Joseph von Fraunhofer

Joseph von Fraunhofer (1787 - 1826) Photo: German Museum Munich

Joseph von Fraunhofer conducted his experiments with light in Germany, concurrently with Fresnel. He was born on March 6, 1787, the eleventh child of a glass blower. Orphaned at the age of eleven, he began his apprenticeship under the tutelage of Weichselberger, a royal mirror maker and glass cutter. He passed away on June 7, 1826, from pulmonary tuberculosis, brought about by exposure to lead vapors and glass dust.