Magnetism & Electricity Journal — John Emslie 1850 James Reynolds Victorian Physics Instruments

In 1850, John Emslie illustrated the invisible — capturing the precise moment when electricity and magnetism ceased to be cabinet curiosities and became the infrastructure of the modern world. These two landmark plates, published by James Reynolds in London, are among the most extraordinary documents of Victorian scientific culture.

The front cover reproduces Emslie's Magnetism plate: a complete visual encyclopaedia of Victorian magnetic science, from bar magnets and Faraday's lines of force to a marine compass on gimbal suspension, a dipping needle, a horseshoe electromagnet lifting weights, and — at the edge of the plate, as a glimpse of the future — the Cooke and Wheatstone two-needle telegraph. The back cover presents the companion Electricity plate: Armstrong's towering hydroelectric machine at centre, surrounded by Leyden jars, electroscopes, static electricity machines, a galvanic trough battery, a lightning rod referencing Benjamin Franklin, and the celebrated figure of a man with hair standing on end from static charge — rendered against a deep navy background that transforms Emslie's copper, brass, and steel instruments into luminous scientific blueprints.

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Product Details

• Format: Hardcover journal
• Pages: 150 lined pages (75 sheets) with perforations for easy removal
• Binding: Casewrap sewn binding — flexible and lay-flat
• Dimensions: 5.75 × 8 inches
• Weight: 100 g
• Cover: Matte laminated full-wrap print
• Note: small production barcode (0.5" × 0.5") on back cover

Perfect For

• Victorian science collectors and physics enthusiasts
• Lovers of electromagnetism history and 19th-century scientific illustration
• Admirers of Faraday, Maxwell, and the pioneers of the electrical age
• Those drawn to steampunk aesthetics and the beauty of Victorian instruments
• Thoughtful gift for scientists, engineers, and lovers of rare illustrated science
• Anyone captivated by the moment electricity went from magic to machine