William Playfair

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William Playfair (born September 22, 1759 in Dundee , Scotland , † February 11, 1823 in Covent Garden , London , England ) was a Scottish engineer and economist who made significant contributions to the development of information graphics .

Live and act

Playfair was born in Scotland in 1759 during the Scottish Enlightenment period . He was the fourth son of the Reverend James Playfair († 1772), who looked after the parish of Liff and Benvie not far from the city of Dundee. One of his brothers was the architect James Playfair (1755–1794) and another the mathematician and geologist John Playfair . When William was thirteen, his father died and John Playfair, the eldest of the brothers, took responsibility for the rest of the family. After his apprenticeship with the Scottish mechanic and inventor Andrew Meikle , he became his technical draftsman and personal assistant.

Playfair's graph of the English trade balance with Denmark / Norway from 1700 to 1780
The first known bar chart
Comparison of wheat price and weekly wages over 256 years
Playfairs pie chart from "Statistical Breviary"

Playfair worked u. a. together with Claude-François de Lezay-Marnésia , Jean-Jacques Duval d'Eprémesnil (1745–1794) and Jean-Antoine Chais de Soissons on a project of the Compagnie du Scioto , also compagnie des Vingt-quatre , whose aim was to create a to found a French colony in North America. The initiative acquired an area of ​​three million hectares in the state of Ohio from the US government , which extended to the Scioto River . Gallipolis was to become the capital of this French colony .

Playfair is credited with inventing both the bar chart and the pie chart ; To this day, many of his works are regarded as prime examples of clearly designed information graphics.

Playfair published its Commercial and Political Atlas in London in 1786 , which contained 43 time series analyzes and a bar chart - apparently the first of its kind. Playfairs Statistical Breviary (London, 1801) contains the first known pie chart.

Works (selection)

  • The Increase of Manufactures, Commerce, and Finance, with the Extension of Civil Liberty, Proposed in Regulations for the Interest of Money. London: GJ & J. Robinson. 1785.
  • The Commercial and Political Atlas: Representing, by Means of Stained Copper-Plate Charts, the Progress of the Commerce, Revenues, Expenditure and Debts of England during the Whole of the Eighteenth Century. 1786.
  • Joseph and Benjamin, a Conversation Translated from a French Manuscript. London: J. Murray. 1787.
  • Thoughts on the Present State of French Politics, and the Necessity and Policy of Diminishing France, for Her Internal Peace, and to Secure the Tranquility of Europe. London: J. Stockdale. 1793.
  • A General View of the Actual Force and Resources of France, in January, M. DCC. XCIII: to which is added, a table, shewing the depreciation of assignats, arising from their increase in quantity. J. Stockdale. 1793.
  • The History of Jacobinism, Its Crimes, Cruelties and Perfidies: Comprimising an Inquiry into the Manner of Disseminating, under the Appearance of Philosophy and Virtue, Principles which are Equally Subversive of Order, Virtue, Religion, Liberty and Happiness. Vol. I. Philadelphia: W. Cobbett. 1796.
  • For the Use of the Enemies of England, a Real Statement of the Finances and Resources of Great Britain. 1796.
  • Lineal arithmetic, Applied to Shew the Progress of the Commerce and Revenue of England During the Present Century. A. Paris. 1798.
  • Stricture on the Asiatic Establishments of Great Britain, With a View to an Inquiry into the True Interests of the East India Company. Bunney & Gold. 1799.
  • Statistical Breviary; Shewing, on a Principle Entirely New, the Resources of Every State and Kingdom in Europe. London: Wallis. 1801.
  • An Inquiry into the Permanent Causes of the Decline and Fall of Powerful and Wealthy Nations. London: Greenland & Norris. 1805.
  • Statistical Account of the United States of America by DF Donnant. London: J. Whiting. William Playfair, Trans. 1805.
  • European Commerce, Shewing New and Secure Channels of Trade with the Continent of Europe. Vol. I. Philadelphia: J. Humphreys. 1807
  • Inevitable Consequences of a Reform in Parliament. 1808.
  • A Fair and Candid Address to the Nobility and Baronets of the United Kingdom; Accompanied with Illustrations and Proofs of the Advantage of Hereditary Rank and Title in a Free Country. 1809.
  • Outlines of a Plan for a New and Solid Balance of Power in Europe. J. Stockdale. 1813.
  • Political Portraits in This New Æra. Vol. II. London: C. Chapple. 1814.
  • Supplementary Volume to Political Portraits in This New Æra. London: C. Chapple. 1816.
  • The History of England, from the Revolution in 1688 to the Death of George II. Vol. II. R. Scholey. 1818.
  • France as it Is, Not Lady Morgan's France. Vol. I. London: C. Chapple. 1819.
  • France as it Is, Not Lady Morgan's France. Vol. II. London: C. Chapple. 1820.

Other infographic pioneers

literature

Web links

Commons : William Playfair  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ian Spence; Howard Wainer: "Who Was Playfair?". In: Chance (1997) 10, pp. 35–37, online (PDF; 692 kB)
  2. ↑ Laurence J. Kenny: The Gallipolis Colony. The Catholic Historical Review, Vol. 4, No. 4 (Jan., 1919), pp. 415–451, online (PDF; 4.5 MB)
personal data
SURNAME Playfair, William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Scottish engineer and economist, infographic pioneer
DATE OF BIRTH September 22, 1759
PLACE OF BIRTH near Dundee , Scotland
DATE OF DEATH February 11, 1823
Place of death Covent Garden