Victorian Material Culture

Boris Jardine is a research fellow at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science/Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge, UK. Joshua Nall is Curator of Modern Sciences at the Whipple Museum of the History of Science, in the Department of the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge

Part 1: Practice

1.1 Natural philosophy

Headnote 1.1

1. George Adams, ‘Lecture I: On the Nature and Properties of Air’, in Lectures on Natural and Experimental Philosophy, Considered in it’s [sic] Present State of Improvement, vol. 1, 1st edition (London: R. Hindmarsh, 1794), pp. 1–12.

1.2 Astronomy and navigation

Headnote 1.2

2. Neville Maskelyne (on behalf of ‘The Commissioners appointed by Acts of Parliament for the discovery of the Longitude at Sea &c. &c.’), ‘Draft instructions for John Crosley to go on a voyage to New Holland on board HMS Investigator’, manuscript, signed 7 March 1801.

3. John Frederick William Herschel, ‘Of the Nature of Astronomical Instruments and Observations in General’, in A Treatise on Astronomy, 1st ed. (London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green, Longman, and John Taylor, 1833), pp. 64–70.

4. George Biddell Airy, ‘Astronomy’, in J. F. W. Herschel (ed.), A Manual of Scientific Enquiry: Prepared for the use of Her Majesty’s Navy, and Adapted for Travellers in General, 1st ed. (London: John Murray, 1849), pp. 1–5, 7-10.

1.3 Meteorology

Headnote 1.3

5. Luke Howard, ‘Of the Barometer’, in The Climate of London, Deduced from Meteorological Observations Made in the Metropolis and at Various Places around It, vol. 1, 2nd ed. (London: Harvey and Darton, J. and A. Arch, Longman, Hatchard, S. Highley [and] R. Hunter, 1833), pp. viii–xi.

6. John Frederick William Herschel, ‘Of Meteorological Instruments; and first, of the Barometer and its attached Thermometer’, in J. F. W. Herschel (ed.), A Manual of Scientific Enquiry: Prepared for the use of Her Majesty’s Navy, and Adapted for Travellers in General, 1st ed. (London: John Murray, 1849), pp. 273–280.

7. Robert H. Scott, ‘Kew Marine Barometer’, in Instructions in the Use of Meteorological Instruments (London: HMSO, 1875), pp. 19–22.

1.4 Geography and exploration

Headnote 1.4

8. Francis Galton, ‘Letter Addressed by Frances Galton, Esq., to the Secretary’, in ‘Hints to Travellers’, Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, 24 (1854), pp. 345–53.

9. William Ford Stanley, ‘Packing of Instruments’, in Surveying and Levelling Instruments Theoretically and Practically Described (London: E. and F. N. Spon, 1890), pp. 21–23.

1.5 Metrology

Headnote 1.5

10. Charles Piazzi Smyth, ‘Instrumentals’, in Life and Work at the Great Pyramid, vol. 1 (Edinburgh: Edmonston and Douglas, 1867), pp. 272–295 298-303, 305-306, 308-311.

1.6 Natural history

Headnote 1.6

11. Charles Darwin, ‘Geology’, in J. F. W. Herschel (ed.), A Manual of Scientific Inquiry; Prepared for the use of Her Majesty’s Navy: And Adapted for Travellers in General, 1st ed. (London: John Murray 1849), pp. 157–158, 160-169, 183-186, 190-191, 194-195.

12. Richard Owen, ‘Zoology’, in J. F. W. Herschel (ed.), A Manual of Scientific Inquiry; Prepared for the use of Her Majesty’s Navy: And Adapted for Travellers in General, 1st ed. (London: John Murray 1849), [extract:] pp. 343, 345–89.

13. William Hooker, ‘Botany’, in J. F. W. Herschel (ed.), A Manual of Scientific Inquiry; Prepared for the use of Her Majesty’s Navy: And Adapted for Travellers in General, 1st ed. (London: John Murray 1849), pp. 400–407.

14. J. C. Prichard, ‘Ethnology’, in J. F. W. Herschel (ed.), A Manual of Scientific Inquiry; Prepared for the use of Her Majesty’s Navy: And Adapted for Travellers in General, 1st ed. (London: John Murray 1849), [extract:] pp. 423, 425-427.

1.7 Microscopy

Headnote 1.7

15. Charles R. Goring, ‘On Mr. Tulley’s thick aplanatic object-glasses, for diverging rays; with an account of a few microscopic test objects’, Quarterly Journal of Science, Literature, and the Arts, 22 (1826), 265–284.

