Observer Collection (#7)

A Stunt Cyclist Silhouette

US Navy Hellcats fly off on a mission

Royal Aircraft Factory RE8 reconnaisance aircraft
Photograph showing a Royal Aircraft Factory RE8 reconnaisance aircraft, right view, standing on a grass airfield with it?s crew in the cockpits, 1917-1918 (c)

Bomb dropping apparatus of German Aviators 1915
German avaitors in The Roland biplane bomber. This diagram shows observer operating the pedal board to release the plate in the floor of the fuselage, ready for bombs to be dropped

Girl looking through binoculars

Interior- R hut at the Dunkirk, Kent, Chain Home radar sta
Interior of the receiver or R hut at the Dunkirk, Kent, Chain Home radar station in 1940. In the centre are the observer and the converter. Date: 1940

Simon Marius, German astronomer
Simon Marius (1573-1624), German astronomer. Marius, independently of Galileo, discovered the four major moons of Jupiter

Newtons optics. Coloured artwork of the English physicist Isaac Newton (1642-1727) conducting his famous experiment on light

Ukrainian serving with the German army, Russian Front, 1941-1944. Detail from a German propaganda poster. When the Germans invaded the Soviet Union in 1941

Observation post in a tree, Woevre, France, World War I, c1914. A print from the Le Flambeau (the Torch)

The Oath in the Tennis Court, 1791. Artist: Jacques Louis David
The Oath in the Tennis Court, 1791. Located in the collection at, Musee National du Cheteau, Versailles

Diagram of Zeppelin 1916
The new features of the engines of frightfulness. Showing the observation car with observer lying upon a woollen mattress and the Zeppelin system of gas control. Date: 1916

Daily Chronicle newspaper activity for children
Daily Chronicle national newspaper, activity for children, a puzzle game involving colouring in large letters. Probably at a seaside venue during summer holidays. Date: circa 1920

O- Pip A French observation post in a tree
Artillery observation post in wooded district on hills, with a birds eye view obtained over the enemys lines. Date: 1916

World War I (1914-1918). Use of choking smoke in the attacks on French and British troops. May 1915. Colored engraving

PASTEUR, Louis (1822-1895). Pasteur observes the effects of
PASTEUR, Louis (1822-1895) French chemist and bacteriologist. Pasteur observes the effects of inoculation of rabies virus, Paris. Engraving by Rico

Reconnaissance Balloons
Rodeks observation balloon for the German Army reduces weight by dispensing with the basket, but the observer might feel over-exposed, and become uncomfortable after a while. Date: 1895

Testing Candidates by William Heath Robinson
Testing candidates for the position of water diviner on the Metropolitan Water Board. Credit must appear as: Courtesy of Mrs J. C. Robinson/Pollinger Ltd/Mary Evans Picture Library Date: 1947

Aeroplane that flew itself
A British biplane flies on, though the pilot and observer are both dead. The aeroplane was observing artillery when set upon by enemy Albatros scouts

WW1 - French air reconnaisance, 1914
WW1 - French air-scouts on a Breguet biplane. A Sergeant of Engineers is piloting, one passenger is observing the country below, the other throws out a cylindrical case containing a message

WW1 - Captain Hawker takes on three Germans in the air
WW1 - Captain Lanoe George Hawker VC, DSO (1890-1916), was a British flying ace, with seven credited victories. This illustration captures an occassion on 25th July 1915

Royal Aircraft Factory FE 2d two seater plane, with pilot, observer and reconnaissance camera. It helped end the scourge of the notorious Fokker Eindecker. Date: circa 1915-1917

Morane-Saulnier BB two-seat biplane
Morane-Saulnier BB two-seat reconnaissance and escort fighter biplane with two observer-operated Lewis guns. Date: circa 1915-1916

German Type AE observation balloon, copied from a French model, which was used extensively from early summer 1916 onwards. It was capable of day and night operation

Breguet Bre 14B. 2 bomber of Escadrille BR 111
Breguet Bre 14B.2 bomber belonging to Escadrille BR 111 in low-level flight, with white swan symbol on its side. Date: circa 1916-1918

WW2 birthday card, dog and cats
WW2 pop-up birthday card, may Good Luck spot you! A spotted dog and two black cats watch the sky with binoculars, as fire watchers and aircraft spotters. Date: circa 1942

They ve evidently seen me by Bruce Bairnsfather
They ve evidently seen me. A British soldier, precariously peering out the top of a chimney pot, binoculars in hand, is narrowly missed by an enemy shell

Zeppelin observation car by G. H. Davis, WW1
Cut-away illustration of an observation car which had been attached to a Zeppelin but cast off and picked up over East Anglia allowing the British, and artist, G. H

RFC after reconnaissance work on Western Front, WW1
The pilot and observer of a Royal Flying Corps aeroplane are helped back to their rest quarters after returning from a reconnaissance mission over the Western Front

James Garvin
James Louis Garvin (1868 - 1947), influential journalist and writer, editor of the Observer from 1908 to 1947 and of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Date: 1914

