The Fondazione Scienza e Tecnica of Florence has recently acquired a Santoni Model IV stereocartograph. This large instrument was used for producing topographical maps from stereoscopic aereal or terrestrial photographs. This type of... more
The Fondazione Scienza e Tecnica of Florence has recently acquired a Santoni Model IV stereocartograph. This large instrument was used for producing topographical maps from stereoscopic aereal or terrestrial photographs. This type of stereocartograph had been ...
Scientific instruments played a role of paramount importance in Alessandro Volta's prolific experimental work. The inventor of the electrophorus, the spark eudiometer and the electric battery was certainly a skilful experimentalist.... more
Scientific instruments played a role of paramount importance in Alessandro Volta's prolific experimental work. The inventor of the electrophorus, the spark eudiometer and the electric battery was certainly a skilful experimentalist. Unfortunately, until a few years ago, most of ...
Description/Abstract The names of AG Bell, A. Meucci, P. Reis, E. Gray, just to mention the most important ones, are all connected with the invention of the telephone. Today, the Italian inventor A. Meucci is recognized as being the first... more
Description/Abstract The names of AG Bell, A. Meucci, P. Reis, E. Gray, just to mention the most important ones, are all connected with the invention of the telephone. Today, the Italian inventor A. Meucci is recognized as being the first to propose a working prototype of the ...
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A detailed article describing the apparatus for detecting and recording lightning. Pari II: From Beccaria's Ceraunograph to Gergely Palatin's detector
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A detailed article describing the apparatus for detecting and recording lightning. Pari I: From Beccaria's Ceraunograph to Gergely Palatin's detector
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RIASSUNTO Negli anni '70 dello scorso secolo il Museo di Scienze Naturali Enrico Caffi di Bergamo ha acquisito una serie di strumenti didattici databili fra la fine del Settecento e la metà dell'Ottocento, provenienti dal Gabinetto di... more
RIASSUNTO Negli anni '70 dello scorso secolo il Museo di Scienze Naturali Enrico Caffi di Bergamo ha acquisito una serie di strumenti didattici databili fra la fine del Settecento e la metà dell'Ottocento, provenienti dal Gabinetto di Fisica del Liceo Classico Paolo Sarpi. L'attivarsi di rapporti di collaborazione, prima con l' Ateneo di Scienze Lettere ed Arti e poi con la Fondazione Scienza e Tecnica, ha consentito il recupero della raccolta grazie allo studio degli strumenti e all'avvio degli interventi di restauro. Parole chiave: collaborazione fra istituzioni, strumenti scientifici, restauro.
ABSTRACT Enhancement of a scientific collection: museum and institutions collaborate Il Museo di Scienze Naturali Enrico Caffi di Bergamo L'esigenza di arricchire la città di un Museo di Scien-ze Naturali nacque nel 1871 quando il Consiglio del Regio Istituto Tecnico diede l'incarico al prof. Polli di riordinare le collezioni naturalistiche al fine di aprirle alla pubblica visione nelle giornate festive. Nel 1917 la Giunta comunale accolse l'idea che il Mu-seo diventasse definitivamente Civico e il 14 luglio 1918 venne ufficialmente inaugurato il Museo Civico di Storia Naturale. Il sacerdote prof. Enrico Caffi fu nominato primo di-rettore dell'istituto e con la sua paziente opera riordinò le collezioni civiche favorendo l'incremento delle rac-colte fino al 1947. Il suo trentennale lavoro fu molto intenso tanto che gli spazi a disposizione costituirono nuovamente un elemento di freno allo sviluppo dell'at-tività. Venne individuata in Piazza Cittadella la nuova sede da destinare al Museo di Scienze Naturali nel prestigioso edificio visconteo che doveva prevedere, oltre a un ampio settore espositivo, adeguati labora-tori e depositi. Nel 1960 il Museo venne trasferito da Piazza Vecchia alla sede attuale e dedicato al suo primo direttore, Enrico Caffi. Dagli anni '80 il Museo è stato oggetto di ulteriori interventi di ampliamento che hanno reso disponibili nuovi locali destinati a una nuova e funzionale biblio-teca, a una sezione didattica, ai laboratori, ai depositi delle collezioni e al settore espositivo (v. sito web 1). L'Ateneo di Scienze Lettere e Arti di Bergamo L' Ateneo di Bergamo prende la sua intitolazione dal decreto napoleonico del 25 dicembre 1810 che riunì l'antica Accademia degli Eccitati, nata nel 1642 con in-tenti umanistici e letterari, con l' Accademia Economi-co Arvale, creata dietro impulso della Serenissima nel
