Between 1856 and 1872, Browning acquired provisional patents for designs of numerous scientific instruments. He was also the recipient of an award at the 1862 International Exhibition held in London. He was recognised for his temperature-compensated aneroid barometer. Browning's scientific instruments were used in physics, chemistry, and biology. The products he designed and manufactured included spectroscopes, telescopes, microscopes, barometers, photometers, cameras, ophthalmoscopes, and electrical equipment such as electric lamps. 
John Browning installed the first electric light in London, the occasion being a banquet to honour the Shah of Persia during his visit to Queen Victoria. The location was the Guildhall, which has been used as a town hall in the City of London for hundreds of years and continues to be the home of the City of London Corporation. One light, run with Bunsen cells, was positioned outside each window, due to the fumes. The operating cost of each light was £3 per hour. Naser al-Din Shah Qajar was the Shah of Persia during the second half of the nineteenth century. During his reign, he toured Europe three times, in 1873, 1878, and 1889. It was during the 1873 trip that the mayor and the Corporation of the City of London gave a banquet in the Shahs honour. Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone arranged for the queen to entertain the Shah during the 1873 visit. Queen Victoria did not attend the banquet of 20 June 1873, which was primarily a business occasion. The elaborate preparations for the banquet included not only the costly lighting scheme, but also a gilded, illustrated menu (pictured)'.