Protective mask for firemen
Date
1828
Object type
Library reference
Tracts_308_1_endpiece
Material
Technique
Dimensions
height (page): 250mm
width (page): 178mm
width (page): 178mm
Content object
Description
Scene showing a fireman leaning over a bowl of burning wooden shavings to demonstrate the utility of his protective mask. An axe can be seen near the chaffing-dish. Public demonstrations of this type were carried out in Geneva and in Paris and were later recounted by Michael Faraday.
This fireman’s suit was designed by Giovanni Aldini and was composed of a strong inner cloth layer soaked in alum, with asbestos cloth for the face, hands and feet. An outer layer of copper wire gauze was partly inspired by Humphry Davy’s miner’s safety lamp design.
Rear vignette plate from the monograph Habillement du pompier pour le préserver de l’action de la flamme, by Jean Aldini, Milan, 1828.
This fireman’s suit was designed by Giovanni Aldini and was composed of a strong inner cloth layer soaked in alum, with asbestos cloth for the face, hands and feet. An outer layer of copper wire gauze was partly inspired by Humphry Davy’s miner’s safety lamp design.
Rear vignette plate from the monograph Habillement du pompier pour le préserver de l’action de la flamme, by Jean Aldini, Milan, 1828.
Object history
Giovanni Aldini (1762-1834) Italian physicist, best-known for his experiments in galvanism and in lighthouse engineering.