material)
Measurements: average spatial: 60 cm x 65 cm; x 23 5/8 in x 25 9/16 in
hat
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Hat
date made: early 1800s
place made: Austria: Tyrol
Physical Description: felt (overall material)
silk (lining; streamers material)
Measurements: overall: 20 1/2 in; 52.07 cm
belt
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Belt
date made: early 1800s
place made: Austria: Tyrol
Physical Description: leather (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 38 1/2 in; 97.79 cm
vest
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: vest
date made: early 1800s
place made: Austria: Tyrol
Physical Description: linen (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 12 1/2 in; 31.75 cm
suspenders
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: suspenders
date made: early 1800s
place made: Austria: Tyrol
Measurements: overall: 31 in; 78.74 cm
jacket
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Jacket
date made: early 1800s
place made: Austria: Tyrol
Physical Description: wool (overall material)
Measurements: front: 17 in; 43.18 cm
1 Dollar, United States, 1795
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: coin
date made: 1795
maker: United States Mint
place made: United States
Physical Description: silver (overall material)
Measurements: overall: .215 cm x 3.95 cm; 3/32 in x 1 9/16 in
Credit line: Selma Merkin
Son-of-Son-of-Cycle, Thermal Cycler
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: thermal cycler
Physical Description: metal (overall material)
plastic (overall material)
insulated wire (overall material)
Measurements: average spatial: 33.6 cm x 33 cm x 45.7 cm; 13 1/4 in x 13 in x 18 in
Topics: Biotechnology and Genetics
Science
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
Mathematics
Description: This object, nicknamed “Son of Son of Cycle,” was the third prototype automated PCR machine developed by engineers at Cetus.
PCR, short for polymerase chain reaction, was a revolutionary laboratory technique developed by Kary Mullis at Cetus Corporation in 1983. PCR acts like a photocopier for genetic material, working on principals similar to nature’s own method for replicating DNA. With the reaction, scientists can take a single portion of DNA they wish to study and amplify it into millions of copies in only a few hours. This simple technique for creating large amounts of DNA resulted in huge leaps in genetic research in a variety of fields from evolutionary biology to forensics to medicine.
Although the reaction is straightforward, requiring only a few ingredients, it is incredibly time-consuming to perform by hand. Because different steps of the reaction take place at different temperatures (hence the name “thermal cycling”), scientists performing the reaction were required to stand at the lab bench for several hours, moving the sample back and forth between water baths of different temperatures. While they loved the technique, scientists were eager for an automated machine that could perform the reaction for them.
“Son of Son of Cycle” is very similar to the second prototype PCR machine “Son of Cycle,” consisting of a control box (with the digital display) and a reagent box (with wells on top for sample tubes where the reaction took place). Sample tubes containing all the reagents necessary for the reaction were placed in the wells on top of the reagent box. The duration of the cycle would be programmed using the control box and the changes in temperature occurred through Peltier devices for thermoelectric heating and cooling. Like “Son of Cycle,” “Son of Son of Cycle” utilized heat-stable enzymes, chemicals used to speed up the reaction. (Early on, enzymes that were not heat-stable were used in PCR. Because they were degraded at high temperature, new enzyme had to be added with every cycle.) This prototype was an improvement over the previous prototype because it incorporated more Peltier devices, allowing for a greater number of samples in a single run. It also used a different path for airflow, resulting in a more efficient cooling system.
trousers
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Trousers
date made: early 1800s
place made: Austria: Tyrol
Physical Description: leather, chamois (overall material)
metal (buttons material)
Measurements: overall: 29 in; 73.66 cm
Telescope
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: refracting telescope
telescope
date made: 1782-1790
maker: Gregory & Wright
place made: United Kingdom: England, London
Physical Description: wood (overall material)
brass (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 10.2 cm x 78.5 cm x 19 cm; 4 in x 30 7/8 in x 7 1/2 in
overall in case: 4 in x 31 in x 7 1/4 in; 10.16 cm x 78.74 cm x 18.415 cm
Topics: Science
Mathematics
Astronomy
Description: This telescope has an achromatic objective lens of 2 inches aperture, a wooden tube with brass fittings, and a brass pillar and claw stand. The "Gregory & Wright, London" inscription near the eyepiece refers to Henry Gregory and Gabriel Wright, opticians who worked together between 1782 and 1790.
