Josiah Wedgwood and the Lunar Society: An Eighteenth-Century Interdisciplinary Forum
Speaker: Cecile L. Saretsky
Doctoral student at Teachers College, Columbia University and has spent many hours
researching Wedgwood's connection to the lunar society.
President of the Wedgwood Society of New York.
Early in the reign of King George III a small group of gifted individuals residing in the Birmingham, England area assembled during the full phase of the moon, which facilitated their travel, to discuss a myriad of topics. Calling themselves the Lunar Society, they translated scientific works, wrote poetry, sponsored philanthropic endeavors developed artistic and technical innovations. Medicine, botany, transportation, chemistry, industry, literature and geology were subjects of interest. Matthew Bolton, James Watt, John Whitehurst, William Withering, Erasmus Darwin, Joseph Priestly, And Josiah Wedgwood comprised half of the extraordinary membership. Reviewing the Societies fascinating correspondence demonstrates that Wedgwood was clearly held in high esteem by his illustrious peers. This lecture will examine the Lunar Societies colcollaborative and independent accomplishments emphasizing various members relationships with Wedgwood, Potter to Her Majesty."
Place: Sotheby's 1334 York Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, NY
Date: Tuesday, March 11, 2003
Time: 7:00 PM Lecture