minister once before in the 1840s - a new type of school was introduced, the so-called Hogere
Burgerschool (HBS).60 In contrast to the traditional Gymnasium, the HBS focused on the
skills required in science and engineering, as well as modem languages. The idea was to train
graduates for a career in trade or industry. Every HBS was therefore also required to have a
fully equipped laboratory for training purposes. Although graduates of the HBS would have
been the same age as those leaving the Gymnasium, this new type of school was initially
accorded a far lower status. Only graduates of the Gymnasium were qualified to attend
university. Those that had completed their schooling at a HBS could only move on to an
engineering school in Delft. By the time a disproportionately high amount of Dutch scientists
were awarded a Nobel Prize at the beginning of the 20th century, however, the reforms of
1864 and therefore by extension also the HBS were considered one of the major factors that
had helped bring about the successes of what has been referred to as the “Second Golden
Age”.
This was of course not foreseeable in 1864 yet. As far as van der Willigen was concerned, the
establishment of a HBS in Deventer had a far more immediate impact: The scientific branch
of the Athenaeum was separated from its other departments and reorganised to form the core
of the town’s first HBS. The Athenaeum itself was even dissolved in 1878.61 Needless to say,
these changes would have had a profound effect on van der Willigen’s position - had he not
left just as they were being implemented. It so happened that in that very same year, Martinus
van Marum’s successor at Teylers Museum, Jacob Gijsbert Samuel van Breda, resigned from
his post in Haarlem, creating a vacancy van der Willigen must only have been too glad to fill.
III. The Art of Presenting
1. The Rise of Public Art Exhibitions
Strictly speaking, van der Willigen was not van Breda’s successor. Van Breda had been in
charge of all the museum s scientific collections, i.e. the instrument collection and the
geological collection. After his departure in 1864, however, it was decided to entrust two
curators with these collections: one curator of physics, and one of geology. Van der Willigen
therefore only took over a part of van Breda’s duties. His official title upon being appointed in
January 1865 was “Director of the Physics Cabinet of the Teyler Foundation”.62
60 On the HBS and its position within the Dutch system o f education see: Willink, De tweede Gouden Eeuw:
Nederland en de Nobelprijzen voor natuurwetenschappen, 1870-1940, 27.
' On this see: Jacob Comelis van Slee, De Illustre School te Deventer 1630-1878: hare geschiedenis,
hoogleeraren en studenten, met bijvoeging van het Album Studiosorum (s’Gravenhage: Nijhoff, 1916),
Directienotulen , 20.01.1865, Haarlem, ATS, vol. 9. A draft version o f his contract (instructions) was
approved at this meeting.
First and foremost this development reflects the way the sciences had specialised since van
Marum’s times and also how the museum’s collections had continually expanded over the
years. It was clearly considered too much to ask one expert to cover both areas of research
and look after the collections to any meaningful degree; and according to the contract that was
drawn up for van der Willigen, looking after the collections and performing research were his
most important tasks at Teylers.63 Besides keeping a tidy inventory of the collection and
accompanying “foreigners of distinction, or famous scientists, who apply for a visit or
investigation of objects in the collection under his purview”, all that was essentially asked of
him in return was to give “four to six lectures [...] on topics concerning the physical sciences”
during the winter before a small audience consisting of the trustees, the members of Teylers
Learned Societies and a select number of other guests.
At the same time, however, the fact that both van der Willigen and a curator of geology were
taken on to replace van Breda (the geology department fell under the purview of Tiberius
Comelis Winkler) is indicative of another development that came to shape Teylers Museum
and is important to take into account when assessing the state of the museum upon van der
Willigen’s arrival: the art collection was beginning to take centre stage at Teylers Museum.
Put differently, Teylers Museum was increasingly perceived as a public art museum.
In contrast to van Marum’s times it was therefore also the curator of the fine art collection
who gradually took on more responsibilities for the museum as a whole. Van der Willigen’s
contract stated that the only person he had to answer to was the one trustee of the Teyler
Foundation who had been chosen amongst the five to deal with all matters relating to the
scientific collections SI so the art curator did not act as head of the museum; yet it is not
insignificant that, when all three curators and the librarian were required to submit annual
reports to the trustees after 1876, it was the curator of the art collection who included visitor
numbers in his report. Clearly, he was acting as the trustees’ main contact for all matters
regarding the museum’s role as a public institution.
Throughout van der Willigen’s tenure at Teylers the curator of the museum’s collection of
fine art was Hendrik Jacobus Scholten. He had arrived about a year before van der Willigen
and Winkler, in October 1863.64 Like all of his predecessors, he too was a painter by training
and continued to paint while working for the Teyler Foundation. He had come to Haarlem to
replace Adrianus Johannes Ehnle, who had died unexpectedly in April of the same year, after
only having spent the better part of seven years at the museum.66 Ehnle, in turn, had replaced
63 Below: “vreemdelingen van aanzien, o f beroemde geleerden, die zieh tot bezigtiging o f onderzoek der
voorwerpen inde verzameling onder zijn bestuur aanmelden”; “vier à zes voorlezingen [...] over onderwerpen de
natuurkundige wetenschappen betreffende”; Ibid.
64 “Directienotulen”, 10.07.1863, Haarlem, ATS, vol. 9.
65 For a short summary o f Scholten’s life and work see: Pieter A. Scheen, Lexicon Nederlandse Beeidende
Kunstenaars ¡750-1950, vol. 2 ( ’s-Gravenhage: Pieter A. Scheen, 1994), 314. However, Scheen wrongly states
that Scholten arrived in Haarlem in 1872.
66 On his appointment see: “Directienotulen”, 24.10.1856, Haarlem, ATS, vol. 9. On his death see:
“Directienotulen”, 17.04.1863, Haarlem, ATS, vol. 9. He died on 04.04.1863.