author
John William Draper
1811–1882
A scientist, physician, historian, and photography pioneer, he moved easily between the lab and the page. He is especially remembered for early experiments in portrait photography and for writing influential books on science, history, and religion.
3 Audiobooks
History of the Conflict Between Religion and Science
by John William Draper
History of the Intellectual Development of Europe, Volume I (of 2) Revised Edition
by John William Draper
History of the Intellectual Development of Europe, Volume II (of 2) Revised Edition
by John William Draper
About the author
Born in England in 1811 and later active in the United States, John William Draper built an unusually wide-ranging career as a physician, chemist, historian, and photographer. He studied medicine after emigrating to America and became closely associated with New York University, where he taught and helped shape its early medical school.
Draper is often noted as one of the early pioneers of photography. He is credited with making some of the first photographic portraits and one of the earliest detailed photographs of the moon, work that helped show how photography could serve science as well as art.
Alongside his scientific work, he wrote widely read books including History of the Intellectual Development of Europe and History of the Conflict between Religion and Science. Those works made him an important public voice in 19th-century debates about science, belief, and modern progress.