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Exotic Animals in Eighteenth-Century Britain

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Exotic Animals in Eighteenth-Century Britain Exotic Animals in Eighteenth-Century Britain A thesis submitted to The University of Manchester for the degree of PhD in Museology in the Faculty of Humanities. 2010 Christopher Plumb Centre for Museology Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine CONTENTS CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................. 2 PLATES ................................................................................................................................... 4 ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................. 7 DECLARATION ..................................................................................................................... 8 COPYRIGHT STATEMENT .................................................................................................. 9 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................... 10 MAPS: Menageries, Animal Merchants, and Taxidermists in West London, 1700-1815 ..... 11 MAP ONE: 1700-1770 ...................................................................................................... 11 MAP TWO: 1770-1815 ..................................................................................................... 12 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 14 What Are Exotic Animals? ................................................................................................ 17 Exotic Animals in Historiography ..................................................................................... 21 Sources, Spaces and Audiences ......................................................................................... 29 Thesis Structure ................................................................................................................. 34 ANIMAL COMMODITIES .................................................................................................. 36 Coffee Houses and Bird Sellers ......................................................................................... 43 Animal Merchants after the 1750s ..................................................................................... 54 Animal Assets .................................................................................................................... 62 Exotic Animals as Luxury Ingredients ............................................................................... 71 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 80 Chapter Two......................................................................................................................... 103 SENSES AND SENSIBILITIES ......................................................................................... 103 Odour and Filth ................................................................................................................ 106 Bodily Proximity .............................................................................................................. 115 Endangerment .................................................................................................................. 125 The Electric Eel................................................................................................................ 137 Eroticising the Eel ........................................................................................................ 145 2 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 152 Chapter Three....................................................................................................................... 167 POLITICAL ANIMALS ...................................................................................................... 167 The Queen's Ass ............................................................................................................... 168 Taming the Zebra ............................................................................................................. 180 Chapter Four ........................................................................................................................ 191 ANATOMISING ANIMALS .............................................................................................. 191 Elephant in Britain, 1675-1830 ........................................................................................ 197 Anatomists, Classical Authority and Antiquarianism .................................................. 204 Kangaroo in London, 1770-1830 ..................................................................................... 220 Kangaroo, a Political Geography ................................................................................. 226 Anatomising the Kangaroo .......................................................................................... 233 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 239 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................... 251 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................ 265 I: Ephemera ...................................................................................................................... 265 II: Pre-1900 Printed Works .............................................................................................. 271 III: Post-1900 Printed Works ........................................................................................... 277 3 PLATES Plate.1 “The Exhibition of Wild Beasts” (1777) British Museum, London 13 Plate.2 Thomas Hall, Taxidermist (ca.1780) National Portrait Gallery, London 83 Plate.3 Menagerie van Blauw Jan (ca. 1700) Artis Library, University of Amsterdam 84 Plate.4 View of Blauw Jan at Amsterdam (ca.1682-1744) British Museum, London 85 Plate.5 “Buy a Fine Singing Bird” (1688, reprinted ca.1750) British Museum London 86 Plate.6 Edward Cross (1838) © Christies Ltd., 1994 (Private Collection) 87 Plate.7 “The Wonderful Spotted Indian, John Boby (sic)” (1804) 88 Plate.8 Joshua Brookes, Zoologist, at his menagerie… (ca.1775) British Library, London 89 Plate.9 Pidcock’s Grand Menagerie of Wild Beasts and Birds (ca.1773-1810) British Museum, London 90 Plate.10 Polito’s Menagerie (1815) British Museum, London 91 Plate.11 Edward Cross’s Menagerie (1829) London Metropolitan Archives, London 92 Plate.12 “Polito’s Menagerie of the Birds and Beasts from most parts of the World” Staffordshire lead-glazed earthenware ornament (ca.1830) Victoria and Albert Museum, London 93 Plate.13 John Clark(e), Keeper of the Royal Menagerie at Sand-Pit Gate, Windsor (ca.1825) The Royal Collection, London © 2010 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 94 Plate.14 Handbill: Charles Lillie, Perfumer (ca.1736) British Museum, London 95 Plate.15 Sèvres Pot à Sucre (1758) Victoria and Albert Museum, London 96 4 Plate.16 Chelsea Porcelain Chocolate cup and saucer (ca. 1756) Victoria and Albert Museum, London 97 Plate.17 “Sleight of Hand by a Monkey or the Lady’s Head Unloaded” (1776) British Museum, London 98 Plate.18 “The Feather’d Fair in a Fright” (1777) British Museum, London 99 Plate.19 “The English Glutton” (1776) British Museum, London 100 Plate.20 “City Coalition” (1783) British Museum, London 101 Plate.21 Pidcock’s Menagerie Token (ca.1795) Private Collection: Christopher Plumb 102 Plate.22 The Five Senses: Oderatus (ca.1640-1650) British Museum, London 157 Plate.23 Gentleman and Dog Snuffbox and Scent bottle (ca.1760) Victoria and Albert Museum, London 158 Plate.24 Parrot and Cochin-Cock Double Scent Bottle (ca.1749-1754) Victoria and Albert Museum, London 159 Plate.25 Coiled Snake Bonbonnière: Coiled Snake (ca.1765-1775) Victoria and Albert Museum, London 160 Plate.26 Porcelain Caged Bird Etui (ca.1775) Victoria and Albert Museum, London 161 Plate.27 Engraving by George Glover (ca.1640-1650) Wellcome Library, London 162 Plate.28 A well-dressed man, woman, and four children watch a lion and wolf(ca. 1780-1795) British Museum, London 163 Plate.29 “To Be Seen Alive. Alive O.” (1795) British Museum, London 164 Plate.30 RCSHC/2185 Electric Eel Preparation (ca.1775-1793) The Royal College of Surgeons of England, London 165 Plate.31 Frederica, Duchess of York with her monkey and lapdog (Regency portrait ca.1810) The Royal Collection, London © 2010 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 166 Plate.32 Portrait of Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz at eighteen (1762) British Museum, London 187 Plate.33 Zebra by George Stubbs (1762-1763) Yale Center for British Art New Haven, Connecticut 188 Plate.34 “The Queen’s Ass Loaded with the Spoils of India and Britain.” (1788)British Museum, London 189 Plate.35 “The Queen’s Ass” (1787) British Museum, London 190 Plate.36 Tabula I and II from Patrick Blair’s Osteographica Elephantina (1713) 5 British Library, London 242 Plate.37 The Elephant and the Bookseller (1792) Bodleian Library, University of Oxford 243 Plate.38 “An Execution by an Eliphant” (1681) 244 Plate.39 “The Great White Elephant” (ca.1702-1714) Bodleian Library, University of Oxford 245 Plate.40 “Scene Exhibited
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