Grave of Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit

What it is

This is a photograph of a bronze memorial plaque mounted on a wall inside the Kloosterkerk in The Hague. The Dutch text records that Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit was buried in this church, with his birth and death details, and a relief of a thermometer in the centre.

Why it matters

Despite his later fame as the inventor of a widely used thermometer scale, Fahrenheit received a pauper's fourth-class funeral. This plaque shows how a scientist's reputation can grow long after a humble death, and how communities later choose to honour figures from their past.

Look closer

• Why do you think a thermometer was chosen as the central image on the plaque?
• What does the gap between his poor funeral and this memorial tell you about fame and recognition?