The Spectacle of Science: the Art of Illusion in Prints of the French Revolution Claire Trévien University of Warwick, UK Abstract In this article, I will discuss prints from the French Revolution that utilize scientific instruments as political metaphors. France’s fascination with science during the Enlightenment has been well documented, notably by Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent and Christine Blondel in their recent investigation of its uses as a popular form of entertainment. Whether it was seen as an ally or a foe, the spectacle of science attracted Revolutionary artists. This pull reveals not only an understanding of scientific material thanks to the groundwork of the Enlightenment, but also a need to reposition science within a Revolutionary context. What the prints have in common is ‘spectacle’ in the sense that they are pre-occupied with the idea of illusion, not just as a negative act of deception but as a creative and potentially empowering process, allowing the viewer to see beyond reality into a brighter future. [Keywords: Eighteenth-Century Science, Eighteenth-Century Prints, Eighteenth-Century France, French Revolutionary Prints] ‘Je ne suis ni prêtre ni magicien; je ne veux point vous tromper; mais je saurais vous étonner. Il ne tiendroit qu’à moi de faire illusion ; j’aime mieux servir à l’instruction’ (Philidor qtd. in La Feuille villageoise, 506). The purpose of this article is to provide a cursory survey of Revolutionary prints involving scientific apparatus, in particular optical science in the early years of the Revolution. More than just sources in a history of science, these often naïve and quickly executed caricatures reveal wider French Revolutionary issues. Susan Maslan has defined theatricality as ‘the production of opaque, alienating relations between performers and spectators’, and points out that it is a concept at odds with the Revolution’s commitment to ‘building an entirely transparent society’ (Maslan, ix). This quest for a ‘transparent society’ can also be seen as a quest against falseness and deceit. Prints where masks feature prominently might be an obvious place to investigate the resonances of this quest, but I would like to draw attention to prints where the illusion of authority is emphasized, in particular scientific objects. Pre-Revolutionary France was infatuated with science and more particularly, experimental physics. Scientific instruments were built not just for investigative purposes but for entertainment too and displayed in a variety of spaces, from academies to fairs, shops and boulevards. Amongst the experiments taking place, a few objects or movements were particularly popular: the optical branch with its magic lanterns and shadow plays; Mesmer’s animal magnetism; hot air balloon flights and the discovery of electricity. The main concern, however, is how this pre-Revolutionary public interest translated during the Revolution. Did the addiction to science slow down, trumped by the Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities (ISSN 0975-2935), Vol 3, No 1, 2011 Edited by Tirtha Prasad Mukhopadhyay URL of the Issue: http://rupkatha.com/v3n1.php URL of the article: http://rupkatha.com/V3/n1/05Art-of-Illusion-in-Prints-of-the-French-Revolution.pdf Kolkata, India. © www.rupkatha.com