that it can’t have been too far away from the laboratory itself), the other of which was
furnished as a chemical laboratory.
Not all of these rooms were used exclusively by those permanently employed by the
Foundation (van Waveren later took two of his sons on as apprentices). On the contrary, over
the years a whole range of guests made use of the facilities, some even for a period of several
years, for their own research.156 This is also why one could argue that the last building in
which research was performed did not necessarily belong to the laboratory itself: in 1912
what is referred to as the “garden house” (tuinhuisje) was equipped so that Anton Hendrik
Blaauw could conduct a series of experiments to find out more “about the influence of
radiation on the growth phenomena of plants”.157 No record indicating that any of the
conservators ever worked there as well has been preserved, although no resources or efforts
were spared by both Elias and van Waveren to assist Blaauw. Especially van Waveren spent a
lot of time on Blaauw’s equipment, prompting the author of Blaauw’s obituary some thirty
years later still to refer to at least one “beautiful instrument” that Blaauw had been able to use
in Haarlem.158
The zuurhuisje, too, was placed at the disposal of another guest researcher between 1913 and
1916, the geologist Christoph Georg Sigismund Sandberg, for some work on “questions of
dynamic geology”.159 The trustees only agreed to this under the condition that “suchlike does
not entail any significant costs”.160 Lorentz saw to it that he was provided with all necessary
equipment, assuring the trustees that he had made it clear that Sandberg could only expect
financial support for everything that “[can] be considered to form part of the equipment of a
scientific [natuurkundig] laboratory”. 1 1 Sandberg’s research in Haarlem doesn’t appear to
have resulted in any publications, although he gained some notoriety later for his
autobiographical account of his times in the Dutch Colonies, and as an anti-semite and
supporter of the German Nazi party.
The same year that Sandberg arrived, the darkroom on the top floor of the laboratory was
converted into a room for the linguistic research of a Mrs. Bakker, later referred to as Mrs.
Bakker-Bezemer. She needed a place to analyse recordings she had made in Utrecht, and was
156 Meanwhile, the completely separate palaeontological and mineralogical collections were administered by
another eminent, internationally respected, if perhaps also controversial, scientist: Eugène Dubois. Dubois’ claim
to fame was the discovery o f what he deemed to be remains o f a “missing link” between humans and ape-like
ancestors, which he named Pithecanthropus erectus. He succeeded Winkler as curator in 1899 and stayed on
until after Lorentz’ death. On Winkler and the discussions surrounding his work see: Bert Theunissen, Eugène
Dubois and the Ape-man from Java: The History o f the First Missing Link and Its Discoverer (Dordrecht;
Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1989). For a popular but well-researched account o f Dubois’ life see: Pat
Shipman, The Man Who Found the Missing Link: The Extraordinary Life o f Eugène Dubois (London:
Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2001).
1 7 “over den invloed van bestraling op de groeiverschijnselen bij planten” : “Jaarverslag 1913-1914”,
08.04.1914, Haarlem, ATS, vol. 191.
1 “fraai instrument”: W.H. Arisz, “Levensberigt A.H. Blaauw,” in Jaarboek der Nederlandsche Akademie van
Wetenschappen (Amsterdam: Noord-Hollandsche Uitgevers, 1943), 231.
15 “vraagstukken der dynamische geologie”: “Jaarverslag 1913-1914”, 08.04.1914, Haarlem, ATS, vol. 191.
160 “zulks geen kosten van beteekenis mede brengt” : “Directienotulen”, 06.06.1913, Haarlem, ATS, vol. 13.
1 1 “gerekend [kan] worden tot de uitrusting van een natuurkundig laboratorium de behooren”: “Jaarverslag
1913-1914”, 08.04.1914, Haarlem, ATS, vol. 191.
provided with the necessary equipment from Teylers instrument collection. She stayed on
until 1916, from which point on she was evidently able to work at home.
As from 1919, the former darkroom was occupied by Dr. M.J. Huizinga two afternoons every
week. Huizinga was a maths teacher interested in “questions that arise from current
conduction through flames”.162 Before he left in 1920 he might still have met the engineer
G.F. van Dissel, who wanted to leam more about electromagnetic waves because he wanted to
specialise in wireless telegraphy. An announcement in the Indische Courant of 1929 seems to
suggest that he successfully pursued a career along these lines.163
But even though guests that only passed by for assistance have not been included in the list
above, and Huizinga’s presence even prompted Lorentz to start holding monthly colloquia
attended by other maths and science teachers from the Haarlem area, the laboratory was still
first and foremost his and the conservator’s.
Elias himself avidly set to work once the laboratory had been refurbished and all his
equipment had arrived and been installed. As was Lorentz’ intention, most of Elias’ work
revolved around magneto-optic effects. De Haas assisted him in 1913 in performing a series
of experiments on “the structure of absorption lines of sodium vapour”.164 And after Lorentz
had been succeeded by Paul Ehrenfest in Leiden and subsequently moved to Haarlem in 1912,
Elias assisted the curator in a series of experiments on a problem that the Nobel Prize laureate
would repeatedly return to over the coming years, hysteresis.
But just as Elias’ own efforts were gaining momentum after all the instruments had been
delivered, assembled, and calibrated to his satisfaction, that momentum was checked through
events far beyond his control, namely the outbreak of the First World War. And even though
the Netherlands remained neutral, the effects were of course felt in Haarlem too, as everyone
everywhere was forced to economise. Worst of all, Elias was called up for service in 1914. He
was allowed to return after a few months, but it didn’t take long for economising to take its
toll. By the end of the War, Lorentz had stopped giving public lectures that were traditionally
held in the winter, as the lecture hall could not be heated, because fuel was scarce. No new
instruments were acquired either.
Elias left Teylers on August 8th 1916, after he was offered and accepted a position as honorary
professor at the University of Delft (Technische Hogeschool). He would most likely have
changed jobs even If the War hadn’t been raging. Not only was the entire country including
the University of Delft affected by the hostilities, but as early as March 1911 Elias had
already accepted - with the trustees’ blessing after Lorentz assured them that this would not
detract from his work at Teylers - a teaching position in Utrecht, standing in for the frail
Comelis Harm Wind for two hours a week. The following year, Elias had been made an
assistant professor (privaatdocent) in Utrecht.
162 “vragen, die zieh bij de electriciteitsgeleiding door vlammen voordoen.”: “Jaarverslag 1919-1920”,
07.04.1920, Haarlem, ATS, vol. 191.
163 “Een onderscheiding”, in: De Indische Courant 76, 12.12.1929.
164 “de structuur der absorptielijnen van natriumdamp”: “Jaarverslag 1913-1914”, 08.04.1914, Haarlem, ATS,
vol. 191.