Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to the James W. Queen & Company Collection

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.0015
Creators:
Leeds and Northrup Company
Gray Instrument Company
Queen, James W., & Company
Queen-Gray Company
Dates:
1850-1952
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
3.5 Cubic feet
7 boxes
Repository:
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.

Scope and Contents

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.

Arrangement

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

Biographical / Historical

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).

Administration

Author
Robert S. Harding, archivist
Processing Information
Processed by Robert S. Harding, archivist, November, 1981.
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.

Using the Collection

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

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Photographs -- 1900-1950 Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scientific instruments manufacturing Function Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Books Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Catalogs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs -- 1850-1900 Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scientific apparatus and instruments industry Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scientific apparatus and instruments Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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