ABSTRACT
The British Empire of the nineteenth century was spectacular in every sense of the word. It was spectacularly big, covering roughly one-fifth of the world’s surface and embracing nearly 400 million people. 1 It was spectacularly influential, reshaping political institutions, economic practices, and cultural norms all over the world. It was spectacularly celebrated, inscribed in countless monuments and generating impressive processions. And to those who lived at its metropolitan center, it was spectacularly present, in the shows, exhibitions, and plays that entertained and educated the London masses.
