Joseph Henry and the Smithsonian's First Collection of Scientifc Apparatus
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Joseph Henry and the Smithsonian's First Collection of Scientifc Apparatus D.J. Warner Joseph Henry was keen on apparatus, the ob- Institution in London, to such as may attend servations and experiments they made pos- the soirées.’ On one page of his pocket diary, sible, and the ways they might bring public Henry suggested that the Smithsonian ‘may appreciation of and support for science. As assist discovery by giving individuals the use professor of natural philosophy at the College of the apparatus.’ On another he mentioned a of New Jersey (now Princeton University), he ‘complete set of Chemical & Philosophical amassed an excellent collection for teaching apparatus for the repetition of all new experi- and research. After becoming the founding ments to disseminate of knowledge of them Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, he throughout the country.’ Still elsewhere he put together a collection that, in his words, announced his intention to form ‘a museum would ‘surpass in extent similar collections in of physical instruments, which may be used other countries.’1 for experimental illustration and original re- search, and may serve as models to workmen Having been selected for the Smithson- as well as to illustrate the general progress of ian post on December 3, 1846, Henry had a inventions in this line.’ He later boasted that strong say in decisions of the Organization an important way that the Smithsonian had Committee. Most notable, for our purposes, fostered physics and chemistry was by ‘im- was the resolve that ‘the sum of four thousand porting models of the most improved articles dollars, out of the interest accruing to the In- of apparatus and making them known to sci- stitution, be appropriated, for the purchase of entifc men.3 philosophical and chemical apparatus, mod- els, &c.’2 Writing to Alexander Dallas Bache Henry began the instrument project by con- some months later, Henry described his plan tacting leading instrument makers in Paris. to gather ‘a large collection of articles of For- Orders included ‘a complete set of articles eign and curious research, which may serve to for the polarization, diffraction and interfer- excite the love of learning.’ Physical instru- ence of light’ from Soleil (Fig. 1); a complete ments should form an essential part of the collection of Macedonio Melloni’s apparatus collection, and be ‘of such a character as to Fig. 1 Polariscope inscribed ‘Soleil Fils (Fig. 2) with all the latest improvements and induce a pilgrimage to Washington of all the Opticien Rue de l’Odeon No. 35 a Paris’ two extra galvanometers ‘which will be use- quid nunc professors in our country to enlight- bought for the United States Military ful in a variety of researches on electricity and en themselves as to the progress of science Academy, probably in the 1830s. J. B. F. heat’ from Ruhmkorff (Fig. 3); and ‘a set of and to witness the new phenomena.’ Certain Soleil opened a shop at this address in 1825 the more interesting instruments on sound’ evenings would be set apart ‘for the purpose and, for a while, used the term ‘Fils’ to from Marloye. Some years later, Henry men- of enabling artists and inventors to exhibit and distinguish himself from his father, also an tioned Ruhmkorff in connection with a ‘com- explain their instruments or works of art in the optical instrument maker. National Museum plete set of apparatus’ for ‘exhibiting the facts halls of the Institution, as in the Polytechnic of American History, PH.315759. of the new branch of science called dia-mag- netism’, adding that the ‘simple repetition of these experiments in this country is of impor- tance, and the apparatus may serve as a model for imitation to our ingenious artists.’ A local newspaper repeated this statement, adding that the Smithsonian’s apparatus is perhaps ‘the most complete now in our country, and new articles are constantly being added.’4 Henry had met Jean Peltier in Europe, in 1837, and immediately took to this self-taught and remarkably productive French physicist. Writing to Peltier in 1849 (not knowing he had recently died), Henry mentioned an ‘ap- paratus for atmospherical electricity’. In a later report on the subject, he included an ac- count and illustration of the electrometer Pel- tier used for this purpose.5 The Peltier appara- tus that Henry ordered in 1850 was probably a cyano-polarimeter designed to measure the intensity of the polarization and the blue color of the sky. François Arago had presented two Fig. 2 Melloni-type thermopile from Franklin Fig. 3 Nobili-type needle galvanometer examples to the Academy of Sciences in Paris & Marshall College. National Museum of inscribed ‘Ruhmkorff, Rue des Orfèvres 6, in 