Spectrometer

Grunow, William · 1873-1881

This instrument, which could be used with either a prism or a diffraction grating, has a graduated horizontal circle read by microscopes and verniers. The “Wm. Grunow / New York” inscription refers to William Grunow (1830-1917), a German craftsman who, with his brother Julius, came to the United States in 1849 and went to work making microscopes. In 1873, now settled in New York, Grunow announced his willingness “to execute all orders for philosophical instruments.” In 1881 he moved to West Point, and spent the next 36 years as custodian of the astronomical observatory of the U.S. Military Academy.