Disenchanted Night: The Industrialization of Light in the Nineteenth Century

by Wolfgang Schivelbusch, Angela Davies (Translator)

Wolfgang Schivelbusch tells the story of the development of artificial light in the nineteenth century. Not simply a history of a technology, Disenchanted Night reveals the ways that the technology of artificial illumination helped forge modern consciousness. In his strikingly illustrated and lively narrative, Schivelbusch discusses a range of subject including the political symbolism of streetlamps, the rise of nightlife and the shopwindow, and the importance of the salon in bourgeois culture.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Technology, Sociology, Economics, Science, Geography

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fascinating stuff here - in particular the psychological and cultural effect of the gradual move from fire, to torch, to candle, to oil, to gas, to electric which served in part to alienate light from the individual. When light was produced by a visible flame that could be seen devouring the fuel it needed it allowed an individual autonomy, and a connection with the process, that was lost when light became something provided by invisible production outside the home (first by gas and then by electricity). Plugging in to the mains and the flick of a switch. A monthly bill. All of which had interesting effects on the sense of the "private" space of the home. It of course also tied into the development of capitalist society occurring over the same period, which included many similar moves away from such autonomy (banking, mass production etc)

Also interesting was the section on street lighting - and the various uses and abuses of light as a function of state power. Hence the fondness for street lamp smashing at times of revolution.

Worth reading.
In fact you can read the first 20 or so pages here:

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=a...

[Данило Судин · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ця стара-нова ("стара", бо вперше опублікована 1983 р., а "нова", бо в Україні видана 2014 р.) робота Шивельбуша спершу не вражає: автор розпочинає історію з розповіді про те, як газове освітлення витіснило гасове та свічки, а потім як електричне освітлення витіснило газове. Багато технічних деталей, імен інженерів... Все це створювало враження, що читаєш текст звичайної історії техніки.

Втім, вже починаючи з 2-го розділу автор раптом змінює свій погляд на матеріал: подавши технічну базу освітлення в ХІХ ст. він описує звивисті шляхи, якими нові способи освітлення проникали в різні сфери життя людей - вулицю, приватні помешкання, громадські заклади (театри). Навіть більше, автор починає описувати взаємозв’язок між освітленням і соціальним життям. Виявляється, в театрах світло не прийнято було вимикати до кін. ХІХ ст. Звісно, були спроби Ваґнера створити "містичну прірву" між глядачами та сценою, але їх публіка вперто не сприймала: зал має бути освітленим, інакше як похизуєшся своїм виглядом та соціальним статусом. На прем’єрі "Перстеня Нібелунгів", коли в залі погасили світло, досвідчені театрали почали обурюватися: темрява в залі змушує їх зосереджувати всю увагу на сцені!

Так само автор окреслює дуже цікаву проблему: зміну освітлення в жилих приміщеннях. Якщо за часів Ренесансу природне світло мало вільно проникати в дім (це символізувало єдність людини і природи), то з XVIII ст. раптом світло починають розділяти на зовнішнє і внутрішнє. Походження цього поділу Шивельбуш виводить від поділу на публічне і приватне, який усталюється в цей час.

Так само цікавим є факт сприйняття вуличних ліхтарів: Шивельбуш цитує Башляра, але думає про Фуко. Тобто показує, що вуличні ліхтарі у Франції були символом королівської влади, яка показувала, що нічні вулиці є під її контролем, як і сон мешканців будинків: якщо ліхтар гаснув, то власник будинку, біля якого цей ліхтар розміщений, повинен був його негайно запалити. Відтак, Французька революція мала гасло "Аристократів на ліхтарі!" не просто так, а через погано приховану іронію: карати гнобителів їхніми ж знаряддями гноблення.

Книжка цікава, але переклад деколи лякає: "керосин" замість "гас", "шар" замість "куля", "століття" замість "десятиліття" тощо. Втім, працю читати можна: ці русизми зміст не спотворюють.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always taken electric light for granted, and imagined life before industrially produced electricity as kind of how it's portrayed in the movies, where things are just, you know, a bit dim at night. But what I learned from Schivelbusch's surprisingly entertaining book (ok, who really thinks a 74 page chapter about the development of various types of lamps is going to be a page turner?), is that the night before electricity, and more so before gas lighting, was a deeply dark, and frequently terrifying, place.

The aforementioned chapter, The Lamp, maybe went into a bit more technical detail than I would have liked. But, Shivelbusch livened things up with some observations on processes of technological change, making points such as: it's not necessarily the person who invents it that we remember, but the person who communicates it; new technologies are generally modeled on old and breaking away from the assumptions and expectations built into old technologies is frequently the path to change; and technological change is often a process of two steps forward and one step back. These observations built into the detailed discussion of the development of lighting technology made this, in my opinion, the strongest part of the book.

