The evil of vitiating and heating the air: Artificial lighting and public access to the National Gallery, London, with particular reference to the Turner and Vernon collections

Abstract

The attitudes of the National Gallery in London towards the display of paintings by artificial light are examined, with particular reference to the exhibition of the paintings of the Vernon donation and the Turner bequest. Throughout the second half of the nineteenth century there was a long‐running debate about the suitability of artificial lighting in picture galleries. The debate split the museum establishment. Some argued that evening opening, by allowing access by working people, would make the use of collections more socially inclusive. Others, as exemplified by the National Gallery, feared this potential new audience; they were also alarmed by the risk of fire, concerned about the aesthetic considerations of displaying works of art by artificial light and nervous of the potential damage that might be caused by combustion products. Yet, because of lack of space in its Trafalgar Square premises, the National Gallery's British School pictures, mainly from the Vernon and Turner collections, were on display at South Kensington where, for several years, they were exhibited by gaslight. Following the return of the British School to Trafalgar Square, the Trustees resisted mounting pressure to open the Gallery in the evening for the benefit of working people. They maintained their resistance until well into the twentieth century.