<i>SURREY INSTITUTION</i>
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: print
date made: 1809
place made: United Kingdom: England, London
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 10 1/2 in x 13 in; 26.67 cm x 33.02 cm
Topics: Chemistry
Science
Mathematics
Prints from the Physical Sciences Collection
Description: This charming hand-colored aquatint shows Friedrich Accum giving a chemistry lecture at the Surrey Institution in London, a short-lived organization (it opened in 1808 and closed in 1823) that presented scientific, literary, and musical programs for ladies and gentlemen in London. The inscriptions at the bottom read “Rowlandson & Pugin delt et sculpt” and “J. C. Stadler aquat” and “London Pub. Sept 1st 1809, at R. Ackermann’s Repository of Arts 101 Strand.”
Augustus Charles Pugin (1762-1832), an Anglo-French artist, drew the architectural features of this image. Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827), a London artist, drew the people. Joseph Constantine Stadler (active 1780-1812), a German artist working in England, produced the plate. Rudolph Ackermann, a German immigrant whose popular print and picture emporium was known as the Repository of Arts, commissioned the work and included it in <i>The Microcosm of London</i> (1808-1810), an ambitious three-volume work produced under his auspices.
Ref: F. Kurzer, “A History of the Surrey Institution,” <i>Annals of Science</i> 57 (2000): 109-141.
John Ford, <i>Ackermann 1783-1983: The Business of Art</i> (London, 1983).
Matthew Payne & James Payne, <i>Regarding Thomas Rowlandson, 1757-1827</i> (London, 2010).
Shirburn Castle Observatory
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: print
date made: 1778
place made: United Kingdom: England, London
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 16 7/8 in x 11 1/2 in; 42.8625 cm x 29.21 cm
overall: 25 in x 18 in x 7/8 in; 63.5 cm x 45.72 cm x 2.2225 cm
Topics: Science
Mathematics
Prints from the Physical Sciences Collection
Astronomy
Description: This mezzotint published in 1778 celebrates two men from modest circumstances who, through innate talent and rare opportunity, achieved respectability as observers in one of the best-equipped astronomical observatories in England. In this image, Thomas Phelps leans on an adjustable observing chair and looks through the 5-foot-long transit telescope made by Jonathan Sisson. John Bartlett sits nearby with pen and paper in hand, ready to record the time that Phelps reports a star or planet crossing the meridian. The astronomical regulator in the background was made by George Graham. The telescope at left, on a wooden tripod with an alt-azimuth mount, is probably a 3.5-foot-long refractor made by John Dollond. On the floor, at bottom right, is a large celestial globe.
The text at bottom left reads: “Thomas Phelps, aged 82. Who from being a Stable Boy in the year 1718, to the then Lord Chief Justice Parker; afterwards Earl of Macclesfield, rose by his Merit to the upper Employments in that Family, and at last for his uncommon Genius, was promoted to be Observer, in their Observatory at Sherburn Castle. He was born at Chalgrove in Oxfordshire, January 1694.”
The text at bottom right reads: “John Bartlett. At the time his Picture was drawn, aged 54. Originally a shepherd in which station, he, by Books & Observations, acquired such a Knowledge in Computation, and of the Heavenly Bodies, as induced the late George Earl of Macclesfield to appoint him Assistant Observer, in his Observatory at Sherburn Castle. He was born at Stoke Talmage in Oxfordshire, August 22d 1721 O.S.”
The signatures read “James Watson fecit” and “Printed & Published March 14th 1778 by Jas Bretherton No 134 New Bond Street.” James Watson (about 1739-1790) was born in Ireland and became a prolific mezzotint engraver in London. Since no artist is here identified-as was the case with most of Watson’s prints-we assume that Watson created this image. James Bretherton (ca. 1730-1806) was an accomplished printer in London.
George Parker, the 2nd Earl of Macclesfield, built his observatory at the 12th-century Shirburn Castle in Oxfordshire in 1739. His son, Thomas Parker, the 3rd Earl of Macclesfield, maintained the observatory until the 1790s, and may have been involved in the production of this print.
Ref: Thomas Hornsby, “An Account of the Observations of the Transit of Venus and of the Eclipse of the Sun, Made at Shirburn Castle and at Oxford,” <i>Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London</i> 59 (1769): 172-182.
<i>A Philosopher. Conduit Street</i>
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: print
date made: 1796
place made: United Kingdom: England, London
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 9 in x 7 in; 22.86 cm x 17.78 cm
overall: 19 in x 19 in x 7/8 in; 48.26 cm x 48.26 cm x 2.2225 cm
Topics: Science
Mathematics
Prints from the Physical Sciences Collection
Description: Hand-colored etching depicting an elderly man standing behind a table filled with scientific apparatus, holding a wand in one hand and a glass containing liquid in the other.
