Joseph Henry Collection

Joseph Henry served as the first chair of Natural History at Princeton University (then known as the College of New Jersey). He developed a laboratory that was used to conduct experiments in electricity and magnetism. He subsequently served as the first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.

Many of the mechanisms and apparatus that Henry developed for his research and teaching are still preserved in the Joseph Henry collection at Princeton. Michael Littman, a Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, is the founder of the Joseph Henry Apparatus project at Princeton, University. This project is focused on reconstruction of historic electromechanical devices such as early models of electric motors, solenoids, relays, and related scientific instruments.

A reconstruction (right) of an early electric motor based on an 1835 sketch by Joseph Henry (left) is an example of a device developed through this project.