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Goldfish in the Parlour: The Victorian craze for marine life
“For the first time, fish became our companions and a corner of many a Victorian parlour was given over to housing tiny fragments of their world enclosed in glass.”
The experience of seeing a fish swimming in a glass tank is one we take for granted now but in Victorian England this was a remarkable sight. People had simply not been able to see fish as they now could with the invention of the aquarium and everything that went with it.
Goldfish in the Parlour looks at the boom in the building of public aquariums, as well as the craze for home aquariums and visiting the seaside, during the reign of Queen Victoria. Furthermore, this book considers how people see and meet animals and, importantly, in what institutions and in what contexts these encounters happen.
John Simons uncovers the sweeping consequences of the Victorian obsession with marine animals by looking at naturalist Frank Buckland’s Museum of Economic Fish Culture and the role of fish in the Victorian economy, the development of angling as a sport divided along class lines, the seeding of Empire with British fish and comparisons with aquarium building in Europe, USA and Australia.
Goldfish in the Parlour interrogates the craze that took over Victorian England when aquariums “introduced” fish to parks, zoos and parlours.
The experience of seeing a fish swimming in a glass tank is one we take for granted now but in Victorian England this was a remarkable sight. People had simply not been able to see fish as they now could with the invention of the aquarium and everything that went with it.
Goldfish in the Parlour looks at the boom in the building of public aquariums, as well as the craze for home aquariums and visiting the seaside, during the reign of Queen Victoria. Furthermore, this book considers how people see and meet animals and, importantly, in what institutions and in what contexts these encounters happen.
John Simons uncovers the sweeping consequences of the Victorian obsession with marine animals by looking at naturalist Frank Buckland’s Museum of Economic Fish Culture and the role of fish in the Victorian economy, the development of angling as a sport divided along class lines, the seeding of Empire with British fish and comparisons with aquarium building in Europe, USA and Australia.
Goldfish in the Parlour interrogates the craze that took over Victorian England when aquariums “introduced” fish to parks, zoos and parlours.
387 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 1, 2023
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July 9, 2023"Initially, the book gives the impression of being a somewhat dry and academic account of the history and impact of Britain's first major aquarium...[but] ...Simon's material refuses to be confined within the rigid confines of British aquarium history...A rich use of anecdote and contemporary accounts reveals the diversity of participation in marine science and aquariums...This book reminds us that the construction of public aquariums, with all their challenges and difficulties, brought about a radical change in our perceptions of aquatic ecosystems."
Read my full review here: https://www.australianbookreview.com....
Read my full review here: https://www.australianbookreview.com....
March 6, 2024
An excellent telling of the budding aquarium industry (both public and private) in the late 1800's.
This was not a subject matter I was at all familiar with and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about this industry. As an amateur naturalist, throughout my life I had always wondered "when did people figure out that oxygen can dissolve in water and that fish need oxygen in the water to live?" This book answered that question (and several others I've always had regarding the husbandry of aquatic animals in captivity). Additionally, not being too much of a history buff myself, I was able to get a better understanding of the Victorian Era and what life was like amongst the various classes in English society at that time (prior to reading this book, I always just assumed "Jack the Ripper, Steam Engines, big dresses and top hats, etc.")
Unfortunately, in getting some of my lifelong questions answered, many of my suspicions were confirmed --there was a LOT of animal mortality and mistreatment. Living in the 21st century I am unable to fairly judge the people of the late 1800's in their methods. They were ignorant of everything in this industry. Only by trial and error was any progress made. Learning about that process was very compelling.
Although it's a rather niche subject for the average person, I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in fishkeeping and aquariums. Certainly, anyone in the modern fish hobby would really get a kick out of this book!
One final note: William Alford Lloyd was a name I had never heard before reading this book. He is an excellent scientist and deserves to have a higher profile. What he did for aquatic/marine science is incredibly valuable. I am happy to have learned of his contribution to the field (by way of reading this book).
This was not a subject matter I was at all familiar with and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about this industry. As an amateur naturalist, throughout my life I had always wondered "when did people figure out that oxygen can dissolve in water and that fish need oxygen in the water to live?" This book answered that question (and several others I've always had regarding the husbandry of aquatic animals in captivity). Additionally, not being too much of a history buff myself, I was able to get a better understanding of the Victorian Era and what life was like amongst the various classes in English society at that time (prior to reading this book, I always just assumed "Jack the Ripper, Steam Engines, big dresses and top hats, etc.")
Unfortunately, in getting some of my lifelong questions answered, many of my suspicions were confirmed --there was a LOT of animal mortality and mistreatment. Living in the 21st century I am unable to fairly judge the people of the late 1800's in their methods. They were ignorant of everything in this industry. Only by trial and error was any progress made. Learning about that process was very compelling.
Although it's a rather niche subject for the average person, I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in fishkeeping and aquariums. Certainly, anyone in the modern fish hobby would really get a kick out of this book!
One final note: William Alford Lloyd was a name I had never heard before reading this book. He is an excellent scientist and deserves to have a higher profile. What he did for aquatic/marine science is incredibly valuable. I am happy to have learned of his contribution to the field (by way of reading this book).
April 6, 2023
An interesting topic, with the cause for aquariums, both big and smaller home ones, largely being available from the late 1800's advancements in technology.
Though many public aquariums didn't last long, with 'the craze' over, once people had been, they didn't return to see the same fish and sea creatures.
Includes a chapter on Australia where I live and a description of an aquarium in my home city, attached to the Exhibition building, the aquarium part sadly burned down in 1953.
Though many public aquariums didn't last long, with 'the craze' over, once people had been, they didn't return to see the same fish and sea creatures.
Includes a chapter on Australia where I live and a description of an aquarium in my home city, attached to the Exhibition building, the aquarium part sadly burned down in 1953.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews