Historical Engineering and Machinery

Engravings depicting various historic mechanical systems and tools used in manufacturing and construction, highlighting early industrial designs.

energy, water, turbines, combination turbine, longitudinal section, built by Germania machine factory, Chemnitz, wood engraving, late 19th century,

Hydraulics: pipes, pumps, fountains, etc. Engraving c.1861.

Metals: a furnace and various implements used in smithing. Engraving by T. Jefferys.

energy, water, turbines, combination turbine, longitudinal section, built by Germania machine factory, Chemnitz, wood engraving, late 19th century,

Plate I of 'Travail et emploi du coton' from Diderot's Encyclopedia, Vol. I, Louis-Jacques Goussier, French, 1722 - 1799, Robert Bénard, French, 1734-1772, Engraving on white paper, Upper register, interior of a factory, showing combing and weaving. Lower register, various tools, letter, with a scale, lower right., France, 1762, graphic design, Print, Print

Plate XXVI from Theatrum instrumentorum et machinarum, Julio Paschale, Woodcut on paper, Machine for grinding, probably grain. Above, two funnel pins pour grain into covered cylinders, coming out of them into another box, center. Grinding done in cylinders, driven by four men on wheels, below, attached to an axel and other cogged wheels. Description in Latin on verso of 1949-152-223., Europe, 1582, Print, Print

Hot plate with ovens, and kitchen range with smoke-jack and spit, shown at the Great Exhibition of 1851, by W Cook of Carnaby Street, London.

A printing press, rolling press, cider press and potash kiln with constituent parts. Engraving by A. Bell.

Equipment Used for Making Silk Textiles, Robert Bénard, French, 1734-1772, Louis-Jacques Goussier, French, 1722 - 1799, Engraving on paper, Equipment Used for Making Silk Textiles, France, ca. 1775, Print, Print

Catgut makers: various stages in the process of catgut making and instruments used. Etching by Antonio Baratti.

Process of washing silver and machinery used. Etching by Bénard after Lucotte.

Fig. CVI. Hydrotechnema, cum antlitrochis. Hydrotechnema trochantlicum.. Bockler, Georg Andreas. Prints, Drawings, Design drawings. 1662. Rare Book Division. Mechanical engineering, Machinery, Mills and mill-work, Waterwheels, Gearing

An engraving depicting a double-acting steam engine, City Sawmills, London. Dated 19th century

Passementerie, Mètier à Franges, J.R. Lucotte, French, 1750-84, Robert Bénard, French, 1734-1772, Engraving on paper, A man working at the loom as four women twist the material. Scale below., France, 1762, figures, Print, Print

Engraving depicting the Applegarth & Cowper's rotary printing press, basically the same as the model patented by them in 1818. Dated 19th century

Forging the bloom - one of the stages in purifying pig iron to make it suitable for wrought iron work. The forge hammer is operated by a cam mechanism, and the camshaft is turned by a voter wheel. From Denis Diderot 'Encyclopedie', Paris, 1751-80

An engraving depicting a Jacquard loom. The Jacquard machine was a device fitted to a power loom that simplifies the process of manufacturing textiles with such complex patterns as brocade, damask and matelasse. Dated 19th century

Cold stores for meat in Chicago, United States of America, made after the design of the Swiss physicist Raoul Pictet (1846-1929), illustration from L'Illustration, Journal Universel, year 41, volume LXXXII, no 2090, March 17, 1883.

Engraving depicting the rolling of sheet lead to the required thickness. Dated 19th century

Machine to mould bathtubs, produced by Vereinigte Schmirgel-und-Maschinenfabriken, Hannover, Germany, illustration from L'Industria, Rivista tecnica ed economica illustrata, Milan, 1908.

How to store the hose syringe and pump in the fire spray house after use, ca. 1750. A performance How the hose fire and pump must be stored in the fire spray house after use, ca. 1750 Belongs to the top prayer at the fire eating book by Jan van der Heyden.

