Antoine BREGUET – Set of four letters to Gaston TISSANDIER.

Antoine BREGUET (1851.1882)

A set of four autograph letters signed to Gaston Tissandier.  

Breguet letterhead Revue scientifique letterhead )

Paris. September 1st ^and 7th, 1877, April 8th, 1878 and February 5th, 1880.

Interesting correspondence between the two French scientists, initiated by Breguet proposing to Tissandier – then editor-in-chief of the journal La Nature – his work on the history of electric light and on the telephone to Mercury.

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1 ^, 1877 .

“Dear Sir, I have recently amused myself by gathering some notes on the history of electric light up to its production by means of magneto-electric machines (exclusively). Would you be willing to publish this study in your journal? If so, please let me know, and I will see to the final version. I think there would be enough text for two, perhaps three articles. But I can only think of a few figures to illustrate them. Believe me, dear Sir, yours sincerely, Antoine Breguet. ”

September 7, 1877.

"Dear Sir, Here is the first article on the history of electric light. Perhaps you could have the following illustrations drawn: 1° - Dufay drawing a spark from a human body. The patient is suspended in the air on silk cords. 2° - the plume-like spark found in a large number of physics treatises : Gavarret, Mascart, among others. What do you think? Yours sincerely, Antoine Breguet. If you find this first ^article too short, I can easily lengthen it. I have all my notes organized. I could easily write two more articles of the same length (at least), and the illustrations will be easier to place in them."

April 8, 1878.

“Dear Sir, I will send you the continuation of the story of electric light in two or three days. As for the mercury telephone, I was still waiting to send you the photograph until I had obtained some new results. But I lack the time to work, so I will send you the figure right away. Yours sincerely, Antoine Breguet. P.S. I would be grateful if you could send me the latest issue of La Nature , because apart from my father's subscription, I like to keep the issues containing my articles.”

February 5, 1880.

"My dear Mr. Tissandier, You may know that, starting February 20th, I am taking over the editorship of the scientific journal in collaboration with my friend Ch. Richet; I know that you kindly promised Mr. Alglave a copy of your lecture for the journal. May I hope that you will keep your promise for his successor? You will have the gratitude of your devoted Antoine Breguet, 5 rue de Savoie, Paris."

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Antoine Breguet (1851-1882) was the great-grandson of Abraham Breguet, founder of the legendary watchmaking company. Builder of the Gramme machine, the first modern electric current generator, he also authored a work on the theory of the Gramme machine. He constructed numerous other instruments, including an electrically powered recording anemometer and a mercury telephone. In 1881, he transformed the family watchmaking business into a limited company under the name Maison Breguet, with the purpose of "the construction, installation, and sale of electrical equipment." Head of the installations department at the 1881 International Exposition of Electricity, he made significant contributions to electrotechnical science during his short life.

Gaston Tissandier (1843-1899) dedicated his life to science. A chemist and physicist by training, drawn to all the natural sciences and fascinated by the world of technology and invention, he became an editor of scientific journals in the 1870s, including La Nature (here commissioned by Breguet). An adventurer of the air, passionate about ballooning, he made more than forty ascents. At the Exposition of Electricity in 1881, he and his brother Albert contributed to the first model of an electrically powered dirigible.