Join historian and museologist Dr Marie-Louise von Plessen for an illustrated talk exploring a history of obsession with the pineapple
We invite you to explore the pineapple’s intriguing cultural history. In this lecture, Dr Marie-Louise von Plessen will talk the audience through the history of the pineapple, from Columbus’ second voyage to the West Indies and its introduction to Europe, to ‘pineapple fever’ and the prestige associated with the fruit’s cultivation beyond the tropics.
Dr von Plessen will then explore how the pineapple transformed from an exotic curiosity to something commonly known in 19th-century households, ultimately shaping a new cultural imaginary across Europe, one that influenced the design of obelisks, ornate tombs, railings, and even in 1877, the Wimbledon trophy.
Bio
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Dr Marie-Louise von Plessen
Dr Marie-Louise von Plessen
Dr Marie-Louise von Plessen PhD is a historian, museologist, author, and curator of several international exhibitions and catalogues throughout Europe, such as the V&A/ Bundeskunsthalle Bonn co-production 'Art&Design for all 1837-1901' (second venue Art&Design, Museum Budapest, 2012, catalogue in German, English, Hungarian).
She has lectured at Oxford and Cambridge on European politics/cultural history and contemporary art.