Sections of a furnace used in the processing of copper. Engraving.

Illustration showing Machine for moulding candles 1842

Newcomen steam engine invented by Thomas Newcomen in 1712. It consisted of a pump designed to reduce water steam in the galleries of mines. Engraving.

Plate XXVII from Theatrum instrumentorum et machinarum, Julio Paschale, Woodcut on paper, Apparatus for grinding grain, inside a mill. Above (third floor), men pour grain through funnel into grinding bin. On floor beneath, two men turn wheels on axel which turns a central screw (by a cross on axel and circular frame as cogs on screw). Description in Latin on verso of 1949-152-224., Europe, 1582, Print, Print

Building construction: Egyptian plasterers, lime grinding mill in Cairo, stonework, brickwork, mode of removing houses in America.. Knight, Charles, 1791-1873. Prints, Illustrations. 1858. Science, Industry and Business Library: General Collection. Art, Industrial arts, Building construction

Engraving depicting a jigging machine at Fowey Consols Copper Mine, Cornwall. Ore was bruised in the hopper, and a boy then sieved it. The fragments of metal being smaller and heavier than stone passed through the sieve and the stones were picked off. Dated 19th century

The construction of the vault, excavation for the tunnel of Blaisy, Paris-Lyon railway, France, illustration from L'Illustration, Journal Universel, No 382, Volume XV, June 22, 1850.

Hydraulic press for printing Bandanas (handkerchief squares) Montieths Dyeworks, Glasgow, Scotland. Engraving, London, 1845.

Equipment Used for the Production of Passementerie, Robert Bénard, French, 1734-1772, Engraving on paper, Equipment Used for the Production of Passementerie., France, ca. 1775, Print, Print

Illustration showing Elevator for carrying ore to the furnaces, Phoenixville Works, Pennsylvania 1873

Textiles: silk manufacture in China, two women working at a loom. Engraving.

Illustration depicting the interior of a zinc works, located on city road, London. Dated 19th century

Textiles: water-powered equipment used for silk finishing, inside a factory. Engraving by R. Benard after L.-J. Goussier.

Heckling flax: The machines were belt-driven and power, either water or steam, was transmitted by overhead line shafting. Engraving, London, c1850.

Roasting coffee beans. Engraving, London, 1866.

Illustration showing Workshops at the Birmingham Small Arms Factory 1870,

Engraving depicting machines used to crush malt. The malt was passed between steel rollers to produce 'grist', the coarseness of which could be varied by altering the distance of the rollers from each other. Dated 19th century

Textiles: weaving and finishing fringes (top), the loom (below). Engraving by R. Benard after Lucotte.

Engraving depicting a boiler furnace at the City Sawmills. Dated 19th century

A group of carpenters on a building site in 18th century France. Date: Circa 1760

Hellard's patent Victoria side-delivery reaping and mowing machine.

Jacquards hole cards-controlled loom. Completed in 1804.

Engraving depicting Woelter's apparatus for producing wood pulp for paper making.

Tank for drying salt, Dieuze salt mine, France, illustration from L'Illustration, Journal Universel, No 412, Volume XVII, January 17-24, 1851.

Work on the Great Stockholm Tunnel, perforated by freezing. Denmark. Old 19th century engraved illustration from La Nature 1886

Ancient Age. Military marchinery. "Tellennon". This machine was used for raising and throwing men upon the towers and walls of besieges places. Engraving. Historia General de España by Father Mariana. Madrid, 1852.

Processing of iron. Etching by Bénard after L.J. Goussier.

Fig. XXXVI. Aconimylos.. Bockler, Georg Andreas. Prints, Drawings, Design drawings. 1662. Rare Book Division. Mechanical engineering, Machinery, Mills and mill-work, Agricultural machinery & implements, Pulleys, Gearing

Machinery used in the making of gold thread. Etching by Bénard after Lucotte.

