Coffeehouses during the Enlightenment
Title
Coffeehouses during the Enlightenment
Description
The painting is of a London coffeehouse during the Enlightenment in the late 17th century. England was famous for its coffeehouses during the time. These places were public spheres where men (women were excluded) would exchange ideas and join discussions.
Many historians regard the English coffee houses during the 17th and 18th centuries as the most important Enlightened public sphere in England, One could enter the coffeehouse with a penny, get their cup off coffee, and become part of that day's intellectual discussions. A penny would also grant the patrons access to newspapers. In fact, coffeehouses in Oxford earned a name for becoming "penny universities". They offered an alternate way of learning and passing on information that was different from the traditional classroom or court education.
What made coffeehouses special and a symbol of the Age of Enlightenment was the fact that the coffee-house was not limited to a specific socio-economic or social class. They were open for everyone from a variety of classes to participate in and become engaged in the conversation. The price of coffee, a penny, brought people together and facilitated conversation. People could come to coffee houses and bring their diverse backgrounds and ideas with them to engage in debates. With the free and unrestricted flow of ideas in coffeehouses, rational discourse was possible (Calhoun). The coffeehouses played a significant role in the formation of the Enlightenment legacies as they are known today. Perhaps some of the most important ones that coffeehouses contributed to was to think freely, rationally, and openly.
Historiographical debate:
Historians have had varying opinions on the social significance of coffeehouses on the intellectual development of England (Calhoun). Initially, they were interpreted (under the Whig school of thought) as a catalyst in England's march towards a constitutional monarchy. These views were expressed during the times coffeehouses were in their golden age. However, Cowan, in 2005 argues that "the acceptance of coffee drinking was not a foregone conclusion but instead became socially legitimate through the new virtuoso culture of curiosity and an increasingly commercial world" (Calhoun 78). According to Calhoun, Cowan's interpretation does not get stuck on the Whig ideology and tries to look at the coffeehouse from a more objective standpoint.
References:
Calhoun, Bonnie. "Shaping the Public Sphere: English Coffeehouses and French Salons and the Age of the Enlightenment." Colgate Academic Review 3 (June 29, 2012): 75-99.
Many historians regard the English coffee houses during the 17th and 18th centuries as the most important Enlightened public sphere in England, One could enter the coffeehouse with a penny, get their cup off coffee, and become part of that day's intellectual discussions. A penny would also grant the patrons access to newspapers. In fact, coffeehouses in Oxford earned a name for becoming "penny universities". They offered an alternate way of learning and passing on information that was different from the traditional classroom or court education.
What made coffeehouses special and a symbol of the Age of Enlightenment was the fact that the coffee-house was not limited to a specific socio-economic or social class. They were open for everyone from a variety of classes to participate in and become engaged in the conversation. The price of coffee, a penny, brought people together and facilitated conversation. People could come to coffee houses and bring their diverse backgrounds and ideas with them to engage in debates. With the free and unrestricted flow of ideas in coffeehouses, rational discourse was possible (Calhoun). The coffeehouses played a significant role in the formation of the Enlightenment legacies as they are known today. Perhaps some of the most important ones that coffeehouses contributed to was to think freely, rationally, and openly.
Historiographical debate:
Historians have had varying opinions on the social significance of coffeehouses on the intellectual development of England (Calhoun). Initially, they were interpreted (under the Whig school of thought) as a catalyst in England's march towards a constitutional monarchy. These views were expressed during the times coffeehouses were in their golden age. However, Cowan, in 2005 argues that "the acceptance of coffee drinking was not a foregone conclusion but instead became socially legitimate through the new virtuoso culture of curiosity and an increasingly commercial world" (Calhoun 78). According to Calhoun, Cowan's interpretation does not get stuck on the Whig ideology and tries to look at the coffeehouse from a more objective standpoint.
References:
Calhoun, Bonnie. "Shaping the Public Sphere: English Coffeehouses and French Salons and the Age of the Enlightenment." Colgate Academic Review 3 (June 29, 2012): 75-99.
Creator
Unknown
Source
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Interior_of_a_London_Coffee-house,_17th_century.JPG
Date
17th Century
Contributor
Kaan Taskintuna
Rights
Public Domain
Original Format
Painting
Citation
Unknown, “Coffeehouses during the Enlightenment,” HIST 139 - Early Modern Europe, accessed July 21, 2025, https://earlymoderneurope.hist.sites.carleton.edu/items/show/218.