History of Lighting o 18th Century • Very little innovation since the 17th century • Some improvements to candle technology
Royal Danish Theatre, 1740 Footlight
History of Lighting o 18th Century • Aimé Argand (1750-1803) 1. Swiss inventor, chemist and physicist 2. Developed the Argand burner in 1782, an oil lamp whose chimney increased airflow and brightness by ten fold
History of Lighting o 19th Century • GASLIGHT 1. Developed by William Murdoch in late 1700s using coal gas 2. First demonstrated in 1804 by F.A. Winsor in London 3. Fixtures used as wing lights, foot lights and border lights
Gas Wing Light Backstage light with protective cage
History of Lighting o 19th Century • GASLIGHT 1. Developed by William Murdoch in late 1700s using coal gas 2. First demonstrated in 1804 by F.A. Winsor in London 3. Fixtures used as wing lights, foot lights and border lights 4. Not widely used until the 1840s 5. Presented various problems • Each theatre had to produce it’s own gas, no central plants • Created unpleasant fumes and excessive heat • Extreme fire danger, most theatre fire codes come from this 6. Intensity and cues controlled by a central ‘gas table’ 7. The ‘fishtail’ burner, used after 1850, increased efficiency 8. Produced a greenish light, but could be ‘gelled’ with colored cloth stretched over the wire guards
History of Lighting o 19th Century • LIMELIGHT 1. Invented by Thomas Drummond in 1816 2. Used hydrogen & oxygen to heat a block of limestone to incandescence, produced a very intense white light 3. Lime was enclosed in a hood and fitted with a lens, 1st spotlight
History of Lighting o 19th Century • LIMELIGHT 1. Invented by Thomas Drummond in 1816 2. Used hydrogen & oxygen to heat a block of limestone to incandescence, produced a very intense white light 3. Lime was enclosed in a hood and fitted with a lens, 1st spotlight 4. Not widely used until the 1850’s 5. Also used for sun and moon-light effects 6. Expensive to operate and potential fire hazard
History of Lighting o 19th Century • ARCLIGHT 1. Carbon arc first demonstrated by Sir Humphrey Davy in 1808 2. Two carbon electrodes were brought together close enough to ‘spark’ allowing electrical current to arc across the gap
History of Lighting o 19th Century • ARCLIGHT 1. Carbon arc first demonstrated by Sir Humphrey Davy in 1808 2. Two carbon electrodes were brought together close enough to ‘spark’ allowing electrical current to arc across the gap 3. First used at the Paris Opera House in 1846 4. Huge batteries in the basement provided power 5. Combined with a reflector and lens arclight was used for both followspots and floodlights 6. Required experienced operators to maintain the gap distance between electrode