Rakestraw mineral collection with accessories
Date: 1878-1905
Inventory Number: 2004-1-0339a
Classification: Mineral
Subject:
Maker: George Gilbert Rakestraw (1827 - 1904)
Maker: George W. Fiss (1835 - 1925)
Maker: John H. MacDonald
Cultural Region:
Dimensions:
137 x 50 x 34 cm (53 15/16 x 19 11/16 x 13 3/8 in.)
Accessories: microscope in its box (2004-1-0339b) ; bullseye condensers (2003-1-0339c,d); mineralogy books (in the CHSI library)
DescriptionAn upright two-door cabinet with 23 shallow drawers containing mineral samples in small, matchbox-like receptacles very thoroughly labelled. It has a lower undivided compartment that contains a microscope in its wooden case with its accessories (2004-1-0339b), and two bullseye condensers (2004-1-0339c,d). It also contained several books related to mineralogy now in the CHSI library.
The majority of the boxes are 3x2.3 cm in size and contain inside a small sample usually attached to a small, cylindrical cork pedestal. The inside of the boxes and the cork are usually painted black. Some of the larger minerals are wedged by pieces of cork too.
There are also many longer boxes, 4x2.3 cm in size. Many of these latter have a less standardized label, although it generally contains the same information. Some of the long boxes have several samples mounted alongisde.
The boxes are arranged sequentially in rows from back to front, and each section for a species of mineral is marked with wooden blocks of a size identical to the smaller boxes.
Some of the boxes contain larger samples without the cork, and others (especially the cylindrical boxes) contain ground materials, dusts etc.
Following is the detailed inventory of its contents:
A: Upper section (23 drawers):
- Drawer 1: 68 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'A'
- Drawer 2: 24 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'B'
- Drawer 3: 76 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'C'
- Drawer 4: 55 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'C'
- Drawer 5: 24 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'D' 20 boxes of - mineral samples beginning with the letter 'E' 2 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'F'
- Drawer 6: 28 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'G' 20 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'H' 1 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'I'. 5 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'J' 5 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'K'
Drawer 7: 23 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'L' 49 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'M'
Drawer 8: 1 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'M' 3 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'N' 14 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'O'.
Drawer 9: 87 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'P'
Drawer 10: 12 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'Q' 14 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'R'
Drawer 11: 48 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'S'
Drawer 12: 20 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'T'
Drawer 13: 4 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'U' 41 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'V' Piece of paper featuring text "Index of Species…"
Drawer 14: 66 boxes of mineral samples with accompanying text: Minerals to check out and sort"
Drawer 15: 119 boxes of mineral samples with accompanying text on paper: "Minerals to be Identified"
Drawer 16: 103 boxes of mineral samples with accompanying text on paper: "Identify and Label"
Drawer 17: 19 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'W' 5 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'Z'
Drawer 18: 12 assorted boxes (empty), 2 boxes (empty), 8 drawer dividers, 2 large boxes of unsorted minerals, round box with nut and accompanying label: "Guinea 1887"
Drawer 19: 7 large round boxes,(empty), 7 small round boxes (empty), 38 mineral boxes (empty), one loose unidentified mineral sample
Drawer 20: 4 large boxes (empty), 10 medium boxes (empty), 5 circular boxes (empty)
Drawer 21: 85 boxes labeled "Botanicals & Molds"
Drawer 22: 24 medium boxes of unidentified minerals, 6 circular boxes with unidentified minerals, 2 small paper packages (empty)
Drawer 23: 1 hinged tin box of metal grommets, 1 wooden slide stage with rotary brass turntable, 3 wooden stages, 1 small box of microscope cover slips, 1 box of glass slides, several slides wrapped in newsprint, 1 tubular plastic case with microscope projector, 1 specimen-holding microscope stage in wooden case, 1 Ziploc® bag filled with small wooden blocks, 1 large box filled with glass slides in cotton padding, 1 medium box filled with glass slides in cotton padding, 1 box labeled "Denison's Box Holder Micro-Mineral Mounts" with 1 slide mount inside, 1 box of small circular sample dishes and sample holders
B: Books in lower section of cabinet now in the CHSI Library (10 books, manuals, and catalogues):
1. Minerals" Catalogue No. 35 April, 1935, Ward's Natural Science Establishment, Inc. Rochester, NY, USA.
2. The Preparation of Micro Mounts, L.C. Wills, M.D., Philadelphia, PA article reprinted from Rocks & Minerals, 1931.
3. Catalogue of Microscopes and Objectives, Catalogue BM. Edition of 1903 Queen & Company, Inc., Philadelphia, PA, USA (Front cover missing, back cover detached).
