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In 1806, after spending some years as a journeyman, Joseph von Fraunhofer joined the opto-mechanical workshop of Georg F. Reichenbach and Joseph von Utzschneider, in which astronomical and surveying instruments were produced. He had taught himself the basics of physics and optics at a very early stage, and his activities in the workshop incited him to intensify his studies even further. Just three years later in 1809, he became a partner in the workshop which had moved to Benediktbeuern in 1807 and remained there until 1819.
1809 was also the year in which Pierre Louis Guinand (1748–1824) introduced Fraunhofer to the secrets of glass melting. Their melting experiments were very successful. In 1813 Fraunhofer became head of the Optical Department and was given the title of Professor by the state of Bavaria in 1819. From 1823 onwards, he was Curator of the Physics Cabinet of the Bavarian Academy. He was raised to the peerage in 1824. | |
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