A Balancing Feat over the German lines, WW1 aviation
Gymnastics in the air from the crew of a British plane over the German lines in 1917. Flying low, the plane was subjected to an exceptionally heavy cannonade until a shell, hitting the machine

A hand-made wooden model of a WWI biplane
A hand-made wooden model of a First World War bi-plane with a metal undercarriage. Together with wooden replicas of its pilot and observer. Trench Art

WWI propeller with inscribed silver plaque
WW1 propeller with inscribed silver plaque, dated 8th June 1916. In memory of a forced landing in a cornfield at Avesnes. Observer - 2nd Ltn. J. Heyward and Pilot - 2nd Ltn. F. Gartside-Tippinge

Royal Flying Corps airmen attack a German monoplane, 1914
British army airmen of the Royal Flying Corps attacking a German monoplane in 1914. The pilot is seated behind the observer in the British biplane; the observer repels attack and fires on the enemy

British balloon observer on the Western Front
The observer stands with telephone receiver over his head; a mouthpiece hangs in front of him. Date: 1916

Observation kite-balloon, WW1
A kite-balloon in use for observation purposes during a coast bombardment. The balloon is towed by a vessel which is specially adapted for carrying it (inflated) on deck

RAF personnel marking German positions, WW1
RAF pilots and observers marking German positions in preparation for a raid, on the Western Front in France during World War One. Date: circa 1918

RAF observer with wireless transmitter, WW1
An RAF observer with a wireless transmitter which allows him to keep in touch with British guns, on the Western Front in France during World War One. Date: circa 1918

Pilot and observer about to set out, Western Front, WW1
A British pilot and his observer getting instructions through their CO via photographs and maps before setting out for the German lines on the Western Front in France during World War One

Men in basket of observation balloon, WW1
Two men with telephones and maps in the basket of an RFA observation balloon on the Western Front in France during World War One. Date: circa 1916

French soldiers in trench, Vailly, France, WW1
French soldiers in a trench near Vailly-sur-Aisne, northern France, during the First World War. Painted by a member of the French Foreign Legion. Date: March 1915

Valley Fir Shade Mountain 1909 Oil canvas 29 x 35 1 / 2
Artokoloro

Pines Shore 1896 Oil canvas 21 1 / 4 x 25 3 / 4 54 65. 4 cm
Artokoloro

World War I (1914-1918). Use of choking smoke in the attacks on French and British troops
World War I (1914-1918).Use of choking smoke in the attacks on French and British troops. May 1915. Colored engraving

Lamp made of twenty thousand incandescent lights. Invention created by Thomas Alva Edison (Milan)
Lamp made of 20, 000 incandescent lights. Invention created by Thomas Alva Edison (Milan, Ohio, 1847-West Orange, 1931). 19th-century engraving. Colored

Solar eclipse composite, Queensland, Australia
Solar eclipse composite with observers, Mulligan Highway, Queensland, Australia

Parade of the Black Sea Fleet in 1849, 1886 (oil on canvas)
BAL909363 Parade of the Black Sea Fleet in 1849, 1886 (oil on canvas) by Aivazovsky, Ivan Konstantinovich (1817-1900); Central Naval Museum, St

The Holy Well, 1916 (tempera on canvas)
BAL425753 The Holy Well, 1916 (tempera on canvas) by Orpen, William (1878-1931); 234x186 cm; National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland; eLiss Fine Art; Irish, out of copyright

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"Observer: Witnessing the World's Wonders through Time" Step into the realm of observation, where history unfolds before your eyes. From a captivating World War II poster urging you to "Fly with the RAF, " to witnessing the bending of starlight by the sun's attraction in Einstein's groundbreaking theory. Travel back to the 19th century and marvel at artwork depicting Halley's comet, a celestial spectacle that has fascinated observers for centuries. Experience the thrill of dropping from a kite balloon in 1917, as brave souls risked their lives for vital information during wartime. Intriguingly, even during times of conflict, recruitment posters beckoned men to join forces with Royal Air Force pilots and observers who marked targets with precision. And who could forget our feathered friends? Discover how pigeons served as military observers in 1914, delivering crucial messages across enemy lines. But observation isn't limited to war; it extends beyond earthly boundaries. Behold nature's mesmerizing display as Aurora Borealis dances across darkened skies—a sight that leaves all spectators spellbound. Curiosity knows no bounds—flip open Pears Annual from Christmas 1892 and immerse yourself in its pages filled with wonderment. Marvel at an incandescent giant lamp modeled after Edison's revolutionary bulb showcased at Expo—an invention that illuminated minds worldwide. Fast forward to quantum cryptography equipment—a testament to humanity's relentless pursuit of secure communication channels amidst an ever-evolving digital landscape. Through time and space, observation remains intrinsic to our existence—whether gazing upon historical events or peering into scientific breakthroughs. As we reflect on these diverse glimpses into human curiosity and progress, let us embrace our role as keen observers shaping tomorrow’s world.