4. Catalogue of Minerals and Mineralogical Supplies, Geo. L. English and Company, June 1894, New York city, NY, USA.
5. Elements of Optical Mineralogy: An Introduction to Microscopic Petrography, Alexander N. Winchell, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, NY, USA.
6. The Microscope, Simon Henry Gage, 1932 The Comstock Publishing Company, Ithaca, NY, USA Rakestraw Mineral Collection with Accessories, cont.
7. First Appendix to the Sixth Edition of Dana's System of Mineralogy, Edward S. Dana, ,John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, NY, USA
8. Manual for Mineralogy and Lithology, James D. Dana, Wiley & Sons, New York, NY, USA, 1892
9. Mineralogy: An Introduction to the Theoretical and Practical Study of Minerals Alexander Hamilton Phillips, D.Sc., The MacMillan Company, New York, NY, 1928
10. The System of Mineralogy of James Dwight Dora: Descriptive Mineralogy, Edward Salisbury Dana, John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY, 1892.
The majority of the boxes are 3x2.3 cm in size and contain inside a small sample usually attached to a small, cylindrical cork pedestal. The inside of the boxes and the cork are usually painted black. Some of the larger minerals are wedged by pieces of cork too.
There are also many longer boxes, 4x2.3 cm in size. Many of these latter have a less standardized label, although it generally contains the same information. Some of the long boxes have several samples mounted alongisde.
The boxes are arranged sequentially in rows from back to front, and each section for a species of mineral is marked with wooden blocks of a size identical to the smaller boxes.
Some of the boxes contain larger samples without the cork, and others (especially the cylindrical boxes) contain ground materials, dusts etc.
Following is the detailed inventory of its contents:
A: Upper section (23 drawers):
- Drawer 1: 68 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'A'
- Drawer 2: 24 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'B'
- Drawer 3: 76 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'C'
- Drawer 4: 55 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'C'
- Drawer 5: 24 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'D' 20 boxes of - mineral samples beginning with the letter 'E' 2 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'F'
- Drawer 6: 28 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'G' 20 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'H' 1 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'I'. 5 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'J' 5 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'K'
Drawer 7: 23 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'L' 49 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'M'
Drawer 8: 1 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'M' 3 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'N' 14 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'O'.
Drawer 9: 87 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'P'
Drawer 10: 12 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'Q' 14 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'R'
Drawer 11: 48 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'S'
Drawer 12: 20 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'T'
Drawer 13: 4 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'U' 41 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'V' Piece of paper featuring text "Index of Species…"
Drawer 14: 66 boxes of mineral samples with accompanying text: Minerals to check out and sort"
Drawer 15: 119 boxes of mineral samples with accompanying text on paper: "Minerals to be Identified"
Drawer 16: 103 boxes of mineral samples with accompanying text on paper: "Identify and Label"
Drawer 17: 19 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'W' 5 boxes of mineral samples beginning with the letter 'Z'
Drawer 18: 12 assorted boxes (empty), 2 boxes (empty), 8 drawer dividers, 2 large boxes of unsorted minerals, round box with nut and accompanying label: "Guinea 1887"
Drawer 19: 7 large round boxes,(empty), 7 small round boxes (empty), 38 mineral boxes (empty), one loose unidentified mineral sample
Drawer 20: 4 large boxes (empty), 10 medium boxes (empty), 5 circular boxes (empty)
Drawer 21: 85 boxes labeled "Botanicals & Molds"
Drawer 22: 24 medium boxes of unidentified minerals, 6 circular boxes with unidentified minerals, 2 small paper packages (empty)
Drawer 23: 1 hinged tin box of metal grommets, 1 wooden slide stage with rotary brass turntable, 3 wooden stages, 1 small box of microscope cover slips, 1 box of glass slides, several slides wrapped in newsprint, 1 tubular plastic case with microscope projector, 1 specimen-holding microscope stage in wooden case, 1 Ziploc® bag filled with small wooden blocks, 1 large box filled with glass slides in cotton padding, 1 medium box filled with glass slides in cotton padding, 1 box labeled "Denison's Box Holder Micro-Mineral Mounts" with 1 slide mount inside, 1 box of small circular sample dishes and sample holders
B: Books in lower section of cabinet now in the CHSI Library (10 books, manuals, and catalogues):
1. Minerals" Catalogue No. 35 April, 1935, Ward's Natural Science Establishment, Inc. Rochester, NY, USA.
2. The Preparation of Micro Mounts, L.C. Wills, M.D., Philadelphia, PA article reprinted from Rocks & Minerals, 1931.
3. Catalogue of Microscopes and Objectives, Catalogue BM. Edition of 1903 Queen & Company, Inc., Philadelphia, PA, USA (Front cover missing, back cover detached).
