Weather is nothing more or less than the atmosphere in its varying moods” claims this book’s author. How do you then capture and predict moods? From the 1830s onwards the telegraph allowed weather forecasting to transcend locality. A newly created global network of weather stations required a common language to transfer information. Following a similar development to digital symbols such as emoticons, weather symbols used typographic rather than alphabetic elements to overcome the challenge of international communication in multiple languages. As this table shows, a dot represents rain and an asterisk suggests snow.
April 1880 SLIV/69 Artist and children’s book creator Walter Crane illustrated this book for his daughter Beatrice to tell the story of seasonal weather changes from April to June and their effects on plants. Seasons reveal weather’s ties to time hidden in many words for weather: Greek kairos means season, good timing, a decisive moment and Italian tempo, Spanish tiempo and French temps mean both weather and time.
Gwasg Gregynog (The Gregynog Press) Newtown, Powys, reprinted 1981 [S.L.] III [Gregynog Press] (P.C.) Weather is fundamentally tied to local knowledge and woven into local tradition. Weather signs gave people ways to read their county’s natural geography such as: ‘If the mist ascends out of the valleys to the hill-tops it is a sign of rain’. These sayings were collected by the prominent collector of Welsh folklore Reverend Elias Owen and later reprinted by the Gregynog Press (Gwasg Gregynog) in Tregynon, Wales. The Press was founded by the sisters Gwendoline and Margaret Davies to produce artistic prints using traditional skills to celebrate Welsh culture.
Printed for A. Wilde London, 1764 [Rare] N [Book] The weather is an important influence on everyday life, including agriculture and trade. This is why instructions about how to predict weather were highly valued. Advice on weather prediction was published in educational and instructional manuals. Although this book sells itself as the ‘newest’ and ‘best’ and includes references to Francis Bacon, it is still steeped in weatherlore. It lists how different animal behaviours can indicate the arrival of certain types of weather.
The shepherd of Banbury's rules to judge of the changes of the weather : grounded on forty years experience, by which you may know the weather for several days to come, and in some cases for months, to which is added a rational account of the causes of such alterations, the nature of wind, rain, snow, &c / by John Claridge, shepherd. ImprintLondon : printed for Thomas Hurst, Edward Chance, & Co., 65, St. Paul's Church-Yard, 1827.
Bohun, R. (Ralph), d. 1716. A discourse concerning the origine and properties of vvind : with an historicall account of hurricanes, and other tempestuous winds / by R. Bohun Fellow of New Coll. in Oxon. ImprintOxford : printed by W. Hall for Tho. Bowman, anno Dom. 1671.
Printed for the author, by J. Fletcher Chester, 1786 [Porteus] 10 (SR) Observing and studying the weather connects humans with their environment. This book traces the balloon voyage of Thomas Baldwin between Chester, Warrington and Rixton-Moss on 8 September 1785. His published account describes the changes in temperature, atmosphere and sensations he experienced. He recounts the joy and awe inspired in him as the balloon brings him closer to the skies: “... what Scenes of Grandeur and Beauty! ...to look down on the unexpected Change already wrought in the Works of Art and Nature, contracted to a Span by the new perspective, diminished almost beyond the Bounds of Credibility”
Watercolour, wash, pencil and pen and ink c.1810 - c. 1814 MS811/I/19 A day with “bright sunshine” evokes the memory of the battle of Lake Trasimene near the town of Ossaia in Umbria, Italy, between Hannibal’s Carthaginian forces and the Roman army on a summer day in 217 BC. Daughter of Thomas H. Lewin, lieutenant in colonial India, and later wife of MP George Grote, Harriet Lewin, an influential political radical activist in 1830s Britain, notes how landscapes can prompt reflection on historical events, making them part of our own memories. Initial research suggests that human memory is affected differently by certain types of weather.
Chronicling journeys made throughout Britain and Europe, Harriet Lewin uses her sketchbook to write down her impressions and capture an image of the new environments she encountered during her travels. She was the daughter of Thomas H. Lewin, lieutenant in colonial India, later wife of MP George Grote, and became an influential political radical activist in 1830s Britain. Throughout this journal of her early life she notes how landscapes can prompt reflection on historical sites and events, making them part of our own memories. Initial research suggests that human memory is affected differently by certain types of weather.
A day with “bright sunshine” evokes the memory of the battle of Lake Trasimene near the town of Ossaia in Umbria, Italy, between Hannibal’s Carthaginian forces and the Roman army on a summer day in 217 BC. Daughter of Thomas H. Lewin, lieutenant in colonial India, and later wife of MP George Grote, Harriet Lewin, an influential political radical activist in 1830s Britain, notes how landscapes can prompt reflection on historical events, making them part of our own memories. Initial research suggests that human memory is affected differently by certain types of weather.
British colonial administrators’ reports reveal the relationship between climate, the empire’s economy and enslavement. Here the Governor of South Carolina, James Glen, reports to the Crown’s official organisation monitoring trade in the British colonies’ plantations. He describes indigo and rice as “excellent” export commodities due to the region’s subtropical climate and highlights how these valuable crops are managed to exploit enslaved labourers across seasons in both the American and Caribbean colonies.
