The Shows of London (Belknap Press)

A berserk elephant gunned down in the heart of London, a machine for composing Latin hexameters, and the original rock band (1841)―these are but three of the sights that London curiosity–seekers from every walk of life paid to see from the Elizabethan era to the mid–Victorian period. Examining hundreds of the wonderfully varied exhibitions that culminated in the Crystal Palace of 1851, this generously illustrated book sheds light on a vast and colorful expanse of English social history that has thus far remained wholly unsurveyed. Drawing on a wealth of never-before-used information, Mr. Altick traces London exhibitions as they evolved from the display of relics in pre-Reformation churches, through the collections of eighteenth-century virtuosi, to the first science museums and public art galleries. He also narrates for the first time the history of the panorama and diorama as an influential genre of nineteenth-century popular art. At every point, the London shows are linked to the prevailing intellectual atmosphere and to trends in public taste. The material is fresh and fascinating; the range--from freaks to popular science, from the funeral effigies at Westminster Abbey to Madame Tussaud's waxworks--impressive. Like the exhibitions that best served the Victorian ideal of mass culture, The Shows of London is both entertaining and informative. Frontmatter (page N/A) Introduction (page 1) 1. From cabinets to Museums, I:1600-1750 (page 5) 2. From Cabinets to Museums, II: 1750-1800 (page 22) 3. Monster-Mongers and Other Retailers of Strange Sights (page 34) 4. Waxwork and Clockwork (page 50) 5. Exhibitions of Mechanical Ingenuity (page 64) 6. Water, Fire, Air, and a Celestial Bed (page 77) 7. The Sights and Resorts of Eighteenth-Century London (page 87) 8. Art on Display (page 99) 9. The Eidophusikon (page 117) 10. The Panorama in Leicester Square (page 128) 11. A Panorama in a Pleasure Dome (page 141) 12 The Diorama (page 163) 13. Panoramas: Topics of the Times (page 173) 14. The Theatrical Art of the Panorama (page 184) 15. Panoramas in Motion (page 198) 16. Scenes Optical, Mechanical, and Spectral (page 211) 17. Entr'acte: Exhibitions and London Life (page 221) 18. William Bullock and the Egyptian Hall (page 235) 19. Freaks in the Age of Improvement (page 253) 20. The Noble Savage Reconsidered (page 268) 21. The Ancient and the Exotic (page 288) 22. Life and Death in the Animal Kingdom (page 302) 23. Zoos and Pleasure Gardens (page 317) 24 The Waxen and the Fleshly (page 332) 25. More Mechanical Ingenuity (page 350) 26. The Two Faces of Science (page 363) 27. Technology for the Million (page 375) 28. Artifacts and Models (page 390) 29. Fine Art for the People (page 404) 30. Entr'acte: Inside the Exhibition Business (page 420) 31. National Monuments (page 434) 32. The Crystal Palace Year: 1851 (page 455) 33. The Fifties, I: New Paterns of Life and the Decline of the Panorama (page 470) 34. The Fifties, II: The Old Order Changeth (page 483) Epilogue (page 504) Short Forms of Citation (page 512) Notes (page 513) Index (page 541) History Of London Entertainment From 1600 To The End Of The 1850's. Richard D. Altick. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.