The Cathode Ray Tube site
150 years of CRT evolution
The Dutch collection
150 years of CRT evolution
The Dutch collection
Last update 1-11-2026
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Geissler
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Crookes
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Info
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Camera
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Hittorf
Braun
Röntgen
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The Cathode Ray Tube site is one of the most extensive website regarding the discovery, development and history of CRT techniques. But also about producing and trading of these instruments. This private collection presents antique Geissler tubes, early Crookes tubes, the first X-ray tubes, rare Braun tubes and related instruments from the 19'th century and all it's spin-offs until the last produced CRT in Europe. The collection is gathered for over more than 20 years. It's a trip through time when most of our modern electronic techniques were invented. Many collectors, students, Museums and Universities visit this website as a reference and may use content for lectures, books or presentations. Please look at the copyright page before use. For the geeks, yes it's a basic website desktop design, no fancy stuff but all for the content without disturbing ads or cookies :) enjoy!
About this website and the instruments collection
It all started with a small low vacuum tube around 1857 which Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Geissler developed into a practical usable glass vessel as a further development of the electric egg from the 18'th century. Geissler used his own invented mercury air pump which was quickly adopted by the scientific community worldwide. When connected to a high voltage source like a Wimshurst machine or Ruhmkorff coil the internal residual gas ignites into a bright colored light which attracted many people. This was the beginning of many new discoveries which you can find on these pages.
The start with Geissler tube development from 1857
Soon after Geissler's work on electricity through gasses, William Crookes developed a new type of airpump. Now he was able to make a near vacuum and did new discoveries. In 1879 Crookes presented 21 different new models of tubes at the lecture "on radiant matter" for the British Association for the Advancement of Science in Sheffield. Most of his tubes had an almost near vacuum. from here many new scientific results stood at the base of new developments like X-ray tubes and the start of radio and TV technology. Many researchers followed with new designs.
Crookes tube development from 1879
1895 was the start of X-rays discovered by Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen. While Röntgen was working on Crookes tubes he noticed a glowing plate of barium-platino cyanide six feet away. Experiments with a photographic plate showed the penetrating force of these new rays. It was the start of X-rays as we know it. Six weeks later December 28th 1895 Röntgen published "on a new kind of rays". The news spread quickly, many institutions used their Crookes tubes for experiments. The development of new and better X-ray tubes followed quick with German, British and French scientific glassblowers. In the first quarter of the 20'th century companies like CHF Müller dominated the European X-ray market.
The X-ray discovery and tube development from 1895
Another big development was the cathode ray tube known as CRT. Karl Ferdinand Braun invented in 1897 an usable electron beam indicator tube based on the Crookes deflection tube to display alternating current. Soon this "Braun tube" found it's use in new developed oscilloscopes. In 1908 Campbell Swindon came with the first ideas to use it as a television display tube as an upgrade from the mechanical TV systems. Development went fast, from the 1930's into WWII big steps were made for the first radar inventions and television broadcast including the first electronic camera tubes. Television was born!
The Braun tube development from 1897 and the start of television
