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Nom
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Richard, Jules
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Date de naissance
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14 December 1848
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Date de mort
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19 June 1930
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Lieu de naissance
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Lyon
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Couverture temporelle
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late 19th/early 20th century
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Couverture spatiale
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Paris
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Biographie
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The son of Félix Richard, Jules studied at the collège of Beauvais before spending three years as an apprentice in his father's workshop. In 1866 he worked for the clockmaker Armand François Collin (qv ), attending evening classes at the Conservatoire des Arts & Métiers where he studied kinematics. He also spent some time in the 'Administration des télégraphes'. On his father's death in 1876, he returned to the family business which he was instrumental in saving. (see entry on Richard frères). In 1889 he supplied the instruments for the meteorological station of the Eiffel Tower tyhat would be in use until at least 1935. Thereafter self-registering instruments of different kinds were developed, and oceanographic instruments with and for the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco. By the time that he separated from his brother Max-Félix in 1891, the firm employed some 150 workmen. In the same year he patented his stereoscope camera and viewer, the 'Vérascope', following this with the 'Glyphoscope' in 1905. Both models became extremely popular and a good deal of ancillary photographic and stereographic apparatus was developed.
By 1920 the firm was employing some 250 workers, and had an output in 1914 of over 50,000 registering instruments per year. transformed into a Société Aonyme (Limited company) in 1921 the partners being exclusively long term collaborators. Family allowances were introduced and retirement at the age of 60 for employees of 30 or more years standing.
In 1923 Richard founded a school of apprenticeship for skilled craftsmen at Paris. In an agreement with the city he set up a fund of 300,000 francs the interest of which was to be applied to the school. In return the city provided premises free in a disaffected municipal school in the 19th arrondisssement (21 rue Carducci). The school was intended to form skilled workers in precision mechanics. The courses lasted for three years, boys only were admitted to the number of 35 to 40 per year. The midday meal was supplied by the school free of charge. At the end of his second year, each pupil who had successfully passed his examinations received a scholarship of 500 francs, and at the end of his third year, 1000 francs. All work in optics was specifically excluded from the course of instruction. Places were allocated by competition, the first of which took place 1 July 1924. Between 1893 and 1926 a series of patents for improvements to sterescopes were taken out by Richard both alone and in association with others.1
A bon viveur, fond of feminine company although never married, Jules Richard was highly conservative, not to say reactionary, in his opposition to the motor carriage and the reduction of the working week from 60 to 48 hours. He nonetheless successfully transformed his family business from a small, and ailing, workshop into a successful, industrialised, 20th century company (2). A letter dated 10 January 1910 to Brunhes, Director of the Observatory of Puy-de-Dôme, displays the close interaction in developing instruments - in this case a registering galvanometer for recording storms - that existed between the company and it institutional clients (3).
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Notes biographiques
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1. Corcy 28-30, 33, 35-7, 40, 43, 44-8, 50-5, 66.
2. Account largely based on Brenni.
3. Private collection.
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Bibliographie
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Catalogue N° 1 - Météorologie, 1898 (1)
La Vérascope, jumelle stéréoscopique, 1904
'Chronographe astronomique. Régulateur isochrone - plume enregistrante' in E.Caspari (ed), Exposition Universe lle Internationale de 1889, Congrès Internationale de Chronométrie. Comptes Rendus des travaux , rapports et mémoires..., Paris, 1890, 137-45.
'De la mesure de la vitesse. Nouveaux indicateurs absolus', in E.Caspari (ed), Exposition Universelle Internationale de 1889, Congrès Internationale de Chronométrie. Comptes Rendus des travaux , rapports et mémoires..., Paris, 1890, 205-13.
'Description des appareils enregistreurs de météorologie', L'Aéronaute, 1890, 226-30.
'Nouveaux appareils enregistreurs', Association française pour l'Avancement des Sciences. Comptes rendus, ii 1892 ii, 317-26.
'Nouveaux appareils enregistreurs Statoscope', Association française pour l'Avancement des Sciences. Comptes rendus, 1893 i, 209.
'Anémomètre à indication électriques multiples
et orientation automatique', Comptes rendus de l'Académie des SCiences, cxx 1895, 121-2.
Vérascope, Taxiphote, Glyphoscope, Paris 1911.
Instruments de précision, de mesure & de contrôle pour les sciences et l'industrie ... Météorologie..., 1913.
'Presentation de divers instruments' in Congrès National de Chronométrie…22 au 27 octobre 1923, Paris 1926, 109-13.
Vérascope, Glyphoscope, Taxiphote, Homéos, Paris 1926.
1. Copy known that belonged to Joseph Milhasson, élève Ecole Nationale Professionale de Voiron, Isère.
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Adresse ; enseigne ; période ; source
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Pre-1889: 8, Impasse Fessard Paris
1899: 25, rue Mélingue, Paris (1910) - offices and factory
26, rue Mélingue, Paris (1926)
10, rue Halévy, Paris (salerooms - 1910)
7, rue. Lafayette, Paris & 10, rue Halévy, Paris (salerooms - 1926).
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Exposition année ; ville ; type ; récompense
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1878: Paris (smoke-black enregistering barometer), silver medal.
1882:
1900 Paris Universelle 3 grands prix, 3 m
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Catalogue
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Instruments de precision, enregistreurs, 1914 Paris
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Identifiant
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315
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ark:/18469/1q40n