Faraday to Edward Hawkins   11 October 18511

Park End Cottage | Lee Road | 11, Octr. 1851

My dear Hawkins

Those who make casts do it so often from Sulphate of lime in the form of plaster that they ought to be far better practical judges than I am but I should incline to avoid the use of plaster against the slabs. There would however be no difficulty I suppose in taking wax impressions from the slab, and then making the plaster casts in these. In a small way the process is common enough2.

Ever Truly Yours | M. Faraday

Edw. Hawkins Esq | &c &c

1
Edward Hawkins (1780-1867, DNB). Keeper of Antiquities at the British Museum, 1826-1860.
2
Hawkins needed this information before proceeding to make casts from Assyrian and Lycian sculptures in the British Museum for the French government. See minutes of the British Museum Trustees, 11 October 1851 and of its Standing Committee, 13 December 1851 which authorised the making of the casts. The request to Faraday is not noted in either minute.

Please cite as “Faraday2466,” in Ɛpsilon: The Michael Faraday Collection accessed on 29 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/faraday/letters/Faraday2466