Lightning rod fashion: Difference between revisions
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The Lightning rod fashion was a trend and fad that took place in the later part of the eighteenth century in Europe due to the introduction of Benjamin Franklin's invention of the lightning rod. The fashion was popular in France, especially Paris.
Background
Franklin's lightning rod invention of the mid eighteenth-century to protect wooden structures did not become commonplace in American society until the nineteenth century, over fifty years after he first introduced the idea.[1] Franklin's electrical experiments made electricity a fashionable trend in the European society however.[2] The people of France played with the idea that if buildings could be protected by his lightning rod, then why wouldn't this idea work for people.[3] In 1778 they experimented with the idea of putting a lightning rod above person's head in an accessory to protect them from lightning bolt hits. A lady's hat was equipped with a woven metal ribbon around it and then attached to that was a small metal chain of silver that ran down the back of the lady's dress and dragged on the ground.[4][5] This was called le chapeau paratonmerre in French.[6][7] It was a popular Paris fashion.[8][9]
A gentleman's version of this was a pointed rod at the top center of an umbrella. A metal chain dropped off the exterior of umbrella and dragged along the ground on the idea that a lightning hit would safely then be diverted into the ground without hurting the person.[6] In French it was called parapluie-paratonmerre, in English meaning "lightning umbrella."[6]
The French physician and writer Claude Jean Veau Delaunay demonstrated a telescoping portable lightning rod that was 6 meters (19.685 feet) long when extended out fully.[3] This was to illustrate that those in an open area, like farmers in a field, could be protected from being hit by a lightning bolt.[3] There was a Chinese version of this explained by writer Jules Cordier Clairville in his 1851 book Le palais de christal ou les parisiens à Londres.[10]
References
- ^ Camenzind 2007, p. 22.
- ^ "THE LIGHTNING ROD FASHION". Lubbock Morning Avalanche. Lubbock, Texas. May 13, 1933 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ a b c Schiffer 2003, p. 190.
- ^ "The Lightning Rod Fashion". Valley Morning Star. Harlingen, Texas. May 13, 1933 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Believe it or NOT". The Record-Argus. Greenville, Pennsylvania. May 13, 1933 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ a b c Dray 2005, p. 148.
- ^ O'Reilly 2011, p. 184.
- ^ Figuier 1867, p. 569.
- ^ Société française des électriciens 1936, p. 522.
- ^ Clairville 1851, p. 31.
Sources
- Camenzind, Hans (1 February 2007). Much Ado about Almost Nothing. Hans Camenzind. ISBN 978-0-615-13995-1.
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- Clairville, Jules Cordier (1851). Le palais de christal ou les parisiens à Londres: grande revue de l'exposition universelle en cinq actes et huit tableaux. Beck.
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- Dray, Philip (2 August 2005). Stealing God's Thunder: Benjamin Franklin's Lightning Rod and the Invention of America. Random House Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-58836-461-6.
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- Figuier, Louis (1867). Les merveilles de la science ou description populaire des inventions modernes. Furne, Juvet.
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- O'Reilly, James (27 December 2011). Travelers' Tales Paris: True Stories. Travelers' Tales. ISBN 978-1-60952-074-8.
Benjamin Franklin's discovery of atmospheric electric- ity did not give birth to a new French hairdress, but he was honored with a hat,"le chapeau paratonnerre," with a little metal chain to attract lightning extending from the back of the hatband.
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- Schiffer, Michael Brian (14 October 2003). Draw the Lightning Down. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-23802-2.
Public discussions of lightning conductors in France also took a more whimsical turn. If buildings could be protected from lightning, then why not people as well? In 1778 it was proposed that hats be equipped with lightning conductors. From a metal ring around the hat, a chain would dangle downward dragging on the ground behind the wearer of this most fashionable contrivance of millinery artistry.
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- Société française des électriciens (1936). Bulletin.
En 1778, on voit apparaître à Paris la mode du chapeau paratonnerre pour les femmes; .. = In 1778, the fashion of the lightning rod hat for women appeared in Paris...
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