Murphy's weather almanac : a farce / by William Rogers, esq., comedian. ImprintLondon : Published for the proprietor by W. Strange, 1838. Descript.24 p. : ill. ; 15 cm. Malcolm Morley 2947 Collection MURPHY'S WEATHER ALMANAC. A FARCE, In One Act, lomedian BY WILLIAM ROGERS, ESQ., COMEDIAN. Author of " Cyril Woodbine," " Virgirius the Rum-un," &c. &c. PRINTED FROM THE ACTING COPY, WITH DESCRIPTION OF THE COSTUME, CAST OF THE CHARACTERS, EXITS AND ENTRANCES, AND THE WHOLE OF THE BUSINESS. AS PERFORMED AT SADLER'S WELLS THEATRE. 197b1838 WITH A CORRECT ILLUSTRATION OF PRINCIPAL SCENES. ONE OF THE J.FINDLAY. London: Published for the Proprietor by W. STRANGE, 21, PATERNOSTER ROw. MURPHY'S WEATHER ALMANAC. TURNER AND FISHER, NEW YORK AND PHILADELPHIA, UNITED STATES. Pat. Here ould Max-ould Max o-de-milion, come in. I say-here's news for you 1838 Here, sir, here are your spoons, and jug, and there's the thiei. SCENE Enter Maximilian, East, & Charlette.
Goethe had a keen interest in studying nature and his studies inspired his poetry. He admired Luke Howard’s work for “bestowing form on the formless” and “creating a system of ordered change on a boundless world”. Several of his poems are dedicated to Howard’s cloud classification and one is even written in Howard’s honour (Howards Ehrengedächtnis). The two men also corresponded with each other. Howard sent Goethe a copy of The Climate of London in 1822.
Standardised weather diaries were the answer to weather's elusiveness for the 17th century thinkers who embraced the experimental scientific method according to which data recording and analysis was essential for acquiring knowledge. One of the first modern chemists Robert Boyle persuaded his friend and fellow empiricist philosopher John Locke to start a weather diary in June 1666 with consistent recordings of atmospheric measurements such as temperature and pressure. On 4 September, Locke observed a “dim reddish sunshine” in Oxford, unknowingly describing the effects of the devastating Great Fire of London, which had started two days earlier.
An account of five aerial voyages in Scotland : in a series of letters to his guardian, Chevalier Gerardo Compagni, written under the impression of the various events that affected the undertaking / by Vincent Lunardi. Lunardi, Vincent, 1759-1806. BOOK | Printed for the author, and sold by J. Bell | 1786 !ocr!
Published by William Clowes and Sons for the Executive Council of the International Health Exhibition, and for the Council of the Society of Arts, 1884 [G.L.] B.884 [International] The Royal Meteorological Society’s participation in the International Health Exhibition of 1884 reaffirmed the understanding of the interrelation of health and weather. Besides weather forecasting, the Society set up 82 climatological stations, as shown in this chart, in order to to understand the health implications of different weather conditions, including moisture levels in English seaside towns. The Society also encouraged public participation by displaying a model of a climatological station on the Exhibition’s grounds for “those desirous of organising a station”.
Second edition, W. Phillips London, 1833 [G.L.] 1833 The diagram visualises the cycle of temperature variations in London throughout the year. Amateur meteorologist Luke Howard had a life-long fascination with studying the weather. His passion was sparked by the summer haze of 1783, caused by a volcano eruption in Iceland. Based on Howard’s meticulous long-term observations, The Climate of London broke new ground. It was the first study to document the effect of air pollution on urban climate.
Author Sprat, Thomas, 1635-1713. TitleThe history of the Royal Society of London, : for the improving of natural knowledge. / by Tho. Sprat, ... ImprintLondon : printed for J. Knapton, J. Walthoe, B. and S. Tooke, D. Midwinter, B. Cowse, J. Tonson, R. Robinson, J. Wilford, and S. Chapman, 1722. Descript.[16], 438p, [2] folded leaves of plates : ill ; 23cm ; 4̊. Pag. 173-
Author Johnston, Alexander Keith, 1804-1871. The physical atlas [cartographic material] : a series of maps & notes illustrating the geographical distribution of natural phenomena / by Alexander Keith Johnston ... based on the Physikalischer Atlas of Professor H. Berghaus, with the co-operation in their several departments of Sir David Brewster ... [et al.]. ImprintEdinburgh ; London : William Blackwood & Sons, 1848. Descript.1 atlas ([6], 34, 16, 10, 34 p., 30 pl.) : ill. (some hand col.), maps (some hand col.) ; 58 cm.
This world map charts the distribution of average temperatures on the Earth’s surface using isothermal lines. Isothermal lines were first proposed by the German naturalist and climatologist, Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), and started being used as visual aids by cartographers around the mid-19th century. The explanatory notes accompanying the map state that isothermal lines help illustrate the influence of different temperatures “on vegetation, agriculture, the ripening of fruits, and the material well-being of Man.” Cartographic depictions of the weather merge scientific data with geography assisting in understanding the world’s climate at scale.
Sold in the bookshop of José Palacios (?) Madrid, c.1744 [E.P.] B/41 The term ‘meteorology’ derives from the word ‘meteor’, meaning ‘things that are raised up high’ in ancient Greek. Until the 19th century, meteors were thought of as atmospheric phenomena rather than astronomical ones. This pamphlet reports on the Great Comet of 1744 as viewed from Madrid by the scholar Francisco de Horta y Aguilera. The first meteorologists were interested in extraordinary phenomena tied to a specific location rather than seeking weather patterns.
Many artists of the Romantic period were fascinated by clouds and inspired to integrate new scientific findings into their art. These copper plates reproduce two cloud sketches by the German poet, philosopher and scientist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. When he made the first sketch, he still had little scientific knowledge of meteorology. The 1816 sketch shows three types of clouds identified in Luke Howard’s cloud classification, which he had read about during the same year.
On 5th October 1864, a devastating cyclone destroyed the city of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) claiming about 50,000 lives. In this report, Gastrell Eardley and Blanford attempted to trace its development through observations from ships and atmospheric pressure data gathered from often unreliable private letters and published accounts as visualised in this table. India was perceived as a perfect observatory of extreme but simplified weather and featured prominently in British meteorology, serving the Empire’s pursuit of ‘universal’ scientific knowledge.
