Reproductie van een ontwerp van een apparaat om temperaturen te meten before 1896

This page, from an unknown date, depicts a measuring device with painstaking precision, probably made with ink on paper. The linear quality of the drawing emphasizes the mechanics of the device, highlighting the precision required for scientific inquiry at the time. The design emphasizes function, not aesthetics, but there is a curious beauty to it nevertheless. One can imagine the labor involved in the making of this drawing, translating a 3-dimensional object into a 2-dimensional schematic, and then reproducing it for wider distribution. The drawing thus becomes a tool, an instrument of both observation and dissemination. What's striking here is the relationship between science and craft. The measuring device itself would have been carefully made in a workshop, employing skilled labor. And the creation of the drawing also involves a kind of expertise, a translation of mechanical knowledge into visual form. This reminds us that even scientific innovation is rooted in material culture and making.