Inventor Collection (#79)

SAMUEL CLEGG (1781-1861). English engineer and inventor. Fearing an explosion, Sir Joseph Banks and other members of the Royal Society of London flee in terror as Samuel Clegg holds a lit candle

JOSEPH-MARIE JACQUARD (1752-1834). French inventor. Line engraving, French, 1834

JOHANN GUTENBERG (c1395-1468). German inventor. Gutenberg and his partner, Johann Fust (or Faust) with their printing press at Mainz: wood engraving, 19th century

JEAN JOSEPH ETIENNE LENOIR (1822-1900). French inventor. Wood engraving, 19th century

PATRICK BELL (1799-1869). Scottish cleric and inventor of reaping machine. Line engraving, English, 1868

WESLEY & BEAU NASH. An encounter between John Wesley (1703-1791), founder of Methodism, and Richard Beau Nash (1674-1762), inventor of games of chance and master of ceremonies at Bath, England

OTTO von GUERICKE, c1663. The first electrostatic generator, invented by the German physicist Otto von Guericke, c1663, which depended upon the electrification of a rotating ball of sulfur

C. H. MCCORMICK (1809-1884). American inventor and industrialist. McCormick, his factory at Chicago
C.H. MCCORMICK (1809-1884). American inventor and industrialist. McCormick, his factory at Chicago, and three of his agricultural machines: line engraving, late 19th century

FRANCIS PETTIT SMITH (1808-1874). English inventor. Wood engraving, 1871

Solar Energy Experiment. berni

SAMUEL MORSE (1791-1872). American artist and inventor. Professor Morse demonstrating his telegraph. Wood engraving, American, 19th century

ALOYS SENEFELDER (1771-1834). Bavarian inventor of lithography. Senefelder discovering the process of lithography by chance in 1796. German line engraving, 19th century

JOSEPH-MICHEL MONTGOLFIER (1740-1810). French inventor: line engraving, 19th century

HENRY BESSEMER (1813-1898). English inventor and engineer. Wood engraving, English, 1875

KEELY MOTOR FRAUD. The Keely Motor, the most celebrated perpetual motion machine fraud of the 19th century. Engraving from an American newspaper of 1877

THOMAS ALVA EDISON (1847-1931). American inventor. Young Edison as a candy butcher on the Grand Trunk Railway between Port Huron, Michigan, and Detroit: wood engraving, French, 19th century

JAMES BOGARDUS (1800-1874). American inventor and entrepreneur: line engraving, American, 1874

MOSES G. FARMER (1820-1893). American inventor and pioneer electrician. Line engraving, 1889

JACQUES MONTGOLFIER (1745-1799). French inventor: line engraving, French, 19th century

ZACHARIAS JANSSEN (1580-c1638). Dutch spectacles maker and inventor. Wood engraving, 19th century

HANS LIPPERSHEY (1570-1619). Dutch spectacle maker and inventor of telescope. Wood engraving, American, 1881

SIR WILLIAM SIEMENS (1823-1883). German (naturalized British) physicist, engineer and inventor. Wood engraving, 1882

JAMES WATT (1736-1819). Watt and fellow members of the Lunas Society meeting at Watts home at Heathfield Hall, near Birmingham: French colored engraving, 19th century

SAMUEL CROMPTON (1753-1827). English inventor. Crompton inventing the spinning mule: wood engraving, 19th century

CLAUDE ETIENNE MINIE (1814-1879). French army officer and inventor. Wood engraving, 1855

CHRISTIAN SCHÖNBEIN (1799-1868). German chemist. Showing his invention, guncotton, to Prince Albert of Great Britain. Wood engraving

CYRUS HALL MCCORMICK (1809-1884). American inventor and manufacturer. Steel engraving, 19th century

GUTENBERG & PRINTING PRESS. Gutenberg (1400?-1468) examining a proof. Line engraving after a bas-relief on the pedestal of the Gutenberg monument in Mainz, Germany

