Circular Visions: Viewing the World From Above in the Late Eighteenth Century

• In the late eighteenth century, mountains were systematically explored and manned balloon flights were executed for the first time in history. These vertical journeys made it possible to view landscapes and geographical areas from above. Mountaineers as well as balloonists reported that their high altitude experiences were stupendous and exhilarating. They also expressed similar problems in communicating panoramic views, which generated experiments in the visual representation of landscapes. This article analyses and compares two such visualisations: one by Swiss natural philosopher Horace-Benedict de Saussure (1740-1799), and one by British balloonist Thomas Baldwin (1742-1804). Both images use the technique of anamorphosis with a circular form. With this design, Saussure and Baldwin aimed at accurately depicting a 360-degree view as well as phenomenologically simulating a literally elevated position. The article interprets the images by close reading of the verbal descriptions by Saussure and Baldwin, and also by discussing their circular visions in the contexts of visual culture, mountaineering and ballooning in the late eighteenth century. These representations of views from above are investigated as significant documents in the cultural history of the horizon. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ämnesord

HUMANIORA  -- Historia och arkeologi -- Historia (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- History and Archaeology -- History (hsv//eng)

HUMANIORA  -- Annan humaniora -- Övrig annan humaniora (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Other Humanities -- Other Humanities not elsewhere specified (hsv//eng)

HUMANIORA  -- Filosofi, etik och religion -- Idé- och lärdomshistoria (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Philosophy, Ethics and Religion -- History of Ideas (hsv//eng)

HUMANIORA  -- Annan humaniora -- Kulturstudier (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Other Humanities -- Cultural Studies (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Horace-Benedict de Saussure

Thomas Baldwin

Mountaineering

Ballooning

Landscape representation

Anamorphosis

Panorama

Horizon

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