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| James Clerk Maxwell |
On this date, November 5, in 1879 at the age of 48 James Clerk Maxwell died. He accomplished a great deal in mathematics and mathematical physics in his short life. One of these accomplishments was to provide a unified theory of light, electricity, and magnetism. He produced the first durable color photograph, and his work with light led him to note that any color could be produced by combinations of the primary colors red, green, and blue, which provides the basis for color television.
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The first durable color photograph - produced by James Clerk Maxwell
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| Experimenting with light |
I'm posting today to honor him on the date of his death. Looking back, I realize I posted about him at great length previously. This was about 10 years ago on my first trip to Edinbrugh. You can find that post by clicking on
this link, which covers his accomplishments, his time in Cambridge, and his friendship with Thompson and Tait. What is new here since that first visit is that I've had opportunity to visit his birthplace - a house now owned by the James Clerk Maxwell Foundation. I was in Edinburgh on a Doors Open Days weekend, and the foundation had opened the doors to the house. So in this post I'll share pictures of that visit.
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| Front Door of Maxwell's House |
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| Entry to Maxwell's House |
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| Staircase in Maxwell's House |
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| Inside Maxwell's birthplace, now home to the J. C. Mawell Foundation |
The James Clerk Maxwell Foundation did a fabulous job of curating exhibits and creating posters representing Maxwell's life and work. There were papers he had written, exhibits of his work with light, medals he had won, portraits of his friends, and even a bag (small purse) he had designed and stitched when he was a little boy.
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| View out a front window of Maxwell's House |
I've walked past Maxwell's house many times, but to get to go inside and get the view from inside out instead of outside in was pretty cool. Above is the view out a front window across India Street. Below are views across the back garden.
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| View through a back window of Maxwell's House |
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| A view through a back window in Maxwell's House |
Though it is very difficult to see the subject of this picture, there is a seedling staked up behind a fern and in front of a larger tree in this image. This seedling was grown from seeds taken from Newton's home at Woolsthorpe - from the apple tree that inspired Newton's thinking about gravity.
Again, if you're looking for more about the life and work of James Clerk Maxwell, click on the link give near the top of this post. And let's take a moment to honor his memory today.
