How widely the prisoptometer was used is unclear but the Standard Optical Company later patented a new model, The Standard Prisoptometer, on June 21, 1904. Edward Jackson's crossed cylinder technique of determining astigmatism was first detailed in the Transactions of the American Ophthalmological Society (1887)4:595-598. The convenience of Jackson's crossed cylinder lenses over the prisoptometer in weight, cost, portability and reliability meant that they were soon almost universally adopted.This is a rare item as few are known world wide.This instrument is an optometer, that is, a device to measure the refractive error of an eye. It is made of cast iron, steel, brass and glass. It contains a prism which could be rotated, and was used to view a disc or an object circle. The prism caused monocular doubling of the object circle and the separation of the two images varied as the prism rotated, depending on the astigmatism present. The axis of the astigmatism was indicated by the prisoptometer and trial lenses were used to determine the the magnitude of the spherical and cylindrical refractive errorImprinted:"DR CULBERTSON'S PRISOPTOMETER/ GENEVA OPTICAL COMPANY MAKERS, GENEVA, N.Y./ PATENTED SEPT, 21, 1886". Stamped "853" on eyepiece and lens mounting.optometry, prisoptometer, optometer, astigmatism, refractive error, refraction, culbertson

Postcards were a common form of souvenirs for soldiers who were travelling either during World War 1, or just after, or while returning to Australia. This postcard with other World War 1 memorabilia that has come from Private John Basil McLean, 2nd Reinforcements, 37th Battalion, A.I.F. There was a large collection of postcards so he may have been collecting them as souvenirs. J.B. McLean (Service No. 13824) was from near Maffra, Victoria and enlisted on 22 January 1916. He embarked on 16 December 1916 for Europe. His full war record is available from AWM. He spent time with the Australian Field Artillery (Pack Section). At the end of the war he worked for a year at the A.I.F. Headquarters in London before returning to Australia on the 'Ceramic', arriving in Portsea in 1920.Postcards were a very common form of communication during the first World War. Postcards as souvenirs or as correspondence would have been familiar to the first Legatees as they had served in World War 1.Standard size postcard with image depicting Lac Leman (or Lake Geneva). The image in its current condition shows a pastel coloured sky and a small island within the lake.Front - “Lac Leman/ 6211/CHARNAUX FRERES & CO., GENEVH” Back - “CARTE POSTALE/ Mrs Mercer? / The Nook / Combe Down / Somerset”souvenir, war correspondence

Brown tooled leather embossed cover with metal reinforcement on the corners and along the spine .The bible has had considerable conservation work done on it. The clasps are missing.The first pages of the bible are missing. The bible printed in black letter Gothic. non-fictionbible, the geneva bible, the breeches bible, robert barker printer

Penleigh Boyd, Robin and Patricia Boyd's son, writes “Prior to 1950 Robin, like most other amateur or hobby photographers, took black and white printed photographs. The oldest slides date from 1950 when Robin and Patricia travelled to Europe on Robin’s Robert Haddon Travelling Scholarship.” In 1948 Robin Boyd was awarded ‘joint first place’ in the Robert Haddon competition for his design of Mildura art gallery. The scholarship helped fund their first overseas trip. Robin and Patricia were passengers on the Greek ship “Cyrenia” departing in May 1950, passing through the Suez Canal and landing in Genoa five weeks later. For six months, they travelled extensively throughout Europe (predominantly driving themselves) - France, Italy, United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Spain.Colour slide in a mount. The Reformation Monument, Geneva, SwitzerlandGeneva / Reformation Monument (All Handwritten)haddon travelling scholarship, haddon, robin boyd, slide

Penleigh Boyd, Robin and Patricia Boyd's son, writes “Prior to 1950 Robin, like most other amateur or hobby photographers, took black and white printed photographs. The oldest slides date from 1950 when Robin and Patricia travelled to Europe on Robin’s Robert Haddon Travelling Scholarship.” In 1948 Robin Boyd was awarded ‘joint first place’ in the Robert Haddon competition for his design of Mildura art gallery. The scholarship helped fund their first overseas trip. Robin and Patricia were passengers on the Greek ship “Cyrenia” departing in May 1950, passing through the Suez Canal and landing in Genoa five weeks later. For six months, they travelled extensively throughout Europe (predominantly driving themselves) - France, Italy, United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Spain.Colour slide in a mount. Hotel du Rhone (1950), Geneva, SwitzerlandGeneva / Hotel Du Rhone / 1950 (All Handwritten)haddon travelling scholarship, haddon, robin boyd, slide