The Street focused on evolving technologies of street lighting. It made me laugh to read about how many North American cities invested in giant lighting towers to illuminate large districts - mostly because a friend recently told me about one such tower in Austin, and it sounded so bizarre that I didn't believe her, only to find out that this was widespread. Night Life tread pretty quickly through a territory that has been pretty heavily covered by art and social historians: how illumination got people out partying and shopping at night in 19th century cities.

I think there was a bit too much on curtain colour and lampshades in The Drawing-room for my taste, but the chapter as a whole definitely reinforced one of Schivelbusch's main points: how we experience electrical light is socially constructed, although after a century of nearly universal electric light (in developed cities), it may feel innate.

Finally, The Stage got into more territory that has been well covered by art historians: the development of theatre and ways of seeing. Needless to say, theatre evolved over time from being a primarily social space with both audience and actors interacting, to one of passive viewing with lighting itself used to create the illusion and focus.

Based on my fascination with the section on lighting technology, I have to say that although there were quite a few parts of this book that I felt like I'd read about before, I think that for someone with a different background, this book would be utterly fascinating. Extra points, too, for the well selected illustrations throughout. Essentially, Schivelbusch managed to bring together the technological, social and aesthetic into a quite convincing argument that lighting technology hasn't just improved the way we see, it has fundamentally altered it.

[Florian Lorenzen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vor mehr als 40 Jahre legte der im März diesen Jahres verstorbene freie Publizist Wolfgang Schivelbusch mit „Lichtblicke“ eine vielbeachtete Geschichte der künstlichen Helligkeit im 19. Jahrhundert vor. Im Vordergrund seiner 200 Seiten langen Studie steht vor allem die Technikgeschichte des Lichts, also wie die Kerze zur Gasleuchte und schließlich zur Glühbirne werden konnte. Doch gerade dieser Fokus auf die technische Entwicklung macht dieses Buch über weite Strecken nicht sonderlich interessant. Insgesamt ist Schivelbuschs Darstellung einfach zu trocken, auch wenn dieses Thema vermutlich nicht viel mehr hergibt. Nichtdestotrotz hat „Lichtblicke“ seine Stärken. Immer dann, wenn die gesellschaftlichen, politischen und wirtschaftlichen Effekte, die mit dieser Innovation einhergingen, zur Sprache kommen, weiß das Buch zu überzeugen. Besonders hervorzuheben ist beispielsweise das Kapitel über die Straßenlaternen, die in Städten wie Paris zur flächendeckenden Überwachung der Bevölkerung installiert wurden, wogegen sich massiver Widerstand formierte. Doch leider spielen diese Aspekte in „Lichtblicke“ nur eine untergeordnete Rolle. Als erstklassig zu bezeichnen ist wiederum die Bildauswahl. Insgesamt verbleibt bei mir also ein durchschnittlicher Gesamteindruck. Wer sich für die Technikgeschichte des Lichts ausdrücklich interessiert, macht mit „Lichtblicke“ ab sicherlich nichts falsch

Review bei Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyNfDuTA0xE

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome. I want to remove most of the lights out of my house and return to candles and oil lamps.

[shawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting book using the history of illumination to put forth an adaptive sociology of light-awareness. Poses and answers this basic question: How have the changes and technological advances in our artificial sources of public and household lighting affected our societies, individual psyches, and understanding of ourselves and our place in the world? Compelling material, to be sure. Great exploration of a fairly obscure premise. (Also incidentally provides the underpinnings of the narrative arc of Thomas Pynchon's "Against the Day", one of the best books in recent years.)

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

We take electric light for granted... yet most people who lived at the turn of the 20th Century agree that electric lighting was the most revolutionary change they witnessed. Never before in human history could people work, play, love, laugh so long after the sun went down as though it were day. This fascinating book explores how cultural mores and social interaction changed with the development of lighting from Medieval times to present.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book explores a niche in the sociological history - the effect the technological and industrial development of light had on the common cultural and psychological understandings of society.

Quite obscure but interesting and theoretically sound and filled with new information - for me, at least.

[Atamas Natalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Дуже "німецька" книжка, суха, лаконічна, набита фактами, джерелами та посиланнями, як різдвяний кекс родзинками. Купа ілюстрацій та літературних джерел. Логічна і трохи академічна структура - спочатку еволюція лампочки, потім вуличного освітлення (дуже цікавий розділ), освітлення домівок, театральна сцена і так далі.

Хто у мене її взяв почитати, поверніть, га :(?

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never thought the history of lighting could be interesting at all. But this book really was. care to know why arc lights never gained in popularity? how about why electricity is distributed as it is?

[Walid · Rating 4 out of 5]

enlightening! (what a fucking silly pun to make... arrrgh!!!)

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look at the ways in which lighting technology is directly tied to industrialization and modernity.

[Katie Vis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting book that explains how the industrialization of light changed the course of history...starting with the French Revolution.

