SH Archive 1765 Reims: Celebrations of the people and Electricity

[KD Archive]

Electricity, or not? And if this is not electricity, than what is it, gas? The image is titled and dated:

• Celebrations of the people.
• at Reims the 27th of August 1765
• Source

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[Archive]

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Username: jd755
Date: 2019-11-12 12:04:18
Reaction Score: 1

The light of heaven shining out from the church of Lord God raised up in his gory by the hand of man.
Aka religious propaganda if this set of images is any clue.
Jean-Michel MOREAU - La Pucelle d'Orléans

 

[KD Archive]

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Username: KorbenDallas
Date: 2019-11-12 12:08:31
Reaction Score: 1

May be they tried to explain some tech by calling it the light of heaven.

• too much propaganda
  • Vauxhall Gardens Fireworks and Illuminations
  • 1786 Anniversary Illumination of the Utrecht Academy
  • Illumination in celebration of the Marriage of the Dauphin Louis and Marie-Antoinette. Or not...

 

[Archive]

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Username: jd755
Date: 2019-11-12 12:37:33
Reaction Score: 1

My money is on religious propaganda but went looking anyway for more 'leccy' elated images by this bloke and all I or rather startpage could find was pictures of candle o fire light. Some giants, some early projection, soe very ornate candle lights and lots of the aristocracy and 'famous' people of the day doing 'great deeds' and a few angels. All of which would dilute this thread if posted so I've resisted the temptation.

 

[Timeshifter]

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Username: Timeshifter
Date: 2019-11-12 12:53:18
Reaction Score: 2

Those decorations certainly look like light bulbs to me... just like these....

 

[Archive]

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Username: jd755
Date: 2019-11-12 13:03:23
Reaction Score: 2

Here's one of Versailles 'all lit up' by the same bloke apparently, the website is 'down for maintenance' so no link yet. There must be an image of the collector/generator/power station somewhere.
But why only candles in all his interior images?

 

[KD Archive]

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Username: KorbenDallas
Date: 2019-11-12 19:40:29
Reaction Score: 1

There must be an image of the collector/generator/power station somewhere.

Why do you think that you would recognize one when you see it?

• Mysterious illuminations of the 18th-19th centuries
• Fortress stars. Technology.

 

[Trouvare]

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Username: Trouvare
Date: 2019-11-12 19:58:11
Reaction Score: 0

Just like the previous example, it's a portal to invoke the presence of an entity.

 

[Archive]

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Username: jd755
Date: 2019-11-12 20:03:46
Reaction Score: 0

Probably just me but you and others see lights in that op image presumably a man made device lit by a source of electricity. Fair enough but that electricity comes from somewhere or something, again fair enough, based on what we know or are allowed to know or are sold about electrickery.
It seem reasonable to me that if we can recognise an artificial light lit by electricity we stand a good chance of recognising the device that provides the power.

Why do you think they use candles inside and electricity outside?

 

[KD Archive]

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Username: KorbenDallas
Date: 2019-11-12 20:06:14
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I don't know if it's electricity. There are some indicators that it could be. I also suggested that it could be gas in the OP. I just know that it looks like no candles.

 

[Archive]

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Username: jd755
Date: 2019-11-12 20:11:41
Reaction Score: 0

I don't know if it's electricity. There are some indicators that it could be. I also suggested that it could be gas in the OP. I just know that it looks like no candles.

Sorry missed the word gas. These eyes are returning to normal using the Bates method but they are at an intermittent state of play.
Were it gas lighting then there would need to be gas mantle of some sort in use to provide the light and once gain were it gas outside then why not gas inside?

 

[Archive]

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Username: Starmonkey
Date: 2019-11-12 20:14:35
Reaction Score: 1

Nice links above. Nice work from Tech Dancer.
Other point I wanted to make regarding garishly lit buildings. It's almost like, with the sheer amount of lighting, that they were afraid of the darkness. Trying to banish it. Fear and superstition and that good old dualistic nut.
You can't have one without the other. TRY IT.

 

[KD Archive]

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Username: KorbenDallas
Date: 2019-11-12 20:19:03
Reaction Score: 2

I know how much light candles give out, for where I live, we end up with no power on a regular basis in winter. Using candle lights to illuminate an opera, or theater space does not pass any smell test. They need lights on, lights off, lights on, lights off. Then we have all them CO2 issues if they had billions of candles, hence a powerful ventilation would be required. And replacing candles would also be a nightmare.

The below image is 1837, not 1750s, but explanations are also limited.

The below is allegedly 1808-1810. What kind of candles did they have back then? I have seen candles in a large auditorium. Candles do not worklike that, yet we do have candles drawn in.

 

[Archive]

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Username: jd755
Date: 2019-11-12 20:34:44
Reaction Score: 1

Early theatrical stage lighting used lamps and reflectors to light the actors if memory is serving whale oil as the fuel. Here to we use candle daily, or should that be nightly for accuracy. So I too know exactly how much light they throw out. Ambient is my word for it. Good enough to read by if close enough but as for room lighting specially rooms on the scale in the engravings possible but not as depicted as far as I can tell as the lights would be too far away from the people to have been of any use, if candles.
On the other hand if oil lamps and no I don't know how smoky or not whale oil was they might likely throw out enough light to be of use raised up and down on pulleys maybe.
Beeswax candles are clean burning, brighter and last longer without much dripping so they might enter the frame but with that said going back to Mreau's drawings some of the lamp have the same or similar metal hoods as those in the Meigs elevated railway train and that was lit by whale oil.

 

[Archive]

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Username: Banta
Date: 2019-11-12 22:13:36
Reaction Score: 2

Were it gas lighting then there would need to be gas mantle of some sort in use to provide the light and once gain were it gas outside then why not gas inside?

Religious propaganda, but not like you were thinking. Control of electricity would be a point in your God's direction, I would think. I feel like you could "invent it" as many times as the New World is "discovered" and why would you ever be obligated to disclose it? This is all speculative but I can think of lots of logistical reasons for why there could be some knowledge of how to use electricity but severe limitations in installing it just anywhere, some of which may be self-imposed of course. But even practically, it's only dark half the time and you're sleeping through most of that. Candles are easy. It's really globalization that requires the lights on 24/7 and that all really kicked into gear after this.

Interesting discussion as always.

 

[KD Archive]

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Username: KorbenDallas
Date: 2020-01-03 07:52:03
Reaction Score: 5

I’ve heard this hypothesis somewhere that priests of old were the keepers of some forbidden knowledge. And what they wear today is a cargo cult type former uniforms.

Go figure...