Credit: © The Royal Society
Image number: RS.9840
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X-ray photograph of the hand of William Crookes
Date
6 May 1896
Sitter
William Crookes (1832 - 1919, British) , Knight Chemist, Chemist
Creator
Alan Archibald Campbell Swinton (1863 - 1930, British) , Electrical engineer
Object type
Material
Dimensions
height (print): 240mm
width (print): 190mm
height (mount): 275mm
width (mount): 203mm
width (print): 190mm
height (mount): 275mm
width (mount): 203mm
Subject
Content object
Description
X-ray image of William Crookes’s left hand showing its bones and a faint outline of the soft tissue of his fingers, darkening towards his hand and wrist.
Signed and dated on the print, below the thumb: “William Crookes June 26th 1896.” Inscribed in pencil verso: “Taken by A.A.Campbell Swinton at the Soiree held on 26 June 1896. (see programme)”
The Society’s 1896 soirees were held on 6 May and 10 June, but Swinton’s exhibit featured in the first of these only. Therefore this image is likely to date from May 1896 and the inscribed date is simply when Crookes signed the resulting print (after the soiree) rather than when the original image was taken. Council Minutes seem to support this, noting that: “Mr.A.A.C.Swinton has presented the Society with a series of Rontgen ‘Photographs’ taken at the May Soiree, and thanks have been given to him for them.” [Royal Society Council Minutes, Printed, CMP/7, meeting of 29 October 1896, p.294.]
The soiree exhibit was outlined in the Descriptive catalogue. The Royal Society. Conversazione, May 6th, 1896. Burlington House. (Royal Society, London, 1896), p.3. “Practical demonstration of Rontgen’s new photography, with experiments and exhibition of results. When a suitable Crookes’ vacuum tube is excited, the invisible radiations that proceed from the point where the cathode rays strike a solid substance, will impress photographic plates, will cause certain salts to fluoresce, and will discharge electrified bodies...Since bone is more opaque to these rays than tissue, it is possible by their means to obtain shadow photographs of the bones in the living body...Similarly other hidden objects, such as the coins in a purse, the contents of closed boxes...can be rendered apparent.”
Sir William Crookes was President of the Royal Society 1913-1915.
Signed and dated on the print, below the thumb: “William Crookes June 26th 1896.” Inscribed in pencil verso: “Taken by A.A.Campbell Swinton at the Soiree held on 26 June 1896. (see programme)”
The Society’s 1896 soirees were held on 6 May and 10 June, but Swinton’s exhibit featured in the first of these only. Therefore this image is likely to date from May 1896 and the inscribed date is simply when Crookes signed the resulting print (after the soiree) rather than when the original image was taken. Council Minutes seem to support this, noting that: “Mr.A.A.C.Swinton has presented the Society with a series of Rontgen ‘Photographs’ taken at the May Soiree, and thanks have been given to him for them.” [Royal Society Council Minutes, Printed, CMP/7, meeting of 29 October 1896, p.294.]
The soiree exhibit was outlined in the Descriptive catalogue. The Royal Society. Conversazione, May 6th, 1896. Burlington House. (Royal Society, London, 1896), p.3. “Practical demonstration of Rontgen’s new photography, with experiments and exhibition of results. When a suitable Crookes’ vacuum tube is excited, the invisible radiations that proceed from the point where the cathode rays strike a solid substance, will impress photographic plates, will cause certain salts to fluoresce, and will discharge electrified bodies...Since bone is more opaque to these rays than tissue, it is possible by their means to obtain shadow photographs of the bones in the living body...Similarly other hidden objects, such as the coins in a purse, the contents of closed boxes...can be rendered apparent.”
Sir William Crookes was President of the Royal Society 1913-1915.
Associated place