Much of what we consider “history” focuses on mankind, leaving the study of the natural world to “science”. But our understanding of the universe has changed drastically over time, and what we consider “science” has changed with it.
In this display, we take a look at materials documenting the ways we have used science and technology to revolutionize our interactions with the natural world and each other.
From Galileo’s letter requesting more (and better) wine, to Edison’s scrawled boast about his inventions’ longevity, HSP is far from a repository only for “history”. HSP’s collections encompass the full breadth of the human endeavor – including our struggles and successes in scientific experimentation.
“On the Shoulders of Ye Giants”: A Look at Science from the Stacks of HSP features manuscripts, photographs, prints, and more:
- Eadweard Muybridge’s photographic experiments of men and animals in motion
- John James Audubon’s Viviparous Quadrupeds, featuring the artist’s renditions of many North American mammals
- Letter from Sir Isaac Newton containing his famed remark: "If I have seen further, it is by standing on ye shoulders of giants."
- Visual representations of sound and music produced by the harmonograph
- Music and color experiments for Mary Hallock Greenewalt’s light-organ, the Sarabet
- Letters from Charles Darwin, Thomas Edison, and Galileo
Free and open to the public during regular library hours.