Nitrate Collection

An advertisement for Johnson Matthey & Co. Ltd. Silver nitrate manufacturers

Paris Salpetriere
The manufactory of saltpeter (potassium nitrate) used to make gunpowder : in the 19th century it will become one of Pariss leading hospitals, associated with Charcot etc

Engraving depicting a young lady gilding buttons
5308936 Engraving depicting a young lady gilding buttons; (add.info.: Engraving depicting a young lady gilding buttons. Buttons were brushed with a solution of nitrate of mercury)

An engraving depicting a young woman gilding buttons with a brushed solution of nitrate of mercury
5311631 An engraving depicting a young woman gilding buttons with a brushed solution of nitrate of mercury and a gold amalgam paste

Production of Salpetre (Nitre, Potassium Nitrate, or KN03). Nitre beds, heaps of manure mixed with chalky earth
540747 Production of Salpetre (Nitre, Potassium Nitrate, or KN03). Nitre beds, heaps of manure mixed with chalky earth. These were watered with urine and manure water

Crystallization of Saltpetre (Nitre, Potassium Nitrate, or KN03, 1574 (engraving)
540753 Crystallization of Saltpetre (Nitre, Potassium Nitrate, or KN03, 1574 (engraving); (add.info.: Crystallization of Saltpetre (Nitre, Potassium Nitrate, or KN03)

Checking the quality of Saltpetre (Nitre, Potassium Nitrate, or KN03). Saltpetre is the principal ingredient in
540750 Checking the quality of Saltpetre (Nitre, Potassium Nitrate, or KN03). Saltpetre is the principal ingredient in gunpowder, and is still used in the preservation of some foods

A Photographic Positive 1853
A mother seeks assistance in regards to her daughter accidentally spilling photographic chemicals, in particular staining her face from nitrate of silver

Tank room for boiling nitrate, Chile, South America -- the end product is pure nitrate of soda, known as saltpetre. Date: 1922

Shipping Nitrate at Pisagua, Chile (engraving)
1602796 Shipping Nitrate at Pisagua, Chile (engraving) by Prior, Melton (1845-1910) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: Shipping Nitrate at Pisagua, Chile)

Sacking Nitrate, 1911. From Chile, by G. F. Scott Elliot, M.A. F.R.G.S. [T. Fisher Terrace, London, 1911]

Ship Awaiting Cargoes of Nitrate at Iquique, 1911. From Chile, by G. F. Scott Elliot, M.A. F.R.G.S. [T. Fisher Terrace, London, 1911]

Loading Up With Nitrates, 1911. From Chile, by G. F. Scott Elliot, M.A. F.R.G.S. [T. Fisher Terrace, London, 1911]

Preparing and setting a Dynamite charge, Paris, 1890. From La Science Illustree

Cartridge from Nobel Explosives Company Limited, Ardeer, Ayrshire, 1884. Cartridge packed with Dynamite made at the factory. From The Illustrated London News, 16 April 1884

Workers at Nobel Explosives Company Limited, Ardeer, Ayrshire, 1884. Top: Mixing house, with women rubbing Dynamite. Bottom: Woman filling cartridges with Dynamite using a filling machine

Method of refining saltpeter for making gunpowder
Method of refining saltpeter (potassium nitrate) for making gunpowder. circa 18th century

Tie Shop
15th October 1938: Tartan ties belonging to various Scottish clans on display in a Whitechapel shop in the East End of London. Original Publication: Picture Post - 27 - Whitechapel - pub

Nitrate fire in Iquique, Tarapaca, Chile, South America
Nitrate storage fire at the Gildemeister company premises in Iquique, Tarapaca, Chile, South America. Nitrate is extremely flammable. Date: circa 1910

Mark Of Approval
1st April 1939: Tramp, John Walpole, draws a chalk cross on the wall of a farmhouse where they gave him food. A mark to remind himself when he passes that way again that they treated him well

Johann Heinrich Schulze (1687-1744) Professor anatomy at Altdorf. Important in the history of photography because in 1725 he noticed the darkening of silver nitrate when exposed to light

Beacon tower at Taltal, Antofagasta, Chile, South America
Pier and beacon tower at Taltal, a city and commune in the Antofagasta region of Chile, South America. circa 1910

Taltal, Antofagasta, Chile, South America
View of the coast at Taltal, a city and commune in the Antofagasta region of Chile, South America. Date: circa 1910

Aerial view of Taltal, Antofagasta, Chile, South America
Aerial view of the town of Taltal, in the Antofagasta region of Chile, South America. Date: circa 1905

Fleet of cars, Tocopilla, Antofagasta, Chile, South America
Fleet of cars at a company in Tocopilla, in the Antofagasta region, Chile, South America. Possibly company cars of a nitrate firm. Date: circa 1930

