#  Exhibitions 

 



 ![Orrery](/sites/g/files/omnuum6316/files/chsi/files/orrery.jpg)

 

Over the years, the CHSI has put together or sponsored a trove of innovative exhibits that continue to spark interest in the material culture of the history of scientific pursuit.



 

##  Current Exhibitions 

 



  [### TIME, LIFE, & MATTER: Science in Cambridge

 ](https://chsi.harvard.edu/exhibitions/putnam-gallery)Harvard has a rich history of scholarly contributions to the various natural, physical, and social sciences. *"*Time, Life, & Matter..." features many important instruments that helped make those contributions possible.



 

   ![Pope Orrery in the Putnam Gallery](/sites/g/files/omnuum6316/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/chsi/files/orrery_putnam_tlm.jpg?h=b9f6b616&itok=YWMjIJ2m) 

 

 

 

  [### Revolutionary Technology

 ](https://chsi.harvard.edu/revolutionary-technology)*Revolutionary Technology* is a new exhibit marking the 250th Anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence, on view in Science Center 371 at 1 Oxford Street. The exhibit is open Monday through Friday, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.



 

   ![portable orrey](/sites/g/files/omnuum6316/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2026-06/portable%20orrery.png?h=a21e970b&itok=Fakm8nsq) 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

##  Online Exhibitions 

 



  [### Measuring Difference

 ](https://measuringdifference.hsites.harvard.edu/)Today, measurement is everywhere. We understand everything around us in inches, degrees, gallons, decibels, and more. Scientific instruments help us record precise measurements of what surrounds us—from land and sea to flora and fauna, human activity and productivity, and even human bodies. We measure what we can touch and see, as well as things we can’t, like stress and pain.



 

   ![Loba Garifuna detail](/sites/g/files/omnuum6316/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/loba_garifuna_detail.jpg?h=61e8207c&itok=PHBahv2R) 

 

 

 

  [### The Interpretation of Drawings: Freud & the Visual Origins of Psychoanalysis

 ](https://chsi.harvard.edu/current_exhibitions/freud-interp-drawings)This exhibition invites the viewer to explore the role Sigmund Freud’s sketches and drawings played in the development of his psychoanalytic theories.



 

   ![Sigmund Freud w Cigar](/sites/g/files/omnuum6316/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/chsi/files/freud_public_domain.jpg?h=5a57a303&itok=xC4xfRjg) 

 

 

 

  [### Harvard IBM Mark I - Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator

 ](https://chsi.harvard.edu/harvard-ibm-mark-1)Mark I was designed in 1937 by Harvard graduate student Howard H. Aiken to solve advanced mathematical physics problems encountered in his research. Aiken’s ambitious proposal envisioned the use of modified, commercially-available technologies coordinated by a central control system.



 

   ![IBM ASCC - Harvard Mark 1](/sites/g/files/omnuum6316/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/chsi/files/assc_mark1.jpg?itok=X59K6zvy) 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

##  The Collection Online 

 



  [### Explore with Waywiser

 ](https://chsi.emuseum.com/collections)The Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments is made up of over 20,000 objects, many with associated documentation. In an effort to provide greater access to these important objects and records, Collection staff have instituted the use of a state-of-the-art data management system, including an exciting online component called [Waywiser](https://chsi.emuseum.com/collections).



 

   ![collections database](/sites/g/files/omnuum6316/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-07/screencapture-chsi-emuseum-collections-2025-07-29-11_07_31.jpg?h=fe53e6ed&itok=6xCp4P8v) 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

##  Past Exhibitions 

 [ View Past Exhibitions arrow\_circle\_right ](https://chsi.harvard.edu/exhibition-status/past-exhibitions)