Hilaire de Chardonnet, French engineer C018 / 0622
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Hilaire de Chardonnet, French engineer C018 / 0622
Hilaire de Chardonnet (1839-1924), French engineer. Chardonnet was a French engineer, chemist and industrialist who invented the process of manufacturing rayon. Obtaining a patent in 1884 on a fibre produced by extruding a solution of cellulose nitrate through fine glass capillaries (a process intended to imitate that of the silkworm), Chardonnet developed artificial silk. Soon after, the worlds first artificial silk factory was constructed at Besancon in northern France, and Chardonnet exhibited his material at the Paris Exhibition of 1889. The modern rayon industry developed from Chardonnets silk-making process. This image dates from around the 1870s
Science Photo Library features Science and Medical images including photos and illustrations
Media ID 9237617
© HAGLEY ARCHIVE / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Chemist Discoverer Discovery Early Engineer Engineering Fabric French Industrialist Invention Inventor Materials Science Oval Pioneer Portrait Rayon Silk Synthetic Textile Industry Textiles
EDITORS COMMENTS
This print showcases the brilliant mind of Hilaire de Chardonnet, a pioneering French engineer who revolutionized the textile industry in the late 19th century. With his remarkable invention of rayon, an artificial silk made from cellulose nitrate, Chardonnet forever changed the course of fabric manufacturing. In this portrait dating back to the 1870s, we see a distinguished-looking European gentleman with an oval face and piercing eyes. It is evident that behind this composed demeanor lies a visionary thinker and inventor. Count Chardonnet's contribution to materials science and engineering cannot be overstated. Through his ingenuity and meticulous research, he developed a groundbreaking process for producing synthetic silk that closely mimicked nature's own creation – silkworm cocoons. His patent in 1884 paved the way for constructing the world's first artificial silk factory in Besancon, France. Chardonnet proudly exhibited his revolutionary material at the Paris Exhibition of 1889, leaving spectators awestruck by its quality and potential applications. From these humble beginnings emerged what would become today's thriving rayon industry. As we admire this monochrome image capturing history in motion, let us pay tribute to Hilaire de Chardonnet – an extraordinary chemist, engineer, industrialist, and discoverer whose legacy continues to shape our modern world through advancements in textiles and new materials.
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