François Hemsterhuis (1721 - 1790)

Field(s) of interest: philosophy | literature | visual arts | aesthetics
Gender: male

Born: Franeker, 27-12-1721
Died: Den Haag, 07-07-1790

Biography:
Hemsterhuis was a Dutch philosopher and writer on aesthetics. He studied at the University of Leiden, after which he entered the service of the Dutch Republic, where he acted as secretary to the state council of the United Provinces since 1769. He held this position until 1780. He became acquainted with many distinguished persons, such as Goethe, Herder and Jacobi. He was a very close friend of Adelheid Amalia, prinses Gallitzin, wife of the Russian ambassador in The Hague, who he met in 1775. He educated her in the exact sciences and philosophy and was tutor to her children. He invented an achromatic binocular telescope, and tested all the optical instruments of the Amsterdam Van Deijl instrument makers firm.

Occupations:
"Eerste commis van de Staat": 1769 - 1790 (Den Haag)

Sources:
L. Brummel, Frans Hemsterhuis. Een Philosophenleven (Haarlem, 1925)

'Naamlijst der H.H. Leden van de Algemeene Natuur en Geneeskundige Correspondentie-Societeit', in: Verhandelingen van de Natuur- en Geneeskundige Correspondentie-Societeit ('s Gravenhage 1783).

Petry, Michael J., ‘Hemsterhuis on Mathematics and Optics’, in: The Light of Nature: Essays in the History of Science presented to A.C. Crombie, edited by J. D. North and J. J. Roche (Dordrecht, 1985), 209–239.

Zuidervaart, H.J., 'Reflecting 'Popular Culture' : The Introduction, Diffusion, and Construction of the Reflecting Telescope in the Netherlands', Annals of Science 61:4 (2004), 407-452.

Petry, Michael J. [et al] Frans Hemsterhuis. Waarneming en werkelijkheid (Baarn, 1988)

Sluis, J. van, ‘Hemsterhuis en de familie-Van Aylva. Tekstuitgave van een [Franstalige] correspondentie’ [Geschiedenis van de Wijsbegeerte in Nederland. Documentatieblad van de Werkgroep ‘Sassen’ 2 (1991), 71–88.