Philosophical toy "Harlequin": Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

No extant maker's markings. "570" (under base), 5h-4 (paper sticker). Field provided by a pair of electromagnets mounted on a wooden base, with axis vertical. Armature is the iron bar of a swing on which a ceramic clown-doll stands. A small screw is set near the top of the left-hand upright, purpose unknown. A binding post is set on top of each upright. Reference: Groenendijk Catalog, page 20, unit 5h-4.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date made: c1852
• date made: ca 1852
• Object Name: Demonstration Apparatus
• Other Terms: Demonstration Apparatus; Electromagnetic Devices
• Measurements: overall: 9 in x 4 1/8 in x 7 1/2 in; 22.86 cm x 10.4775 cm x 19.05 cm
• ID Number: EM.315530
• catalog number: 315530
• collector/donor number: 5h-4
• accession number: 216300
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.