The image represents Adam Walker (1731-1821), an inventor and educator from the north of England who settled in London and read lectures on science at his house at 42 Conduit Street, Hanover Square.
The “X” in the bottom left corner is the mark of the popular English caricaturist, James Gillray. The text at the bottom—“Pubd March 28th 1796. by H. Humphrey No 37 New Bond Street”—refers to Hannah Humphrey (fl. 1778-1822), the domestic partner of Gillray and publisher of many of his images.
Ref: Arts Council of Great Britain, <i>James Gillray, 1756-1815: Drawings and Caricatures</i> (London, 1967).
“Adam Walker” in<i>Dictionary of National Biography</i>.
Adam Walker <i>A System of Familiar Philosophy in Twelve Lectures</i> (London, 1799).
PLANISFERIO CELESTE MERIDIONALE / TAGLIATO SULL’ EQUATORE
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: print
date made: 1777
place made: Italy: Venetan, Venice
Measurements: overall: 14 7/8 in x 20 1/4 in; 37.7825 cm x 51.435 cm
overall: 21 in x 23 in x 7/8 in; 53.34 cm x 58.42 cm x 2.2225 cm
Description: Geocentric polar projection of the southern skies with images of the Paris, Greenwich, Cassel and Copenhagen observatories in the four corners. The title at top reads “PLANISFERIO CELESTE MERIDIONALE / TAGLIATO SULL’ EQUATORE.” The texts at bottom read "VENEZIA 1777 / Presso Antonia Zatta / con Privilegio dell' Estime Senato" and "Castellan D. Sc. Architet di Padova del." and "G. Zuliani scolp. G. Pitteri scri." Antonio Zatta (fl. 1757-1797) was a cartographer and publisher based in Venice.
Tell-Tale Compass
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Nautical Compass (Tell-Tale)
date made: 1793
maker: Witteveen, Sybrand
place made: Netherlands: North Holland, Amsterdam
Measurements: overall: 8 1/2 in x 7 3/4 in; 21.59 cm x 19.685 cm
overall: 4 1/2 in x 9 in; 11.43 cm x 22.86 cm
Topics: Navigation
Description: This compass has a turned wooden bowl and card that can be seen from above and below. The inscriptions read "SYBRAND WITTEVEEN in Amsterdam" and "1793 SW." Sybrand Witteveen was born around 1769 in the Dutch province of Friesland, married in Amsterdam in 1794, and died sometime after 1813.
Ref: Sybrich ter Kuile and W. F. J. Mörzer Bruyns, "<i>Amsterdamse kompasmakers ca. 1580 - ca. 1850. Bijdrage tot de kennis van de instrumentmakerij in Nederland</i> (Amsterdam, 1999), p. 109.
Octant
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Octant
Maritime; Navigation
date made: 1784
maker: Ripley, Thomas
place made: United Kingdom: England, London
Physical Description: wood (case material)
Measurements: overall in case: 4 5/16 in x 14 1/2 in x 17 1/8 in; 10.95375 cm x 36.83 cm x 43.4975 cm
Credit line: Caroline E. Bates
Topics: Navigation
Description: Octant with a rosewood frame, flat brass index arm, and ivory name plate. The ivory scale is graduated every 20 minutes from -5° to +95° and read by vernier to 2 minutes of arc. The inscription reads "Made by Thos Ripley London For Frans Earle July 21st 1784." Thomas Ripley was in business from 1765 to 1790, offering mathematical and optical instruments. Caroline Bates, the widow of Major General Alfred Elliott Bates, gave this to the Smithsonian in 1916.
Ref: Gloria Clifton, <i>Directory of British Scientific Instrument Makers 1550-1851</i> (London, 1895), p.233.
Octant
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Octant
date made: ca 1792
Measurements: radius: 20 in; 50.8 cm
overall: 22 1/4 in x 18 5/8 in x 3 1/2 in; 56.515 cm x 47.3075 cm x 8.89 cm
overall: 3 3/8 in x 18 1/2 in x 22 3/8 in; 8.5725 cm x 46.99 cm x 56.8325 cm
Credit line: George Andrews Thompson
Topics: Navigation
Description: Octant with a mahogany frame and index arm. The boxwood scale is graduated every 20 minutes from 0° to 90° and read by transversals to 2 minutes of arc. An inscription penciled on the back of the scale reads: "Capt. Rowland Thompson = Lewes = Delaware 1792." A descendant donated it to the Smithsonian in 1882.