The Ocean at Home: An Illustrated History of the Aquarium PDF
Preview The Ocean at Home: An Illustrated History of the Aquarium
Bernd Brunner The Ocean at Home An Illustrated History of the Aquarium Princeton Architectural Press, New York First published in English in 2005 by Princeton Architectural Press 37 East Seventh Street New York, New York 10003 For a free catalog of books, call 1.800.722.6657 Visit our website at www.papress.com First published in German in 2003 by transit Buchverlag Copyright © 2003 transit Buchverlag 08 07 06 05 5 4 3 2 1 First edition Printed and bound in China For the present edition both text and illustrations of the original German version have been considerably expanded and adjusted. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission from the publisher, except in the context of reviews. Every reasonable attempt has been made to identify owners of copyright. Errors or omissions will be corrected in subsequent editions. For Princeton Architectural Press: Project editor: Nicola Bednarek Copy editor: Scott Tennent Layout: Linda Lee, based on the design by Gudrun Fröba, transit Buchverlag Translation: Ashley Marc Slapp Special thanks to: Nettie Aljian, Janet Behning, Megan Carey, Penny (Yuen Pik) Chu, Russell Fernandez, Jan Haux, Clare Jacobson, Mark Lamster, Nancy Eklund Later, Linda Lee, Katharine Myers, Molly Nash Rouzie, Lauren Nelson, Jane Sheinman, Scott Tennent, Jennifer Thompson, Joseph Weston, and Deb Wood of Princeton Architectural Press —Kevin C. Lippert, publisher Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Brunner, Bernd, 1964– [Wie das Meer nach Hause kam. English] The ocean at home : an illustrated history of the aquarium / Bernd Brunner. p. cm. ISBN 1-56898-502-9 (alk. paper) 1. Aquariums—History. I. Title. SF457.3.B78 2005 639.34’2—dc22 2004027647 Contents 7Dive In 7 11The First Seed 9 The Secret of the Ocean 19The Second Seed 17 Chambers, Cabinets, Cases 23The Third Seed 21 Pet Fish 26“Passion and Diligence” 25 Pioneers 39“A Strong, Intensive Desire” 38 The Propagandist 62From Salt to Freshwater Aquarium 59 The Lake in a Glass 78Arriving in the United States 68 Aquarist Societies and Magazines 87Exotic Species and Transport 78 Diverging Beliefs 99Fashion Show 86 Typology of Parlor Aquariums 119“A New Kind of Theater” 99 The Large Aquariums 125The Aquarium as a Dream 121 133Appendix 133 133Acknowledgments 133 133Selected Bibliography 135 133Illustration Credits 139 133A Selection of Aquariums and Oceanariums 141 133About the Author 143 “There are ideas that dream.” —Gaston Bachelard Dive In The first-time visitor to an aquarium strolls around searching and contemplating; you can tell by his facial expression that he cannot contain his inner excite- ment. His curiosity is so great that he can hardly enjoy the moment; I am sorry, but he looks so helpless, as if he has suddenly found himself among people whose language he neither speaks nor understands. It is almost impossible for today’s aquarium visitors to fully comprehend these words by the German doc- tor and natural scientist Gustav Jäger, who in 1860 built one of mainland Europe’s first public saltwater aquariums in Vienna. We should not underestimate our current knowledge of the submarine world: we have seen the movies by Jacques Cousteau and his numerous imitators, tried to find “Nemo,” visited aquariums from an early age, and might have even gone snorkeling and diving in the Caribbean or in the Red Sea. But in 1850 the picture was very different. Knowl- edge of the ocean was mainly from hearsay, rarely from one’s own experience. At a time when one’s image of the animal kingdom was almost entirely dominated by land animals, a unique invention known as the aquarium brought the ocean into the home. People were confronted with a strange new world filled with amazing creatures and exciting new life-forms. 7 The question of whether sea anemones or corals are animals or plants must have been a popular debate amongst the curious visitors to Jäger’s aquarium, who “visibly struggled and fought with their conventional beliefs.” Observing visitors to the aquarium, Jäger noted further: Occasionally, when the guide happened to be absent, I have witnessed cases in which educated individuals, after longer periods of moving from one tank to the next, walked out and asked the ticket officer angrily: ‘What in heaven’s name am I actually supposed to see in there?’ The unknown provoked feelings of both curiosity and apprehension. While visitors were searching for a new experience, they were also afraid of what they might discover. They fought it, not willing to believe or understand what appeared before their eyes. Jäger had to use all his pedagogical skills to explain the wondrous life-forms in the tanks. His efforts ulti- mately paid off, and he was able to observe “how at first the visitors started to understand, and how this then gave way to amazement, finally resulting in warm admiration.” Today, it is easy to take the aquarium for granted, but one must wonder how awesome it must have been 150 years ago to peer through a window into a truly alien world. How did such an invention come to be? This fascinating idea of simulating, gazing at, and observing the exotic world of the ocean in an arti- ficial environment did not simply develop from one day to the next, but required a very specific will to comprehend, as well as the appropriate materials and techniques. This book attempts to show and exam- ine the evolution of the aquarium, from the different historical precursors to today’s public and private dis- plays, and to give an insight into the mindset of the scientists, inventors, and obsessive enthusiasts who recreated the ocean in their homes. 8 The First Seed The Secret of the Ocean The aquarium has a lot in common with the menag- erie, the forerunner of the modern-day zoo. But in contrast to animals in a zoo, where words like “tame” and “domesticated” can often be heard, marine crea- tures are instinctively shy. While the keeping and displaying of animals from around the globe may ful- fill a wish to capture a sense of the wild, the invention and subsequent expansion of the aquarium was born out of a desire to discover and explore the mysteries of the ocean. This interest, however, did not emerge until the eighteenth century; until then the ocean had been taboo, a place of great fear. For centuries, scientists inspired by ancient myths and sailors’ yarns had helped to stoke those fears. The ocean was considered the source of life but also a place of ill omen, death, and mayhem—a cursed, dark world where terrifying monsters lurked, devour- ing anything in sight. Over time, however, this bleak picture began to change. Although nineteenth-century artists still painted shipwrecks and the fear of drowning was still common, naturalists and authors showed an increas- ing interest in the ocean. The coast had also been embraced as a vacation destination. Reports about the healing powers of salt water and the fresh ocean 9 breeze helped create new seaside resorts, first in Great Britain and later in continental Europe and the east- ern United States. Thanks to the newly completed railroad systems, these resorts could now be reached in a matter of hours. This easier access coupled with the public’s changing perceptions played a major role in increasing the ocean’s popularity. While the coasts and surfaces of the oceans were being explored more and more, the deep sea still kept its secrets for some time. Attempts to shed light on the ocean’s murky depths failed for many years due to technical shortcomings, and research in the early nineteenth century remained focused on physical and chemical analyses, such as gauging the water’s temperature, salt content, and density, as well as attempts to understand the principles of wave for- mation. Around 1830 scientific interest in this area declined, and many researchers turned to other This construction burgeoning fields such as meteorology and geomag- made of leather netism. Biologists, on the other hand, began head- and metal is one of the first ing out to sea more intensively to collect and study documented marine life. Invertebrate creatures such as sea anem- diving helmets, ones, sponges, corals, worms, jellyfish, and crabs were seventeeth century particularly fascinating, as these life-forms played an important role in the development of A forerunner of modern diving the theory of evolution. suits at the Up until the middle of the nine- beginning of teenth century, the physique, shape, the nineteenth century and appearance of many marine ani- mals had still been an enigma. The popular assumption was that nothing could exist in the cold and dark abyss of the deep sea. In 1844 an anonymous author wrote in the book The Ocean: a Description of the Wonders and Impor- tant Products of the Sea: Heavy bodies, which will sink rapidly from the surface, do at length apparently 10
Description:The list of books you might like
