Lighting Collection (#71)

Spitalfields silk weavers, 1893. Warners workshops, Spitalfields, East London. The weavers are working on hand looms and the weaving shed is lit by fishtail gas lights

Thomas Alva Edison at Menlo Park, late 1880s. Edison (1847-1931), American physicist and inventor in his laboratory at Menlo Park, New Jersey

Incandescent light bulb, 1929. Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931), American physicist and inventor, produced the first successful electric light bulb

Thomas Alva Edison, American physicist and inventor, 1929. Obverse of a medal celebrating the 50th anniversary of Edisons (1847-1931) invention of the incandescent lamp in 1879

Making Edison light bulbs, 1880. Vacuum apparatus used to exhaust Edison incandescent light bulbs at G (centre top). From Scientific American. (New York, 1880)

Humphry Davy, British chemist, 19th century. Born in Penzance, Cornwall, Davy (1778-1829) discovered the anaesthetic effects of laughing gas (nitrous oxide)

Galileo observing the swaying of the chandelier in Pisa Cathedral, c1584 (1870). Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), Italian astronomer, mathematician and physicist

Advertisement for Ediswan incandescent light bulbs, 1898. The Ediswan brand was the result of a merging of the interests of the two pioneers of electric light bulbs

The coal miner carrying his tools and safety his lamp, 1890. From Mining and Ore Dressing Machinery. (London, 1890)

Humphry Davy, British chemist and inventor, late 19th century. Obverse of the Royal Society Davy medal, nstituted in 1877 and awarded annually for an outstanding recent discovery in chemistry

Humphry Davy, English chemist, 1860. Davy (1778-1829) discovered the anaesthetic effects of laughing gas (nitrous oxide). In 1801 he was appointed lecturer at the Royal Institution

Humphry Davy, English chemist, 1821. Davy (1778-1829) discovered the anaesthetic effects of laughing gas (nitrous oxide). In 1801 he was appointed lecturer at the Royal Institution

Humphry Davy, English chemist in 1803, (c1870). At this time Davy (1778-1829) was lecturer at the Royal Institution, London

Humphry Davy (1778-1829) English chemist, c1880. Artist: Edwin Hodder
Humphry Davy (1778-1829) English chemist, c1880. Artists impression of Davy testing his miners safety lamp. From Heroes of Britain, Edwin Hodder, London c1880

Thomas Alva Edison, American inventor, 1924. Edison (1847-1931) was a prolific inventor who registered over 1000 patents, many of which were related to the development of electricity

Thomas Edison, American inventor, in his laboratory, Menlo Park, New Jersey, USA, 1870s (1920s)
Thomas Alva Edison, American inventor, in his laboratory at Menlo Park, New Jersey, USA, working on the perfection of the incandescent light bulb, 1870s (1920s)

Humphry Davy, British chemist and inventor, 1802. Artist: James Gillray
Humphry Davy, British chemist and inventor, 1802. Davy (1778-1829) discovered the anaesthetic effects of laughing gas (nitrous oxide)

Thomas Alva Edison, American inventor, c1879. Edison (1847-1931) was a prolific inventor who registered over 1000 patents, many of which were related to the development of electricity

Rock Salt: Miners at work in salt mine near Cracow, Poland, c1820. Not all the salt is excavated, some pillars being left to support the roof of the mine

Gathering of the UK cycling clubs at Castle Inn, Woodford, Essex, 1 June 1889. After a day of cycling followed by an evening smoking concert the gathering took a Chinese Lantern ride to Walthamstow

Bicycle manufacture, France, 1896. Shaping the wheel rims. The machinery is all driven from a central power source through belt-and-shafting

Manufacturing electric light bulbs, c1883 (1896). A mercury vacuum pump being used to evacuate (exhaust) light bulbs on a commercial scale

Gas lighting, 1814. Fig. 1: Samuel Cleggs (1781-1861) gas apparatus (1808). Fig. 7: B Cooks gas apparatus. Figs 8&9: Furnace for producing tar as a gas by-product. From Encyclopaedia Londinensis

Davys electric egg, 1883. Invented in 1809, it produced intense light from a voltaic arc between the points of two carbon rods

Edisons incandescent light globe in a table lamp fitting, 1891. The filament here is carbonised bamboo fibres. Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931), American physicist and inventor

Edisons incandescent lamps showing various forms of carbon filament, 1883. Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931), American physicist and inventor, produced the first successful electric light bulb

Edisons carbon filament lamp, 1880. Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931), American physicist and inventor, produced the first successful electric light bulb

Boyers photographic studio, 1899. Family posing within a wooden framework with gauze-like material stretched over it. This produced an evenly diffused light when the magnesium flash on the top right

Portrait photographers studio, c1880. The photographer, with his head under a black cloth, is focusing on his sitter. He is using a plate camera on a tripod

Photographers studio, c1895. The photogapher is focusing on his sitters. Above is a bank of arc lights. The use of bright artificial light meant that exposure times could be reduced to a few seconds

Portrait photography as a fitting career for a young woman, 1884. A female photographer uses a plate camera on a tripod to take a childs portrait in her studio

Blowing up Flood Rock, 1885. Workers in underground galleries putting cartridges of dynamite into position in preparation for the blowing up Flood Rock

Camera obscura, 1646. A double camera obscura, rather out of scale, showing an image of a man burning in Hell. The image was produced by light from a lamp which travelled down the lens

Filling a mass grave at night during the Plague of London, c1665
Filling a mass grave at night during the Plague of London, c 1665. Showing a group of men with torches in a churchyard, preparing to empty the contents of a covered cart into an open grave

Ecole des Ponts-et-Chaussees, Paris, 1894. Civil engineering students at their studies in a classroom

Sir Isaac Newton, English scientist and mathematician, c1700. Artist: Jacobus Houbraken
Sir Isaac Newton, English scientist and mathematician, c1700. Newtons discoveries were prolific and exerted a huge influence on science and thought

Bronze lamp in the form of a Peacock, c6th-7th century

Roman Iron Swords, Key and Clay Lamp from Bavaria, Germany, c2nd century BC-5th century. Grunwald Museum

Roman clay lamp, 2nd century
Roman clay lamp, decorated with a two-handled cup, now in the British Museum, made in Tunisia, 2nd century

Napoleons Throne-Room, 19th century
Napoleons Throne-Room at Fontainebleau, 19th century

Hall of War at Versailles, 17th century
Hall of War at Versailles, showing the ceiling of Victorious France, 17th century

Salon of Louis XIII in Fontainebleau, 17th century
Salon of Louis XIII in Fontainebleau Palace, 17th century

Interior of Fontainebleau Palace, 16th century

Francois I Salon, 16th century
Francois I Salon, at Fontainebleau in France, 16th century

Boulevard Montmartre, Spring, 1897. Found in the Collection of Museum Langmatt

Pity Deputy tests for gas using Davy Safety Lamp before shotfiring

Coal miner at pit head

Coal miner collecting his lamp in the lamp room before going on his shift

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