Candidate for CDA studentship on "Instruments and their makers," material sent separately to CDA assessors
Lead Research Organisation:
University of York
Department Name: History
Abstract
Candidate for CDA studentship on "Instruments and their makers," material sent separately to CDA assessors
People |
ORCID iD |
| Sophie Weeks (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Joshua Scarlett (Student) |
| Description | The project has used a collection of scientific instruments held at the Science Museum from the years 1650-1730, and for which there are very few paper records of why they were created and why, to study and understand how the instruments were made, where and for whom. The major finding of the research is that the existing historical ideas of when workshops changed from one person, one skill, to subcontracted workshops where sophisticated parts and materials were outsourced, does not account for the very likely changes that took place for the creation of early telescopes and microscopes and watches. The project has taken items within the Science Museum and aimed to find out more about their history, through visual examination, and deduction of materials, and skills. For example, one of the major findings relates to a telescope from the 1670s. Telescopes were made of cardboard, itself made from recycled paper, before metal replaced paper in the 1800s. The paper was often covered in vellum, dyed and painted. Research into one item lead to the identification of words on the paper, from which I have found the book that the paper was used from, what this book was, where it was sold, who by and where. An under-studied resource is the Science Museum's collection of 'trade cards'. These are small pieces of paper that makers and sellers used to advertise their goods and services. Doctoral and academic studies have been carried out on much larger collections, such as at the British Museum, and to cover longer time periods. The thesis has researched the Science Museum's own, niche, collection relating to scientific instruments to analyse how makers identified and presented (or branded) their businesses. Research has been conducted at the Royal Society, with particular focus on their early classified papers, in order to uncover details about transactions for instruments, and early ideas about where makers and instruments could be sourced. |
| Exploitation Route | Insights into individual instruments, or trade cards, can be used within the Museum context for further research. It may be possible with more detail about the materials used, to find documentary evidence relating to individual instruments, but this is beyond the scope of a doctoral study focusing on three major types (watches, telescopes and microscopes, mathematical instruments). The overall thesis argument about the changing nature of contracting out work and economic theories on when this happened, could be applied to other historical industries. |
| Sectors | Creative Economy,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Description | XXXVI Scientific Instrument Symposium, Rijksmuseum Boerhaave, Leiden. 3-7 September 2018 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I gave a 20 minute paper on my recent findings on 'trade cards' to the International Scientific Instrument Symposium. The event is attended from academic, curatorial and experts in the field from across the world. Multiple questions and comments on the content of my subject led to further research and changes to the chapter. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | BBC History Weekend Fringe Talk |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | As part of the BBC History Magazine's Weekend in York, I gave a 10 minute talk as part of the free 'fringe' event, explaining the purpose of my research to a non-specialised audience. An audience of approximately 15-20 people attended the event. Questions from the audience drew links to people's own professional backgrounds, including from the perspective of historic books in libraries, and engineering. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Bielefeld-Lund-York History PhD Conference, 2019 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Paper abstract: Under the Microscope: analysing the materials of seventeenth century optical instruments Despite the invention of the telescope and the microscope as instruments in the early 1600s in Holland, it was not for another century and a half that their main body would be made from metal, normally brass, in a manner that is recognisable today. In the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, the 'tubes' of optical instruments were instead made from wood, but more commonly pasteboard, which was a forerunner to modern cardboard, and covered in decorative vellum or leather. Blank paper was often used for pasteboard, but printed text can sometimes be observed on the inverse of the tube, indicating that the paper was re-used or recycled from books, pamphlets and periodicals, and this may have been a cost-effective strategy. In many cases, it is possible to observe the remnants of pages and partially printed text when the caps are removed from the tubes. This paper will chart the research that was followed, and the challenges that were encountered, to seek to identify where the paper originated in the example of one such object and will present original findings on an Edmund Culpeper microscope in the Science Museum collections. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | HRC PhD Poster Competition 2019 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | As part of the Humanities Research Centre (York) annual PhD Poster competition, I submitted and presented a poster outlining my research project at the exhibition on 29 April 2019. The poster was a visual summary of the PhD project using bright, colourful, representative graphics and used no more than 180 words. I was awarded third prize by the judging panel. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.york.ac.uk/hrc/postgraduate/opportunities/poster-competition/poster-competition-winners/ |
| Description | London 1600-1800 Communities of Natural Knowledge and Artificial Practice, Science Museum, London. 16-17 June 2017 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A workshop for the AHRC project Metropolitan Science, being carried out by Rebekah Higgitt. As part of a panel at the workshop that aimed to collate much research and knowledge on the period and topic, I presented a 10 minute paper outlining the history of Gresham College, at the invitation of Jim Bennett. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Provocations Workshop - Researching Objects, Tate Britain, London. 27 July 2017 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | With a group of no more than 12 fellow collaborative doctoral researchers, I presented a 10 minute talk on an object connected to my research as part of the workshop held at Tate Britain. This was an all day workshop that resulted in discussion on approaching museum collections and artefacts. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Research Seminar, Science Museum, London. 14 November 2017 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | I presented a 45 minute research paper to the Science Museum's researchers, followed by questions and answers. Much of the discussion acted as a debate between differing views and changes to the direction of my research came directly from comments. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |