Knowledge and Pleasure at Regent's Park
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
KNOWLEDGE AND PLEASURE AT REGENT'S PARK The Gardens of the Zoological Society of London during the Nineteenth Century Sofia Åkerberg KNOWLEDGE AND PLEASURE AT REGENT'S PARK The Gardens of the Zoological Society of London during the Nineteenth Century Akademisk avhandling som med tillstånd av rektorsämbetet vid Umeå universitet för avläggande av filosofie doktorsexamen offentligen försvaras i Humanisthuset, hörsal F tisdagen den 4 december 2001, klockan 10.15 av Sofia Åkerberg Sofia Åkerberg, Knowledge and Pleasure at Regent's Park: The Gardens of the Zoobgical Society of London during the Nineteenth Century English text Department of Historical Studies, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden Monograph 2001. 254 pages Idéhistoriska skrifter nr 36 ISBN: 91-7305-147-0 ISSN: 0280-7646 Abstract The subject of this dissertation is the Zoological Gardens of the Zoological Society of London (f. 1826) in the nineteenth century. Located in Regent s Park, it was the express purpose of the Gardens (f. 1828) to function as a testing-ground for acclimatisation and to demonstrate the scientific impor tance of various animal species. The aim is t o analyse what the Gardens signified as a recreational, educational and scientific institution in nineteenth-century London by considering them from four different perspectives: as a pan of a newly-founded society, as a part of the leisure culture of mid-Victorian London, as a medi ator of popular zoology and as a constituent of the Zoological Society's scientific ambitions. After an introduction which describes the devlopment of European zoos, Chapter two recapitu lates the early years of the Society and the Gardens. The original aims of the Society—science and acclimatisation located in a museum and zoological garden—as stated in various prospectuses, are examined. The implications of acclimatisation, it being a problematic practice, are outlined and the connections between acclimatisation, the Society, the Gardens and the British Empire are also briefly considered. The founding of the Gardens is extensively described as well as how the animals were obtained and how exhibits were arranged. Chapter three is based primarily on the popular response to the Gardens in the 1850s when, after a period of decline, the institution once again became a common London visiting-place. The most important questions of this chapter concern the public and how it reacted to the Gardens of this period. The financial problems preceding the five years between 1850 and 1855 ^ described as well as how the Society managed to regain its popularity. This process was closely linked to the decision in 1847to let non-members of the Society enter the Gardens, and the implications of this resolution are discussed. As a background to the Gardens' popularity, two other London recreations are also described: the Colosseum Panorama and the Surrey Zoological Garden. The Surrey Zoological Gar den especially is interesting, as it was a rival of the Society's Gardens, and the different attractions of these establishments are considered. Chapter four focuses on the official and non-official guidebooks to the Gardens and the implica tions of these as mediators of popular zoology. The historical and cultural connection between the guidebooks and travel handbooks is oudined and also how the genre as a whole is constructed. The progress and development of the Society's guidebooks during the nineteenth century is described and the differences between these guidebooks and the non-official ones are examined. Finally, with the aid of Victorian children's books, I argue that the guidebooks can literally be considered as travel handbooks since a visit to the Gardens may be regarded as a journey of knowledge. Chapter five is an in-depth study of the zoological science of the Gardens. The scientific work of the Society is briefly described, starting with the Committee of Science and Correspondence, and the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. The Proceedings rep orts that base their findings on animals in the Gardens are then described together with minor detours into the history of taxonomy and morphology. Keywords: Zoological Gardens, Zoological Society of London, zoo, London, nineteenth century, acclimatisation, imperialism, leisure, public, guidebook, zoology, natural history, popular science. KNOWLEDGE AND PLEASURE AT REGENT'S PARK Sofia Åkerberg, Knowledge and Pleasure at Regents Park: The Gardens of the Zoological Society of London during the Nineteenth Century English text Department of Historical Studies, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden Monograph 2001. 