16. Jabez Hogg, The Microscope (London: W.S. Orr, 1854), pp. [v]–viii.

17. Charles Darwin ‘On the use of the microscope on board ship’, in J. F. W. Herschel (ed.), A Manual of Scientific Enquiry: Prepared for the use of Her Majesty’s Navy, and Adapted for Travellers in General, 1st ed. (London: John Murray, 1849), pp. 389–393.

1.8 Medicine

Headnote 1.8

18. René-Théophile-Hyacinthe Laennec, ‘Introduction’, and John Forbes, ‘Explanation of the Plates’, in A Treatise on the Diseases of the Chest, and on Mediate Auscultation, trans. John Forbes, 4th ed. (London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longman, 1834), pp. 4–8, 673-675.

19. D. M. Cammann, ‘An Historical Sketch of the Stethoscope’, Transactions of the Second Annual Meeting of the American Climatological Association (New York: Appleton & Co., 1886), pp. 170–174.

20. Charles Denison, ‘The Essentials of a Good Stethoscope’, Medical Record, 42:17 (1892), pp. 494–495.

21. K. Schall, ‘Apparatus for Roentgen X Rays’ and ‘Franklinisation’, in Electro-Medical Instruments and their Management, and Illustrated Price List of Electro-Medical Apparatus, 5th ed. (Bristol: John Wright & Co., 1896), pp. 39–42, 51–52.

1.9 Chemistry

Headnote 1.9

22. [Jane Marcet], ‘On Hydrogen’, in Conversations on Chemistry; in which the Elements of That Science are Familiarly Explained and Illustrated by Experiments, Vol. 1: On Simple Bodies, 5th ed. (London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1817), pp. 220–247, 249-255.

1.10 The laboratory revolution

Headnote 1.10

23. [Anon.], ‘New Laboratory, University College, London’, Illustrated London News, 30 May 1846, p. 348.

24. Joseph Dalton Hooker, ‘On the Plans of the New Laboratory for Investigations in Vegetable Physiology at Kew’, in [South Kensington Museum], Conferences Held in Connection with the Special Loan Collection of Scientific Apparatus, 1876, Vol. II: Chemistry, Biology, Physical Geography, Geology, Mineralogy, and Meteorology (London: Chapman and Hall, 1876), pp. 157–161.

25. [Anon.], ‘The New Physical Laboratory of the University of Cambridge’, Nature, 10 (25 June 1874), pp. 139–142.

26. Edward Cookworthy Robins, ‘Buildings for Applied Science and Art Instruction’, in Papers on Technical Education, Applied Science Buildings, Fittings and Sanitation (London: J. Davy, 1885), pp. 1–19.

1.11 Physics

Headnote 1.11

27. James Clerk Maxwell, ‘General Considerations Concerning Scientific Apparatus’, in [South Kensington Museum], Handbook to the Special Loan Collection of Scientific Apparatus, 1876 (London: Chapman and Hall, 1876), pp. 1–21.

1.12 Physiology

Headnote 1.12

28. J. Burdon Sanderson, ‘Section—Biology: President’s Opening Address’, in [South Kensington Museum], Conferences Held in Connection with the Special Loan Collection of Scientific Apparatus, 1876, Vol. II: Chemistry, Biology, Physical Geography, Geology, Mineralogy, and Meteorology (London: Chapman and Hall, 1876), pp. 149–150, 153-156.

29. Thiselton Dyer, ‘On Various Apparatus for Investigations in Vegetable Physiology’, in [South Kensington Museum], Conferences Held in Connection with the Special Loan Collection of Scientific Apparatus, 1876, Vol. II: Chemistry, Biology, Physical Geography, Geology, Mineralogy, and Meteorology (London: Chapman and Hall, 1876), pp. 161–65.

30. Étienne-Jules Marey, ‘Apparatus for Registering Animal Movements’, in [South Kensington Museum], Conferences Held in Connection with the Special Loan Collection of Scientific Apparatus, 1876, Vol. II: Chemistry, Biology, Physical Geography, Geology, Mineralogy, and Meteorology (London: Chapman and Hall, 1876), pp. 165–69.

31. Edward Albert Schäfer, ‘On Some Recent Improvements in Recording Apparatus’, in [South Kensington Museum], Conferences Held in Connection with the Special Loan Collection of Scientific Apparatus, 1876, Vol. II: Chemistry, Biology, Physical Geography, Geology, Mineralogy, and Meteorology (London: Chapman and Hall, 1876), pp. 169–70.

