Electric sublime

Serial

The associations between electricity and death emerged with the lethal power of lightning, an enduring symbol or omen of destruction.

Portents of death and destruction (1910). Source: Wellcome Collection. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).

Thunderbolts and lightning

Fire in the sky has always exerted a hold on our imagination, even as early scientists unlocked the secrets of atmospheric electricity.

Eels and feels

For Georgian Londoners, the allure of electric animals was both intellectual and sensual.

Charged bodies

Electrified humans brought education and performance together with a spark in the 18th century.

The current that kills

In the 19th century, electricity held life in the balance, with the power to execute – or reanimate.

Dazzling luxury

As the 20th century dawned, both elite and masses basked in the marvellous and unearthly glow of the new electric illumination.

Titans in the landscape

From hydroelectric dams to pylons, the 20th-century architecture of electricity inspired a new kind of awe.

About the author

Ruth Garde

@ruthgarde

Ruth Garde is a freelance curator and writer, focusing on the fields of history, art, architecture and heritage. Over the past fourteen years she has worked extensively with Wellcome Collection, writing and curating a variety of projects encompassing history, human health, art and science.