19th Century Scientific Illustrations

Engravings depicting historical scientific practices, including diamond cutting, experiments, and exploration, in detailed black and white.

A 19th century photographer in his workshop, engaged in retouching his handiwork Date: 1891

Examining a patient's thorax using an X-ray tube and fluorescent screen, 1903. Artist: Unknown

Tribute cartoon depicting Almroth Wright (1861-1947) a British bacteriologist and immunologist. Dated 20th Century

Copper station, Nine Elms, Telegraph, 1844. 'Such is its velocity, that when this Electric Printing Telegraph shall be laid down the entire line, the time occupied in the transit of a message, from Nine Elms to Portsmouth, and receiving the answer in town, will not exceed two minutes and a quarter...Two instruments, precisely similar, are placed, one at Wimbledon, the other at Nine Elms; the only connexion between them being a single copper wire, conveyed in a thin layer of asphalte. Beneath or near the machine, at Nine Elms, imbedded in the earth, and attached to the apparatus by a copper w

Using a megascope to project opaque objects (flowers in demonstrator's hand). From La Science Illustree, Paris, 1891.

transport transportation navigation life and work at sea captain making measurement wood engraving after drawing by Carl Schildt 1887,

Portrait photographer's studio with subject being photographed. Chromolithograph from Theodore Eckhardt 'Physics in Pictures', London, 1882.

Illustration depicting the galley on the Orient Express. Dated 19th century

A family enjoying a magic lantern show. The lanterns used differ little from Kircher's in the 17th century, consisting of a metal box with lamp placed in focus of a concave mirror.

Isaac Newton (1642-1727) English scientist & mathematician, using prism to break white light into spectrum. With Cambridge room mate John Wickins. Engraving of 1874

Engraving to accompany a story in the Graphic ('Madame Leroux'), showing a typical interior of a grocer's shop during the late 19th century. Jars, tins and bottles line the shelves, with the grocer's scales clearly visible on the shop counter. Date: 1890

Cartoon titled 'Poisoning by Food Adulteration'. In November 1858 a confectioner bought Plaster of Paris from a druggist to add to lozenges. Instead of Plaster of Paris he was accidently sold arsenic. 20 died out of the 200-odd people poisoned. This case gave ammunition to those trying to get legislation against food adulteration through Parliament (Scholfield Act of 1859). Illustrated by John Leech (1817-1864) an English caricaturist and illustrator. Dated 19th century

A gouty man surrounded by his collection of artefacts, telling his doctor how they keep turning blue; suggesting the man's melancholic loneliness. Coloured lithograph, 1835.

Woodcut engraving depicting a man using a scissor grinder.

Illustration showing breaking stones for roads (ca 1840)

Illustration showing the oiling of the roller bearings on a revolving lighthouse lens. From The Quiver, London, 1893

Cartoon titled 'The usual British attitude': put Science at the bottom of the list. Illustrated by Edward Linley Sambourne.

Solar spectrum being demonstrated to young boys in a darkened room by means of a Heliostat and a prism. 1887.

Testing the weight of gold pieces, Paris mint, 1892. Artist: Unknown

'The Watchmaker working at his bench. As well as watches, he would also make clocks. Hand-coloured woodcut from ''The Book of English Trades'', London, 1823.'

Repeat of Foucault's demonstration of the Earth's rotation made at the Polytechnic Institution, London in May 1851 by Dr Bachhoffner. Leon Foucault (1819-1861) French physicist. Engraving c1890.

Illustration showing John Milton (9th December 1608 - 8th November 1674) visiting Galileo Galilei (15th February 1564 - 8th January 1642). Woodcut based on the painting by Solomon Alexander Hart (1806-1881).

Engraving depicting a toy maker putting the finishing touches to moulded wax dolls heads.

Engraving showing a chaotic scene below desks in rough seas as food, plates and cutlery are all sent flying by the rough seas, Bay of Biscay, 1887. Date: 1887

Engraving depicting the galley on the Orient Express. Dated 19th century

Thomas Alva Edison in front of his phonograph, vintage engraved illustration. From the Universe and Humanity, 1910.

ALEXANDER DICKSON botanist, at work with his microscope : 'A primrose by the river's brim, no simple primrose was to him, it was a good deal more.' Date: 1836 - 1887

Scientific researches! - New discoveries in pneumaticks! - or - An experimental lecture on the powers of air Js. Gillray inv. & fect.. British Cartoon Prints Collection . Hippisley, John Cox,1748-1825. , Young, Thomas,1773-1829. , Experiments,Great Britain,1800-1810. , Scientific equipment,Great Britain,1800-1810.

An engraving depicting a female gardener re-potting. At this date, establishments were being set up in France, Germany and Britain to give women sound training which would enable them to earn a living as market gardeners or as gardeners in private employment. Dated 19th century

I operate a development with a dumbbell sixty pounds, vintage engraved illustration. Journal des Voyage, Travel Journal, (1880-81).

Engraving depicting a young woman using a "telephonoscope" to study from home. Illustrated by Albert Robida.

'Louis Pasteur's (1822-1895) laboratory at the Ecole Normale, Paris: the room where cultures were kept at a constant temperature during his work on hydrophobia (Rabies). '' La Nature', Paris, 1884.''

Julerno, noted Paris astrologer, explains the scientific basis of astrology. Date: 1908

energy, electricity, electrical cigar lighter, wood engraving, by A. Kiekebusch, 1896,

Most miraculous organ. Phrenology, the assessment of a subject's mental faculties by the study of the external conformation of the cranium. A phrenologist amazed by the head of his subject. Cartoon by Robert Seymour (1800-1836) at the height of the craze for phrenology. On the wall is a picture of Franz Joseph Gall (1757-1828) one of the founders of the science. Lithograph.

E Robert Fire Evacuation System, France. Europe. Old 19th century engraved illustration from La Nature 1884

An engraving depicting Michael Faraday (1791-1867) British chemist and physicist, lecturing on electricity and magnetism at The Royal Institution of Great Britain. Dated 19th century

VISITING THE MORGUE IN PARIS, 1874 engraving

Monsiau. "Paris, 1780: a drugstore". Print. Paris, Carnavalet museum. 60015-1 Drugstore, print, interior, store, pharmacy, pharmacy

Robert Louis Stevenson 'The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' first published 1886. Mr Utterson and Jekyll's butler, having broken down the laboratory door, finds Hyde not yet back to being Dr Jekyll. Illustration by Edmund J Sullivan from an edition published 1928.

Scientific balloon ascent about to be made from Vauxhall Gardens, London, under the sponsorship of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. The men in the picture are, from left to right, Mr Nicklin and Mr Welsh of the Kew Meteorological , Observatory, Mr Adie and Mr Green. August 1852

Portrait of Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) a French biologist, microbiologist and chemist renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation and pasteurisation. Dated 19th century

Captain Ellis told the story of his expedition, vintage engraved illustration. Jules Verne Mistress Branican, 1891.

Old illustration from the nineteenth century of Adventures of a cricket by Ernest Charles Auguste Candèze (1827-1898) Belgian doctor and entomologist. Old 19th century engraved illustration from El Mundo Ilustrado 1879

Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931) was an American inventor. In 1879, he produced the first commercially practical incandescent lamp

Illustration depicting Louis Pasteur studying in the library of École Normale Supérieure. Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) a French microbiologist, biologist and chemist. Dated 19th century

Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), after depositing the phone's patent on February 24, 1876 to the patent office of Washington, United States of America, engraving by Louis Figuier, taken from Les Nouvelles Conquites de la Science and republished on L'Illustration, Journal Universel, year 41, volume LXXXII, no 2120, October 13, 1883.

Illustration from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

'Watt's First Experiment', 18th century, (c1870). Artist: Herbert Bourne

Skiopticone image. Joke picture from Kungl. Institute of Technology.

Experimenting with an electrical machine - setting spirits of wine alight with an electric current Date: circa 1755

Medicine, Anatomy, Surgery, A surgeon shows a gentleman his practice, The room contains a human skeleton, decorated figurines, rows of jars and a variety of medical instruments, circa 1700, Historic, digitally restored reproduction from a 19th-century original.

An artist's impression of B. S. Jacobi (1808-1874) discovering electroplating in 1837. Dated 19th century

Illustration depicting the workshop of a taxidermist. Dated 19th Century

Illustration showing Artist's impression of the first execution, by electric chair, 6 August 1890, Auburn Prison, New York. execution prepared after experiments on the practicability of electrocution as a method of execution

ASTRONOMY. TELESCOPE. ENGRAVING. NATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATORY. MADRID.

Ein Chemiker im Kittel und mit Totenkopfmütze, der eine Flüssigkeit aus einer Flasche ausgießt. Das Regal und der Tisch enthalten Fläschchen, einen Mörser, Trichter und botanische Zeichnungen. Der Arm eines Skeletts streckt sich von der rechten oberen Ecke herab und umschlingt das Porträt einer jungen Frau, Historisch, digital restaurierte Reproduktion von einer Vorlage aus dem 19. Jahrhundert.

Engraving depicting a beekeeper collecting a swarm of bees from a hollow tree and putting them into a straw skep. Dated 19th century

'(Pierre Paul) Emile Roux (1853-1933) at the Instut Pasteur, Paris, removing serum from a horse during his experiments to find a vaccine for Diptheria. Engraving, Paris, 1895.'

Formaldehyde vapor. Disinfection of a room at the Val-de-Grace hospital. Old 19th century engraved illustration from La Nature 1897

The dance of death: the schoolmaster. Coloured aquatint by T. Rowlandson, 1816.