Mejillones, Antofagasta, Chile, South America
Mejillones, a coastal town in Antofagasta region, Chile, South America. Its name comes from the Spanish word for mussels, a local staple food

Plazuela Ecuador, Pisagua, Chile, South America
Plazuela Ecuador (Little Square of Ecuador), Pisagua, a nitrate shipping port in Chile, South America. Date: circa 1908

Caleta Buena, Tarapaca, Chile, South America
Caleta Buena, a coastal town in Tarapaca, Chile, South America, currently uninhabited. It was part of the nitrate industry. Date: circa 1905

Illustration of carbon cycle and nitrogen cycle

Illustration of lightning above landscape with animals and plants, converting atmospheric nitrogen i

CHILE: SHIPPING, c1920. Nitrate for agriculture and for war being sacked for shipment, Chile. Stereograph, c1920

Nitrate Bonnets (Mycena stipata)

Steel Works
29th April 1939: Railtracks which bring locomotives to and from the Guest Keen Baldwins steel works in Cardiff, Wales. Original Publication: Picture Post - 116 - Steel - pub

Big Wheel
12th August 1939: Big Wheel on the Palace Pier, Brighton. Original Publication: Picture Post - 171 - Brighton - pub. 1939 (Photo by Felix Man/Picture Post/Getty Images)

And Over There
12th August 1939: On Brighton pier a woman point out buildings in the town to her partner. Original Publication: Picture Post - 171 - Brighton - pub

Ascot Style
circa 1900: Spectators at Royal Ascot (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Public Nuisance
28th January 1939: An unusual sign in Londons Mayfair warns passers-by against making a public nuisance of themselves. Original Publication: Picture Post - 80 - Mayfair - pub

Top Deck Ride
13th May 1939: The Kings four orderly officers sightseeing on the top deck of a London bus. Every year four officers from the Indian Army are chosen to attend the King as his special bodyguard

Toy Fieldsmen
10th July 1948: Miniature fieldsmen are equipped with a rounded slot to enable them to catch the ball, in the new game of table-top cricket

Hounds Hunting
22nd July 1939: The Crowhurst Otter Hounds hunting the scent of otters in and by a river. Original Publication: Picture Post - 130 - Hunting The Otter - pub

Pack Of Hounds
22nd July 1939: The Crowhurst Otter Hounds awaiting the signal to move off. They are of various breeds to make the pack stronger

A Farmers Pony
29th April 1939: A pony in a field on a farm in England. Original Publication: Picture Post - 139 - Farm In Spring - pub. 1939 (Photo by Felix Man/Picture Post/Getty Images)

En Plein Air
1897: Three women enjoying a picnic in the countryside. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Casino Terrace
circa 1925: Palm trees and lampposts on Casino Terrace at Monte Carlo. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

London Bridge
Traffic crossing London Bridge over the River Thames in 1910. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

To Be Destroyed
circa 1920: A row of German planes which are to be destroyed by the Inter-Allied Aeronautical Commission of Control. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Temple Of Nike
circa 1880: Ruins of the Temple of Nike, Goddess of Victory, in the Acropolis, Athens. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Crimean Soldiers
circa 1855: Officers and men of the 8th Hussars, the Kings Royal Irish during the Crimean War (1853 - 1856). (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

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Nitrate, a vital ingredient in the production of gunpowder, has played a significant role throughout history. Its story begins at the Paris Salpetriere, where the method of refining saltpeter for making gunpowder was perfected. This breakthrough allowed nations to harness its explosive power and revolutionize warfare. However, nitrate's impact extended far beyond military applications. In 1853, a photographic positive captured the awe-inspiring sight of a nitrate fire in Iquique, Tarapaca, Chile, South America. The image served as a stark reminder of both its destructive potential and economic significance. Chile became synonymous with nitrate production as tank rooms were established to boil vast quantities of this precious resource. An engraving depicting shipping nitrate at Pisagua showcased the scale and efficiency with which it was transported across oceans. The year 1911 witnessed various aspects of nitrate's journey: from sacking it for distribution to ships eagerly awaiting cargoes at Iquique; from loading up with nitrates to preparing and setting dynamite charges in Paris. Nobel Explosives Company Limited in Ardeer, Ayrshire became an emblematic site associated with nitrate manufacturing during the late 19th century. Cartridges bearing their name demonstrated how they harnessed this compound's explosive properties while workers tirelessly labored within their facilities. Nitrate represents not only an essential component for weaponry but also an integral part of industrial progress. Its legacy is one intertwined with innovation and human endeavor - forever shaping our world through its explosive force and transformative capabilities.