Between the scientific and the domestic: Anna Sundström’s work in Berzelius’ house (1819-1835)

• In Event: Sites of Science

English Abstract

As secretary to the Swedish Academy of Sciences, Jons Jacob Berzelius (1779-1848) was provided with a house in Stockholm, in which two rooms functioned as a chemical laboratory. This became a central space for the European chemical community, hosting many students and collaborators. Between 1819 and 1835, Anna Sundström (1758-1836) lived and worked there as a housekeeper and was responsible for household tasks like cooking and cleaning, as well as the daily maintenance of the laboratory which included washing glassware and surveilling experiments. Working at a time when the laboratory was gradually institutionalized separately from the home and reserved for ‘men of science’, Sundström occupied a paradoxical position both on the fringe and at the heart of scientific inquiry. Starting from a reconstruction of Sundström’s daily activities in Berzelius’ home and laboratory, this talk will not only provide an example of the invisible scientific work of a female domestic servant, but also shine a light on the connections between scientific and domestic work at a time during which the laboratory was gradually institutionalized separately from the home, reserved only for ‘men of science’.

Author

• Sarah Hijmans, Laboratoire SPHERE - Université de Paris