overall: 7 3/4 in x 5 1/2 in; 19.685 cm x 13.97 cm
Object Name:
flask
Description (Brief):
Joseph Priestley (1733–1804) used this flask in his Northumberland, Pennsylvania laboratory. Priestley, the noted chemist whose accomplishments include the discovery of oxygen, was born in England. He lived and worked in Birmingham for many years, but his views as a Dissenter and an advocate of the French Revolution incited an angry mob into burning down his house and laboratory. In 1794 he fled to America, eventually settling in Northumberland, near Philadelphia. His great-great-granddaughter, Frances Priestley, donated his surviving laboratory ware to the Smithsonian in 1883.
Source:
National Museum of American History Accession File #13305
Description:
This spherical, clear glass flask belonged to Joseph Priestley (1733-1804), the accomplished and controversial English chemist and natural philosopher, and was undoubtedly made after his immigration to the United States in 1794.