An engraving of Brewing: large mash tun, in which malt and water were thoroughly mixed. London, (c. 1842)

Figures at a printing press, Jan van de Velde, after Pieter Jansz Saenredam, 1628 print The invention of book printing by Laurens Jansz. Coster in Haarlem, ca. 1440. Interior of a book printing company, with a printing press and putting letters. Haarlem paper etching printing press. printing, printing office Haarlem

A man is beating at a piece of metal in his hand, around him are the items he has made. Wood engraving.

Illustration showing Machine for cutting wicks for dip candles. 1842

Two workers at their weaving looms in a stocking factory and a description of the machine itself. Date: circa 1760

Printing industry: stereotype foundry; bookbinder's rolling machine; printing presses and equipment; hydraulic press.. Knight, Charles, 1791-1873. Prints, Illustrations. 1858. Science, Industry and Business Library: General Collection. Art, Industrial arts, Printing industry

Maintaining the tension on the warp threads of a carpet by adjusting the brakes on the loon. Dated between 1751-80

Confectioners, oven, 1751-1777. Artist: Unknown

Workplace with men polishing mirrors; Le Poli des Glaces. The polysty of the mirror glasses; Different crafts. Print from a series with performances of different crafts.

Forging mills, washing, 1751-1777. Artist: Denis Diderot Artist: Unknown

Fitting Guns in Turrets. Dated: 1916. Medium: lithograph. Museum: National Gallery of Art, Washington DC. Author: Joseph Pennell.

This illustration dates to the 1870s and shows Nasmyth's Steam Hammer. James Nasmyth was a Scottish engineer who gained fame for his development of the steam hammer. He was co-founder of Nasmyth, Gaskell and Company manufacturers of machine tools. With the steam hammer, the steam is admitted below the piston, which is thus raised to any required height within the limits of the stroke. When the communication with the boiler is shut off and the steam below the piston is allowed to escape, the piston, with the mass of ironforming the hammer attached to the piston-rod, falls by its own weight. Thi

Workman seated at a stocking frame. Copperplate engraving London, 1764.

An engraving depicting mash tuns and coppers in a French brewery. Dated 19th century

Cotton Manufacture. Cotton Mills at Belper in Derbyshire

Perpendicular Canal Lift. Cranes hoisted a tub boat, the weight of which was counterbalanced by tub of water in shaft parallel to path of boat. Semaphore signal indicated status of boat. Not found practicable. From 'A Treatise on the Improvement of Canal Navigation' by Robert Fulton (London, 1796). Robert Fulton (1765-1815) American engineer. Engraving.

An engraving depicting the submarine telegraph cable between Holyhead on the Welsh coast and Howth in Ireland: 1852. The cable is laid from the deck of the Britannia. Dated 19th century

Equipment. .

Woman on a rinsing mill, Frans de Bakker, 1747 print Print from a series with performances of different crafts. Amsterdam paper etching / engraving winding of yarn on reels or spools

Textiles: tapestry weaving, detail of the top beam of a loom. Engraving by R. Benard after Radel.

A forge, ironworks, 1751-1777. Artist: Denis Diderot

The Fellow 'Prentices at their Looms: Industry and Idleness, plate 1 September 30, 1747 William Hogarth British. The Fellow 'Prentices at their Looms: Industry and Idleness, plate 1 398601

Joseph Pennell, Fitting Guns in Turrets, 1916 Fitting Guns in Turrets

Brewer stirring mash in a huge vat while another man shovels coal into a furnace. Other men roll whisky barrels on the ground floor. Woodblock engraving from The Book of English Trades, or Library of Useful Arts, F.C.& J. Rivington, London, 1821.

