M0017447: Original Voltaic pile, possibly made and used by Alessandro Volta

Previous title, replaced October 2020: Original Voltaic pile.

Photograph of an original Voltaic pile, possibly made and used by Alessandro Volta. It was shown at the exhibition at Como, Italy in 1899, commemorating the work of Galvani and Volta. It was acquired by the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum and accessioned in 1916 (accession number R5221) and again in 1950 (accession number R19/1950)

1959

1 photograph glass plate negative; 10.2 x 12.7 cm

Wellcome Collection holds the accession register which provides an entry for the item: R19/1950

Copyright is held by Wellcome Collection

Catalogue data comes from a combination of entries in the original glass plate registers, metadata created when the glass plates were digitised in the early 2000s and enhancements made by the cataloguer in 2022.

Please consult the digitised version as this item is fragile. Email library@wellcomecollection.org to request access to the physical item.