The Humanities Institute will kick off its 2012-13 Scholars at Hallwalls series on Sept. 21 with a presentation by Tamara Thornton, professor of history, titled “Nathanial Bowditch and the Science of Business in Nineteenth Century America.”

The talk, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 4 p.m. in Hallwalls Center for Contemporary Arts, 341 Delaware Ave.

Complementary wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served.

Bowditch was an early American mathematician, astronomer and scientific navigator still recognized for his work on ocean navigation. He also was a corporate CEO in the emerging financial industry, and “his life illuminates the formative—and often controversial—influence of both scientific theories and scientific practices on American capitalism,” Thornton says.

Her research publication and teaching focus on the cultural history of the United States between the Revolution and the Civil War. She is the author of “Cultivating Gentlemen: The Meaning of Country Life among the Boston Elite, 1785-1860” (Yale University Press, 1989) and “Handwriting in America: A Cultural History” (Yale University Press, 1996).

The Scholars @ Hallwalls series turns Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center into an intellectual salon, with thought-provoking lectures given by the Humanities Institute’s Faculty Fellows. The Fellows present their cutting-edge humanities research in terms accessible to those in other disciplines and outside academia.

All lectures are free and open to the public.