ABSTRACT Enhancement of a scientific collection: museum and institutions collaborate Il Museo di Scienze Naturali Enrico Caffi di Bergamo L'esigenza di arricchire la città di un Museo di Scien-ze Naturali nacque nel 1871 quando il Consiglio del Regio Istituto Tecnico diede l'incarico al prof. Polli di riordinare le collezioni naturalistiche al fine di aprirle alla pubblica visione nelle giornate festive. Nel 1917 la Giunta comunale accolse l'idea che il Mu-seo diventasse definitivamente Civico e il 14 luglio 1918 venne ufficialmente inaugurato il Museo Civico di Storia Naturale. Il sacerdote prof. Enrico Caffi fu nominato primo di-rettore dell'istituto e con la sua paziente opera riordinò le collezioni civiche favorendo l'incremento delle rac-colte fino al 1947. Il suo trentennale lavoro fu molto intenso tanto che gli spazi a disposizione costituirono nuovamente un elemento di freno allo sviluppo dell'at-tività. Venne individuata in Piazza Cittadella la nuova sede da destinare al Museo di Scienze Naturali nel prestigioso edificio visconteo che doveva prevedere, oltre a un ampio settore espositivo, adeguati labora-tori e depositi. Nel 1960 il Museo venne trasferito da Piazza Vecchia alla sede attuale e dedicato al suo primo direttore, Enrico Caffi. Dagli anni '80 il Museo è stato oggetto di ulteriori interventi di ampliamento che hanno reso disponibili nuovi locali destinati a una nuova e funzionale biblio-teca, a una sezione didattica, ai laboratori, ai depositi delle collezioni e al settore espositivo (v. sito web 1). L'Ateneo di Scienze Lettere e Arti di Bergamo L' Ateneo di Bergamo prende la sua intitolazione dal decreto napoleonico del 25 dicembre 1810 che riunì l'antica Accademia degli Eccitati, nata nel 1642 con in-tenti umanistici e letterari, con l' Accademia Economi-co Arvale, creata dietro impulso della Serenissima nel
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Ever since antiquity, medals that were often also remarkable works of art were used to mark the achievements and testify to the glory of a person or his bravery on the battlefield, or to celebrate or commemorate a particular event.... more
Ever since antiquity, medals that were often also remarkable works of art were used to mark the achievements and testify to the glory of a person or his bravery on the battlefield, or to celebrate or commemorate a particular event. Sovereigns and nobles wore medals as symbols of their power, wealth and achievements or distributed them as exceptional gifts in order to maintain or garner support. In the 19th century the
use of medals increased dramatically. In fact, with the machine age a new class of heroes was born. These were the engineers, the technicians and the manufacturers who were industrializing the Western world. And these pioneers of technological progress became the new recipients of a tide of medals, diplomas and awards which were primarily
distributed at the national, international and universal exhibitions and fairs which abounded during the last decades of the 19th and the first decades of the 20th centuries. This essay will focus on instrument makers, whose activities bridged science and industry. Their products represented the high technology of their day in the sector
of precision instruments, and the most outstanding ones, judged to be deserving of an award, were selected following examination by a jury composed of specialists. But what were the criteria adopted by the jurors? Did political considerations influence their judgments? What were the importance and the significance of these awards? Did they have an impact on the instrument maker’s trade or were they just attractive souvenirs to be taken home from the exhibitions? Based on an analysis of many documents (reports, lists of medallists, catalogues, specialized articles, etc.) relating to industrial exhibitions held in Europe and the United States during the 19th century, the present essay provides an answer to these questions.
use of medals increased dramatically. In fact, with the machine age a new class of heroes was born. These were the engineers, the technicians and the manufacturers who were industrializing the Western world. And these pioneers of technological progress became the new recipients of a tide of medals, diplomas and awards which were primarily
distributed at the national, international and universal exhibitions and fairs which abounded during the last decades of the 19th and the first decades of the 20th centuries. This essay will focus on instrument makers, whose activities bridged science and industry. Their products represented the high technology of their day in the sector
of precision instruments, and the most outstanding ones, judged to be deserving of an award, were selected following examination by a jury composed of specialists. But what were the criteria adopted by the jurors? Did political considerations influence their judgments? What were the importance and the significance of these awards? Did they have an impact on the instrument maker’s trade or were they just attractive souvenirs to be taken home from the exhibitions? Based on an analysis of many documents (reports, lists of medallists, catalogues, specialized articles, etc.) relating to industrial exhibitions held in Europe and the United States during the 19th century, the present essay provides an answer to these questions.
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In "How Scientific Instruments Have Changed Hands" Edited by A.D. Morrison-Low, Sara J. Schechner & Paolo Brenni This collection of essays discusses the marketing of scientific and medical instruments from the eighteenth century to the... more
In "How Scientific Instruments Have Changed Hands"
Edited by A.D. Morrison-Low, Sara J. Schechner & Paolo Brenni
This collection of essays discusses the marketing of scientific and medical instruments from the eighteenth century to the First World War. The evidence presented here is derived from sources as diverse as contemporary trade literature, through newspaper advertisements, to rarely-surviving inventories, and from the instruments themselves. The picture may not yet be complete, but it has been acknowledged that it is more complex than sketched out twenty-five or even fifty years ago. Here is a collection of case-studies from the United Kingdom, the Americas and Europe showing instruments moving from maker to market-place, and, to some extent, what happened next.
Contributors are: Alexi Baker, Paolo Brenni, Laura Cházaro, Gloria Clifton, Peggy Aldrich Kidwell, Richard L. Kremer, A.D. Morrison-Low, Joshua Nall, Sara J. Schechner, and Liba Taub.
Edited by A.D. Morrison-Low, Sara J. Schechner & Paolo Brenni
This collection of essays discusses the marketing of scientific and medical instruments from the eighteenth century to the First World War. The evidence presented here is derived from sources as diverse as contemporary trade literature, through newspaper advertisements, to rarely-surviving inventories, and from the instruments themselves. The picture may not yet be complete, but it has been acknowledged that it is more complex than sketched out twenty-five or even fifty years ago. Here is a collection of case-studies from the United Kingdom, the Americas and Europe showing instruments moving from maker to market-place, and, to some extent, what happened next.
Contributors are: Alexi Baker, Paolo Brenni, Laura Cházaro, Gloria Clifton, Peggy Aldrich Kidwell, Richard L. Kremer, A.D. Morrison-Low, Joshua Nall, Sara J. Schechner, and Liba Taub.
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The Minutier central des notaires de Paris, which is preserved in the Archives nationales in Paris, is a huge archive group with several millions of documents recording all the official deeds written by the Parisian notaries. In it, it is... more
The Minutier central des notaires de Paris, which is preserved in the Archives nationales in Paris, is a huge archive group with several millions of documents recording all the official deeds written by the Parisian notaries. In it, it is possible to find very interesting documents concerning the activities of 19th century Parisian scientific instrument makers. I publish here the inventories of the instruments and tools which were in the workshop of two important makers: Jules Duboscq (1817–1886) and Heinrich Daniel Ruhmkorff (1803–1877). The first was compiled in 1859 after the death of Duboscq’s wife, the second when Ruhmkorff workshop was sold in 1878. These documents contain precious and original information concerning the organisation of the workshop, the instruments, the activities, and the trade of these renown instrument makers.
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From the itinerant lecturers of the 18th century to popularizing physics in the 21st century – exploring the relationship between learning and entertainment
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EZIO RAGOZZINO, EDVIGE SCHETTINO, <I>La</I> <I>collezione</I> <I>degli</I> <I>antichi apparecchi</I> <I>dell'Istituto di Fisica:</I> <I>Gli strumenti ottici (1840-1890),</I> Napoli, Università degli Studi di Napoli, Facoltà di Scienze M.F.N. 1984 <I>Meccanica dei</I> <I>fluidi e termologia (1840-...more
Abstract: The collection of the 19th century physics instruments of the Istituto Tecnico Toscano in Florence, which is nowadays preserved by the Fondazione Scienza e Tecnica, is one of the largest and more complete in Europe. For this... more
Abstract: The collection of the 19th century physics instruments of the Istituto Tecnico Toscano in Florence, which is nowadays preserved by the Fondazione Scienza e Tecnica, is one of the largest and more complete in Europe. For this reason it can be considered a « ...
The German astronomer Ernst Wilhelm Leberecht Tempel (1821-1889) owed most of his successes to a 10.8-cm Steinheil refractor, which he bought in 1858. A lithographer, without an academic foundation, but with a strong passion for... more
The German astronomer Ernst Wilhelm Leberecht Tempel (1821-1889) owed most of his successes to a 10.8-cm Steinheil refractor, which he bought in 1858. A lithographer, without an academic foundation, but with a strong passion for astronomy, Tempel had sharp eyesight and a ...