Spectrum of Belief

In the nineteenth century, scientific practice shifted from personal endeavor to business enterprise. Myles Jackson explores this transformation through a sociocultural history of precision optics in Germany, focusing on the career of optician Joseph von Fraunhofer (1787-1826). Orphaned at eleven, Fraunhofer trained under a decorative glass cutter but grew frustrated with his master's refusal to let him study optical theory. He later joined the Optical Institute, where he excelled in producing the world's finest achromatic lenses and prisms. His laboratory, located in an old Benedictine monastery, reflected the monks' labor, yet his secretive methods prevented British experimental natural philosophers from replicating his success. This secrecy ensured his institute's monopoly but hindered his acceptance in the scientific community, which viewed artisanal practices with disdain. The rise of German optical technology during this period highlights significant social, economic, and political issues, including mechanization, patent law reform, the role of skills in physics and society, the emergence of Mechanics' Institutes, and scientific patronage. After Fraunhofer's death, his legacy was used in the newly united Germany to advocate for the integration of scientific research, technological innovation, and industrial and state support.