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What was the role of artificial illumination for the development of urban life during the 19th century?

It is impossible to imagine a city without light, and this is because ‘the city is characterized by light’ . The nineteenth century was a period of economic, technological and most significantly social change for urban life, and it is no coincidence that during this time artificial illumination became a mainstay of cities across the world. This essay will be focusing on the importance of artificial illumination in the development of urban life by concentrating on three main themes; its influence on creating nightlife and turning ‘night into day’ , transforming cities into a much safer environment and its role in aiding the thought of …show more content…
Here, Gutzkow is referring to the shops, restaurants and pubs that could now stay open in the evenings thanks to artificial illumination and stood out in the night sky. It is worth noting that ‘nightlife’ is a 19th century word with its first known use coming in 1852, the evenings were no longer a time of reclusiveness, but instead an opportunity to socialize as taverns and coffee shops began to thrive in this new era. Wolfgang Schivelbusch compares the windows of these shops to stages, with the street becoming a theater and the passerby the audience. The evenings now presented an opportunity for businesses to continue trading and the public to enjoy these services, as Robert Louis Stevenson remarks, ‘a new age had begun for sociality and corporate pleasure-seeking’ . In light of this evidence, it would appear entirely plausible to suggest artificial illumination played a very important role in the development of urban life during the 19th century as it proved extremely influential in creating ‘nightlife’ which is a major characteristic in the definition of a …show more content…
Prior to the 1800, once the sun went down, people would retreat to their homes until sunrise. This was partly due to the fact that they were greatly hindered with respect to what they could do, but more importantly it was because of the danger associated with the night. This fear was stirred up by authorities who used it as a tool to keep the public in their homes because ‘compared to the day, night is unstructured, less ordered and therefore potentially threatening’ . Indeed, this is a fair statement with historians estimating that the murder rate per head of the population in the 18th century was 5 to 10 times higher than today as gangs such as the Mohocks and the Hawkubites wreaked havoc across London, driving fear into the public. As a result, there was a curfew in place preventing people going out at night without appropriate lighting. The introduction of artificial lighting ended this pre-historic way of thinking as it significantly strengthened the police force and gave the public peace of mind. Only with the introduction of mass gas street lighting did the authorities begin to be able to control the whole urban area, as before they physically couldn’t catch the criminals. This can be demonstrated with the creation of

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