Historical Scientific Instruments

Divisional Holdings in Engineering

Among the holdings in Yale Peabody Museum’s Division of Historical Scientific Instruments are instruments used in the teaching of engineering courses.

In 1852 W.A. Norton was elected the first professor of civil engineering at Yale University. In a letter to the Yale Sheffield Scientific School, Professor Norton proposed that the engineering course encompass the study of the following:

• Surveying, including instruction on the use of instruments such as the theodolite, compass and level.
  
• Drawing of topographical, geometrical, machine, architectural subjects, and including the techniques of shading and tinting.
  
• Descriptive geometry, to cover geometrical shades and shadows, linear perspective and isometric perspective.
  
• The application of descriptive geometry to masonry and stonecutting in the construction of arches, and to civil and mechanical engineering.
  
• The principles of architecture.
  
• Analytical geometry.
  
• Mechanics, including hydraulics and pneumatics, and the application of mechanics to machinery and engineering.
• Construction, including the nature, strength and mode of preparing building materials.
• Field engineering, concerning the location of roads, surveys for excavations and embankments, and determination of time, latitude and longitude.
  

The Yale Peabody Museum’s collections are available to legitimate researchers for scholarly use. Loans are issued to responsible individuals at established institutions. Loans and access to the collection can be arranged through the Collections Manager.

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