Furnace Collection (#21)

Native Furnace - near to Bamako, Mali, West Africa. Date: circa 1909

Where Britain forges victory. This pictures were taken in a Royal Ordinance factory of the Ministry of Supply where, thousands of workers are producing arms

Hydraulic machine used to power a foundray furnace. Sketch after a Chinese work of 1313
CHINESE FOUNDRY, 1313. Hydraulic machine used to power a foundray furnace. Sketch after a Chinese work of 1313

Fittleworth Smithy - February 1940
Interior view of 3 smiths at work George Garland Collection West Sussex Record Office Ref. No. Garland N19188

The Fiery Furnace and the Golden Image of Nebuchanezzar. circa late 18th century

Picture No. 10880722
Solar Cooking Furnace Date:

Picture No. 10897093
Solar panels in the immediate vicinity of the Furnace Creek Visitor Center in the Death Valley Date:

Picture No. 10897097
The luxury Furnace Creek Inn against the background of the Amargosa Mountains Date:

The first commercially successful steam engine, patented in England by Thomas Savery in 1698
STEAM ENGINE, 1698. The first commercially successful steam engine, patented in England by Thomas Savery in 1698. Wood engraving, 19th century

Roasting copper in a furnace: C. A: cakes of smelted copper, B: wooden faggots for heat. On right man is using wooden wheelbarrow. From Agricola (George Bauer) De re metallica, Basle, 1556

Different forms of blast furnace. Bellows supplying draught are powered by overshot water wheel. From Vannocio Biringuccio De la Pirotechnia, Venice 1540

Using bellows to increase draught in furnace for refining copper. Note cupellation cakes of partially refined copper beneath the bellows. From Vannocio Biringuccio De la Pirotechnia, Venice 1540

Blast furnace for smelting iron ore. From Agricola De re Metallica, Basle, 1556. Woodcut

Blast furnaces, Barrow Haematite Iron and Steel Company, Barrow in Furness, Lancashire (Cumbria). Charge being taken to top of furnace on railway

Separating lead from silver or gold in a cupellation furnace. From Agricola (Georg Bauer) De re metallica, Basel 1556. The Foreman consumed quantities of butter to avoid being poisoned

Forging a magnet. From William Gilbert De Magnete, London, 1600. Metal on the anvil is aligned North/South (Septentrio/Auster). Woodcut

Fig. 1: Samuel Cleggs (1781-1861) gas apparatus (1808). Fig. 7: B. Cooks gas apparatus
Fig. 1: Samuel Cleggs (1781-1861) gas apparatus (1808). Fig.7: B. Cooks gas apparatus. Figs 8&9: Furnace for producing tar as gas by-product

Smelting of ores (gold, silver, copper and lead). Workman beats clay to make lute to line furnace. On floor are various tools needed during process. From Agricola De re metallica, Basel 1556

Industrial landscape. Ironworks at night, blast furnace in centre. Wales. Artist, Penry Williams (1798-1885) Private collection

Manufacture of crown glass by blowing (left) and plate glass by casting (right). From The Universal Magazine London 1760. Glass workers were susceptible to cataract caused by glare of the furnace

Tapping a blast furnace and running molten iron into the Pigs. Wood engraving c1885

Artists reconstruction of casting weapons in the Iron Age. Left background, heating metal in furnace. Right, pouring molten metal into mould. Centre, Mould opened and cast object removed

Charging a blast furnace at the Govan Iron Works, Scotland. Charge fed into cup around cone, as cone lifted the charge fell into top of furnace. Molten metal run off when furnace tapped at bottom

The foundry or cast house, Butterley Ironworks, Derbyshire. Tapping the furnace and casting iron into pigs. Manager in top hat and tail coat watches the procedure. Wood engraving 1844

Artists reconstruction of a late Iron Age forge. In centre the smith is hammering iron. In background another is working at the furnace. Wood engraving London 1890

A Steel Plant, Cleveland, Ohio Postcard. 1901, A Steel Plant, Cleveland, Ohio Postcard

Electric furnace. Liebig Trade Card c1910. Technology Electricity

Landscape with Village Fete (detail). Oil on canvas. Centre right is a forge or furnace powered by an overshot waterwheel. Lucas van Valckenhorgh (1530-1597) Flemish painter. Rocks Industry Leat

The Alchemist 1661. Oil on panel. Adriaen van Ostade (1610-1685) Dutch genre painter. Alchemist applying bellows to furnace

