Musée des Arts et Métiers

A Paris museum devoted to the history of science, technology, and invention. Its collections grew from those assembled by the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers.

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Foucault pendulum: A pendulum whose changing plane of swing demonstrates Earth’s rotation. A celebrated demonstration hangs beneath the museum’s former church nave.
Conservatoire national des arts et métiers: A French institution founded in 1794 to preserve and teach knowledge of sciences and industrial techniques. Its collections and mission gave rise to the museum.
History of technology: The study of how tools, machines, techniques, and technological systems change over time. This is the broad historical subject that organizes many of the museum’s displays.
Museum conservation: The care and treatment of objects to prevent damage and preserve them for the future. Complex machines and fragile instruments require specialized preservation.
Public understanding of science: Public knowledge and interpretation of scientific ideas, practices, and institutions. The museum turns historical objects into resources for public engagement with science.
Breguet No. 1: An early self-propelled steam vehicle built by Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot in 1769. The museum preserves this landmark in the history of road transport.
French Revolution: A period of political and social upheaval in France beginning in 1789. The Conservatoire was established during the Revolution’s reorganization of institutions and property.
Industrial Revolution: The transition to mechanized production and new energy systems that began in Britain in the eighteenth century. Many objects trace the technologies and social changes of industrialization.
Science museum: A museum that presents scientific ideas, discoveries, or technologies through objects and interpretation. The institution is a historic example of a museum focused on science and technology.
History of invention: The study of how new devices and methods arise, develop, and shape societies. Its collection presents invention through surviving objects rather than stories alone.