Credit: © The Royal Society
Image number: RS.8483
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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
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.
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