The botanical models of Carl Leopold Lohmeyer (1799–1873) and Carl Robert Brendel (1821–1898)

Abstract

After a brief overview of the history of the emergence of material models in biology, special attention is paid to the plant models produced by Carl Leopold Lohmeyer (1799–1873) together with Ferdinand Julius Cohn (1828–1898) at the University of Breslau (today: Wrocław, Poland) from 1862 onwards. These models not only transformed university botany teaching but also accelerated the establishment of a Plant Physiology Institute at the University of Breslau. From 1866 onwards, they were commercially copied by the businessman Carl Robert Brendel (1821–1898) and sold as teaching aids all over the world, as numerous educational institutions internationally also showed interest in these then-new teaching aids. In addition to biographical information about the Brendel family of manufacturers, the production history of the Brendel models up to the Second World War is outlined. From around 1900 onwards, the reception of the models and their use in university teaching showed a declining interest. The objects that were no longer actively used in teaching were subject to a change in meaning, becoming material witnesses of biology lessons in the 19th century and sought-after artistic collection items.