254 pages Idéhistoriska skrifter nr 36 ISBN: 91-7305-147-0 ISSN: 0280-7646 Abstract The subject of this dissertation is the Zoological Gardens of the Zoological Society of London (f. 1826) in the nineteenth century. Located in Regent s Park, it was the express purpose of the Gardens (£ 1828) to function as a testing-ground for acclimatisation and to demonstrate the scientific impor tance of various animal species. The aim is t o analyse what the Gardens signified as a recreational, educational and scientific institution in London by considering them from four different perspectives: as a part of a newly- founded society, as a part of the leisure culture of mid-Victorian London, as a mediator of popular zoology and as a constituent of the Zoological Society's scientific ambitions. After an introduction which describes the history of European zoos, Chapter two recapitulates the early years of the Society and the Gardens. The original aims of the Society—science and accli matisation located in a museum and zoological garden—as stated in various prospectuses, are exam ined. The implications of acclimatisation, it being a problematic practice, are outlined and the connections between acclimatisation, the Society, the Gardens and the British Empire are also briefly considered. The founding of the Gardens is extensively described as well as how the animals were obtained and how exhibits were arranged. Chapter three is based primarily on the popular response to the Gardens in the 1850s when, after a period of decline, the institution once again became a common London visiting-place. The most important questions of this chapter concern the public and how it reacted to the Gardens of this period. The financial problems preceding the five years between 1850 and 1855 are described as well as how the Society managed to regain its popularity. This process was closely linked to the decision in 1847 to let non-members of the Society enter the Gardens, and the implications of this resolution are discussed. As a background to the Gardens' popularity, two other London recreations are also described: the Colosseum Panorama and the Surrey Zoological Garden. The Surrey Zoological Gar den especially is interesting, as it was a rival of the Society's Gardens, and the different attractions of these establishments are considered. Chapter four focuses on the official and non-official guidebooks to the Gardens and the implica tions of these as mediators of popular zoology. The historical and cultural connection between the guidebooks and travel handbooks is oudined and also how the genre as a whole is constructed. The progress and development of the Society's guidebooks during the nineteenth century is described and the differences between these guidebooks and the non-official ones are examined. Finally, with the aid of Victorian children's books, it is argued that the guidebooks can literally be considered as travel handbooks since a visit to the Gardens may be regarded as a journey of knowledge. Chapter five is an in-depth study of the zoological science of the Gardens. The scientific work of the Society is briefly described, starting with the Committee of Science and Correspondence, and the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. The Proceedings reports th at base their findings on animals in the Gardens are then described together with minor detours into the history of taxonomy and morphology. Keywords: Zoological Gardens, Zoological Society of London, zoo, London, nineteenth century, acclimatisation, imperialism, leisure, public, guidebook, zoology, natural history, popular science. KNOWLEDGE AND PLEASURE AT REGENT'S PARK The Gardens of the Zoological Society of London during the Nineteenth Century Sofia Åkerberg Department of Historical Studies Umeå University SE-901 87 Umeå Sweden Fax +46-90-786 76 67 www.umu.se/histstud/index_eng.html © Sofia Åkerberg and the Department of Historical Studies, Umeå University Printed in Sweden by Umeå universitets tryckeri Cover illustration: Punch, 19 November 1849 Cover and typeset by Anders Kjellberg ISBN 91-7305-147-0 ISSN 0280-7646 CONTENTS Preface ç Abbreviations 12 I KNOWLEDGE AND PLEASURE An Introduction 13 The Zoological Society and the Zoological Gardens 15 Zoo History—Past and Present 17 Reconstructing the Ark 20 Jardin des Plantes 23 Menageries in Britain 24 Followers and Disciples 25 Principle Themes and Issues 28 The Founding of a Society 28 Zoo and the City 30 Zoo and Science 32 Zoo and the Public 34 Education of the Public 37 Disposition of the Dissertation 39 Notes on Definitions 41 Zoological Garden or Menagerie? 42 Periods of Zoo History 43 Sources and Previous Research 45 NOTES 49 II ANIMALS APPLIED TO SOME USEFUL PURPOSE The Origin and Early Years of the Zoological Society of London and its Gardens, 1826-1830 56 Introduction 57 The Beginning 58 The Formation 61 The Aims 63 The Zoological Society 68 Imperial Science