Natuurkundig instrument before 1867

This undated print by F.W. Funckler depicts scientific instruments. It reflects the societal interest in science and empirical study. The objects, ranging from windlass pulleys to Atwood machines, appear to be listed for sale, reflecting a burgeoning market for scientific tools. We might consider how identities are formed by engagement with technology: who had access to these tools? Were women and people of color excluded from participating in scientific discovery? How might this affect whose knowledge came to be privileged? The print reads as an index of Enlightenment values, yet also as an economic transaction, reminding us that the pursuit of knowledge is always situated within larger power dynamics. Though these instruments are meant to reveal truths, we can also consider how they construct a particular vision of the world, impacting how knowledge is produced and disseminated. It makes us consider how scientific exploration is also a cultural practice, shaped by the values and biases of its practitioners.