Theme exhibitions – late 1800

Theme island gives a pleasant reconstruction of a possible moment in daily life of late 1800 Europe. The development of the sciences, which began at the beginning of 1800, has reached its apex.

Scientific discoveries continue unhalted and give Man great faith in his ability to change the world, even physically: this is the time of great structures and architecture, like the Suez Canal (1869), the Frejus Tunnel (1871) and the Brooklyn Bridge (1883).

This is all possible thanks to the use of new elements like, petrol, steel and electricity. The railway network developed everywhere and the telegraph network became widespread linking up all the most important towns.

The process of “fixing” images was perfected, which, started at the beginning of the century with the daguerreotype, now became photography and later cinema. The rapid scientific development applied to industry, chemical in particular, created a second industrial revolution, more rightly called “scientific revolution”.

Industry set up its own research centres and politics helped give great drive to science. The fundamental importance of this historic moment in the last thirty years of the 19th century is evident: in fact during this period we find the structural changes that are at the roots of modern society.

Many of the things which are indispensable for us today, such as internal combustion engines, cars, motorbikes, bikes, telephone, gramophone, electric light bulbs, tyres, typewriters, cameras, the first synthetic fibres, motorised public transport, all came to life in the last three decades of 1800.