Online Exhibits
Compass and Rule: Architecture as Mathematical Practice in England, 1500-1750
This exhibition brings together some of the finest architectural and scientific material from the early modern period including Sir Christopher Wren’s drawings of St Paul’s Cathedral, architectural drawings by King George III and an astrolabe made for Queen Elizabeth I.
16 June – 6 September 2009
Telescopes Now: real stories of astronomy today
Four eminent astronomers share stories behind some of the major instrumental developments of the modern era. The lectures, available here as podcasts, touch on the practical, technical, financial and organisational challenges facing telescope builders.
February 2009
Heaven on Earth: Missionaries and the Mathematical Arts in 17th-century Beijing
In the year of the Beijing Olympics and the ‘China Now’ festival throughout the UK, the Museum has built an exhibition around a remarkable set of 17th-century Chinese prints. Prepared under the direction of the Jesuit astronomer Ferdinand Verbiest, the set is a key witness to early modern cultural contact between Europe and China.
24 May – 7 September 2008
‘SIS 25’ is an exhibition held to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Scientific Instrument Society. It presented a unique opportunity to view over 50 historical instruments, ephemera and books from 20 private collections.
19 August – 26 October 2008
‘Moonscope’ is an exhibition featuring lunar drawings by the 18th-century artist John Russell alongside lunar watercolours by the contemporary artist Rebecca Hind.
24 May – 16 September 2007
‘Small Worlds: the art of the invisible’ is an exhibition of the miniature world of microscopic specimens, revealing the strange and wonderful contents of the Museum’s collection of some ten thousand slides.
31 October 2007 – 6 April 2008
A resource for secondary schools, bringing together a number of objects of Islamic origin that provide insight into some of the achievements and developments of Islamic science and technology, founded upon a legacy from the ancient world.
25 April – 25 July 2006
Wireless World: Marconi & the making of radio
Explore the collection of Marconi artefacts at the Museum of the History of Science. View, browse and search the fully-illustrated online catalogue. Download the first issue of ‘BroadSheet’, which features ‘Wireless World’.
25 April – 1 October 2006
An exhibition and online resource featuring the world’s largest collection of astrolabes.
29 October 2005 – 12 March 2006
A small entrance gallery display to coincide with the Africa 05 festival.
12 July – 23 October 2005
Bye Bye Blackboard … from Einstein and others
Science, art, celebrity and nostalgia in blackboards old and new.
16 April – 18 September 2005
“The Most Noble Problem in Nature”
An exhibition on the 18th-century transits of Venus.
13 April – 12 September 2004
Star Holder: The Lives of the Astrolabe
The 2004 Graduate Course Student Exhibition.
Hilary Term 2004
Solomon’s House in Oxford: New Finds from the First Museum
Archaeological finds discovered during building work in 1999.
5 September 2000 – 8 December 2002
An exhibition by the Museum’s artist in residence, 2000-01.
11 October – 15 December 2001
Epact : Scientific Instruments of Medieval and Renaissance Europe
A collaborative catalogue of instruments in four leading European museums.
Museum of the History of Science, Florence, The British Museum, and Museum Boerhaave, Leiden
Lines of Faith: Instruments and Religious Practice in Islam
The 1998 Graduate Course Student Exhibition.
Hilary Term 1998
The Garden, the Ark, the Tower, the Temple
Biblical metaphors of knowledge in early modern Europe.
2 February – 2 May 1998 : Held in association with the Bodleian Library
Cameras: the Technology of Photographic Imaging
An exhibition of cameras and photographs from the museum’s collection.
20 May – 13 September 1997
George Graham and Bill Gates: A Study in Architectural Dominance
A virtual exhibition by 1997 graduate student Jonathan Sills.
The Noble Dane: Images of Tycho Brahe
An exhibition centred on a scene in the life of the Danish astronomer.
21 January – 26 March 1997
The Geometry of War, 1500-1750
The application of mathematical science in the context of the battlefield.
20 February – 30th November 1996
The Measurers: a Flemish Image of Mathematics in the Sixteenth Century
Practical mathematics and its application in Renaissance Europe.
3rd July – 15th December 1995
Early Photographs from the Museum’s Collection
A small display of photographs from the museum’s exceptional collection illustrating early examples of the first photographic processes.
The Oxford Virtual Science Walk
A virtual walking tour of sites in Oxford with historic scientific associations.
Museum virtual visit
The Museum features in an external site offering “virtual tours” of Oxford, hosted by the University’s Department of Chemistry. You will need Apple Quicktime to see the panoramic images of the Museum’s public spaces, photographed in 2003.
