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THE AGE OF AQUARIA: THE AQUARIUM PURSUIT AND PERSONAL FISH-KEEPING, 1850-1920 by Rebecca Duffy A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the University of Delaware in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in American Material Culture Spring 2018 © 2018 Rebecca Duffy All Rights Reserved THE AGE OF AQUARIA: THE AQUARIUM PURSUIT AND PERSONAL FISH-KEEPING, 1850-1920 by Rebecca Duffy Approved: __________________________________________________________ Thomas A. Guiler, Ph.D. Professor in charge of thesis on behalf of the Advisory Committee Approved: __________________________________________________________ Wendy A. Bellion, Ph.D. Acting Director of the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture Approved: __________________________________________________________ George H. Watson, Ph.D. Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Approved: __________________________________________________________ Ann L. Ardis, Ph.D. Senior Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Like the aquarium itself, this work is the product of a network of relationships. Without the help of all those who lent an ear, sent a link, or encouraged me along the way, this would have been an insurmountable task. I am thankful to the “aquarium team” which developed at Winterthur and spilled across the U.S., Canada, and Europe. My deepest thanks go to my advisor Dr. Thomas Guiler and to Haddon Dine, WUDPAC 2019. Tom’s guidance, expertise, and much-needed cheerleading were immensely helpful in sorting out what I even wanted to say, let alone how to say it. Whilst Haddon’s gracious acceptance of the Winterthur aquarium as her technical study greatly expanded the scope of this work and her continued support is relentless. Thank you to Emily Guthrie, Leslie Grigsby, and Ann Wagner at the Winterthur Museum, as well as to Heather Hansen, at the Chester County Historical Society. Each approached my work as mentors with a seemingly endless list of ideas and resources. I am also greatly indebted to the wonderful support network at the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture: Greg Landry, Dr. Catharine Dann Roeber, Laura Old-Schmidt, and Chase Markee, as well as both directors, Dr. J. Ritchie Garrison and Dr. Wendy A. Bellion. Moreover, this work would not have been possible without the support of the Winterthur Conservation team. Thank you to Debbie Hess Norris for championing the conservation of the Winterthur aquarium. Thank you to Lauren Fair, Lara Kaplan, Bruno Pouliot, Dr. Catherine Matsen, Dr. Jocelyn Alcántara-García, Dr. Rosie Grayburn, and Dr. Chris Petersen for helping Haddon and I to formulate our questions as well as develop and execute a iii methodology to find our answers. Additionally, I owe a special thanks to Bob Peck, Academy of Natural Sciences Philadelphia, and to Dr. Ernie Freeburg, University of Tennessee Knoxville, for their pioneering works studying the intersectionality of material culture and nineteenth century collection of the natural world. My thanks go to the Friends of Rockwood for their gracious monetary gift and continued support of my project. Thank you, too, to all of the institutions, staff, and individuals who lent their time and expertise; the interdisciplinary breadth of these representatives indicates just how wide the aquarium network has grown: the Academy of Natural Sciences Philadelphia, the Belvedere Museum, the Chester County Historical Society, the Charles Young Special Collections at UCLA, the Corning Museum, Diane Forsberg at Olana, the George Eastman House, Gordon Wilkens, Heather Paroubek at the Thomas Cole House, Joan Bogart Antiques Long Island, Dr. Katherine Grier, Mary Cheek Mills, the Museum of Scientific Instruments, the Museum of the History of Science, the New York Public Library, the Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Silver Perfect, Tal Nadan, the University of Toronto Library, the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, and Wolfgang Wiggers. Finally, I owe much of the completion of this project to my family and friends. Thank you to Ashlie Cantele for encouraging me to always study what interests me, even if it is out-of-the-box. Thank you to my classmate, Sara McNamara, who was not only good for an inspirational batch of cookies, but also as a sounding-board and as a best friend. Thank you to Tom Stasiunas and to both of our families, who through their support and unyielding ability to ask fantastic questions, were a continued inspiration. Finally, a special thanks goes to my mother who has always reminded me to observe more and theorize less. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................... vii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................ xiv Chapter 1 THE DAWNING OF THE AGE OF AQUARIA .............................................. 1 Aquaria and the Evolutionary Trajectory of Wunderkabben .................... 4 1.2 The Emergence of the Aquarium ............................................................ 13 1.3 Defining Nature ....................................................................................... 20 1.4 The Small-Scale Aquarium Outside the Home ....................................... 25 1.5 Historiographical Presence ...................................................................... 30 2 THEY POURED THEMSELVES INTO IT: THE PRINCIPLES OF THE AQUARIUM AND THE AQUARISTS’ PRINCIPLES ................................. 36 2.1 The Aquarium in Text ............................................................................. 37 2.2 The Balanced Aquarium .......................................................................... 39 2.3 The Ideal and the Practical ...................................................................... 45 2.4 Categories of Aquarists ........................................................................... 46 2.5 Basic Aquarium Construction ................................................................. 49 2.6 Different Aquaria for Different Aquarists ............................................... 54 2.7 The Aquarium Fights Back: Challenges to Maintaining a Life Collection ................................................................................................ 58 2.8 The Ubiquity of the Aquarium ................................................................ 63 3 CARP-ERNICUS: FISH AT THE CENTER OF THIS UNIVERSE ............. 65 3.1 “The Support Layer”: Sand, Soil, and Pebbles ....................................... 67 3.2 “The Ground Layer”: Water ................................................................... 70 3.3 Composing the “Paint Layers,” Part 1: Plants ........................................ 76 3.4 Composing the “Paint Layers,” Part 2: Animals .................................... 86 3.5 “The Finishing Layers”: Artistic Elements ............................................ 93 3.6 The Frame .............................................................................................. 103 3.7 The Sustaining Elements: Aquarium Tools and Apparatuses .............. 121 3.8 Conclusion: The Human Element ........................................................ 128 v 4 AQUAMEN: PHILADELPHIANS AND THEIR FANCY FISH ................ 132 4.1 The American Aquarium Pursuit ........................................................... 135 4.2 Fair-Hill Terra Cotta and Aquarium Production ................................... 137 4.3 Cassel, Cugley, Wolf, and Innes: Philadelphia’s Aquarium Community ............................................................................................ 140 4.4 Jacob Cassel and the Mulertt Aquarium ................................................ 154 4.5 Conclusion: The Aquarium Element and the Aquarist ......................... 159 5 CONCLUSION: THE AQUARIUM ELEMENT AND THE MUSEUM .... 162 BIBLIOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................... 172 Appendix A WINTERTHUR AQUARIUM TERMINOLOGY GUIDES ......................... 182 B IMAGE PERMISSIONS ................................................................................ 184 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1 Winterthur Aquarium, 1870-1910, possibly New Jersey or New York. Tinned sheet iron, glass, iron, paint, silk, paper, iron wire, bronze powders, and plastic. Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont, Winterthur Museum, 1965.2192 A, B. Image Courtesy of Winterthur Museum. ....... 3 Figure 1.2 A History of Fishes, or The Infant’s Cabinet of Fishes, John Marshall, London, 1801. Copperplate engraving, hand colored. Image Courtsey of Children’s Book Collection, Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA. .............................................................. 8 Figure 1.3 The Aquarium, Charles J. Howard and Maxine Maxson Waldron, ca. 1886. Published by McLoughlin Bros., New York. Collection of Rare Books and Trade Catalogs at the Winterthur Library. Image Courtesy of the Winterthur Library: Printed Book and Periodical Collection. ..... 10 Figure 1.4 Parakeets and Goldfish Bowl, Designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933), Tiffany Glass Company (active 1885-1892), 1889, New York, NY. Glass, lead, bronze chain. 77” x 38 ½”. Gift of Barbara L. and Theodore B. Alfond in honor of Malcolm Rogers, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 2008.1415. Image Courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. ...........................................................................................