Paris - London and back to the desk: activities outside the laboratory

At (almost) every World Exhibition

In 1851 London hosted the very first World Exhibition. As a showcase for technical and industrial achievements, it had a dual purpose of both entertaining and informing the public, and of allowing an exchange of ideas between specialists.

From 1851 Fehling attended almost every world exhibition as a judge. This allowed him to keep abreast of new developments in science and technology and at the same time to have an influence on the prizes awarded to the products on show (to the benefit of Württemberg, of course).

Fehling also worked as an adjudicator at regional trade fairs. He often followed these with a long technical and scientific instructional trip, in an attempt to get a personal first-hand impression of the state of commerce and industry in other countries. The Central Office for Commerce and Trade and the Polytechnical School co-financed these trips, which were also of great importance for the state of Württemberg. This clearly highlights the close links between state, economic and scientific interests that was so characteristic of Fehling's highly successful work in Stuttgart.