Capturing the Invisible

Over the course of the eighteenth century the common perception of air, that invisible but omnipresent element of nature, experienced a profound change. This essay argues that a common field of knowledge emerged through the materialization of aerial fluids, including gases, steam and heat. This topic inspired the creativity of a hybrid milieu of practitioners, who extended the investigation of air while embedding it in public concerns. A growing culture of consumption, especially in urban contexts in France and Britain, helped nurture a number of new devices and apparatus aimed at mastering these fluids for various purposes and in everyday life. They offered the capacity to reshape the interplay between scientific results, social needs and political incentives, presenting new horizons for the public good and public health

Environmental Science · Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis · History