Speaker
Description
The First National Exhibition of the History of Science, held in Florence from May to November 1929, was a significant moment in the long and complex process of enhancing and protecting the Italian scientific heritage, as well as an important opportunity to celebrate the scientific and technological primacy of Italy.
Among the sciences covered at the exhibition, Astronomy and Physics undoubtedly
played a fundamental role, since Italian scientists had stood out for their theories and inventions.
This contribution aims to show how, along with the numerous astronomy and
physics-themed objects, texts and portraits, a large number of photographs provided by the participants was also exposed. Photographs often replaced tools or equipment impracticable to send, being too bulky, delicate or fragile.
While some instruments were shown by means of photography, many others,
exhibited as objects, were photographed during the exhibition. The Alinari brothers immortalized not only instruments, but also texts, portraits and entire rooms, providing valuable visual documentation of the exhibition and the objects that are nowadays situated in various locations, if not even lost.
