Object Status:
Unlocated
Accession Date:
April 14, 1810
Primary Source Reference:
Peale Museum Accessions Book, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, p. 50
Notes:
Iridescent coal is sometimes known as peacock coal. "Peacock coal is not a specific class of coal, but rather the name for an effect in which oxidizing materials in the coal create a dazzling array of colors on the surface of the coal. Usually it is short-lived, as the material fully oxidizes away shortly after exposed to air." USGS / https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/peacock-coal
The Rev. Burgess Allison (1753-1827), a Baptist minister, was secretary of the American Philosophical Society (1801, 1811-1812), chaplain of the U.S. Navy (1821-1827), and chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives (1816-1820).
