Technology

OCCUPATIONAL STOREFRONT -LADIES WITH SEWING MACHINES. Ca. 1880s albumen photo, 8 5/8” x 6 3/4” on 7 1/4” x 9” mount, showing the storefront of Henry Kothe. The employees pose outdoors, two ladies sit behind their sewing machines. The is a later pencil notation on back “ 187 20th St, Chicago , Illinois”, but cannot verify that information. Very handsome image with good tonality, contrast and clarity. (Jb.314); $250.

WHITE SEWING MACHINE ILLUSTRATED CATALOG. 6” x 3 1/2” foldout catalog, folds to 12” x 13 3/4. Ca. 1890. When opened, one side is a broadside advertisement , the other side shows seven different models of the White sewing machine. Some splitting at fold lines, (with small archival tape repairs in a few areas, exhibits light wear and soiling, overall Very Good. (JB.512); $100.

RAYMOND TYPEWRITER. Two sided advertising broadside, 21" x 14", for the Improved Raymond Typewriter, produced by the Englewood Company. One side has large illustration of the typewriter (along w/ text), the other has information, testimonials, etc regarding the product. A few small pieces missing along top edge, fold lines, some separation along center fold, o/w VG. (Jb.500); $36.

1887 BRUSH ELECTRIC ILLUMINATING CO Billhead. 6 ¾” x 8 ½” illustrated billhead to the City of New York (presumably for street lighting). Overall VG. (Jb 513); $85.
In 1876 Charles F. Brush invented a new type of simple, reliable, self-regulating arc lamp, as well as a new dynamo designed to power it. Earlier attempts at self regulation had often depended on complex clockwork mechanisms that, among other things, could not automatically re-strike an arc if there were an interruption in power. The simpler Brush made central station lighting a possibility for the first time. In the late 1870's small Brush arc lamp installations were being purchased by individuals, department stores, theaters, and factories. 1880 saw the first larger scale commercial use of arc lamps for street lighting as Brush plants, and eventually those of competitors like Thomson-Houston, were established in a number of large cities throughout the US. In 1880 Brush successfully demonstrated arc lighting along Broadway, and soon thereafter built New York's first central station. Similar systems were installed all over the world. In 1889 the Brush Electric Company was purchased by the Thomson-Houston company, which then merged with the Edison Electric Company in 1892 to form the General Electric Company. GE and others continued manufacturing arc lamps for decades despite the predominance of incandescents. Arc lamps were simply much brighter, and better suited to certain applications.

JOHN A. ROEBLING WIRE LETTERHEAD. 1887 John A. Roebling's Sons Co Illustrated Letterhead. 9 1/4" 5 3/4". Nice detailed illustration of the Brooklyn Bridge. Three small spindle holes left side, overall VG. (Jb.497); $125.
As a father and son, John and Washington Roebling were the foremost American engineers of suspension bridge construction in the nineteenth century. In 1841 John Roebling invented the twisted wire-rope cable, an invention which foreshadowed the use of wire cable supports for the decks of suspension bridges. Six years later he established a factory in New Jersey for the manufacture of this cable. Because the cable could support long spans and extremely heavy loads, Roebling quickly gained a reputation as a quality bridge engineer. John Roebling completed dozens of major works and designed the largest bridge span of his lifetime. In spite of his successes in former ventures, he was laughed at when he claimed that he could connect Manhattan and Brooklyn with a single-span suspension bridge, whose center span would be 1,600 feet. However, after the winter of '66-'67 he was commissioned to start work on the venture. Ironically, the bridge that remains as his monument, cost him his life. It was while he was locating the site for the Brooklyn tower that a carelessly piloted ferry boat crashed into a pier on which he was standing, and crushed his foot. He developed tetanus poisoning from the injury and died in 1869, before even the towers had been erected. When his father died, Washington was appointed Chief Engineer to carry on the work that had become the greatest goal of his father's life. Strangely, the project was to cost the Colonel, also, if not his life, at least his health. Fortunately, however, he lived not only to see the Brooklyn Bridge open in 1883, but also to contribute greatly to the success of the John A. Roebling's Sons Company.

ENGLE CLOCK AND MAKER, STEPHEN ENGLE. Cabinet Card. 6 1/2" x 4 1/4" .View of the famed Engle clock, along with it's maker Stephen Engle. Period pencil date on back Jan 1st, 1878. Horning , Philadephia photographer's backmark. Exhibits beautiful tonality, contrast and clarity. (Jb.118):SOLD
The first known American-made monumental clock was the Engle clock. made entirely by Stephen D. Engle (1837-1921) in Hazleton Pennsylvania, it was completed around 1878, having taken a little over 20 years to build. Engle was more interested in invention than showmanship, and almost immediately turned over the management of the clock to Philadelphia entrepreneurs Captain and Mrs. Jacob Reid. Pronouncing Engle's clock "The Eighth Wonder of the World," the Reids exhibited the clock throughout the Eastern United States, charging 25- and 15-cent admissions for adults and children, respectively. The clock was toured around the Eastern US almost continuously over the next 70 years until it disappeared from public view after a 1951 showing at the Ohio State Fair. (for more information and history of this clock, there is a great web site produced by the national clock and watch museum at www.nawcc.org/museum/engle)

THOMAS HUXLEY. Cdv (4 1/8" x 2 3/8")- Mora, NY imprint. Period pencil id on verso. Fine cond. (Jb.77)$145.
Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895) was one of the first adherents to Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, and did more than anyone else to advance its acceptance among scientists and the public alike. Huxley was a passionate defender of Darwin's theory -- so passionate that he has been called "Darwin's Bulldog". But Huxley was not only the bulldog for Darwin's theory, but was a great biologist in his own right, who did original research in zoology and paleontology. Nor did he slavishly and uncritically swallow Darwin's theory; he criticized several aspects of it, pointing out a number of problems.

LOUIS AGASSIZ. Cdv, 4" x 2 1/2". Great pose of the Agassiz. Ca. 1860 original cdv, no photographer's imprint. Period pen id on bottom of mount, fine cond. (Jb.20); $155.
Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz (May 28, 1807—December 14, 1873) was a paleontologist, glaciologist, and geologist, and was a prominent innovator in the study of the earth's natural history. He grew up in Switzerland and became a professor of natural history at University of Neuchâtel.Later, he accepted a professorship at Harvard University in the United States.

JOHN TYNDALL. Cdv (4 1/8" x 2 3/8")- Mora, NY imprint. Prof Tyndall imprint on mount. Fine cond. (Jb.76). $55.
John Tyndall (1820-1893) was a man of science—draftsman, surveyor, physics professor, mathematician, geologist, atmospheric scientist, public lecturer, and mountaineer. Throughout the course of his Irish and later, English life, he was able to express his thoughts in a manner none had seen or heard before. His ability to paint mental pictures for his audience enabled him to disseminate a popular knowledge of physical science that had not previously existed. Tyndall's original research on the radiotive properties of gases as well as his work with other top scientists of his era opened up new fields of science and laid the groundwork for future scientific enterprises.