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Period: to
Europe, 1648- 1948
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The Heads of Severall Proceedings in This Present Parliament
This was the first domestic newsbook printed. It followed the Grand Remonstrance and tensions between Protestant forces within the British Parliament and Charles I, who was seen as a Catholic sympathizer. This newsbook exemplifes the marriage between national identity and communications; as the British political landscape faltered, domestic news solidified the imagined community of British citizens eager to discuss and stay abreast of their government's proceedings. -
British Sugar Colonies: Giving Rise to Tea and Dessert Culture
Document: Letter from Horace Walpole to Horace Mann (1779). British colonization of islands for sugar cultivation gave way to mass consumption of sugar and, consequently, a rise of tea and dessert culture. Source: Walpole, Horace. The Letters of Horace Walpole. London: Bentley, 1891. -
The Throne of St. Peter
The Throne of Saint Peter, designed by the Italian sculpture and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini and located in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City, has come to be known as the epitomy of Baroque style of architecture. With its grandiose and theatrical overtones, the structure cleverly manipulates light and shadow creating a dramatic and complex optical illusion. -
The Flintlock Musket with Bayonet
Primary Source: "Flintlock Sporting Musket of Empress Margarita Teresa". It was built by the French gunsmith Jacques Lamarre in Vienna, Austria. Muskets like these modernized infantries all over Europe by replacing designated 'pike' and 'sword' men and set the basis for technology-intensive warfare. -
French Enlightenment: Ideas that Inspired Change in the French Cuisine
Document: Vincent La Chapelle’s cookbook The Modern Cook (1733). Ideas and trends seen in Enlightenment—such as harmony and science—transmitted into the realm of cooking of France. Transformations in the the cooking style, the image of the cook, and the organization of the practice can be observed. Source: La Chapelle, Vincent. The Modern Cook. 3rd ed. London: Osborne, 1744. -
The Howitzer
Primary Source: "Canon lourd de 12 Gribeauval". An artillery piece introduced by Lieutenant General Jean Baptiste Gribeauval of France. With its introduction, the howitzer was made a permenanet feature of battle and added a new force to modern militaries: the field artillery regiment. -
The Panthéon
The Panthéon is an exemplary model of the neoclassical style of architecture that took over in the 18th century. Designed by Jacques-Germain Soufflot, the structures original intent was that of a church. In light of the French Revolution, it soon became a space for republican developments more geared towards the middle class and the state. The design is reminiscent of classical architecture, drawing upon the columns so typical of Ancient Greece and Rome as well as simplicity in detail. -
Claude Chappe Demonstrating his Semaphore System in 1793
This is a French artist's impression of Claude Chappe demonstrating his Semaphore System. Chappe was an engineer who created the first optical telegraph network. The Semaphore System demonstrates the integral use of communications technology in state-building -- how the French government used the Semaphore both to functionally create state cohesion via better government adminsitration and symbolically, as it represented the nationalistic and organizational capabilities of the Republic. -
Vorontsov Palace
Vorontsov Palace was built between 1833 and 1852 by Prince M.S. Vorontsov at Alupka located in Crimea. It showcases the popular architectural trend of the mid-19th century known as Exotic Revival. This style went hand in hand with the newly found fascination with the Orient. This Moorish Revival structure evokes a style typical of Islamic architecture, incorporating an exuberant amount of delicate motifs. -
The Charge of the Light Brigade, William Howard Russell for the London Times
This news article was written by one of the first war correspondents, William Russell. It documents the near-suicidal mission undertaken by the British Light Brigade after receiving faulty orders. This article highlights how the newspaper, a recent communications innovation, inspired patriotism and furthered the imagined community of British ctizens, to extend to those outside of Britain (soliders). This article inspired the famous Tennyson poem of the same name and Florence Nightingale's work. -
The Electric Telegraph
Primary Source: "The Electric Telegraph Company's War Wagon 1854 ". Built by a joint effort of the Electric Telegraph Company and the British Royal Engineers, the field electric telegraph was the first mobile military communication system in modern history. It was used in the Crimean war against the Russians and was subsequently adopted by other major European powers. Helped in the fast and effective communication between field commanders and higher-ups thousands of miles away. -
The Red House
The Red House, located in London, was designed by Philip Webb for William Morris. It is an example of the Arts and Crafts Movement in its early stage and thus incorporates elements from other architectural styles, most notably that of the Gothic style. The Arts and Crafts style emerged as a reaction to the Industrial Revolution seeking to return to the age of craftsmanship while utilizing elements of nature. -
Houses of Parliament/ Palace of Westminster