[Caterina Pierre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published in 1983, Disenchanted Night: The Industrialization of Light in the Nineteenth Century is still a must-read for people interested in interior design, city planning, and night life during the period in question. The book is divided into five sections: The Lamp; The Street; Night Life; The Drawing Room; and The Stage. In my role as an art historian and professor of art history, I have always taught that innovations in light technology in the nineteenth century were crucial to cultural events such as the theater, the opera, and the ballet, and that this change in lighting techniques highly influenced Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art after 1870. Schivelbusch confirms this, though he does not use a lot of examples from art history (save for a reproduction of Cafe at Night by Vincent van Gogh).

For each section in his book, which is scholarly but, unlike most scholarly books of its time and now, is enjoyable and fully readable, without jargon or overly complicated theory, we start with the earliest forms of light used in the context described. We begin with candlelight (which required constant attending and was of course dangerous), to the beginnings of gas lighting (which required less attending but was nonetheless still dangerous, as it overheated, sucked up a ton of oxygen, and could explode), to the advances of Edison and electric lighting, which is still the most common source of light (and in some cases heat for cooking) today.

The section on The Lamp is the longest section, but it sets up the discussion for the three main sources of light (fire, gas, and electric) for the rest of the book. I was intrigued by the resistance people had in wanting to attach their homes to a main gas line: it meant allowing a corporation or some outside concern into the workings of your once completely private home (now, who do we not let in? Alexa spies on us; Nest cameras spy on us; and the gas and electric companies can shut us off at any moment...). One of the items I found fascinating in the section devoted to The Street was that street lighting was instituted more to keep the peace and help the police do their policing; thus, light smashing in the 19th century was common, particularly in Revolutionary Paris. I always thought street lighting was altruistic: I thought it was promoted so that people could go out at night and spend money and so businesses could stay open later to make money. While that is also true, it was not the main or original reason to light the streets at night. Prior to organized street lighting, there were men who made money lighting a pedestrian's way home, carrying a lantern on a stick. These men protected you from robbers, but sometimes worked in collusion with the robbers themselves. Later, shop windows took on the splendor they now have on main shopping streets like Madison Avenue, with windows designed to look almost like stage sets to attract people at night, who might come back to shop in the day; this is covered in the Night Life section.

The Drawing Room is a great section for anyone interested in interior design. Once proper lighting entered the drawing room, the hearth could be dispensed with, and it could become more of a family room where people could sew, read, play music, and, later, listen to the radio and watch TV (in the next century). My favorite section, and maybe the most crucial section for people interested in cultural history, was the section on the Stage. Here Schivelbusch reminds readers that most performances on a stage were not properly lit until well into the twentieth century, and that there was hardly any reason to sit down and shut up during a performance when both the stage and the audience were equally lit. It was only after the introduction of electric lighting that stages had to be better designed and the painted set backdrop was discontinued (electrical lighting made painted backdrops look fake and shabby). They could also be better lit, and the audience could be moved into darkness, so that their focus could be on the stage and not everyone else in the audience.

Again, I think this is a must-read for anyone interested in how people lived in the nineteenth-century. The publisher must think so too, as this book, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year (2023) remains in print from University of California Press.

[Joseph Hirsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid overview of the history of lighting, public and private, from roughly the ancien regime days to fin-de-siecle when Europe was on the doorstep of true modernity. Yes, it is nominally about the 19th century, but this brief and concise overview also manages to cover the development of light from roughly the 18th century to the 20th century. There is some good technical information involved, though not so much that the layman should feel alienated, or that the book should be classified as ought but a social history. There's also a bit of Foucauldian (sic) theory in the mix, but this doesn't get too heavy-handed, and actually compliments the parts of the book that deal with light as a source of illumination, surveillance, and staging (especially in the chapter on how the lighting of shop windows turned consumers into both spectators and unwitting members of a large show).

The book is well-divided and clearly delineated, and begins by dealing with the centralization of gas and electricity, the importance of maintaining lighted streets to hold literal control of the street by the state (especially in France), and the struggle to find a light that was neither too imposing nor too powerful. Bourgeois as well as proletarian and aristocratic attitudes to everything from argon lamps to candlelight are illuminated (hee-hee) in these pages. A very interesting chapter on how light affected the perception and performance of theater pieces acts as a good coda to the short and straightforward book. Illustrations, drawings, and etchings are liberally scattered throughout. The images, while all black-and-white, capture the kind of gloaming charm of gas-lit cities and massive public exhibitions and international fairs that inspired the imagination in the Victorian era and continue to exert a strong imaginative pull on younger generations, who are into the steampunk and Victorian futurism stuff. Recommended, in any case.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating read. This book did an excellent job exploring the relationship between advancing technology and its sociological reaction and vice versa; cultural shifts and the resulting changes in technology. The ebb and flow was entertaining, I found it funny how as inventors created brighter lights, artists found new ways to dim them. I thought it was very appropriate to begin the book with "The Lamp", which was very technical and end the book with "The Stage" chapter, which summarized our realationship with artifical light in very human terms. My criticisms are minor- I would have loved it if the illustrations were printed in color, this is a book on light afterall. I also think the chapters need to be segmented into more sub chapters. It would have minimimzed some of the circular lecturing and redundant parts. At least the chronological order of the chapters themselves were organized in a logical, easy to follow manner.

