Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
58.37 |
Object Name |
Globe, Electrical |
Title |
Globe from an Electrical Machine |
Artist |
Unknown |
Date |
1780-99 |
Description |
Glass globe with an iron axis and wooden end caps. There is an integral 3-sheave pulley on one cap. Unmarked except for an old, but not original, paper label associating it with David Rittenhouse. (Robert P. Multhauf, "Catalogue of Instruments and Models," 1961). |
Label |
This glass globe was used on an 18th-century electrical (or electrostatic)machine. A hand-driven wheel would turn the globe against a cloth element to generate electricity. According to the instrument's donor, the globe was owned by his great-grandfather, astronomer and inventor David Rittenhouse. |
Material |
Glass, iron, wood, and paper |
Dimensions |
H-10 W-9 L-19.5 inches |
Dimension Details |
Length incl. mount |
Credit line |
American Philosophical Society. Gift of William Lowber, 1871. |
Search Terms |
18th century eighteenth century electricity scientific instrument |