Caisson Collection

West Point artillery drill, 1850s
Artillery practice at the US Military Academy, West Point, 1850s. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration

Manouevring a concrete caisson JLP01_01_064_42
TILBURY DOCKS, CHADWELL ST MARY, THURROCK, ESSEX. A view of the cooling water intake caisson for Coryton Oil Refinery leaving the lock at Tilbury Docks

The ceiling of the Sala dell'Udienza, designed by Benedetto (1442-97) and Giuliano (1432-90) da Maiano
BEN85160 The ceiling of the Sala dell'Udienza, designed by Benedetto (1442-97) and Giuliano (1432-90) da Maiano, after 1470 (photo); Palazzo Vecchio (Palazzo della Signoria) Florence

The lowering of a caisson into position
5310130 The lowering of a caisson into position; (add.info.: Engraving depicting the lowering of a caisson into position during the construction of the second Tay Bridge)

German battery in action, between c1915 and 1918. Creator: Bain News Service
German battery in action, between c1915 and 1918. German soldiers with artillery caisson during World War I.

Manouevring a concrete caisson JLP01_01_064_48
TILBURY DOCKS, CHADWELL ST MARY, THURROCK, ESSEX. A view from a boat showing the cooling water intake caisson for Coryton Oil Refinery leaving Tilbury Docks

Manouevring a concrete caisson JLP01_01_063_04
TILBURY DOCKS, CHADWELL ST MARY, THURROCK, ESSEX. A view of the cooling water intake caisson for Coryton Oil Refinery leaving Tilbury Dock to begin its journey down the Thames

Caisson construction JLP01_01_063_51
Red Lion Wharf, Gravesend, Kent. Laing workers pouring concrete for the walls of the cooling water intake caisson during the first phase of its construction for Coryton Oil Refinery, Thurrock, Essex

The Imperial Dock, Rio Janeiro, showing the Entrance closed by the Caisson (engraving)
1619939 The Imperial Dock, Rio Janeiro, showing the Entrance closed by the Caisson (engraving) by Weedon, Edwin (1819-79); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Imperial Dock, Rio Janeiro)

Diving Bell (chromolitho)
2802121 Diving Bell (chromolitho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Diving Bell. Illustration for one of a series of cigarette cards on Famous Inventions published by)

Interior view of the main nave (b / w photo)
ALI279779 Interior view of the main nave (b/w photo) by Italian School; Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, Italy; (add.info.: Vue interieure de la nef principale; early Christian mosaic cycle; built)

English Delegation visiting Paris during the construction of the Metro, c
CHT274991 English Delegation visiting Paris during the construction of the Metro, c.1905 (b/w photo) by French Photographer; Private Collection; (add.info.: Delegation Anglaise devant le caisson)

Coupe d un Caisson a Beton pour les Assises des Fondations de la Tour Eiffel (engraving)
3640346 Coupe d un Caisson a Beton pour les Assises des Fondations de la Tour Eiffel (engraving) by French School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

Building a boat to go beneath a street
Purpose-built boat -shaped caisson which will be lowered into the hole made for the extension of the Paris Metro under the River Seine 1906

The Works at the Forth Bridge Railway, NB (engraving)
1045636 The Works at the Forth Bridge Railway, NB (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Works at the Forth Bridge Railway, NB)

Tunnel under the river Seine downstream from the Pont de la Concorde towards the Opera
CHT274989 Tunnel under the river Seine downstream from the Pont de la Concorde towards the Opera, 25th March 1911 (b/w photo) by French Photographer; Bibliotheque Historique de la Ville de Paris

Floating out Caisson for Queensferry Pier, 26 March 1884 (engraving)
6016229 Floating out Caisson for Queensferry Pier, 26 March 1884 (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Floating out Caisson for Queensferry Pier)

Scenes from the myth of Cupid and Psyche taken from Apuleiuss Metamorphoses
BEN78448 Scenes from the myth of Cupid and Psyche taken from Apuleiuss Metamorphoses, ceiling painting from the Sala di Amore e Psiche, 1528 (oil on stucco) by Romano

Artlillery, 1911 (oil on canvas)
3746324 Artlillery, 1911 (oil on canvas) by La Fresnaye, Roger de (1885-1925); 130.2x159.4 cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Rawleys Dream; or, The Man who smoked in a Dockyard (engraving)
1062786 Rawleys Dream; or, The Man who smoked in a Dockyard (engraving) by Barnes, Robert (1840-95); Private Collection; (add.info.: Rawleys Dream; or, The Man who smoked in a Dockyard)

The Opening of the Forth Bridge by HRH the Prince of Wales (engraving)
1047117 The Opening of the Forth Bridge by HRH the Prince of Wales (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

En Face de la Voevre, Caisson de 75, Mitrailleurs, Tranchees Sous Bois (photo)
963806 En Face de la Voevre, Caisson de 75, Mitrailleurs, Tranchees Sous Bois (photo) by Gervais-Courtellemont, Jules (1863-1931) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: En Face de la Voevre)

Large New Caisson for the East and West India Dock Company (engraving)
1609173 Large New Caisson for the East and West India Dock Company (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

Trocy, Caisson de 77, Panorama de Trocy, Officier Indigene (photo)
963736 Trocy, Caisson de 77, Panorama de Trocy, Officier Indigene (photo) by Gervais-Courtellemont, Jules (1863-1931) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: Trocy, Caisson de 77, Panorama de Trocy)

