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Wheatstone's photometer
Wheatstone's photometer

Wheatstone's photometer

Date1850-1890
Inventory Number2001-1-0031
ClassificationPhotometer
Subject
    Maker French ?
    Cultural Region
      Dimensions3.7 × 4.9 × 4.9 cm (1 7/16 × 1 15/16 × 1 15/16 in.)
      Material
        DescriptionWheatstone's photometer consisting of a small circular brass drum with a brass and steel crank fitted into the base. The crank turns an off-centered steel disk which is then rotated by the rim of gear teeth at the edge. The steel disk has 14 sharp pins on its surface, to which may be attached cork discs containing steel beads (the latter missing here).
        Signedunsigned
        FunctionFor comparing the brightness of two light sources. It provides an approximation, not a hard quantitative, measurement.

        For more information, see the explanation in Ganot's treatise on physics at the following website.
        Historical AttributesFor references see: Turner, Gerard L'E. "The Practice of Science in the 19th Century." The Teyler's Museum (1996), pp. 185-186; Atkinson, trans. "Ganot's Physics." London (1867), pp. 375-376; Brenni, Paolo. "Gli strumenti di fisica dell'Instituto Tecnico Toscano." Florence (1995), pp. 68-69.
        Wheatstone's rheostat
        Wheatstone's rheostat
        German
        Date: circa 1860
        Object number: DW0065
        Gramme magneto-electric machine
        Gramme magneto-electric machine
        Zénobe T. Gramme
        Date: 1870-1875
        Object number: DW0084
        Wheatstone-type apparatus for the combination of sound waves in the same plane
        Wheatstone-type apparatus for the combination of sound waves in the same plane
        Rudolph Koenig
        Date: circa 1865
        Object number: 1997-1-0918
        photometer
        photometer
        Edward C. Pickering
        Date: 1877-1890
        Object number: 1991-1-0007
        Sharp-Millar photometer
        Sharp-Millar photometer
        Foote, Pierson & Company
        Date: 1910-1920
        Object number: 2006-1-0018
        The first image in this series represents a giant, double-plate electrostatic generator, which …
        collection of 51 watercolors of scientific instruments
        John Cuthbertson
        Date: 1770-1815
        Accessories: brown storage box, descriptive tag, thin strip of paper in box with the inscription "lucernal microscope" in David P. Wheatland's handwriting (which refers to figs. 47-48 and 51 in this series), page from the book "Old Science and Medicine" with a photographic copy of the first print from this series, entitled "The Large Electric Machine at Haarlem."
        Object number: 1998-1-1087
        sixteen-piece set of drawing instruments in wooden box
        sixteen-piece set of drawing instruments in wooden box
        Aston & Mander Company, Ltd.
        Date: circa 1915
        Accessories: double shelved mahogany case
        Object number: 1989-4-0011
        thirteen-point circle model ?
        thirteen-point circle model ?
        Walter Balcke
        Date: circa 1961
        Object number: 2007-1-0197
        calculating machine
        calculating machine
        Frank S. Baldwin
        Date: circa 1902
        Object number: 5401
        Spectra Pritchard photometer
        Spectra Pritchard photometer
        Kollmorgen Corporation
        Date: circa 1980
        Accessories: Two instructions manuals: SPECTRA PRITCHARD PHOTOMETER, MODEL 1980A, CONDENSED OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS; INSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE MANUAL FOR SPECTRA PRITCHARD PHOTOMETER, Model 1980A. Both in gray archival box, C2-H1
        Object number: 2004-1-0214a
        Bunsen-type photometer
        Bunsen-type photometer
        Max Kohl A. G.
        Date: circa 1892
        Object number: WJ0190
        Lummer-Brodhun photometer
        Lummer-Brodhun photometer
        Max Kohl A. G.
        Date: 1900-1920
        Object number: 1997-1-1493