1.13 Spectroscopy

Headnote 1.13

32. Gustav Kirchhoff and Robert Bunsen, ‘Chemical Analysis by Spectrum-Observations’, Philosophical Magazine, 20 (4th ser.) (1860), pp. 89-93, 107-108.

33. Robert Routledge, ‘The spectroscope’, in Discoveries and Inventions of the Nineteenth Century, 1st ed. (London: George Routledge and Sons, 1876), pp. 302-03, 308-310, 312-313, 322-324, 330–31.

34. ‘Spectrum apparatus in action, showing the spectra of the metals’, plate in John Browning, How to Work with the Spectroscope, 2nd ed. (London: John Browning, 1882), p. 32.

1.14 Astrophysics

Headnote 1.14

35. Agnes M. Clerke, ‘Methods of Research’, in A Popular History of Astronomy during the Nineteenth Century, 1st ed. (Edinburgh: A. and C. Black, 1885), pp. 440–53.

36. Richard A. Proctor, ‘Proctor on the Big Lens: He Thinks the Lick Telescope will Disappoint Science’, New York World, 27 February 1887, p. 17.

37. Alvan G. Clark, ‘Great telescopes of the future’, Astronomy and Astro-physics, 12:8 (1893), pp. 673–678.

Part 2: Trade

2.1 Catalogues

Headnote 2.1

38. W. and S. Jones, [Advertisement:] ‘To Philosophical Professors, Lecturers in Philosophy, and Private Students’, in George Adams, Lectures on Natural and Experimental Philosophy, vol. 1, 2nd ed. (London: W. and S. Jones, 1799), p. 1.

39. John Joseph Griffin, ‘Preface’, in Chemical Recreations: A Compendium of Experimental Chemistry, 8th edition (Glasgow: Richard Griffin & Co., 1838), pp. ix–xii.

40. Richard Griffin and Co., [Advertisement:] ‘Griffin’s Chemical Museum’, in J. J. Griffin, Chemical Recreations: A Compendium of Experimental Chemistry, 9th edition (Glasgow: Richard Griffin & Co., 1847), p. 566.

41. Negretti and Zambra, ‘Preface’, in A Treatise on Meteorological Instruments: Explanatory of their Scientific Principles, Method of Construction, and Practical Utility (London: Negretti and Zambra, 1864), pp. v–vi.

42. Negretti and Zambra, front matter and ‘Preface’, in Encyclopaedic Illustrated and Descriptive Reference Catalogue of Optical, Mathematical, Philosophical, Photographic, and Standard Meteorological Instruments (London: Negretti and Zambra, [c. 1884]), pp. i–viii.

43. Benjamin Pike, Jr., ‘Preface’, in Pike’s Illustrated Descriptive Catalogue of Optical, Mathematical and Philosophical Instruments, 2nd ed. (New York: Benjamin Pike, Jr., 1856), pp. v–ix.

44. The shopfront of Philip Harris & Co. on Edmund St. in Birmingham, England, along with illustrations of their shop floors for woodworking (top) and metalworking (bottom), from their Catalogue of Physical and Practical Physics Apparatus, &c. (Birmingham, 1899).

2.2 Anatomy

Headnote 2.2

45. George Knox (trans.), Description of an Artificial Anatomical Figure, Constructed by the Chevalier Auzoux, M.D., Exhibited in 1832 before the King, in London (Madras: Church Mission Press, 1834).

46. George Dexter, ‘Preface’, in Catalogue of Anatomical Models Made by Dr. Auzoux, Professor of Anatomy and Physiology, Paris, and for Sale by George Dexter (Albany, NY: Stone and Henly, 1844), p. 1.

47. Human anatomical model with demountable parts, by Auzoux, c. 1880. Image © Whipple Museum of the History of Science, University of Cambridge (Wh.6361).

2.3 Microscopy

Headnote 2.3

48. Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg, ‘Estimate of the relative value of the microscopes of Chevalier, Ploessel, and Schiek’, The Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, 13 (1832), pp. 327–28.

49. James Glaisher, ‘Microscopes’, subsection of ‘Class X: Philosophical Instruments and Processes Depending Upon their Use’, in Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, 1851: Reports by the Juries on the Subjects in the Thirty Classes into which the Exhibition was Divided (London: William Clowes & Son, 1852), pp. 265–69.

50. J. J. Plummer, ‘A few words on the choice of a microscope’, Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science, 4 (new series) (1864), pp. 153–158.

51. Henri Van Heurck, The Microscope: Its Construction and Management. Including Technique, Photo-Micrography, and the Past and Future of the Microscope, trans. Wynne, E. Baxter (London: Crosby Lockwood and Son; New York: D. Van Nostrand, 1893), pp. 138–145.