Rebel Cassion Destroyed by Federal Shells. At Fredericksburgh, May 3, 1863. Eight Horses Killed. May 3, 1863

19th-century artillery caisson
Caisson from the 19th century, an artillery demonstration at Yorktown battlefield, Virginia. Digital photograph

CBN0261808
The wooden groynes and dolphin structures at Lepe in Hampshire

CRIMEAN WAR: ARTILLERY. A group of officers around an artillery gun and carriage during the Crimean War. Photograph by Roger Fenton, 1855

West Point cadets artillery practice, 1850s
Artillery demonstration at the US Military Academy when visited by the Prince of Wales, 1850s. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration

Metro Construction
Construction : building the great caisson which will then be sunk to carry trains beneath the Seine at the Place Saint- Michel, in the centre of the city Date: 1906

Building Paris Metro
Building the Metro : sinking the central caisson beneath the Seine Date: 1908

Building a Caisson
An engraving of a caisson - a watertight structure designed to be used for work on the foundations of bridges and piers and even the repair of ships. Date: 1588

U. S. Air Force Honor Guardsmen lead the caisson carrying the remains of two airmen
Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia - U.S. Air Force Honor Guardsmen lead the caisson carrying the remains of two airmen to their gravesite in Arlington National Cemetery

Seized Confederate cannons and caissons on the wharf in Richmond, Virginia
A large group of seized Confederate cannons and caissons on the wharf at Rocketts Landing in Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War in 1865. This photo has been digitally restored

Source Size = 3991 x 2910
The Imperial Dock, Rio De Janeiro, Showing the Entrance Closed by the Caisson

Source Size = 2510 x 2626
Large New Caisson for the East and West India Dock Company

FORTH BRIDGE RAILWAY, Machinery for Drilling the Steel Tubes of which the Bridge is to be Constructed. 2. View from the North Shore, Looking South. 3 A Caisson on Launchway, at Low Water, 4

The Forth Bridge, Section Showing the Interior of a Caisson, Engraving 1890, Uk, u
THE FORTH BRIDGE, SECTION SHOWING THE INTERIOR OF A CAISSON, engraving 1890, UK, U.K. Britain, British, Europe, United Kingdom, Great Britain, European

Cross-section of the caisson and masonry foundation of the Brooklyn Bridge, c1870
BROOKLYN BRIDGE: CAISSON. Cross-section of the caisson and masonry foundation of the Brooklyn Bridge, c1870

Deutsche Kriegsausstellung, Poster by Emil Orlik, 1870-1932 (1915) Poster shows a German soldier standing guard by a collection of military gear and weapons, including a helmet, sword, shield

Paul Bert (1833-1886) French physiologist and politician. A pupil of Claude Bernard, he studied the physiological effects of air pressure (Caisson disease, and respiration at high altitude)

Field Artillery Training
Photo of a hourse pulling two soldiers and a caisson through a wooded area

Forth Bridge Railway, Machinery For Drilling The Steel Tubes Of Which The Bridge Is To Be Constructed. 2. View From The North Shore, Looking South. 3 A Caisson On Launchway, At Low Water, 4

The Forth Bridge, Section Showing the Interior of a Caisson, Engraving 1890, Uk, u
THE FORTH BRIDGE, SECTION SHOWING THE INTERIOR OF A CAISSON, engraving 1890, UK, U.K. Britain, British, Europe, United Kingdom, Great Britain, European

KEARNY REINTERMENT, 1912. The remains of Union Army General Phillip Kearny being moved from Trinity Churchyard in New York City to Arlington Cemetary. Photograph, 1912

Rebel caisson destroyed by Federal shells, at Fredericksburg

Trigers caisson, 19th century
Trigers caisson. 19th-century artwork of workers using the pneumatic caisson invented in 1839 by the French engineer Triger

Mulberry Caisson under construction; Second World War, 1944
Photograph showing a steel and concrete Mulberry caisson under construction on the South Coast of Britain during 1944. When the Allied Armies invaded Normandy in June 1944

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In the 1850s, at West Point artillery drill, caissons played a crucial role in military operations. These sturdy structures were maneuvered with precision and skill, as seen in the photographs of soldiers deftly handling concrete caissons (JLP01_01_064_42, JLP01_01_064_48, JLP01_01_063_04). The construction process itself was captured in an intriguing image (JLP01_01_063_51), showcasing the intricacies involved. Caissons also found their place beyond the battlefield. An engraving depicting The Imperial Dock in Rio Janeiro showcased how these structures closed off entrances to ensure smooth sailing for ships. Another fascinating illustration depicted a Diving Bell (chromolitho), highlighting its connection to caisson technology. The versatility of caissons extended even further into architectural marvels like the Metro construction in Paris. An English Delegation visiting during this time witnessed firsthand the innovation behind these underground transportation systems. One particularly captivating engraving revealed a Coupe d'un Caisson à Béton pour les Assises des Fondations de la Tour Eiffel. This depiction shed light on how caissons were used as foundations for iconic landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower. Not limited to land-based projects alone, building boats specifically designed to navigate beneath streets became possible through ingenious use technology. Such ingenuity was evident at The Works at Forth Bridge Railway (NB) where an engraving showcased remarkable engineering feats involving these structures. From military operations and maritime endeavors to architectural wonders and innovative transportation systems, caissons have left an indelible mark throughout history by enabling groundbreaking achievements across various domains.