Frequently Asked Questions

How do I use this site?

Use Browse to see every drawing, or type in the search box to filter by title, inventor, artist, subject, keywords or description. You can further narrow results with the Subject and Year filters. Click any row to see the full record and a link to the original scan.

Why do some links to scans not work?

The scanned issues are hosted externally (HathiTrust / the former Cornell Making of America project). Some links indexed before a server change may point to locations that are no longer valid.

Why is some information missing (left blank, "none", etc.)?

This project indexes only the information provided by Scientific American on the engraving. If the accompanying article did not provide a detail, it is not recorded here.

Why is the artist (engraver) almost always missing?

The name of the artist/engraver is recorded only when it is given on the engraving itself — an identification that is quite rare.

What do "Present on engraving" / "illegible" mean?

These indicate a name is given on the engraving but is not intelligible to the indexer. If you can accurately decipher it, the maintainers welcome corrections.