Abstract This article suggests that, during the 1820s and 1830s, Britain experienced a mirage moment. A greater volume of material was published on the mirage in scientific journals, treatises, travel literature and novels during these two decades than had occurred before in British history. The phenomenon was examined at the confluence of discussions about the cultural importance of illusions, the nature of the eye and the imperial project to investigate the extra-European natural world. Explanations of the mirage were put forward by such scientists and explorers as Sir David Brewster, William Wollaston and General Sir James Abbott. Their demystification paralleled the performance of unmasking scientific and magical secrets in the gallery shows of London during the period. The practice of seeing involved in viewing unfathomable phenomena whilst simultaneously considering their rational basis underwrote these different circumstances. I use this unusual mode of visuality to explore the ways the mirage and other illusions were viewed and understood in the 1820s and 1830s. Ultimately, this paper argues that the mirage exhibited the fallibility of the eyes as a tool for veridical perception in a marvellous and striking way, with consequences for the perceived trustworthiness of ocular knowledge in the period.

中文翻译：

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“试图将幻觉追溯到其物理原因”：大气海市蜃楼及其在 1820 和 1830 年代的神秘化表现

摘要 本文认为，在 1820 和 1830 年代，英国经历了海市蜃楼。在这 20 年里，科学期刊、论文、旅行文学和小说中发表的关于海市蜃楼的材料比英国历史上以往任何时候都多。在关于幻觉的文化重要性、眼睛的本质和研究欧洲以外自然世界的帝国计划的讨论汇合时，对这一现象进行了研究。海市蜃楼的解释是由大卫布鲁斯特爵士、威廉沃拉斯顿和詹姆斯阿博特爵士等科学家和探险家提出的。他们的揭秘与在此期间伦敦画廊展览中揭开科学和魔法秘密的表现并行。在观察深不可测的现象的同时考虑它们的理性基础的观察实践为这些不同的情况提供了保障。我使用这种不寻常的视觉模式来探索在 1820 年代和 1830 年代观看和理解海市蜃楼和其他幻觉的方式。最终，本文认为海市蜃楼以一种奇妙而引人注目的方式展示了眼睛作为真实感知工具的易错性，对当时视觉知识的可信度产生了影响。