Limelight (also known asDrummond light orcalcium light)[1] is a non-electric type ofstage lighting that was once used intheatres andmusic halls. An intense illumination is created when a flame fed byoxygen and hydrogen is directed at a cylinder of quicklime (calcium oxide),[2] due to a combination ofincandescence andcandoluminescence. Although it has long since been replaced by electric lighting, the term has nonetheless survived, as someone in the public eye is still said to be "in the limelight". The actual lamps are called "limes", a term which has been transferred to electrical equivalents.
The limelight effect was discovered in the 1820s byGoldsworthy Gurney,[3][4] based on his work with the "oxy-hydrogenblowpipe", credit for which is normally given toRobert Hare. In 1825, aScottish engineer,Thomas Drummond (1797–1840), saw a demonstration of the effect byMichael Faraday[5] and realized that the light would be useful for surveying. Drummond built a working version in 1826, and the device is sometimes called theDrummond light after him.
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The earliest known use of limelight at a public performance was outdoors, overHerne Bay Pier, Kent, on the night of 3 October 1836 to illuminate a juggling performance by magicianChing Lau Lauro. This performance was part of the celebrations following the laying of thefoundation stone of theClock Tower. The playbill called itkoniaphostic light and announced that "the whole pier is overwhelmed with a flood of beautiful white light".[6][7]
Limelight was first used for indoor stage illumination in theCovent Garden Theatre inLondon in 1837 and enjoyed widespread use in theatres around the world in the 1860s and 1870s.[8]Limelights were employed to highlight solo performers in the same manner as modernspotlights.[9]
During theAmerican Civil War in July and August 1863 calcium lights were used during the siege ofFort Wagner, allowingUnion forces to illuminate their artillery target at night while supposedly blindingConfederate gunners and riflemen. Calcium lights were also installed on Union Navy ships.[10]
In Australia, limelight was adopted in the late 19th century for use in theatres, public lectures, and illustrated presentations.[11] One of the most significant developments occurred in 1892, when the Salvation Army established theLimelight Department in Melbourne, Victoria.[12]
Initially functioning as a photographic and lantern-slide studio, the department evolved into one of the world’s earliest film production units. It produced hundreds of short films and pioneering multimedia presentations, includingSoldiers of the Cross (1900), and recorded notable events such as the inauguration of the Australian Commonwealth in 1901.[13][14]
The Limelight Department’s work is regarded as foundational to the development of Australian cinema.[15] Limelight technology was gradually replaced by electric arc lighting in the late 19th century as more efficient and safer illumination methods became available.[16]
Media related toLimelight at Wikimedia Commons