Demain nous nous occuperons de Saturne: #18 of Professeurs et Moutards. Artist: Honoré Daumier, French, 1808-1879

Engraving depicting a London street telescope through which anyone could gaze at the heavens for the payment of a penny. Dated 19th century

energy, electricity, electrical frying pan, wood engraving, by A. Kiekebusch, 1896,

Illustration showing the principle of the cantilever, which was used in the Forth Bridge, Scotland. 1890

An engraving depicting a Doty Lamp. The oil vaporised by passing it in a spiral tube around the flame of the light on its way to the burner. Dated 19th century

Engraving depicting Luigi Galvani's experiment which investigates the behaviour of muscles stimulated by electricity. Luigi Galvani (1737-1798) an Italian physician, physicist, biologist and philosopher. Dated 19th century

The 'question extraordinaire', extreme form of torture, 1882-1884. Artist: Unknown

Engraving depicting a Physics laboratory at the Sorbonne. Dated 19th Century

GALILEO GALILEI. ASTROLOGO ITALIANO. 1564 - 1642. " GALILEO DEMOSTRANDO SUS TEORIAS ASTRONOMICAS ". GRABADO DE UN CUADRO DE FELIX PARRA. ILUSTRACION ESPAÑOLA Y AMERICANA.

Birds dressed as surgeons or medical students dissect a body. Pen drawing attributed to J. Grandville, 1829.

superstition magic magician letting drip melted leand into his hands copper engraving 16th century,

Illustration of children feeding their goldfish by William Marshall Craig (1765-1827) for the Rev. Edward Polehampton. Dated 19th Century

Arrangement of the camera in the basket of the balloon Commander Riviere. Old 19th century engraved illustration from La Nature 1885

'The Glass Blower beginning to work piece of molten glass which he has just heated in the furnace behind him. Hand-coloured woodcut from ''The Book of English Trades'', London, 1823.'

Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564) engraving after a picture by Edouard Hamman (1819-1888).

James Watt, 30 January 1736 to 25 August 1819, a Scottish inventor, here as a youth during first experiments discovers the laws of steam, Scotland, Historic, digitally restored reproduction of a 19th century original, exact original date not known

Michael Faraday (1791-1867) English chemist and physicist, left, and John Frederic Daniell (1790-1845) English chemist, physicist and meteorologist. Among his inventions were the Daniell cell, a wet storage battery, and a hygrometer. Engraving.

LEG OF THE DINORNIS, OR GIGANTIC BIRD OF NEW ZEALAND, 1865

American inventor Eli Whitney (1765-1825) is best known for his invention of the cotton gin, which he created in 1893.

Engraving depicting a photo viewfinder. Dated 19th Century

Death by Chemicals, Skeletons

In the laboratory with J. Wickersheimer, 1832, 1896, chemist, taxidermist, development of a process for the preservation of corpses, around 1885, Historical, digitally restored reproduction from a 19th century original, In the laboratory with J. Wickersheimer, chemist, taxidermist, development of a process for the preservation of corpses, around 1885, Historical, digitally restored reproduction from a 19th century original

An engraving depicting a Savory and Moore's eye douche. Dated 19th century

Line drawing of a portable organ. Dated 14th Century

Old method of candle making, candle maker, candle making around 1880, historical, digital reproduction of an original from the 19th century

Illustration showing Gilding buttons: Birmingham, England 1866. Buttons brushed with a solution of nitrate of mercury and a gold amalgam paste are placed in a cylindrical wire gauze cage fitted with a long handle. The cage is rotated in the furnace and the mercury is vaporised and the gold amalgam adheres to the button.

Experiments on the phone from Dr. Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), to transmit the human voice over long distances. Boston, 1877. United States. 19th-century colored engraving.

Rontgen, Wilhelm Conrad (1845-1923). German physicist. Discovered Roentgen rays or X-ray (1895). In 1901 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. Rontgen exploring a child with X-ray device by 1900. Colored engraving.

C. Tomlinson, Illustrations of Useful Arts and Manufactures. Chemistry: Industry. 1858

'The New Science', 1887. Artist: Unknown

$Engraving depicting children looking at the night sky with a portable refractor. Dated 19th Century$

Everyone involved in organizing the halt, vintage engraved illustration. Jules Verne Cesar Cascabel, 1890.

Encyclopedie. Edited by Denis Diderot and Jean Le Rond D'Alembert. Published, 1770. Plate 366. Paper manufacturers. Colored.

An engraving depicting two boys trying to pull apart two Magdeburg hemispheres from which the air has been evacuated by the air pump, right. Dated 19th century

Illustration depicting Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) a Serbian-American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, physicist, and futurist. Dated 19th Century

Illustration depicting the Iris Invalid's Reading Desk invented by Captain Twopenny. Dated 19th century

Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) Scottish-born American inventor; patented telephone 1876; Bell inaugurating 1520 km telephone link between New York and Chicago, 18 October 1892. Engraving published Paris 1892

PIERRE CURIE ( 1859 - 1906 ). MARIE CURIE ( 1867 - 1934 ). CIENTIFICOS FRANCESES DE ORIGEN POLACO. GRABADO COLOREADO EN SU ESTUDIO.

Demonstration of the Earth's rotation using (Jean Bernard) Leon Foucault's (1819-1868) demonstration of the rotation of the earth using freely suspended pendulum in the Pantheon, Paris, 1851. From 'La Nature' (Paris 1887). Engraving.

The Hunterian Museum is an 18th century medical collection built up by John Hunter. Hunter's specimen museum was bought by the government after his death and passed over to the Royal College of surgeons to be housed for research. Date: 1845

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