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Chemical lecture, 1802. Artist: James Gillray
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Chemical lecture, 1802. Artist: James Gillray
Chemical lecture; Scientific Researches! - New Discoveries in Pneumaticks! or - an Experimental Lecture on the Powers of Air!, 1802. A shocked audience witnesses experiments with laughing gas at the Royal Institution. A volunteer has a tube inserted into his mouth, the consequence of which is the blowing out of the seat of his trousers; a member of the audience holds his nose at the stink. Thomas Garnett is the lecturer and Humphry Davy is operating the hydraulic bellows filled with laughing gas. Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, the founder of the Royal Institution, is standing near the doorway
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Media ID 14863529
© Oxford Science Archive / Heritage-Images
Amphibian Audience Bellows Benjamin Chemistry Davy Element Experiment Explosion Frog Garnett Gillray Humphry Humphry Davy Hydrogen James Gillray Laboratory Laboratory Equipment Laughing Laughter Lecture Lecturer Oxford Science Archive Oxygen Pneumatics Research Royal Institution Scientific Instrument Scientist Shocked Smell Thompson Trousers Wind Benjamin Thompson Blast City Of Westminster Count Von Rumford Fart Laughing Gas Sir Benjamin Thompson
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Chemical Lecture, 1802 - A Hilarious and Unforgettable Scientific Spectacle
EDITORS COMMENTS
. Step into the extraordinary world of scientific exploration as captured in this print by James Gillray. Transported back to the year 1802, we find ourselves amidst a chemical lecture at the prestigious Royal Institution in London. The audience is left astounded and amused as they witness an array of experiments with laughing gas. In this particular moment frozen in time, all eyes are fixed on a brave volunteer who has willingly allowed a tube filled with laughing gas to be inserted into his mouth. Little did he know that this daring act would lead to an unexpected consequence - the explosive blowing out of his trousers! As laughter erupts throughout the room, one member of the audience holds their nose at the resulting stench. The esteemed lecturer Thomas Garnett stands confidently before his shocked audience while Humphry Davy operates hydraulic bellows filled with laughing gas nearby. Count Rumford himself, founder of the Royal Institution, observes from near the doorway. This image encapsulates not only a comical mishap but also highlights humanity's insatiable curiosity for scientific discovery during this era. It serves as a reminder that even within serious academic settings such as lectures and laboratories, moments of levity can arise unexpectedly – reminding us all that science can be both enlightening and entertaining.
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