Archives Center, National Museum of American History
James W. Queen & Company Collection
Leeds and Northrup Company
Gray Instrument Company
Queen, James W., & Company
Queen-Gray Company
NMAH.AC.0015
Archival Resource Key
3.5 Cubic feet
7 boxes
1850-1952
Collection documents James W. Queen & Company and its successors Leeds and Northrup Company, Queen-Gray Company, and Gray Instrument Company, manufacturers of instruments for laboratory and industrial use. The collection contains catalogs, circulars, photographs, and miscellaneous publications and documents.
English
.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into three series.
Series 1, Catalogs and Circulars, 1896-1952
Series 2, Photographs, circa 1907
Series 3, Miscellaneous Materials, 1850-1951
Scope and Contents
The collection contains catalogs, circulars, blueprints, and photographs describing equipment and supplies offered for sale by James W. Queen & Company and its successors, including the Leeds and Northrop Company, the Queen Gray Company, and the Gray Instrument Company.
Biographical / Historical
James W. Queen & Company of Philadelphia manufactured scientific instruments for laboratory and industrial use. The company was founded in 1853 by James W. Queen (1811-1890), and J.G. Gray became the president in the 1890s. The company won several awards, including the Franklin Institute's John Scott Medal for the invention of the self-regulating aspect of their x-ray tubes. In 1912 James W. Queen & Company was reorganized into the Queen-Gray Company. After J.G. Gray's death in 1825, it became the Gray Instrument Company.
Sources
Charles E. Smart, The Makers Of Surveying Instruments In America Since 1700, (Troy, New York: Regal Art Press, 1962) (accessed 6 August 2010).
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, "Queen," Physical Sciences Collection- Surveying and Geodesy(accessed 6 August 2010).
Processing Information
Processed by Robert S. Harding, archivist, November, 1981.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research use.
Conditions Governing Use
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Preferred Citation
James W. Queen & Company Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Related Materials
Materials in the Archives Center
AC0215, Instrument Society of America Collection, 1911-1969
Custodial History
This collection was transferred from the Division of Electricity (now the Division of Work and Industry) National Museum of American History on April 13, 1983.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
Photographs -- 1900-1950
Scientific instruments manufacturing
Books
Catalogs
Photographs -- 1850-1900
Scientific apparatus and instruments industry
Scientific apparatus and instruments
Catalogs and Circulars
Series 1
Archival Resource Key
1896‑1952
Scope and Contents
This series consists of catalogs and circulars describing the scientific instruments sold by the James W. Queen Company, the Queen-Gray Company, the Gray Instrument Company, and the Leeds and Northrup Company. The instruments were targeted towards professionals and institutions, but were also used by hobbyists. Instruments sold included galvanometers and other electrical instruments, pneumatics, x-ray equipment, meteorological equipment, and optical instruments.
Queen & Company, 18 circulars 4-366
Archival Resource Key
1896‑1899
1
1
Queen & Company, 7 circulars 366-454
Archival Resource Key
1898‑1904
1
2
Queen & Company, 6 circulars 474-1204
Archival Resource Key
1899‑1905
1
3
Queen & Company, 4 catalogs of electrical instruments for light and power stations 1-90
Archival Resource Key
undated
1
4
Queen and Gray Company 8 Bulleting E-2 E-100
Archival Resource Key
undated
1
5
Queen Self Regulating X-ray tube
Archival Resource Key
1897‑1898
1
6
Queen & Company, galvanometer
Archival Resource Key
1900
1
7
Queen & Company, Catalogue of Physical Apparatus for Students Use
Archival Resource Key
1901‑1902
1
8
Queen & Company, Standard X-ray apparatus
Archival Resource Key
1902
1
9
Queen & Company, physical laboratory supplies and accessories
Archival Resource Key
1903
1
10
Queen & Company, standard instruments for resistance measurements
Archival Resource Key
1904
1
11
Queen & Company, Queen standard photometric apparatus
Archival Resource Key
1909
1
12
Queen & Company, Queen-Gray Company, Gray Instrument Company, miscellaneous publications and advertisements
Archival Resource Key
circa 1901
1
13-14
Queen & Company, Queen-Gray Company, Gray Instrument Company, miscellaneous publications and advertisements
Queen & Company, catalog
Archival Resource Key
undated
2
1
Queen & Company, catalogs 1105
Archival Resource Key
undated
2
2-3
Queen & Company, Bulletin of Scientific Apparatus
Archival Resource Key
1907
3
1
Queen & Company, circulars
Archival Resource Key
circa 1905
3
2
Queen & Company, catalogs
Archival Resource Key
1906
3
3-4
Queen & Company, catalog
Archival Resource Key
undated
3
5
Queen & Company, catalog
Archival Resource Key
undated
4
1
Queen & Company, catalog of chemicals
Archival Resource Key
undated
4
2
Borden Electric Company catalogs
Archival Resource Key
circa 1830-1839
4
3
Gray Instrument Company, catalogs
Archival Resource Key
1901‑1952
5
1-3
Leeds and Northrop Company, catalogs and product blueprints
Archival Resource Key
1912‑1927
5
4-6
Photographs
Series 2
Archival Resource Key
circa 1907
Scope and Contents
This series consists of photographs of the James W. Queen and Company and the Gray Instrument Company's scientific instrument products. Some of the photographs have captions.
Queen and Company, product line
Archival Resource Key
circa 1907
6
1-4
Queen and Company, product line
Queen and Company, unidentified
Archival Resource Key
undated
6
5
Queen and Company, product line
Archival Resource Key
6
6
Miscellaneous Materials
Series 3
Archival Resource Key
1850-1951
Scope and Contents
The materials consist of a chemistry textbook; a history of James W. Queen and Company; a circular published by the United States Department of Agriculture about measuring salinity with the wheat stone bridge; a description of a testing set; and some business documents, including invoices and purchase orders.
Fownes, George, F.R.S. Elementary Chemistry, Theoretical and Practical. Lea and Blanchard, Philadelphia
Archival Resource Key
1850
7
1
Queen & Company, Inc. company history and description "Fifty Years, 1853-1903"
Archival Resource Key
7
2
Wire Gauge Standards Notebook with clippings
Archival Resource Key
circa 1921
7
3
Queen & Company, miscellaneous
Archival Resource Key
circa 1932
7
4
Miscellaneous papers
Archival Resource Key
circa 1951
7
5
Pyrovolter type instruments
Archival Resource Key
undated
7
6