Ampère, André Marie — [Portrait by Jules Boilly]

Paris, J. [L.] Boilly, [1822]. Engraved broadsheet (36.3 x 27.3 cm). = A rarely-seen portrait of the French physicist and mathematician André-Marie Ampère (1775-1836). He '...was one of the founders of the science of classical electromagnetism, which he referred to as "electrodynamics". He is also the inventor of numerous applications, such as the solenoid (a term coined by him) and the electrical telegraph. As an autodidact, Ampère was a member of the French Academy of Sciences and professor at the École Polytechnique and the Collège de France. The SI unit of measurement of electric current, the ampere, is named after him' (Wikipedia). The artist, Julien-Léopold Boilly (1796-1874) was noted for his album of lithographs, Iconographie de l'Institut royal de France ou collection des portraits des Membres composant les quatre académies depuis 1814 jusqu'en 1825 (1820-1825). His portraits are much less stiff and formal than many by his contemporaries. Signed by the artist in the lower margin of the portrait. The caption states the date of Ampère's birth and the year (1814) in which he was elected as a member of the Institut. Uncut. With in the lower right corner a small, oval blind-stamp, 'Galerie Vivienne Bénard'. Scattered, minimal, very mild foxing; a few weak marginal creases; the edges a bit toned, frayed, and chipped; otherwise very good.