Experiment kits and instruction manuals around 1900 - continued...

Fig. 2: Collections of devices for the experimental study of science [Großer physikalischer Apparat]. In: Haupt-Katalog der Leipziger Lehrmittel-Anstalt von Dr. Oskar Schneider, approx. 1902, 227.

Meiser & Mertig was founded in 1883 by a physicist and a mechanic and the Leipziger Lehrmittel-Anstalt was founded in 1887 by the microscopic science institute of Oskar Schneider and August Tietz. When choosing which instruments to produce, the manufacturers referred to well-known books widely in use in school instruction such as the textbooks of Müller-Pouillet, Weinhold or Stöckhardt and articles in the Zeitschrift für physikalischen und chemischen Unterricht [Journal for Instruction in Physics and Chemistry] established by Friedrich Poske in 1887 (Haupt-Katalog der Leipziger Lehrmittel-Anstalt 1902, 13; Meiser & Mertig 1910, IV). However, manufacturers also produced collections for institutions for higher education such as Meiser & Mertig's Sammlungen von Apparaten zum experimentellen Studium der Physik [Collection of devices for the experimental study of physics] (optics, acoustics, galvanic electricity and static electricity), complete with exercise assignments or Dr. Schneider's Großer Physikalischer Apparat [Large-sized collection of physical devices]. Smaller collections like Dr. Schneiders Small-sized collection of physical devices, designed for elementary and public schools were tailored to the requirements of simple use in schools.

Fig. 3: Collections of devices for the experimental study of science. [Sammlung von Apparaten zum experimentellen Studium der Physik]. In: Meiser & Mertig's Sammlungen physikalischer Apparate, 7th ed. 1897, 11.

These collections could be ordered in different sizes and expanded at any time by making additional purchases. Therefore, their claims to include all the basic laws relevant to the individual areas of instruction were influenced both by buying power and by the different educational institutions. Both companies emphasized the easy handling of the devices facilitated by their small size, the ease of installation and use and the versatility of the equipment. Thanks to the "considerations made for smaller spaces," be those spaces limited by the curriculum or the size of the room, the devices could be stored effectively, set up on the smallest of school desks and the experiments carried out quickly and efficiently: "when each part has its proper place, these elements can be set up within a minute" (Meiser & Mertig 1897a, 6).