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Scientific Revolution
Wright of Derby, Joseph. An Experiment on a Bird in an Air Pump. Oil on canvas. 1768. The painting depicts a scene that took place after 1658 when natural philosopher Robert Boyle and his assistant Robert Hooke created the first air pump. Wright’s piece depicts Boyle himself using his invention in front of an audience that varies in age and social status, reinforcing the fact that scientists of the time wanted to make knowledge more accessible to more than fellow scholars. -
Industrial Revolution
Nicholls, Sutton. A Description of the Engine for raising Water by Fire. Engraving. 1725. The piece depicts the first-ever steam engine created by Thomas Newcomen in 1712. This invention highlights the shift from animal and manpower towards machinery that is both efficient and faster than earlier power. -
Revolutions of 1848
Schurz, Carl. A Look Back at 1848, 1907. The piece is an account of a German revolutionary who then immigrated to the United States. Schurz describes the wave of revolutionary and democratic demands that arrived in Germany and Austria following France’s third revolution in 1848 and how students, professors, and masses acted during demonstrations that enquired about German nationalism. -
Russian Revolution
Lenin, Vladimir. Letter to the members of the central committee, November 6th 1917. The letter was written on the evening of the 24th of November 1917. This paper gives a glimpse of Lenin’s thoughts and motivations to usurp power from the Provisional Government on the same day.