The Curious Art of Observation

How do you get your news? In the 19th century, Expositions and World’s Fairs entertained and educated with displays of the new and exotic. Curiosity drew large crowds who were intrigued and inspired as they viewed the latest finds and newest creations. In 1851, Prince Albert’s Great Exposition at the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park hosted nearly six million people, including such notable and diverse personas as Charles Darwin, Charlotte Bronte and Samuel Colt.

Today, even with the Internet’s world-on-a-screen at our fingertips, our curiosity craves in-person experiences. Recently, a 340-ton boulder drew onlookers for days as it was trucked to its destination at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The space shuttle Discovery’s pre-retirement flight piggybacked on a jet was a thrill to see, now an earthbound exhibit at the Smithsonian.

Many discoveries were made in the Victorian era when science and the arts were commonly practiced, and not the domain of experts. I recently learned about Genevieve Jones, whose desire to document the nests and eggs of American birds became a family project. Gennie’s passion was further inspired when she saw hand-colored engravings from John James Audubon’s book The Birds of America at Philadelphia’s Centennial International Exhibition. Now, a new book, America’s Other Audubon, celebrates the amateur naturalist and shares her notable accomplishments with a 21st-century audience.

To reinterpret or recreate period decor, architectural details and gardenscapes, we Victorian homes enthusiasts must be skilled observers, too.