LONDON 1851: THE GREAT EXHIBITION
Nothing, perhaps, symbolises the pride of the Victorian Age more than the Great Exhibition of 1851. It was a display of the greatness of the mother country to the British Empire and the world. The Great Exhibition in 1851 was the first international exhibition of manufactured products and was enormously influential on the development of many aspects of society including art and design education, international trade and relations, and even tourism.
Where and why?
It was organised by Henry Cole and Prince Albert, and took place in the modern building called Crystal Palace in Hyde Park. Many of the objects in the Exhibition were used as the first collection for the South Kensington Museum which opened in 1857 and later became the Victoria and Albert Museum. After visiting a similar exhibition in Paris, Henry Cole decided to persuade Prince Albert to make the next one in England, in order to show the best of British manufactured goods.
Some oppositors
This was not universally welcomed. It faced opposition from the people who wanted to keep out foreign competition. Some thought
it might lead to violence and disorder, while the communist Karl Marx saw it as a shameful display of capitalism.
Cristal Palace
Joseph Paxton had been building greenhouses for the Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth, when he exposed to Henry Cole an idea
that could be realized in ten months, Cole agreed, Paxton proposed a gigantic pre-fabricated building of iron and glass. It not only
was innovative technologically, but also used many other industrial skills and inventions of the time. The invention of the telegraph
allowed rapid communication between the site and the manufacturers in the Midlands. In less than nine months it was built, it was
capable of holding over 100,000 objects, from hairpins to steam hammers, representing nearly 14,000 exhibitors, half from Britain and
the Empire, half from other countries. On 1st May 1851, exactly on schedule, the Exhibition was opened by Queen Victoria.
The visitors
In May 1851 many visitors travelled from all parts of the country to the Exhibition in London. As they entered Hyde Park they were
impressed by the magnificence and the structural perfection of the building. Gradually the visitor would become aware of the
sound of water splashing from the enormous glass fountain that stood at the very centre of the building. By the time the exhibition
closed on 15th October 1851, more than 6 million people had passed through its doors. The vast majority of them were the ordinary
people of Britain who came from every corner of the land.
A great meeting of different cultures
Apart from being an exhibition of technological development, this fair was the first time when the countries of the world came together
in one place in such numbers and variety, it has happend before only during wars.
Nothing, perhaps, symbolises the pride of the Victorian Age more than the Great Exhibition of 1851. It was a display of the greatness of the mother country to the British Empire and the world. The Great Exhibition in 1851 was the first international exhibition of manufactured products and was enormously influential on the development of many aspects of society including art and design education, international trade and relations, and even tourism.
Where and why?
It was organised by Henry Cole and Prince Albert, and took place in the modern building called Crystal Palace in Hyde Park. Many of the objects in the Exhibition were used as the first collection for the South Kensington Museum which opened in 1857 and later became the Victoria and Albert Museum. After visiting a similar exhibition in Paris, Henry Cole decided to persuade Prince Albert to make the next one in England, in order to show the best of British manufactured goods.
Some oppositors
This was not universally welcomed. It faced opposition from the people who wanted to keep out foreign competition. Some thought
it might lead to violence and disorder, while the communist Karl Marx saw it as a shameful display of capitalism.
Cristal Palace
Joseph Paxton had been building greenhouses for the Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth, when he exposed to Henry Cole an idea
that could be realized in ten months, Cole agreed, Paxton proposed a gigantic pre-fabricated building of iron and glass. It not only
was innovative technologically, but also used many other industrial skills and inventions of the time. The invention of the telegraph
allowed rapid communication between the site and the manufacturers in the Midlands. In less than nine months it was built, it was
capable of holding over 100,000 objects, from hairpins to steam hammers, representing nearly 14,000 exhibitors, half from Britain and
the Empire, half from other countries. On 1st May 1851, exactly on schedule, the Exhibition was opened by Queen Victoria.
The visitors
In May 1851 many visitors travelled from all parts of the country to the Exhibition in London. As they entered Hyde Park they were
impressed by the magnificence and the structural perfection of the building. Gradually the visitor would become aware of the
sound of water splashing from the enormous glass fountain that stood at the very centre of the building. By the time the exhibition
closed on 15th October 1851, more than 6 million people had passed through its doors. The vast majority of them were the ordinary
people of Britain who came from every corner of the land.
A great meeting of different cultures
Apart from being an exhibition of technological development, this fair was the first time when the countries of the world came together
in one place in such numbers and variety, it has happend before only during wars.