2.4 Anthropometry

Headnote 2.4

52. Francis Galton, ‘Outfit for an Anthropometric Laboratory’ (privately-circulated pamphlet, March 1883).

53. Francis Galton, ‘On the Anthropometric Laboratory at the Late International Health Exhibition’, Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, 14 (1885), [extract:] pp. 205–207, 213-218.

54. Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company, A Descriptive List of Anthropometric Apparatus, Consisting of Instruments for Measuring and Testing the Chief Physical Apparatus of the Human Body. Designed Under the Direction of Francis Galton (Cambridge: Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company, 1887).

55. [Anon.], ‘A Morning with the Anthropometric Detectives: An Interview with Francis Galton, FRS’, Pall Mall Gazette, 16 Nov. 1888, pp. 1–2.

Part 3: Display

3.1 The Great Exhibition

Headnote 3.1

56. Robert Ellis, ‘Introduction’, to Section II, Class 10: Philosophical, Musical, Horological, And Surgical Instruments, in Great Exhibition of the Works of All Nations: Official Descriptive and Illustrated Catalogue (London: Spicer Bros., 1851), pp. 404–5.

57. James Glaisher, introduction and conclusion to his report on: ‘Class X: Philosophical Instruments and Processes Depending Upon their Use’, in Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, 1851: Reports by the Juries on the Subjects in the Thirty Classes into which the Exhibition was Divided (London: William Clowes & Son, 1852), [extract:] pp. 243–46 and p. 316,

58. James Glaisher, ‘Conclusion’, from his lecture on ‘Philosophical Instruments and Processes, as Represented in the Great Exhibition’, in Lectures on the Results of the Exhibition, Delivered Before the Society of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, at the Suggestion of H. R. H. Prince Albert, President of the Society (London: David Bogue, 1852), pp. 294–301.

3.2 Museums of science

Headnote 3.2

59. Charles Daubeny, ‘Dream of the New Museum’, in Miscellanies: Being a Collection of Memoirs and Essays on Scientific and Literary Subjects (Oxford: James Parker, 1867), vol. 2, Pt IV, pp. 141–52.

60. [Robert Willis et al.], ‘Report to the Syndicate for Museums and Lecture Rooms, University of Cambridge’, 31 December 1853, quoted in R. Willis and J.W. Clark, The Architectural History of the University of Cambridge (Cambridge, 1886), vol. 3, pp. 159–65.

61. J. E. Gray, ‘Botany and Zoology, Including Physiology’, in Report of the 34th Meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (London: John Murray, 1864), pp. 75–80.

62. W. Boyd Dawkins, ‘The Organisation of Natural History Museums’, Nature, 16 (1877), pp. 137–38.

63. W. Stanley Jevons, ‘The Use and Abuse of Museums’, in Methods of Social Reform and Other Papers (London: MacMillan, 1883), pp. 54–56.

64. W. H. Flower, ‘Modern Museums’, in Essays on Museums (London: Macmillan, 1898), pp. 30–53.

3.3 Scientific relics

Headnote 3.3

65. G. Wilson, ‘Address as President of the Royal Scottish Society of Arts at its Annual General Meeting, November 23,1857’, Transactions of the Royal Scottish Society of Arts, 5 (1861), [extract:]43–62, pp. 52–53.

66. [Anon.], ‘Loan Collection of Scientific Apparatus’, Illustrated London News, 16 Sep. 1876, p. 270.

67. A. H. Lane-Fox [Pitt Rivers], ‘Letter to the Editors: The Arrangement of Museums’, Nature, 18 April 1878, pp. 484–85.

68. William Spottiswoode, ‘Section–Physics (including Astronomy)’, in [South Kensington Museum], Conferences Held in Connection with the Special Loan Collection of Scientific Apparatus, 1876, Vol. 1: Physics and Mechanics (London: Chapman & Hall, 1876), pp. 1–7.

69. Henri Tresca, ‘Upon Objects Illustrating the History of Science, and the Means of Ensuring their Conservation’, in [South Kensington Museum], Conferences Held in Connection with the Special Loan Collection of Scientific Apparatus, 1876, Vol. 1: Physics and Mechanics (London: Chapman & Hall, 1876), pp. 80–88.

3.4 Expositions and world’s fairs

Headnote 3.4

70. Henry Adams, ‘The Dynamo and the Virgin’, in The Education of Henry Adams (Washington, D.C.: [by private circulation], 1907), pp. 331–40.

Index