Between Science and Industry: On the Establishment, Organisation and Practices of the Swedish Geological Survey in the Nineteenth century

The present article provides an historical analysis of the Swedish Geological Survey (SGU) during the first half-century of its existence. Focus is placed mainly on the origins, organization and social conditions of the institution, though its mapping activities will not be neglected. The questions posed are: For what purposes was the SGU established? To what extent was the geological survey in Sweden shaped by the institution's socio-economical context? What type of social conflicts did arise and how did the SGU handle them? In what way did the survey change over time and how did the publication of maps and other publications evolve? The article is based on source material housed in the rich archives of the SGU in Uppsala, and in particular on the first director Axel Erdmann's (1814-1869) unpublished chronicle of the early years of the SGU and his son, Edvard Erdmann's (1840-1923) illustrated manuscripts concerning the institution's social life, but also on published sources, such as official governmental reports and notes written by the institution's own geologists.