rstl99
Registered User
From the introduction to my new (unpublished) article:
This article deals with Jean Jodin (12 June 1713 - 3 March 1761), a Geneva-born watchmaker (horloger) who was a well-known and competent artisan in Paris and Saint-Germain en Laye during three decades. Jodin also authored a somewhat controversial book in 1754, entitled "Les échappemens a repos comparés aux echappemens a recul" [Dead-beat escapements compared with recoil escapements].
Too often, discussions about horological figures of history focus on their technical achievements and innovations, their professional antecedents and influences, and the impact that their work had on the practice and business of horology, during their lifetime and in the decades which followed. These descriptions of horological lives fail to convey the social and personal milieu in which these watch/clockmakers plied their trade, raised and supported their families, often during very difficult and turbulent times (epidemics, wars, economic collapses, political crises, technological upheavals, etc.).
Given this, the article will also discuss Jodin's family, and in the second half, will focus on his (in)famous daughter Marie-Madeleine (1741-1790), who demonstrated a feisty character throughout a most interesting life, where the roles of actress, philosopher, and feminist, intersected and overlapped.
The article is available for your viewing on my website, at this location:
I hope you will find something of interest in my writing about Jean Jodin, and his daughter.
Regards,
Robert St-Louis
This article deals with Jean Jodin (12 June 1713 - 3 March 1761), a Geneva-born watchmaker (horloger) who was a well-known and competent artisan in Paris and Saint-Germain en Laye during three decades. Jodin also authored a somewhat controversial book in 1754, entitled "Les échappemens a repos comparés aux echappemens a recul" [Dead-beat escapements compared with recoil escapements].
Too often, discussions about horological figures of history focus on their technical achievements and innovations, their professional antecedents and influences, and the impact that their work had on the practice and business of horology, during their lifetime and in the decades which followed. These descriptions of horological lives fail to convey the social and personal milieu in which these watch/clockmakers plied their trade, raised and supported their families, often during very difficult and turbulent times (epidemics, wars, economic collapses, political crises, technological upheavals, etc.).
Given this, the article will also discuss Jodin's family, and in the second half, will focus on his (in)famous daughter Marie-Madeleine (1741-1790), who demonstrated a feisty character throughout a most interesting life, where the roles of actress, philosopher, and feminist, intersected and overlapped.
The article is available for your viewing on my website, at this location:
I hope you will find something of interest in my writing about Jean Jodin, and his daughter.
Regards,
Robert St-Louis
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