ESHS/HSS Annual Meeting

The invisibles who made sparks visible: the role of Mynde and Ingram in the development of the iconography of electricity in the eighteenth century

• In Event: Making and Circulating Images, Their Impact and Influences on Different Fields of Science 1

English Abstract

In recent decades, the role of “invisible” contributors in the history of science has been examined with increasing care (Shapin, 1989; Hentschel, 2012). These figures—technicians, artisans, engravers, publishers, and artists—worked alongside natural philosophers, helping to shape how the natural world was represented and understood. This paper focuses on two such actors: James Mynde (1702–1771) and John Ingram (1721–1771?), illustrators and engravers active within the Royal Society of London and the French Academy of Sciences. Although only briefly mentioned in scholarship on these institutions, both played important roles in the development of key areas of natural philosophy, notably electricity. They produced illustrations and engravings for major works in the field, including those of William Watson (1715–1787) and Jean-Antoine Nollet (1700–1770). Their work constitutes a significant portion of early iconography of electricity.
Mynde came from a family of illustrators and engravers and became a leading professional at the Royal Society; he also held positions in the Stationers’ Company and trained apprentices. Ingram, born in Britain but established in France, was soon appointed the principal illustrator and engraver of the French Academy of Sciences. His work was esteemed to the point of earning him exceptional payments and the privilege of attending the Academy’s sessions.
This presentation examines how both figures became embedded in academic life, their relationships with authors, and how their visual work helped promote and disseminate an emerging experimental culture in electrical science.

Author

• Breno Moura, UFABC, Brazil