1841; Peltier introduced his version a few American History: EM.318285. Paris’. From Princeton University. National years later. Henry acquired another cyano- Museum of American History: EM.318556. polarimeter from Soleil fls in the late 1860s 26 Bulletin of the Scientifc Instrument Society No. 142 (2019) Fig. 5 This Foucault apparatus signed ‘Ruhmkorff à Paris came from the Smithsonian, and may be a replacement bought after the fre. National Museum of American History: EM.181551. Fig. 4 Cyano-polarimeter inscribed ‘J. Duboscq-Soleil / à Paris’ ment’. It is thus not sur- B. Chamberlain, a self-taught mechanic who from Columbia College (now University) in New York. Nation risin tht enry se had come to public attention when he showed Museum of American History: PH.322964. ri is n instrument philosophical apparatus at the Massachusetts maker then working for Charitable Mechanics’ Association and took the Smithsonian, to make home a silver medal. At another exhibition, (Fig. 4), and he published a lengthy and lauda- an ‘apparatus to show the vibration of pen- where Chamberlain won another silver, the tory account of Peltier’s life and accomplish- dulum as to persistence in the same direction, judges deemed his large air pump ‘one of the ments in a Smithsonian Annual Report. while point of suspension is in motion; all to best and most thoroughly made that has been urin tht sme tri to ris enry h lso show vibration changes in direction as sine of manufactured in this country.’ The Smith- met the French physicist, Jacques Babinet, latitude.’10 sonian’s Chamberlain air pump was up and and kept in touch with him over the years. In running by June 1849; and displayed at the Foucault’s other experiments were also the mi10s enry ouht hotometer of Metropolitan Mechanics’ Institute fair held non. hus for instnce enry coul rite the sort that Babinet introduced to the British in the tent ffce in shinton in 1.14 in 1857, ‘A striking example of the transfor- Association in 1854. Another Chamberlain instrument that caught mation, as it were, of the force of motion into enrys eye s nehelescoe for emon- hile enry roly neer met the ermn heat is exhibited by an article of apparatus strating the formation of clouds, designed by scientist rierich ellmnn he rote n now in the cabinet of the Smithsonian Institu- the American meteorologist, James Pollard enthusiastic endorsement of his work with at- tion and devised by M. Leon Foucault, of Par- Espy.15 mosheric electricity. In resonse ellmnn is.’11 That instrument was sometimes termed sent one of his torsion balance electrometers a Foucault disk (Fig. 5) . in lerne out the hysometer n in- to the Smithsonian.7 Along the same line, strument designed to measure heights in terms n ccount of illim rmstrons mchine enry ene the otherise unnon ohn of the oilin oint of ter enry commis- that produced electricity directly from steam ise to me lloonin eeriments for the sione one from illim uremnn er- appeared in the Smithsonian Annual Report Smithsonian ‘with instruments provided by mn immirnt instrument mer in sh- for 1856.12 Soon thereafter, the Smithson- it for the purpose.’8 e lso too heus inton. enry iscusse this hysometer t ian acquired a machine of this sort made by Lowe to meet President Lincoln, arranged for meeting of the American Association for the C. Eisenlohr, a relatively unknown artisan in the s comny to inte his lloon n for Advancement of Science, and probably dis- Carlsruhe.13 the Smithsonian’s chief clerk to provide men played it in the Apparatus Room.1 to assist Lowe with his operation.9 hile enry s recitie of uroen Charles A. Spencer was an optician in Ca- instrument makers, he was keen to set some Foucault’s pendulum demonstrations in Paris nastota, New York who had gained public American makers ‘at work on such articles were widely reported in the American press attention in 1848 when an American micros- as may be manufactured of a good quality n in enrys ors cuse ret ecite- copist wrote that he had ‘achieved so great a in this country.’ Leading the list was Nathan Bulletin of the Scientifc Instrument Society No. 142 (2019) 27 triumph in practical optics as the construc- tion of a compound achromatic microscope, which compares most favorably with those me y the fnest rtists of uroe. o him moreover, ‘we may look for future displays of scientifc sill hich shll me us entirely independent of the old world in this impor- tant respect. The friends of American indus- try and talent will be pleased to hear, that Mr. Spencer has already received orders for mi- croscopes from public institutions and private iniiuls. rofessor enry hs orere n instrument of high power for the Smithsonian Institute (sic). American patronage, we may hope, will not be wanting to American art.’ enry oul lter sen lesnt eenin ith the rr nturlist ouis ssi usin the Sencer microscoe (i.