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Electricity on Show: Spectacular Events in Victorian London
Fathom
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| Seminar Introduction |
![[image]](21701713_coil.jpg) | | Queen's University Belfast | | The giant Induction Coil at the Royal Polytechnic Institution. |
The science of electricity underwent a massive transformation during the Victorian era. As new ways of producing electricity proliferated, there were more and more places where electricity and its products could be encountered. Competing visions of electricity and opposing views of the proper performance of the natural philosopher's role rested on the means of making electricity visible.Speaking at the 'Locating the Victorians' conference hosted by the Science Museum in June 2001, Iwan Rhys Morus explains how exhibitions provided a way of bringing electricity, electricians and their productions inside public culture. They were expressions of late Victorians' confidence in their capacity to transform nature and culture through technology. Electricity was key in these temples to progress. It was the apparently mysterious quality electricity had that made it so amenable as a conduit for progress. Exhibitions from the Crystal Palace onwards were the occasion for a great deal of rhetoric concerning their role in establishing international harmony, mutual understanding and peaceful commerce. In reality however their internationalism had a hard competitive edge. These were occasions for the ostentatious display of commercial, technological and scientific supremacy.
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| Learning Objectives |
- Detail how integral the body was in Victorian exhibitions of electricity.
- Describe several methods Victorian electricians used to put electricity on show.
- Describe what is meant, in Victorian terms, by "Natural Philosophy".
- Quantify the role that shows of electricity played in the self-fashioning of Victorian scientists.
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| Sessions |
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| Credits |
Copyright Iwan Rhys Morus
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| Technical Requirements |
To appreciate this seminar experience, it is critical that you have the appropriate software, plug-ins, and network connections. Please take the time to download the latest versions of the plug-ins mentioned below if you do not already have them.
Browser: Netscape versions 4.x up to 4.76, or Internet Explorer versions 4.x or later. Your browser must be JavaScript-enabled and must be set to accept cookies.
Network Connection: The recommended minimum connection is 56Kbps with a throughput of 34Kbps or more. A faster connection is encouraged to take better advantage of the media elements in the seminar.
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