Visibility Collection

Bentley car at St Michaels Mount, Cornwall
A 4.5 litre Bentley car and its driver with St Michaels Mount in the background. (2 of 2)

Transit of Venus 1874
A diagram showing the areas of the world which will be able to view the transit of Venus across the face of the sun on the 8th December 1874

Man walks his dog in thick fog along banks of the River Dee
Man walking his dog in thick fog along the banks of the River Dee in Kirkkudbright, Dumfries and Galloway, SW Scotland Date: 2005

Huge blinds used to camouflage a factory, Sept 1939
Huge dark blinds used to camouflage an entire factory on an A-road just outside of London. Blackout regulations were imposed two days before the outbreak of war to make the factory less visible to

Man and woman in reflective clothing, September 1939
Man and woman in reflective clothing, suitable for wear in a blackout, The Sphere describes this as " a humorous effort towards a safe night-walking garb" but wearing white or high-vis was

The West End in blackout, September 1939
Photograph of the West End in blackout, shortly after the outbreak of war in September 1939. The Sphere describes the sight as " extraordinarily eerie". 1939

Thick fog on the concrete bridge over the River Dee
Street lamps glow in thick fog on the 1920s concrete bridge over the River Dee in Kirkcudbright, Dumfries and Galloway, SW Scotland Date: 2005

A car in thick fog on the concrete bridge over the River Dee
A car with its headlights on appears through thick fog on the 1920s concrete bridge over the River Dee in Kirkkudbright, Dumfries and Galloway, SW Scotland Date: 2005

The Bell Buoy
A bell buoy bobbing in foggy seas lights the way for a sailing ship. 1930

Sydney, Australia - General Post Office
Slide showing a photograph of the General Post Office in Sydney. It is located at the western end of Martin Place. Designed by colonial architect James Barnet

German infra-red equipment by G. H. Davis
Black light: the cats eye effect of the German infra-red telescopes and searchlights in darkness. How to see in the dark -- a German military secret paralleled by Allied inventions

Protective colouring for black outs, WWII - hi vis dog
A night time shot illustrating the use of white accessories to ensure visibility during black outs, making pedestrians visible to motorists during the early weeks of the Second World War. Date: 1939

Protective colouring for black outs, WWII
Protective, reflective clothing adopted by civilians to ensure visibility during black outs in the early days of the Second World War. A couple prepared for the hours of darkness to come

Semaphore, Royal Navy
The semaphore on HMS Camperdown of the Royal Navy works fine in daylight with good visibility. Date: circa 1895

San Fernando Valley - Music Sheet Cover. Gordon Jenkins song San Fernando Valley gave a huge boost to the visibility of the Valley, just as WWII veterans came home.Mayfair Music Corp. N.Y

Airco DH5 of No32 Sdn-back staggered wings improved pilots forward visibility

Heavy snowfall and reduced visibility over river Sosva. North Ural Mountains - Siberia - Russia. mainly coniferous boreal forest on its banks - open water is visible on shallows where the current is

Sinking of a German submarine by G. H. Davis
The sinking of a German submarine, showing the action in four stages between HMS Birmingham and the German U-boat U15. Also shown: how long a cruiser can keep going with one supply of coal (middle)

Proposal for Southwark Cathedral, London
Londons hidden cathedral: a proposal to make Southwark Cathedral (near London Bridge) more visible, showing the area which currently obscures it from public view. Date: 1912

Blackout warning by G. H. Davis
A blackout warning: how one light may help raiders during the Second World War. Date: 1940

Deck flying by G. H. Davis
Deck flying: problems met by pilots of the Fleet Air Arm. The arts of flying from and landing on naval aircraft carriers: difficulties created by rolling and pitching ships, by bumpy air

Landing aircraft in fog by G. H. Davis
The dot and dash radio beam system of landing aircraft in fog: a method which prevented many accidents during the Second World War. Date: 1945

British night fighters by G. H. Davis
Methods of Britains night fighters during the Second World War: the element of surprise. Clear, dark nights are ideal for hunting enemy raiders

Modern methods of sea rescue by G. H. Davis
Modern methods of sea rescue during the Second World War: day and night detection devices. Date: 1941

The Plan Position Indicator System by G. H. Davis
A diagram showing the system developed as part of British radar sets, first demonstrated in the Thames Estuary. The system gives a picture of obstructions in the vicinity

Scouts painting kerbs white in wartime
Scouts painting kerbs white to aid visibility during the Second World War. circa 1940

Visibility zero unless you lend your binoculars to the navy 6 x 30 or 7 x 50 Zeiss or Bausch and Lomb : Pack carefully and send to Navy Observatory, Washington, D.C

Titanic - Need for Searchlights on Ocean Racers
Page from The Sphere demonstrating how searchlights on fast ocean passenger liners might have avoided the Titanic disaster. Date: 1912

Titanic - How Ice Blink reveals the presence of bergs
Diagram in The Sphere during the inquiry into the Titanic disaster showing how ice blink reveals the presence of bergs underneath the water

British torpedo boat destroyers at sea, WW1
British torpedo boat destroyers at sea during the First World War, making a smoke screen to protect a convoy. Date: 1914-1918

Radar navigation at a glance- a new device
Diagrammatic illustration of radar navigation. This was designed by the Admiralty Research Lab (mainly by Mr.J. Home Dickson)

Liner and Fishing Boats
When fog reduces visibility, a transatlantic liner runs down a group of fishing boats

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