I found this book interesting because the mid/late 19th century to early 20th century mirrors our society today in many ways. A rapid growth in technology results in a rapid change in psychology and culture. The concept of having your home connected to a centralized powerplant owned by a corporation was new and offputting to many. Now look how many of us have opened our home to the 'internet of things' and those same skeptical feelings from 100 years ago start creeping in.

I personally found the gas light section very interesting as someone who has first-hand experience excavating the legacy remains of our old gas works. Very cool to read about them in action.

Also- Edison is a punk ass bitch.

[Travis Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short and enjoyable little book. It traces the evolution of lighting technology – from candles and oil lamps, through coal gas, paraffin, electric arc lighting, and finally carbon- and tungsten-filament light bulbs.

Although it doesn't shy away from technological matters, the main focus is on the social, cultural, and – yes – even political effects of these new technologies. Accordingly, it's divided into five sections: The Lamp (where most of the technological aspects are covered), The Street, Night Life, The Drawing Room (lighting in the domestic sphere), and The Stage (how new forms of lighting affected the theater and related arts).

Although it's a decidedly Eurocentric book, and the author does veer into speculation and generalization at times, I learned a lot from this short volume. If anything about this sounds interesting to you, I definitely recommend it.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first two chapters of this book were fascinating; the last three were progressively less so. As it came to its disappointing end, there was no attempt to sum up the topic--the book just ends. Even still, there was lots to gain from all the chapters for they are full of novel insights into the use of light in society, mostly before 1900. It is rather succinct and I was wishing for some more detail and examples of his arguments (particularly for chapters 1 and 2). For a translated English work (from German), the writing is smooth. The book makes me want to read other similar works about technological advancements of things we pay no attention to.

[Amy]

I really enjoyed this book, it was about the evolution of the technology of light in the nineteenth century, originating with the lighted wooden torch all the way through to oil then gas lighting, then the electric bulb. I found the sections about the history of street lighting and how people sought to control lighting through lamp breaking as a form of protest interesting. I also enjoyed learning about the history of light in the theatre, and how painted sets incorporating shadow had to evolve with the new technology. Overall a very enjoyable and interesting book.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely, if finally bound by a misnomer. The mystical abyss--Wagner's term for the "empty space between the proscenium and the audience"--is here and there, and all around: the lighted room from down the unlit hall, the lighted hall from within the unlit room, the screen from across the keyboard and desk's apron. The industrialization of light has generalized enchantment and inured us to the spell. The fire's gone out but the light is never dying.

[patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

made me rethink my relationship with artificial light and appreciate the absurd course the development of the lamp took. really appreciated the nuanced developments along the way that although minor in retrospect took a many people many years to realize and how different the introduction, trendiness and place in society light took in different countries.

[Brett Yonally · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot of very interesting things that the inner geek/historian in me never knew I needed to know. At times it felt a bit overly wordy but it was definitely worth the read. I also happen to love the title/cover of the book.

[Thi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das Buch lässt sich wunderbar lesen, gerade zu einem Nischen-Thema!

[Hellseeker · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intensely articulated ethnohistory of a certain period within modernity that is often ignored simply for the fact that it is hyper-embedded within the contemporary everyday.

[Avery Barbour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun educated read

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating journey through technology and psyche.

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author managed to summarize the technological, social, and aesthetics of illumination into a quite convincing argument that lighting technology hadn't simply improved the way we see, it has fundamentally altered it.

Altogether a fascinating read about a concept I haven't thought of before. Illustrations are copious and well done throughout. Obviously, the author spent considerable amounts of time researching this book as it is well divided and delineated into several separate but intertwined subjects. The 19th century truly was a renaissance of innovation and human society benefited greatly from the advances in lighting technology.

Normally, technical topics such as this would be dry and barren territory to all but the most persistent and disciplined readers but Schivelbusch managed to keep it interesting and refreshingly relevant.

Makes me want to start collecting and using kerosene lamps and hurricane lanterns.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lead up to how Motel 6 got its catch phrase, "We'll leave the light on for ya." Or, a "Land Before Al Gore started pushing you those squiggly looking light bulbs down your throat."

[MikeD · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not particularly gripping, but, at times, interesting.

One part I found interesting was the concept of smashing of lanterns as a rebellious act.

[Robert Herry]

ds