An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump

The white bird struggles inside a glass vessel while the lecturer controls the apparatus. Air is being removed to create a vacuum. Whether he lets it return will determine if the bird survives. Joseph Wright, the English painter known as Wright of Derby, painted this scene in 1768. Such demonstrations brought scientific ideas into private houses and public lectures. Here, men, women and children gather around the table, lit by a concealed candle. Their reactions differ sharply. One girl cannot bear to watch, another looks towards the bird, and a gentleman follows the experiment with his watch. The lecturer turns his gaze outwards, drawing the viewer into the audience. In a reproduction, compare those faces before studying the apparatus. The strong light makes each response visible against deep shadows. Wright brings curiosity, fear and distraction together around an event with a living creature at its centre. The picture records the appeal of scientific knowledge while leaving the responsibility for that creature’s suffering difficult to ignore.