The Ocean at Home An Illustrated History of the Aquarium

by Brunner, Bernd

• ISBN13: 9781568985022
• ISBN10: 1568985029
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-05-12
• Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press

Summary

The mysterious world beneath the ocean's surface has captivated man for centuries the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and ancient Chinese all kept fish in their homes for purposes other than the culinary. But it was not until the nineteenth-century invention of the aquarium that the deep was truly domesticated, offering the curiously inclined a chance to invent their very own exotic sea world within their own walls. In this fascinating history of the aquarium, Bernd Brunner traces the development of this most wonderful invention, giving insight into the cultural and social circumstances that accompanied its swift rise in popularity. Brunner tells a compelling story of obsession, beauty, discovery, and delight, from the aquarium's humble origins as a tool for scientific observation to the Victorian era's elaborately decorated containers of oceanic curiosity, to the great public aquaria of the twentieth century.

Author Biography

Bernd Brunner is a Berlin-based writer. A graduate of the Free University Berlin, he has written extensively for television and various print media.

Table of Contents

Dive in	p. 7
The first seed : the secret of the ocean	p. 9
The second seed : chambers, cabinets, cases	p. 17
The third seed : pet fish	p. 21
"Passion and diligence" : pioneers	p. 25
"A strong, intensive desire" : the propagandist	p. 38
From salt to freshwater aquarium : the lake in a glass	p. 59
Arriving in the United States : aquarist societies and magazines	p. 68
Exotic species and transport : diverging beliefs	p. 78
Fashion show : typology of parlor aquariums	p. 86
"A new kind of theater" : the large aquariums	p. 99
The aquarium as a dream	p. 121
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