Credit: © The Royal Society
    Image number: RS.8483
    Looking for a special gift? Buy a print of this image.

    Double-barrelled air pump

    Date
    ca. 1709
    Creator
    Francis Hauksbee (1688 - 1763, British) , Instrument maker
    Object type
    Archive reference number
    Material
    Dimensions
    height (object): 1270mm
    width (object): 330mm
    depth (object): 330mm
    Subject
    Content object
    Description
    An air pump comprising two pump barrells (cylinders), two pistons, a glass bell with a syringe for evacuation, and an ornate wooden frame, with carved feet and a carved handle. Among one of the earliest surviving pump models, it allowed experimenters to create a partial vacuum.

    Barrell mount inscribed: 'The Royal Society 49'.

    Francis Hauksbee (1688–1763) British instrument maker and lecturer on science was elected in 1705, largely for his skill in conducting experiments with his novel apparatus.
    Object history
    Thought to have been commissioned by Francis Aston FRS (1644-1715)for himself and bequeathed to the Society on his death (H. G. Lyons, ‘Francis Aston (1645–1715)’, Notes& Records vol 3, 88–92, 1940).
    Associated place
    <The World>
       > Europe
          > United Kingdom
    Powered by CollectionsIndex+/CollectionsOnline