After a fire in 1834, it was decided that the Palace of Westminster was to be rebuilt following the Gothic style. Representing the centre of government, it was important that this building be rebuilt in such a way that would commemorate the idealized past and “ease the sense of loss”. Through the efforts of Charles Barry and A.W. Pugin, the new palace was adorned with elaborate pointed arches and and an array of pinnacles so typical of medieval architecture. -
The Industrial Revolution Across Europe: Inventing the Modern Era of Chocolate
Document: Sale of Food and Drugs Act of 1875 (Britain). Technological advancements and mass production lowered production costs of chocolate, transforming it into a commodity for the masses. Inventions at this time also enabled chocolate to take on different forms (for example, the solid chocolate bar) which are seen today. Source: "Sale of Food and Drugs Act 1875." The National Archives. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1875/63/section/6/enacted. -
The Machine Gun
Primary Source: "The Maxim Gun". Built in Britain by Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim. It was the first easily manouverable and high powered machine gun that ultimately ushered in the era of 'trench warfare'. It is also also called "the weapon most associated with British imperial conquest". -
Italian Unification: Culinary Identity Through Regionality
Document: Pellegrino Artusi’s cookbook Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well (1891). Following Italian unification, regionality of cuisines was emphasized. With railways and cross-peninsula regulations came facilitation of cross region (culinary) exchange, with the emergence of a national identity alongside a stronger sense of regional identity. Source: Artusi, Pellegrino. Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well. Toronto, Ont.: University of Toronto Press, 2003. -
Belgian Newsroom, 1897
This is a picture of a Belgian Newspaper office, which was partially subsidized by the government. The important part of this picture is the proliferation of typewriters it demonstrates. Typewriters were an important innovation in communication technology that allowed for much more government reception and production of information and news. The majority of early typewriters were to be found in government and newspaper offices. -
Tanks
Primary Source: "The Mark 1 tank". It was built by the British army as a solution to the stalemate caused by trench warfare. This revolutionary mechanical technology effectively ended the concept of horse cavelry and played a decisive role in ending the First World War. -
Hitler in Front of a Microphone on the German Radio
This is a picture of Hitler addressing the German public on German radio.The transcript of his speech is filled with appeals to "the German nation" and "the German People," as he outlines the losses suffered at the hands of the Allies and the Treaty of Versailles. This moment in history, where Hitler uses radio to strengthen solidarity between the German people and defines against the West and "the red menace," is emblematic of how the radio quickly became a tool of nationalism and state control -
Prudential Building in Warsaw
The Prudential building, built in 1934 in Warsaw, Poland, demonstrated a newly emerging style of architecture: Art Déco. This particular building encompasses many of the ideals strongly associated with this 20th century modernist form of architecture: simple, sleek designs that were often symmetrical and repetitive. As opposed to its predecessor, Arts and Craft style, Art Déco sought to celebrate the machine and ease society into the new, more effecient era of modernity. -
Aircraft
Primary Source: "Heinkel He 111". One of the earliest and most effective bomber aircraft built by Siegford and Walter Gunter for the German Luftwaffe. The use of aircraft in battle (especially for strategic bombing) opened up an entirely new dimension which revolutionized warfare forever. -
Post World War I Germany: Aiming for Self-Sufficiency
Document: Hitler’s Confidential Memo on Autarky (August 1936). After Germany’s defeat in WWI as a result of being blockaded and therefore losing the foreign exports on which they relied, Hitler and the Nationalist Socialist party aimed to make Germany an autarkic nation. Source: “Hitler’s Confidential Memo on Autarky (August 1936).” German History in Documents and Images. http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/pdf/eng/English61.pdf. -
Soviet Rule: Cuisine as a Reflection of the Goals of the Regime
Document: Images from Book of Tasty and Healthy Food (1939). The goal of the leaders was to bring uniformity to the cuisine and to make newly manufactured Soviet products widespread. The Institute of Nutrition of the Academy of Medical Scientists of the USSR published cookbook as a way to standardize recipes, while also advertising the emerging Soviet products. Source: "Soviet Book about Tasty and Healthy Food." http://bashny.net/t/en/33967 -
David Sarnoff Dedicating the RCA Building at the 1939 World Fair
Pictured is Sarnoff, an American television pioneer, dedicating the RCA Building at the 1939 World Fair. This World Fair was the site of television's introduction to the world. While an American businessman is pictured, this document reprents the development of T.V. as an innovation in communications throughout the world -- Britain, France, and Germany caught up quickly. Within each country T.V. solidifed pre-existing national identities and furthered government communication with its citizens.