4. Catalogue of Minerals and Mineralogical Supplies, Geo. L. English and Company, June 1894, New York city, NY, USA.
5. Elements of Optical Mineralogy: An Introduction to Microscopic Petrography, Alexander N. Winchell, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, NY, USA.
6. The Microscope, Simon Henry Gage, 1932 The Comstock Publishing Company, Ithaca, NY, USA Rakestraw Mineral Collection with Accessories, cont.
7. First Appendix to the Sixth Edition of Dana's System of Mineralogy, Edward S. Dana, ,John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, NY, USA
8. Manual for Mineralogy and Lithology, James D. Dana, Wiley & Sons, New York, NY, USA, 1892
9. Mineralogy: An Introduction to the Theoretical and Practical Study of Minerals Alexander Hamilton Phillips, D.Sc., The MacMillan Company, New York, NY, 1928
10. The System of Mineralogy of James Dwight Dora: Descriptive Mineralogy, Edward Salisbury Dana, John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY, 1892.
Signedmany of the boxes mineral samples are signed by G.G. Rakestraw, indicate the origin of the sample and have some numbers written on them; at least one of the boxes (Lepidonite) is signed "G.W.F. / Phila" [George Washington Fiss]
FunctionThis is a collection with a vast number of different sorts of minerals from many places around the world. Many of specimens are very small and micromounted, that is, they have been prepared to examined with a microscope (2003-1-0339b), a technique developed largely by George Rakestraw and his friend George Washington Fiss.
At first Rakestraw mounted his microminerals in a variety of little boxes, but for the sake of consistency he eventually setled on a rectangular cardboard box measuring 2.1 x 2.7 cm, and 1.6 cm deep. He glued a small label with his name on it to the botton of the box, and another label on which to record species and locality was affixed to the lid.
Fiss initially used small brass enclosure rings glued to standard glass microscope slides for his mounts, and then changed to small 1-inch pasteboard boxes in the early 1880's. The use of the boxes was pioneered by Rakestraw, but Fiss was the first to blacken the insides of the boxes to eliminate unwanted reflections, and to affix the specimens on small, carefully shaped cork pedestals.
At first Rakestraw mounted his microminerals in a variety of little boxes, but for the sake of consistency he eventually setled on a rectangular cardboard box measuring 2.1 x 2.7 cm, and 1.6 cm deep. He glued a small label with his name on it to the botton of the box, and another label on which to record species and locality was affixed to the lid.
Fiss initially used small brass enclosure rings glued to standard glass microscope slides for his mounts, and then changed to small 1-inch pasteboard boxes in the early 1880's. The use of the boxes was pioneered by Rakestraw, but Fiss was the first to blacken the insides of the boxes to eliminate unwanted reflections, and to affix the specimens on small, carefully shaped cork pedestals.
Historical AttributesThis cabinet contains part of the collection of minerals of Rev. George Gilbert Rakestraw, one of the pioneers of mineral micromounting. His original collection consisted of over 1100 micromounts and 300 handspecimens.
The present collection is constituted by the minerals that were passed on to his son, Rev. Henry Hawk Rakestraw (1860-1907) and later to his great grandson John H. MacDonald. The latter presented them to the Harvard Mineralogical Museum in 1999.
The wooden cabinet in which they are kept was built by Rakestraw's great grandson John H. Macdonald.
About 400 mounts belonging to Rakestraw ended up in the collection of the late Paul Seel (probably originating from specimens that Rakestraw himself sold), and may have been acquired from him by the late Lou Perloff, who bequeathed them to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
The present collection is constituted by the minerals that were passed on to his son, Rev. Henry Hawk Rakestraw (1860-1907) and later to his great grandson John H. MacDonald. The latter presented them to the Harvard Mineralogical Museum in 1999.
The wooden cabinet in which they are kept was built by Rakestraw's great grandson John H. Macdonald.
About 400 mounts belonging to Rakestraw ended up in the collection of the late Paul Seel (probably originating from specimens that Rakestraw himself sold), and may have been acquired from him by the late Lou Perloff, who bequeathed them to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
ProvenanceFrom the Harvard Mineralogical Museum. Accessioned 8/11/2004.
Published ReferencesA detailed history of this cabinet has been published online in the biographical entry of George G. Rakestraw at The Mineralogical Record. It can be accessed by clicking here.
