Entitled "One Stage in the Manufacture of an Explosive," photographic reproduction depicts women in a factory picking cotton waste. The cotton waste will be converted into guncotton, or nitrocellulose, which is used in explosives.

This plate is found within The Romance of Modern Chemistry, which is a layman's introduction to topics in chemistry. Includes a history of chemistry along with alchemy and the philosopher's stone; elements including organic, invisible, metals, acids, alkalies, and water; chemical changes such as fire, freezing and explosions; chemistry of the stars; food; electricity; solutions and crystals; as well as discoveries in chemistry.