First Friday: Alchemy Uncensored

alchemical androgyne

An engraving from Michael Maier's Symbola Aureae Mensae (1617) depicting an alchemical androgyne. 

Date: May 3, 2013
Time: 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Location:

CHF
315 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Event Type: Open to the Public
Fee: Free
RSVP Online: No Registration Required

Intrigued observers have been puzzled for centuries by the graphic portrayals of copulating bodies and hermaphrodites found in alchemical texts. Where does this imagery come from, and what does it actually mean? Join CHF fellow Joel Klein as he explores the steamier side of alchemy. 

Presentations will take place at 5:30 and 6:45 p.m.

Joel Klein is CHF’s Edelstein Dissertation Fellow and a historian of early-modern alchemy. He stumbled upon the smutty side of alchemy while working on the Chymistry of Isaac Newton Project, where he encoded Newton’s manuscripts and even re-created some of Newton’s alchemical experiments.

For more information about First Fridays at CHF, call 215.873.8258 or e-mail museum@chemheritage.org.

About First Fridays

CHF joins over 40 Old City museums, galleries, and shops in opening its doors from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. for First Friday. Learn more about First Fridays in Philadelphia’s Old City Arts District.

Sponsors

First Fridays at CHF are made possible with generous support from BNY Mellon Wealth Management and DuPont.

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