About 450 letters from Lord Kelvin, the mathematician and physicist, to his brother James; his business partner, Fleeming Jenkin; his aunt, Mrs Gall; and his nephew James. There are also incoming letters from these correspondents, and drafts or copies of outgoing letters. The letters from Lord Kelvin to his brother from the core of the collection: he reports on his work, his travels, and his meetings with Faraday, Hooker, Tyndall, Joule and other scientists. His correspondence with Fleeming Jenkin relates chiefly to their submarine telegraphy work and patents. The collection includes photographs and rare printed ephemera.
Item Provenance
The Thomson family, by descent from James Thomson's son, James
Letters to Professor James Thomson. Image courtesy of Glasgow University.