JOSEPH ROGERS BROWN (1810-1876). American precision tool inventor and manufacturer;co-founder of Brown & Sharpe Co
JOSEPH ROGERS BROWN (1810-1876). American precision tool inventor and manufacturer; co-founder of Brown & Sharpe Co

JOHN FITCH (1743-1798). American inventor. Fitch successfuly operating the first American steamboat on the Delaware River in August 1787: line engraving, French, 19th century

SAMUEL COLT (1814-1862). American inventor; with a gun: wood engraving, 1856

BELL: TELEPHONE DEMO, 1877. Auditors at the Boston end of the Salem-Boston Massachusetts demonstration 15 March, 1877: wood engraving from a contemporary American newspaper

JACQUES CHARLES (1746-1823). Jaques Alexandre C

ARKWRIGHT: SPINNING FRAME. Sir Richard Arkwrights spinning frame (Patented 1769), the first machine capable of producing cotton thread of the firmness and hardness required in the warp

ROBERT McCORMICK (1780-1846). American inventor. Steel engraving, 19th century

JAMES GREGORY (1638-1675). Scottish mathematician and inventor. Stipple engraving

GEORGE PULLMAN (1831-1897). American inventor and industrialist. Line engraving, 1894

ELIAS HOWE (1819-1867). American inventor. Howe competing and winning against five seamstresses at Boston, Massachusetts, in 1845. Wood engraving, c1867

STEAM CARRIAGE, 1770. Trial of Nicolas Joseph Cugnots three-wheeled steam carriage at the Arsenal of Paris, France, 1770. Line engraving, French, 19th century

ELECTROSTATIC GENERATOR. The first electrostatic generator, invented by Otto von Guericke c1663

GAIL BORDEN (1801-1874). American inventor. Steel engraving, 19th century

SAMUEL F. B. MORSE (1791-1872). Morse in his workshop. Wood engraving, 19th century
SAMUEL F.B. MORSE (1791-1872). Morse in his workshop. Wood engraving, 19th century

LEONARDO DA VINCI (1452-1519). Italian painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, and scientist. Steel engraving, English, 1835, after a self-portrait

GOTTLIEB DAIMLER (1834-1900). German engineer and pioneer automobile manufacturer. Daimler and his son Paul in one of his early automobiles, c1886. Line engraving, German, late 19th century

LEONARDO DA VINCI (1452-1519). Italian artist and inventor. The death of Leonardo da Vinci. Copper engraving, English, 1782

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"Inventors: Masters of Innovation and Vision" Step into the realm of inventors, where brilliance meets imagination. From the enigmatic Nikola Tesla, with bolts of electricity discharging in his lab, to the young Sir Isaac Newton captured in a timeless portrait from 1689, these visionaries have shaped our world. Isambard Kingdom Brunel stands proudly before the launching chains of the Great Eastern, a testament to his engineering prowess. R. J. Mitchell's genius shines through as he designs iconic aircraft like the Spitfire and flying boats that revolutionize aviation. John Moses Browning's innovative mind brings forth groundbreaking firearms technology while Dmitri Mendeleev's caricature showcases his pioneering work on the periodic table. In 1899, Nikola Tesla himself radiates an aura of ingenuity that would forever change how we harness electricity. The Count of St Germain, a French alchemist known for his mysterious abilities, adds an air of intrigue to this collection. Dr William Gilbert demonstrates his experiment on electricity to Queen Elizabeth I – a momentous occasion that paved the way for future discoveries. Lastly, Leonardo da Vinci graces us with a vibrant color portrait from 1490; an artist whose inventive spirit transcended disciplines. These inventors embody curiosity and determination; their contributions continue to shape our present and inspire generations yet unborn. They remind us that innovation knows no bounds – it is born out of passion and nurtured by relentless pursuit, and are dreamers who dare to challenge convention and redefine what is possible. Their legacy lives on in every invention we encounter today - they are beacons guiding humanity towards progress.