Tapping blast furnace and casting iron into pigs. Engraving, c1895

Tapping blast furnace and casting iron into pigs, Siemens Iron and Steel Works, Landore, South Wales. From The English Illustrated Magazine, London, 1885. Engraving

The Hermetic Vessel, c1760. Hermetic vessel in the alchemical furnace. The serpent within the vase symbolises the earthy substances of which the Philosophers Stone is made

Distillation 1882. Cross-section showing furnace heating a still. Matter distilled is discharged through beak of the alembic and is condensed in the worm that runs through the refrigerator

Distillation 1500. Three alembics stand on top of furnace. The distillate condenses in caps on top of vessels and flows down into collecting bottles

Iron Foundry. From Pyne Microcosm, London, 1809

Alchemical laboratory showing various forms of furnace and vessels. From Elias Ashmole Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum London 1652

Lead chambers for large-scale production of sulphuric acid (Oil of Vitriol or HS204.) (1874). Sectional view showing the process from begging to end from the furnace (left)

Athanor or Slow Harry, a self-feeding furnace maintaining a constant temperature. Centre: 1) Athanor or Slow Harry : 2) side chambers containing reagents: 3) glass receivers

Furnace for processes where protracted heat required, such as cementation. This furnace is gravity-fed and self-stoking. From 1683 English edition of Beschreibung allerfurnemisten mineralischen

Laboratory for refining gold and silver, showing typical laboratory equipment. 1, Athanor or Slow Harry, a self-feeding furnace maintaining a constant temperature. 2, 2

The Spur Maker. Craftsman talks to customer while continuing to file a spur which is held in a vice. Behind him in his workshop a fire is burning in the furnace where he heats metal before shaping it

The Sixth Key of Basil Valentine, legendary 15th century German monk, showing the marriage of the alchemical king (gold) and queen (silver)

Distillation of nitric acid (Aqua fortis or parting acid) in an iron man with two noses. From Philio-Chemico-Medicus Christopher Packe (1689)

Bellows operated by camshaft powered by water wheel. (just visible at extreme right) supplying draught to a smelting furnace

Forge with bellows driven by an undershot water wheel through cranks. From Georg Andreas Bockler Theatrum Machinarum Novum Nuremberg 1673. Copperplate engraving

Forge showing bellows and hammer powered by an undershot water wheel through drive shaft, B, with cam, C working hammer, and crank, G, operating bellows

Rolling mill and forge powered by hot gases from furnace M. Idea proposed by Giovanni Branca in Le Machine Rome 1629. Woodcut

Men and boys at Aspley Pellatts Falcon Glass Works, Holland Street, Blackfriars, London, 1842. Note cast iron roof trusses

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"Furnace: A Journey Through Time and Industry" Step into the world of furnaces, where history intertwines with innovation. From the detailed maps of Sheffield in 1797 to the captivating Novgorod Icon depicting the Last Judgement, these glimpses into our past reveal how furnaces have shaped civilizations. In Peder Severin's masterpiece "The Iron Foundry, " we witness the birth of industrialization in 1885. The rhythmic dance of molten iron captures both the power and beauty found within these fiery chambers. Travel back even further to biblical times as King Nebuchadnezzar confronts his fate in "King Nebuchadnezzar and the Fiery Furnace. " This tale reminds us that furnaces have long been symbols of trials and transformation. Artists like Thomas Harris immortalize scenes from daily life, such as "The Iron Forge Viewed from Without" or "The Forge. " These works transport us to a time when skilled craftsmen harnessed fire's energy to shape metal into useful tools. But they are not limited to metals alone; they also play a vital role in other industries. In Charles Frederic Ulrich's painting, we see glass blowers on Murano Island perfecting their craft with intense heat and precision. Fast forward to modern times with images like "Blast Furnaces" by an unknown artist from Park Gate Iron and Steel Co. These towering structures symbolize progress, showcasing how technology has advanced over decades. Furnaces continue to evolve, adapting to new materials like steel showcased at Govan Ironworks in Glasgow during 1950 or zinc production at Vieille Montagne factory captured on paper around 1860. Each step forward represents humanity's relentless pursuit of innovation. As we explore this diverse collection spanning centuries, it becomes clear that they are more than mere machines—they embody human ingenuity and resilience. They remind us of our ability to harness the elements and shape our world.