Accession No
0654
Brief Description
microscope slide of “Faraday’s Gold”, colloid slide by Michael Faraday, in wooden box, English, 1856 - 1857.
Origin
Maker
Faraday, Michael
Class
microscopes
Earliest Date
1856
Latest Date
1857
Inscription Date
Material
glass; wood (boxwood); metal (gold)
Dimensions
length 86mm; breadth 33mm; height 13mm; slides length 75mm; breadth 23mm
Special Collection
Robert Whipple collection
Provenance
Purchased from T.H. Court in 11/1930.
Inscription
‘Faradays Gold Given to me himself after his lecture at the R I’
Description Notes
Microscope slide of “Faraday’s Gold”, 1856 - 1857. Gold colloid microscope slide used by Faraday in an 1857 lecture to illustrate his work on gold colloids.
Glass microscope slide with gold film, inscribed ‘Faraday’s Gold Given to me himself after his lecture at the R I’; with purple tint in box-wood box.
References
Ruth Horry & Boris Jardine; 'Michael Faraday's microscope slide'; Explore Whipple Collections online article; Whipple Museum of the History of Science; University of Cambridge; 2008: https://www.whipplemuseum.cam.ac.uk/explore-whipple-collections/microscopes/michael-faradays-microscope-slide
Events
Description
This slide was used in a lecture by Michael Faraday (1791-1867), to illustrate his work on colloids (mixtures of two substances). Faraday would have shown the slide by using a projecting microscope. This pre-prepared experiment was typical of Faraday's lectures, which became famous and were attended by Prince Albert, among other wealthy and famous members of Victorian society.
13/02/2023
Created by: Morgan Bell on 13/02/2023
FM:42660
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