My name is Kristen M. Schranz. I have recently completed a PhD at the Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology at the University of Toronto.
My job description: Eat. Sleep. Study the history of chemistry.
Supervisor: Professor Emeritus Trevor H. Levere
PhD thesis: A New Narrative for "Keir’s Metal": The Chemical and Commercial Transformations of James Keir’s Copper Alloy, 1770-1820
Please check out my CV or pictures of recent travels related to my research. I would love to hear from you if my research is of interest to you or if you have interesting leads to share with me.
My job description: Eat. Sleep. Study the history of chemistry.
Supervisor: Professor Emeritus Trevor H. Levere
PhD thesis: A New Narrative for "Keir’s Metal": The Chemical and Commercial Transformations of James Keir’s Copper Alloy, 1770-1820
Please check out my CV or pictures of recent travels related to my research. I would love to hear from you if my research is of interest to you or if you have interesting leads to share with me.
About me
I am passionate about the history of science! My interest in history and chemistry began in my undergraduate studies when I completed a BA in History (2006, University of Saskatchewan) and a BEd in Intermediate/Senior History and Chemistry (2007, University of Western Ontario). After receiving my teaching qualifications, I headed to Jakarta, Indonesia to teach History and English at an International Baccalaureate School for three years.
|
Once I began my PhD program, I started to study the Lunar Society of Birmingham in general and the chemist and industrialist James Keir in particular. In the 1770s, James Keir (1735–1820), along with the English manufacturer Matthew Boulton (1728–1809), developed an alloy of copper, zinc, and iron that became known as “Keir’s metal”. The material was initially marketed for ship parts, but later became the “Eldorado metal” of Georgian windows and décor. Production of Keir’s metal ceased in the 1820s, which has led to the assumption that it was a failed material of the early Industrial Revolution. Seemingly short-lived materials, however, can still be important inroads for histories of chemistry, consumption, and technology.
|
The Dining Room at Matthew Boulton's Soho House where the Lunar Society of Birmingham often gathered. Keir was a Society member along with Boulton, Joseph Priestley, James Watt and others.
|
Upon closer inspection, “Keir’s metal” is a label that has been applied to iterations of the same substance. Because the material was a product of different sites of inquiry and industry, the alloy had unique functions and meanings imparted to it over several decades. Hence, the alloy is a multifaceted material in need of a new historical narrative. I argued that Keir’s metal was a complex substance whose nuanced identities resulted from movement between sites of production and application, where chemical, social, and technological factors shaped the alloy’s properties and purposes. |
Updated December 2018