author
Enrico Angelo Lodovico Negretti
1818–1879
An Italian-born instrument maker who built a life in London, he helped turn Negretti and Zambra into one of the best-known names in 19th-century scientific instruments. His work connected practical craftsmanship with the fast-growing worlds of meteorology, navigation, and photography.
1 Audiobook
A Treatise on Meteorological Instruments Explanatory of Their Scientific Principles, Method of Construction, and Practical Utility
by Enrico Angelo Lodovico Negretti, Joseph Zambra
About the author
Born in Como in 1818, Enrico Angelo Lodovico Negretti moved to London with his family while still young and grew up in the Anglo-Italian community around Hatton Garden. Trained as a glass-blower and thermometer maker, he built his career through skilled, hands-on work at a time when precision instruments were becoming increasingly important to science and industry.
In 1850 he joined Joseph Zambra in the partnership that became Negretti and Zambra, a firm known for optical, meteorological, and scientific instruments. The business went on to serve major British institutions and won royal appointments, reflecting the strong reputation of its instruments for reliability and technical quality.
Negretti is also remembered as a co-author of A Treatise on Meteorological Instruments, a practical work that explained how weather instruments were designed and used. His career captures a lively 19th-century mix of migration, entrepreneurship, and scientific craftsmanship.