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CATEGORIES:Cabinet of Natural History
SUMMARY:Isaac Van Amburgh the lion tamer: spectacle\, educ
 ation and natural history in Britain\, 1825–1872 -
  Oscar Kent-Egan (Department of History and Philos
 ophy of Science)
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20181119T130000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20181119T140000
UID:TALK110353AThttp://talks.cam.ac.uk
URL:http://talks.cam.ac.uk/talk/index/110353
DESCRIPTION:In August 1838\, an enigmatic American showman by 
 the name of Isaac Van Amburgh arrived in London wi
 th a troupe of performing lions. He exhibited dari
 ng feats of control over these creatures and helpe
 d establish lion taming as a popular and profitabl
 e act in theatres and circuses. He toured Europe u
 ntil 1845 and inspired numerous imitators. His sho
 ws were the first dedicated exclusively to lion ta
 ming and attracted various sections of society\, r
 anging from members of the working classes to Quee
 n Victoria. The question of how Van Amburgh tamed 
 his lions sparked widespread discussion. He was se
 cretive about his training methods and papers spec
 ulated on whether rational instruction\, brute str
 ength or special knowledge of animal behaviour exp
 lained his powers. This talk explores the marketin
 g and press coverage of Van Amburgh's shows. It co
 nsiders the complex imagery spun around his perfor
 mances. Newspaper reports often claimed that the a
 cts revealed social and scientific lessons. They w
 ere tied in with Lord Brougham's attempts to refor
 m working class education and debates on behaviour
 al studies of animals. Van Amburgh's show was not 
 merely dismissed as a vulgar spectacle or violent 
 entertainment. I argue that the press transformed 
 it into an illustration of the improvability of na
 ture and the value of practical\, experiential kno
 wledge of animals. These interpretations influence
 d the development of lion taming in the second hal
 f of the 19th century and help explain the persist
 ence of the practice.
LOCATION:Seminar Room 1\, Department of History and Philoso
 phy of Science
CONTACT:Laura Brassington
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