Electrotyping

Article summary

Electrotyping (also galvanoplasty) is a chemical method for forming metal parts that exactly reproduce a model. The method was first experimented by the Italian physicist Luigi Valentino Brugnatelli in 1802. It was later reinvented and developed by a Prussian engineer Moritz von Jacobi in Russia in 1838, and was immediately adopted for applications in printing and several other fields. As described in an 1890 treatise, electrotyping produces "an exact facsimile of any object having an irregular surface, whether it be an engraved steel- or copper-plate, a wood-cut, or a form of set-up type, to be used for printing; or a medal, medallion, statue, bust, or even a natural object, for art purposes." In art, several important "bronze" sculptures created in the 19th century are actually electrotyped copper, and not bronze at all; sculptures were executed using electrotyping at least into the 1930s. In printing, electrotyping had become a standard method for producing plates for letterpress printing by the late 1800s. It complemented the older technology of stereotyping, which involved metal casting. By 1901, stereotypers and electrotypers in several countries had formed labor unions around these crafts.…

Key claims

1. date of establishment: 1838 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. date of formation: 1893 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
3. date of formation: 1902 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
4. members: 6800 members — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
5. publication date: 1838 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of establishment is "1838". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the date of formation is "1893". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. The record states that the date of formation is "1902". What evidence would count against this claim?
5. The record states that the members is "6800 members". What evidence would count against this claim?
6. The record states that the publication date is "1838". What evidence would count against this claim?
7. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
8. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1368669300