Portrait of Louis Pasteur, photograph of Louis Pasteur taken in 1886, reproduced in the 1911 biography The Life of Louis Pasteur. 📷 Science History Institute
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Please note our museum will be closed for the holidays on the following days:
- Friday, December 23, 2022
- Saturday, December 24, 2022 (Christmas Eve)
- Sunday, December 25, 2022 (Christmas Day)
- Monday, December 26, 2022
- Tuesday, December 27, 2022
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Saturday, December 31, 2022 (New Year’s Eve)
- Sunday, January 1, 2023 (New Year’s Day)
Our regular hours are Wednesday–Saturday, 10am–5pm, and will resume on Wednesday, January 4, 2023. Admission is always free.
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Our 2022 SHOT Dibner Award is proudly displayed in our museum. 📷 Science History Institute
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The Science History Institute is proud to announce that our Downstream exhibition has received the 2022 Dibner Award for Excellence in Museum Exhibits from the Society for the History of Technology (SHOT). This prestigious award, which recognizes excellence in museums that raise pertinent historical issues, adds to a growing list of honors that includes a 2022 Institutional Achievement Award from PA Museums and a 2022 Award of Excellence from the American Association for State and Local History. On view through July 31, 2023, Downstream takes visitors on a watery journey through history and science, exploring more than 200 years of water analysis and protection.
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All events are free and take place online or at the Science History Institute at 315 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia unless otherwise noted. |
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Blowing the Candle In, illustration from Fairy Land of Chemistry: Explorations in the World of Atoms, 1887. 📷 Science History Institute
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Museum Programs & Activities
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Friday, December 2, 2022
5pm–7pm EST
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Join us at December’s First Friday and explore all things merry and bright . . . with the science of light! We’ll look at the magical effects and real science behind things like combustion, gaslight, lightbulbs, and more—from candles and lanterns to modern electricity. First Fridays are free and open to the public. Attendees will receive a 10% discount to National Mechanics restaurant.
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Museum Programs & Activities
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Saturday, December 3, 2022
2pm EST
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Our “drop-in” Water Tour explores the importance of water and the histories of pollution and protection that have changed our relationship to this vital substance. Admission is free and no reservations are necessary. |
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Museum Programs & Activities
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Saturday, December 10, 2022
2pm EST
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Join our museum’s Gallery Guides for a “drop-in” Women in Chemistry Tour highlighting the central role of women in shaping chemistry and the material sciences throughout history. Admission is free and no reservations are necessary. |
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Museum Programs & Activities
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Saturday, December 17, 2022
11am EST
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Dive into a day of family-friendly, Downstream-related activities that includes storytime and exploration of our exhibitions. Family Day takes place the third Saturday of each month. Admission is free and no reservations are necessary. |
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Monday, January 2, 2023–Thursday, January 5, 2025
10am–1pm EST
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The Science History Institute’s Center for Oral History is proud to provide training to scholars and researchers interested in learning oral history and research interview methodologies. This online workshop will introduce attendees to all aspects of the interview process. |
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Hydrophobia, lithograph of Louis Pasteur holding two rabbits, featured in Vanity Fair, January 1887. 📷 Science History Institute
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Or will the scientist’s 200th birthday be his last soirée?
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Lecture presented by organic chemist Joseph Gal as part of his 2022 Franklin-Lavoisier Prize, awarded for his extensive research on Pasteur’ s life and work.
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The story of Louis Pasteur and the development of the rabies vaccine.
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This is the story of Thomas Schall, a U.S. Congressman who dedicated himself to one idea above all—reforming our messy, lopsided, archaic, and maddingly inconsistent monthly calendar.
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Most object labels tell us what something is. Why one in our collections tells us what something is not.
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Louis Pasteur Microscope Set, box top from a toy chemistry set containing a microscope, slides, and various specimens, circa 1920s. 📷 Science History Institute
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Our digital collections house more than 12,950 curated items, including a diverse array of materials related to Louis Pasteur:
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Postcard of Louis Pasteur, postcard featuring a portrait of Louis Pasteur, from the Papers of Georg and Max Bredig, September 20, 1932
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Études Sur Le Vin [Studies on Wine], book written by Louis Pasteur on his landmark study of fermentation in wine, which was commissioned by Napolean III of France, 1866
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Albert Edelfelt’s famous painting of Louis Pasteur in his laboratory holding a jar containing the spinal cord of a rabbit infected with rabies, which he used to develop a vaccine against the disease. 📷 Science History Institute/Gregory Tobias
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French microbiologist Louis Pasteur (1822–1895) is best known for pasteurization, the pathogen-destroying heating process that bears his name. Originally invented and patented in 1865 to fight the “diseases” of wine, the process was later extended to milk and other spoilable substances. Pasteur also showed that microorganisms cause both fermentation and disease, supporting the germ theory at a time when its validity was still being questioned. In his ongoing quest for disease treatments, he developed the first vaccines for fowl cholera, anthrax, and rabies using weakened, or attenuated, microbes.
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View of a Pasteur-Chamberland suspended water filter from the early 20th century on display in our Downstream exhibition. 📷 Science History Institute/Emma Gothelf
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Our museum is open Wednesday–Saturday, 10am–5pm. Admission is free.
Hach Gallery
Horiba Gallery
Building Façade
DuPont Gallery
Lobby
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Celebrated on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement that encourages people to help friends, neighbors, and nonprofits close to their hearts. |
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GivingTuesday is an ideal opportunity to support the Science History Institute. Your gift helps us continue to offer free programming that explores the impact of science on our daily lives. Donors giving $1,000 or more join our Robert Boyle Giving Society. Thank you for your support! |
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