Exhibition: “Seen With Great Delight”: Spectacle in Georgian London

The Lewis Walpole Library's latest exhibition has been curated by Alison FitzGerald, Associate Professor in the Department of History, Maynooth University, Ireland. Open Wednesdays 2-4:30 pm and other times by appointment. On view March 5 through August 22, 2025.

This exhibition explores the range of spectacular shows that were offered to the fee-paying public in Georgian London, from exhibitions of paintings, to scientific demonstrations, to the display of wondrous animals. The exhibition primarily focuses on images drawn from the extensive collections at the Lewis Walpole Library that announce, depict and satirize what people paid to gaze at. It will consider how derogatory ideas about spectacle were expressed in caricatures and political discourse.

Details at https://walpole.library.yale.edu/programs/exhibitions#Current%20exhibit