Joseph von Fraunhofer
1787 - 1826
Joseph von Fraunhofer (1787-1826) was an optical scientist who is best known for the discovery of the dark absorption lines (known as Fraunhofer lines) in the Sun's spectrum. He was also known for the making of fine, precision, optical instruments in Bavaria.
In 1806 he joined the Mathematical Mechanical Institute in Munich run by Utzschneider, Reichenbach, and Liebherr.
In 1809, Fraunhoffer, Utzschneider, and Reichenbach, established an Optical Institute in the nearby village of Benedictbeuern. Fraunhofer became head of the the Optical Institute in 1814. In 1819, he moved it to Munich.
Merz and Mahler took over the business after Fraunhofer's death in 1826.
Myles Jackson, Spectrum of Belief: Joseph von Fraunhofer and the Craft of Precision Optics (Cambridge, Mass, 2000).