The Illumination of Restoration Paris

Abstract Around 1816 French industrialists began debating gaslight, with concerns ranging from how the new technology would affect France's seed oil industry to the role that coal should play in plans for French industrialization. In 1823 the debate spilled into the public consciousness when the construction of a new gasometer provoked worries about the risk of explosion. By examining the gaslight controversy in the broader cultural context of the Restoration, and by exploring its intersections and parallels with other conflicts of the era, this article shows how illumination became about more than technology, visibility, or industrialization and highlights the fluidity of the meanings of gaslight. The debate went beyond a simple opposition of pro-technology liberals and antimodern reactionaries; gaslight took on many changing meanings throughout the conflict. Opposing gas could be prudent and rational, while supporting it could be unpatriotic and reckless. Gaslight could be seen as an aesthetic affront or a spectacular innovation; it could be imagined as a threat to French sovereignty or as a tool of the state.