The lecture will focus on how and why animals featured so prominently in Victorian leisure activities, from traditional upper class pursuits such as hunting, shooting and fishing through to the 'underground' world of dog-fighting and animal-baiting. In between these extremes, annual horse races attracted spectators across the social classes - so among the questions we should ask is why some social reformers tried so hard to abolish them? Barring the occasional escaped lion, tiger or elephant, zoos, circuses and travelling menageries offered opportunities to view 'exotic' animals from a safe distance - but how far did they also reflect Victorian curiosity about the natural world, and the scientific enquiry that it prompted? How did they - and Victorian museums - actually acquire their 'specimens' for display? We will also ask why pigeon racing and the keeping of animals as households pets became so popular in the later 19th century - and take a brief look at the world of taxidermy.
Course aim
The lecture will focus on how and why animals featured so prominently in Victorian leisure activities, from traditional upper class pursuits such as hunting, shooting and fishing, to zoos and menageries, and the keeping of households pets.
Do I need any particular skills or experience?
- This course is for beginners and improvers
By the end of the course I should be able to:
- Account for the popularity of zoos and travelling menageries during the Victorian period.
What else do I need to know?
Your lecture will be delivered in a ‘traditional’ talk-to-camera style, but there will be opportunities to ask questions and engage in discussion at the end. Slide-show images will be used to illustrate key points, and a short summary of the lecture will be posted to Canvas soon after the event.
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