The next on-line seminar of the Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry will be given by Dr Francesca Antonelli (University of Bologna) who will present:
Family historians? Women and the construction of scientific memory, from Mme Lavoisier (1758-1836) to Lucie Laugier (1822-1900)
This will be live on Thursday, 25 September 2025, beginning at 5.00pm (London time). The format will be a talk of 20-30 minutes, followed by a moderated discussion of half an hour.
As with recent seminars the Zoom link can be freely accessed by anyone, member of SHAC or not, by booking through the following Ticket Source link:
Family historians? Women and the construction of scientific memory, from Mme Lavoisier (1758-1836) to Lucie Laugier (1822-1900)
Francesca Antonelli
Family history is widely recognized as one of the first domains where women engaged with modern historical writing, often being regarded as the “natural” custodians of family memory. But what about the history of science? This presentation focuses on how women between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries shaped the posthumous memory of scientists within their families, particularly through the curation of scientific and personal archives, the management of instruments and other objects, and biographical writing. Beginning with the well-documented case of Mme Lavoisier (1758-1836), who crafted her husband’s memory in the early nineteenth century, I turn to the largely overlooked figure of Lucie Laugier (1822-1900), François Arago’s niece and author of biographical accounts of her uncle (published only in the 1990s). Both women served as “secretaries” – as they would put it – to their relatives and managed extensive material and paper collections in radically different political contexts—from post-Revolutionary rehabilitation to Second Empire hostility. Significantly, both are commemorated in public monuments—Arago’s in 1879 and Lavoisier’s in 1900—depicted precisely in these roles. I will thus deal with their cases to raise some questions on women’s agency in constructing scientific memory and the complex negotiations between family and institutional narratives of scientific commemoration.
This post is almost overflowing with news of forthcoming events brought to you by SHAC over the next few months.
1. SHAC WEBINAR – Thursday 22 May 2025 at 5pm BST: Ellen Hausner – Early modern alchemical characters: the case of Simon Forman (1552-1611)
An invitation to the next SHAC seminar to be held on 22nd May and a reminder to register for the AGM to be held on Monday 12th May .
The next on-line seminar of the Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry will be given by Ellen Hausner (University of Oxford) who will present:
Early modern alchemical characters: the case of Simon Forman (1552-1611)
This will be live on Thursday, 22 May 2025, beginning at 5.00pm (London time). The format will be a talk of 20-30 minutes, followed by a moderated discussion of half an hour. As with recent seminars the Zoom link can be freely accessed by anyone, member of SHAC or not, by booking through the following Ticket Source link:
Early modern alchemical characters: the case of Simon Forman (1552-1611)
Ellen Hausner
From the late medieval era through the end of the early modern period, writers of alchemical literature used both verbal and pictorial methods of communication. Alongside these two systems, a third, visually abstract language began to be used to transmit meaning. Known in the period as ‘characters,’ these symbolic notations and signs were pervasive across alchemical literature and became a vital form of expression in alchemical texts.
This talk will explore the ways in which alchemical characters may have been perceived in the early modern period through an examination of the writings of Simon Forman (1552-1611). He was one of many alchemists in the early seventeenth century fascinated by these characters, creating several lists of them along with their interpretations. The evidence from Forman’s writings shows that he did not regard alchemical characters solely as a notation system for representing alchemical substances, processes, and apparatus. Rather, he believed them to have a celestial origin, and to contain some of the same properties as those found in magical sigils, astrological glyphs, and angelic signs. Forman serves as an example of how the early history of alchemical characters is situated in the context of a culture steeped in symbolic characters which were seen to connect humans to other realms.
If you are unable to attend but wish to send your apologies please contact our administrative coordinator, Dr. Rebecca Martin, using meetings@ambix.org.
3. SHAC AWARD SCHEME 2025
Remember the deadline is 31 May 2025 and application forms have to be requested in advance from grants@ambix.org
16 and 17 October 2025, at the Science History Institute, Philadelphia
It is intended that the first day of this two day meeting will cover the history of alchemy and early modern chemistry, while the second day will discuss the history of chemistry from then to the modern period. Offers of papers on any aspect of the history of alchemy and chemistry, including their historiography, should be sent, with a short description, to the SHAC chair, Professor Frank James (frank.james@ucl.ac.uk), by 31 May 2025.
5. SHAC Brock Award – Call for Nominations
Nominations by 30 June 2025 – please see details at
The Partington Prize is awarded every three years for an original and unpublished essay on any aspect of the history of alchemy or chemistry. The prize consists of five hundred pounds (£500), with the winning article published in SHAC’s Journal, Ambix. The competition is open to anyone with a scholarly interest in the history of alchemy or chemistry who, has not reached thirty-five years of age, or if older is enrolled in a degree programme or has been awarded a master’s degree or PhD within the previous three years. Entries must arrive before midnight GMT on 31 December 2025.
Examples of past-prize winning essays, including Armel Cornu’s 2023 Prize-Winning Essay, “Senses and Utility in the New Chemistry” can be found at