Documents on International Affairs No. 1 of 1964geneva conference 1954, vietnam war, 1961-1975 - sources, vietnam - foreign relations, international affairs

A cream coloured cardboard cover with black information. The top right hand side reads 7610-66-033-8014. There are two rusty metal staples down the left hand side.australia - armed forces - service manuals, geneva conventions, war victims

Index, bib, ill, p.349.non-fictionWorld politics in Geneva in the post war periodeurope - politics and government - 1918- 1935, league of nations

Index, ill, maps, p.347.non-fictionA travellers guide to Genevageneva - description, geneva - travel

Hardcover w/ Dust Jacketwalsh st library

Music boxes have been around at least since the end of the 18th century. The finest artisans in Europe created them and brought music into family homes when there were really no other types of music entertainment for homes. Music boxes performed the popular music of their day; songs from the opera, traditional songs, and hymns.The Nicole Freres were regarded as the best maker of cylinder music boxes during the mid 1800s. This is a fine example of a 19th century music box.Small wooden music box operated by winding a key which moves a studded cylinder against a comb of tuned teeth. A green paper label has been tacked to the underside of the lid. Cylinder music box, made by Nicole Freres, Geneva, Switzerland, c.1830-1840 Music box with an outside key wind . The cylinder length is 20cm and it plays 4 different airs. single comb, 112 teeth with exposed control levers. on label underneath the lid is "Music de Geneve" and the names of the tunes and the number 5929music-box musical-instrument nicole-freres

Postcard, coloured photo of Geneva, Switzerland on the shores of Lake Geneva. The Brunswick Monument is shown at right in the Jardin des Alpes. Several horse drawn carriages are parked among trees on the boulevard. The Monument is a mausoleum built in 1879, to commorate the life of Charles II, Duke of Brunswick. On the reverse is printed - Photographie- Verlag Wehrli A.-G. Kilchberg, Zurichpostcard, photograph, postcard, geneva, switzerland, duke of brunswick

This mikiphone has an approximate manufacture date of circa 1926. It is stamped in the interior with the maker’s mark of Palliard Cie (St Croix), who partnered with the patent owners, Nicolas and Etienne Vadasz for the large scale production of the mikiphones. A Mikiphone – or Pocket Phonograph is one of the earliest versions of a portable music player. The Mikiphone was small enough to fit into a pocket for portability, and once unpacked had the ability to play 10” records. Power was supplied to the unit by a small hand crank, and sound was amplified by a small resonator. It is estimated that 100,000 to 180,000 of the units were made between 1924 and 1927. Luxury editions were also available with either a gold or silver casing. Le Corbusier is quoted as saying he could ‘see in the Mikiphone the essence of Esprit Nouveau’. The pocket gramophone is significant for historical and social reasons. It is primarily an enabler of leisure activities due to its portability and size. The design of the object is also significant as it showcases design advancements in the early part of the 20th century. The Swiss made "Mikiphone", the smallest talking machine ever placed on the market folded up to the size of a large pocket watch or small cheese case. Production stopped in 1927. A total of 180,000 were made. A few were made in a luxury version with gold or silver case for a "Pretentious clientele".Inside on dial: Mikiphone / Pocket Phonograph / Swiss made / System Vadasz. Outside: Pocket Phonograph / Mikiphone / System Vadosz / Patented in all countries.pocket phonograph, mikiphone, gramophone, pocket, music player, swiss made, switzerland

