Collection Highlights
Mayor George B. McClellan at the controls of the first subway train, October 27, 1904
Date:
1904
Object Number:
PR.020.90.1
Medium:
Silver gelatin print
SUPPORT THE NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Help us present groundbreaking exhibitions and develop educational programs about our nation's history for more than 200,000 schoolchildren annually.
Museum Collections
Luce Center
Astrolabe
Object Number:
1941.303
Date:
1750-1780
Medium:
Brass
Dimensions:
Overall: 1/4 x 4 1/2 in. ( 0.6 x 11.4 cm )
Marks:
engraved: on edge of circle: "Gen. Philip Schuyler."
Description:
Brass astrolabe consisting of a graduated circle with a pivoting sighting bar at its center; suspension ring missing.
Gallery Label:
According to the accession records, this object belonged to General Philip Schuyler. Though identified in the accession records as a sundial, it appears instead to be an astrolabe, a device used to measure the altitude of a heavenly body. The astrolabe reached the Latin West from Moslem Spain around A.D. 1000 and was used in Europe as a navigation instrument well into the eighteenth century.
Credit Line:
Gift of Miss Elizabeth Harison and Mr. William Harison
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.