Fig. CXXXII. Haustrum per capsulas, & antlitrochon. Haustrum, per capsulas, annexo trochantlico.. Bockler, Georg Andreas. Prints, Drawings, Design drawings. 1662. Rare Book Division. Mechanical engineering, Machinery, Mills and mill-work, Waterwheels, Gearing

Fig. XLIX. Hydromylos.. Bockler, Georg Andreas. Prints, Drawings, Design drawings. 1662. Rare Book Division. Mechanical engineering, Machinery, Mills and mill-work, Waterwheels, Flour & meal industry

Manufacture of soap: (above) men are using long implements to work at the contents of a vat; (below) instruments. Engraving by Benard after Radel.

An engraving depicting a sectional view of the production of coal gas. 19th century

Machines: a gas-fired glass-furnace, long and short sections, plan and details. Engraving, after 1861.

Fig. LIV. Hydromylos cum cochleâ. Ein-einsache Schraub oder Wirbelkunst, neben einem druck und mahlweck. Sitimylos, per hydrocochleas.. Bockler, Georg Andreas. Prints, Drawings, Design drawings. 1662. Rare Book Division. Mechanical engineering, Machinery, Mills and mill-work, Waterwheels, Millstones, Flour & meal industry

Iron industry and ironwork: ancient swords and daggars; manufacture of nails, screws and wire; drilling machine; planing machine.. Knight, Charles, 1791-1873. Prints, Illustrations. 1858. Science, Industry and Business Library: General Collection. Art, Industrial arts, Ironwork, Iron industry

Textiles: silk manufacture in China, a weaver at his loom. Engraving.

Double Jacquard Loom.

Coining Machines : (L) For writing on edge (R) Mill Date: 1797

Singeing a length of cotton cloth to remove any hairy wisps and leave a smooth surface before bleaching, Thomas Hipoyle & Sons, Dunkinfield, Near Manchester, England. Engraving, London, 1843.

Engraving depicting The Times printing machine developed by Augustus Applegath. Augustus Applegath (1788-1871) an English printer and inventor known for developing the first workable vertical-drum rotary printing press. Dated 19th century

Reel for winding and counting hanks of cotton thread. Engraving, London, 1866.

Photo collection Government information service. Ground - steam and electric, card. undated

Paper making machine, 1866. Artist: Unknown

A man is hammering metal strips onto a trunk he is making. Wood engraving.

Figures at a printing press, Jan van de Velde, after Pieter Jansz Saenredam, 1628 print The invention of book printing by Laurens Jansz. Coster in Haarlem, ca. 1440. Interior of a book printing company, with a printing press and putting letters. Haarlem paper etching printing press. printing, printing office Haarlem

Fur industry: hat-making, Canadian voyageurs.. Knight, Charles, 1791-1873. Prints, Illustrations. 1858. Science, Industry and Business Library: General Collection. Art, Industrial arts, Hat industry, Fur trade

Hand-powered hydraulic press. Engraving, 1887.

Sectional view of the turbines of the Portrush railway. This was the first railway to be powered by hydroelectricity. The electrical work was carried out under the direction of Charles Siemens. Carl Wilhelm Siemens (1823-1883) a German-born engineer and entrepreneur. Dated 19th century

Fermenting backs and workers in a whiskey distillery. Wood engraving, late 19th century.

How the beer gets from the barrels in the cellar to the beer-pull on the bar counter, thanks to carbonic acid gas in Hermann- Lachapelle's apparatus Date: circa 1880

Machinery used in the cooling and processing of copper. Etching by Bénard after L.J. Goussier.

THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION

Stamping machine for crushing flint for use in pottery, The Potteries, Staffordshire, England. Engraving, London, 1860.

Winches, pulleys and other machinery, early 19th century. Copperplate engraving by Wilson Lowry after a drawing by J. Farey from Abraham Rees' Cyclopedia or Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences and Literature, Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown, London, 1820.

Lodewijk Philip I of France under a printing press, Honoré Daumier, 1833 print A printer runs on a printing press with King Louis Philips I of France underneath. His umbrella is on the ground for the printing press. paper political caricatures and satires. printing press

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