•Germans deserve the primary credit for the proto- or early institutionalization of the history of science discipline.•History of science temporary displays and permanent exhibitions were prominent during the German Empire 1871–1918.•History of science activities during the German Empire served consolidation of the nation.•The bourgeoisie took the main initiative in history of science activities during the German Empire.•Nineteenth century German orientation to the historical dimension within many social and cultural realms stimulated the development of German Empire activities in the history of science.•The scholarship on historical scientific instruments dates back to the nineteenth century, including during the German Empire. The history of science as a discipline took place in the period of the German Empire, but the historiography of its development insufficiently recognizes both its proto-institutionalization during this period and the critical role played by Germans in effecting its initial development. In this article, while alluding to the several areas in which Germans took the lead in establishing the discipline, the focus is on one representative area: the mounting of temporary and permanent exhibitions relating to the history of science during the Empire period. Reasons why Germans were motivators in these efforts include the importance of past and present excellence in science, eminence in and fascination with historical research to the new nation’s construction after German unification in 1871, and of the assertion of the nineteenth century German bourgeoisie in its role in advancing the culture of the nation. The larger argument, that subjects of the German Empire achieved critical institution-building in history of science, is supported by the incidence of displays organized by Germans, and buttressed by the fact that a number of these organizers also participated in the field’s enlarged late nineteenth and early twentieth century scholarship that was most marked among Germans of any national group.