François Marie Alfred Molteni facts for kids
François Marie Alfred Molteni (born November 25, 1837, in Paris; died November 24, 1907) was a clever scientist and optician from Paris, France. He was famous for inventing and improving many devices that projected images and later, early movies.
About Alfred Molteni
Alfred Molteni was born in Paris. His family had moved to France from northern Italy. His grandfather, Antoine Molteni, was a well-known optician. An optician is someone who designs and makes lenses and optical instruments.
Starting His Career
When Alfred was 15, his father passed away. His uncle, Jules Molteno, and his grandfather brought him into their family business. This company made precise scientific tools.
In 1863, Alfred and Jules officially started their own company called "J. & A. Molteni." They focused on making scientific instruments. Alfred quickly became very active in the business. After his uncle Jules died in 1876, Alfred took over and ran the company by himself.
Molteni's Inventions and Success
Alfred Molteni wrote many technical books and papers. His work from 1878 about projection was very popular and had many different versions. He invented a wide range of new devices. These inventions were in the fields of optics, which is the study of light, and projection systems.
He was also the honorary president of a photography group called the "Chambre Syndicale de la Photographie." He received many awards and honors from different countries in Europe. In 1898, he was even made a knight of the Legion of Honour, a very important award in France.
Under Alfred's leadership, the Molteni company became one of the top businesses in Europe for scientific instruments. They were a favorite choice for many of the greatest scientists of that time. Alfred spent most of his time designing systems that could project light. He created countless devices and put on over 12,000 screenings for talks and events.
In the 1890s, he started working with the famous Lumière brothers. They were pioneers in early motion pictures. Molteni helped them with the equipment for some of the very first films ever shown.
A Difficult Time
At the peak of his career, Alfred Molteni faced a huge challenge. A special lamp he sold, called the "securitas" lamp, was used in early films. In 1897, this lamp was involved in a terrible fire at an event called the Bazar de la Charité.
During a show, the person operating the projector opened the lamp to get to the fuel. At the same time, an assistant lit a match nearby. This caused a fire that spread quickly. Many people were sadly hurt or lost their lives.
Alfred Molteni was deeply affected by this disaster. He believed his product was responsible. Because of this, he decided to leave his career. In 1899, he handed over his company to Radiguet and Massiot. He then moved to Tours, where he passed away a few years later. The Molteni company, now run by Radiguet and Massiot, is still a leading French maker of scientific materials today.
« Monsieur A. MOLTENI vient de mourir à Tours où il s’était retiré depuis quelques années auprès de ses enfants, après avoir fourni une carrière de plus de 50 ans dans la maison universellement connue d’optique et d’instruments de mathématiques et géodésie fondée par son grand-père en 1782 ». This is an extract from his obituary, published in La Nature on December 14, 1907.
