2026/07/22 by Elena Romero-Passerin d'Entrèves
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Central European and Russian historical studies #Diversity (politics) #Historical Art and Culture Studies #Historical Philosophy and Science #Institution #Natural (archaeology) #Public space #Sample (material) #Space (punctuation)
paper · doi:10.1163/18253911-bja10218
openalex publication_date 2026/07/22 · openalex created_date 2026/07/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Abstract The Museum of La Specola, or Imperial and Royal Museum of Physics and Natural History, was designed and opened in Florence under the rule of the Grand Duke Peter-Leopold of Habsburg (1765–1790). This article examines the audience of the museum to better understand who consumed scientific spectacles in the eighteenth century. The paper first shows how the museum was designed as an institution of public education, with free and as easy access for the Tuscan population. It then uses a sample database built on the registry of entries to show the success of these policies, considering the number and diversity of people who did visit in terms of geographical origins, gender, or social background. It concludes that the museum succeeded as a public space of education and that there was a tangible appetite for scientific content across all social categories.