Tangible Things

Tangible Things

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Tangible Things brings together roughly two hundred objects, natural and artificial, drawn from Harvard’s massive collections. The exhibit, which is housed in the second floor Special Exhibitions Galleryof the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments Collection and at other sites around the…

Harvard Department of History of Science and the Program in General Education


    • May 26, 2011 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 1m AVG DURATION
    • 28 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Tangible Things

    Tangible Things Tour Guide

    Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2011


    Please follow along with the audio tracks in this PDF tour guide. Each page matches up with the corresponding track number.

    tangible tour guides
    Norma and Normman, Abram Belskie, USA, c. 1945

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2011 1:10


    Warren Anatomical Museum, Center for the History of Medicine, Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, WAM 20519 and 20520

    united states history medicine wam
    Floriform Vase, Louis Comfort Diffany, Corona, NY, c. 1900

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2011 1:01


    Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum Gift of Murray Anthony and Bessie Lincoln Potter, 1957.43

    corona comfort vase
    Molly Rogers, Delia's Tears: Race, Science, and Photography in Nineteenth-Century America (New Haven, 2010)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2011 1:40


    photography tears rogers new haven nineteenth century america race science
    Painted pottery plate Nock-ko-ist (Bear's Heart), Southern Tsistsistas (Cheyenne people), c. 1887-1894

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2011 1:31


    Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology Gift of the Hemenway Heirs, 44-35-10/27481

    southern plate archaeology painted pottery nock peabody museum
    Portrait of Eliza Kellog, Radcliffe College AB 1962

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2011 1:10


    Radcliffe Archives, W349760_1

    portrait kellog radcliffe college
    Slate with "Spirit Writing"

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2011 1:10


    Herrick-Chapman Family Papers Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America 2007-M7

    america women history spirit writing slate m7
    Textile fragments from Spiro Mounds Muscogee people (Spiro, Oklahoma, USA), before c. 1450

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2011 1:08


    Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology Gift of Charles C. Willoughby, 39-21-10/13077

    united states oklahoma archaeology fragments textile willoughby spiro mounds peabody museum muscogee
    Beetle necklace or bracelet, Naga people, India or Myanmar, 1913 or before

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2011 1:10


    Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology 13-24-60/D2145

    myanmar archaeology beetle bracelets necklace naga peabody museum
    Double weave basket, Up Across and Down design Clara Darden, Chitimacha people, Louisiana, USA, c. 1900-1910

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2011 1:00


    Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, 32-18-10/28

    united states design louisiana basket archaeology weave darden ethnology peabody museum
    Mask, Teotihuacan, Mexico, 3rd-7th centuries

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2011 1:07


    Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop 1943.1055

    mexico mask centuries teotihuacan bequest
    Bedspread for Harvard Graduate Center Anni Albers, Cambridge, MA, 1949

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2011 0:54


    Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum Gift of Anni Albers, BR67.20

    graduate center cambridge ma harvard graduate anni albers
    Bottles of chemicals marked "Medical College of Alabama," Rousseau Freres, Paris, c. 1862

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2011 1:13


    Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments 4516, 4529, 4609, 4618, 4654, 4661, 4671

    alabama collection marked chemicals bottles rousseau medical college freres paris c
    Corn cob pipe, USA, 1919

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2011 1:27


    Economic Botany Herbarium of Oakes Ames Harvard University Herbaria, #00200162

    united states corn pipe
    The President's Chair, turned three-square great chair, Britian, c. 1550-c. 1600, with later American handgrips

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2011 1:23


    Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum Loan from The President and Fellows of Harvard College, 979.1933

    american president square fellows harvard college britian
    Framed dress fragment, said to have belonged to Priscilla Mullins, 17th century

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2011 1:49


    Radcliffe Picture Collection, Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America

    america women history dress framed mullins fragment 17th century belonged
    Mounted carved coconut goblet decorated with scenes from the story of Samson, Hans Peter Muller Breslau, Germany, c. 1600

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2011 1:01


    Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum Purchase in memory of Eda K. Loeb, BR61.58.A-B

    germany scenes coconut loeb goblet decorated carved mounted hans peter breslau peter muller
    Dog paw print in a mud brick Nuzi, Mesopotamia, 1500-1300 BC

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2011 1:10


    Semitic Museum, 1930.13B.2

    dogs print brick mesopotamia
    Die-cut tin blue bird sign, Massachusetts, 1915

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2011 1:35


    Women’s Rights Collection, Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America

    america women history massachusetts bluebird
    Patent medicine bottle, Macamoose, the Great Indian Tonic, containing the dessicated body of a house mouse, USA, c. 1865

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2011 1:33


    General Artemas Ward House Museum, HU 2072

    united states body medicine indian mouse bottle patent hu tonic
    Pencil that belonged to Henry David Thoreau, Concord, MA, c. 1850s

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2011 1:01


    Houghton Library, *47Z-7

    pencil henry david thoreau belonged houghton library concord ma
    Calculus formed from oxalate of lime, uric acid and phosphate of lime, USA, late 19th century

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2011 1:08


    Warren Anatomical Museum, Center for the History of Medicine, Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, WAM 04089

    united states history medicine acid formed lime wam 19th century calculus phosphate uric oxalate
    Walking plow, Massachusetts, late 18th century

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2011 1:20


    General Artemas Ward House Museum, HU 4070

    walking massachusetts hu plow 18th century
    Miniature Globe, James Ferguson, c. 1757

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2011 1:20


    The Ebenezer Storer Collection, Harvard University Archives HUG 1808.1000.1

    globe miniature james ferguson
    Campfire-style dress, belt, and beads by Sarah Jenney Gilbert Kerlin, 1947-1950

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2011 1:35


    Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, Gift of Catharine Wilder Guiles (Radcliffe 1959), 2006-M88

    america women history style gift dress belt campfires beads jenney
    Skull of a helmeted Hornbill (Rhinoplax vigil); Sumatra, Borneo, or the Malay peninsular, the casque carved in China

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2011 1:08


    Museum of Comparative Zoology, Ornithology, 337690 19th century

    china museum skull vigil borneo sumatra malay carved ornithology casque peninsular hornbill comparative zoology
    Silver band for a Passamaquoddy (Peskotomuhkati) woman's hat, Maine, USA or New Brunswick, Canada, c. 1875

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2011 1:13


    Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, 985-27-10/60273A

    united states band silver archaeology ethnology passamaquoddy new brunswick canada peabody museum maine usa
    Palette used by John Singer Sargent (1856-1925)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2011 1:05


    Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum Gift of Miss Emily Sargent and Mrs. Francis Ormond in memory of their brother, John Singer Sargent (through Thomas A. Fox, Esq.), 1933.49

    esq palette john singer sargent

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