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FunctionAn air-pump is an instrument used to produce a vacuum in order to study nature under controlled environmental conditions. It became one of the most important scientific instruments of natural philosophy as early as the late seventeenth century. With the electrostatic machine, the air-pump became in time not only a genuine research tool but an important pedagogical apparatus in the lecturer-demonstrator's arsenal. In this model, a glass bell jar would have been put on the plate. The experiments would have taken place inside the bell jar.
Historical AttributesWas owned by Andrew Nichols (1837-1921), a descendant of Edward Holyoke, former President of Harvard University.
ProvenanceFrom Andrew Nathan Nichols, a descendant of Edward Holyoke, former President of Harvard University.