Kathryn Knitwear Collection A Psychrometer is an instrument used to measure humidity using two thermometers, one of which is wet and one is dry. A similar example is housed at laboratoire d'histoire des sciences et des techniques (LHST). Inventory number 603.0509 Kathryn Knitwear, founded by Robert Blake, manufactured high quality children’s knitwear in Melbourne from the 1940s – 1980s. Robert Blake began manufacturing children’s knitwear in his bedroom in Strathmore using a hand powered machine in the late 1940s. The operation moved to Ascot Vale and Essendon, before eventually establishing a factory in Moonee Ponds in the early 1950s. The business continued to expand, necessitating a move to a new factory in Broadmeadows. By 1962, the Broadmeadows factory was producing an average of 20,000 garments per month, which increased to 24,000 by 1964. Robert Blake’s Son, Brendan recalls that “The Kathryn brand was famous around Australia, anywhere children needed to keep warm and dress smartly. It also won a number of wool fashion awards”, including the 1969 Wool Awards, which was held by the Australian Wool Bureau and published in Women’s Weekly. The Kathryn range was designed for durability, comfort and care, without sacrificing style. They used patterning techniques that increase stretchiness, comfort and fit, as well as integrating decorative elements into the fabric to prevent them from being bulky, uncomfortable or tight. Making longevity of style a priority, Brendan Blake remembers that “there was one particular garment that was in the range for at least thirty years”. He also recalls “In the past, when women have found out that I was associated with Kathryn Knitwear, they would often relate to me the story of a garment they had purchased or received as a gift and, when their child had grown out of it, they would hand it on to another child. Several ladies have told me of purchasing garments for their daughters’ glory box, or saving a particular garment after their daughter had grown out of it. Brendan Blake: “At the peak of their operation they employed approximately two hundred people, mainly women and girls. A family would often seek to send their daughter to work in this company because they knew they would be looked after and safe. One lady wrote to me telling me that working at the Moonee Ponds Factory prior to getting married was the happiest time of her life.” In 1963, workers at the Kathryn factory earned £13 per week, which was 8 shillings and 8 pence higher than the minimum weekly wage for female workers in the textile manufacturing industry (£12 11s 4d). By 1970, the Kathryn Knitwear brand expanded from children’s knitwear into womenswear under the brand name ‘Lady Kathryn’, and for boys and men under ‘Robert Blake’. Continuing to diversify their distribution, they also began exporting ‘Kathryn’ garments to New Zealand, the Pacific Islands, and Japan. ‘Kathryn Knitwear’ was well-known for their early adoption of modern materials and techniques that had broad appeal to their customer base. This is shown in their early use of the acrylic fibre ‘Orlon’ in the 50s and 60s and ‘Superwash’ wool in the 1970s. Many of Kathryn Knitwear’s styles, particularly those that were long running staples of the brand, were available in both wool and Orlon to suit the consumer’s preference. Far from the humble origins of one man in his bedroom with a hand-cranked machine; at its closure in 1980, the Broadmeadows factory of ‘Kathryn’ housed more than 100 machines, including 53 sewing machines and 45 knitting machines. Robert Blake was “a passionate advocate for wool and Australian Made” throughout his whole life. A strong thread that ties through the lifespan of Robert Blake and Kathryn Knitwear is a balance between adopting new innovations without sacrificing the core values of durability, comfort, care and style that had made the brand so well known. Their legacy forms an integral part of both Australian social and manufacturing history.Black metal measuring instrument with clear window to view gauge for displaying humidity. Reference table listing values for different fibres is printed in red and white on a black metal plate that is screwed onto the front of the psychrometer. The instrument is housed in brown leather case with zip. It includes a printed paper instruction book with black text and greyscale figures.psychrometer, measuring instrument, humidity, textile manufacturing, fashion textile production

Postcard, coloured photo of 'Geneve et la Rade' translated as Geneva and the waterfront. Buildings of Geneva in the background and public gardens in the foreground. A ferry approaches a jetty at the gardens.postcard, photograph, postcard, geneva.

Tapered square green bottle. Label - Genuine Hollands Geneva John DeKuyper & son Rotterdam - ProofJDKZ This bottle is the property of John DeKuyper and Son Rotterdam.glass technology, bottles

From Lyn in Geneva to Patricia and John Davies, about their upcoming visit 28 Sept to Geneva.

Softcover"To Patricia and John, with kindest regards, Geoffrey Blainey, 1 September 1991" - with postcard from Hal (?) inside front cover from Geneva, dated 1991australia, society, economics, geoffrey blainey, walsh st library

Postcard, coloured photo of Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva, Switzerland. The railway station in the centre is the start point for the Montreux to Glion walking trail. Photo taken on hillside overlooking Montreux and the suburb Clarens. Four sailing ships on the bay.postcard, photograph, postcard, montreux, lake geneva, clarens, switzerland

The Vietnam War provoked a major crisis in New Zealand attitudes to foreign policy, breaking for the first time the almost universal consensus about how the country should handle political and military issues beyond its shore.vietnam war, 1961-1975 - new zealand, indochina, geneva, tonkin gulf, president johnson

A Spalding 'Geneva' tennis racquet, featuring: solid convex throat; and, fine-grooved, octagonal handle. 'A.G. Spalding & Bros. Made in U.S.A.' logo encircling ball trademark features on throat on reverse. Decal of model name features across throat on obverse. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Glue, Metal, Ink, Nylon, Leather, String, Painttennis

A Spalding 'Geneva' tennis racquet, featuring: laminated convex throat; and, fine-grooved, octagonal handle. 'A.G. Spalding & Bros. Made in U.S.A.' logo encircling ball trademark features on throat on reverse. Decal of model name features across throat on obverse. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Glue, Metal, Ink, Gut, Leather, Painttennis