Introduction: Modernity, Culture of the Senses

In the course of the nineteenth century, the domestic interiors of the wealthy classes began to be filled with precious, sophisticated objects. These were optical toys, pianolas, music boxes, folding cards or automatons adorned with clothes as stunning as those of their owners. At the same time, Western cities incorporated leisure spaces for the enjoyment of their wealthy inhabitants, with fairground attractions, planetariums, Ferris wheels and the new temples of consumption that were the department stores.