A watercolour depicting the royal party on the dais under the baldacchino, at the crossing of the Crystal Palace, with Prince Albert standing at the head of the Commissioners, reading their report to the Queen. The verso is inscribed with the title, date and artist.
In his capacity as President of the Society of Arts, Prince Albert set up a committee to organise exhibitions with the aim of improving British industrial design. An exhibition in Birmingham in 1849 was followed by the first truly international exhibition, the Great Exhibition of Products of Industry of All Nations, held in Joseph Paxton's 'Crystal Palace' in Hyde Park, London, in the summer of 1851. Half the exhibition space was devoted to British manufacturing, and the other half was offered to foreign countries to display their achievements and specialisms.Six million people visited the exhibition to see over 100,000 exhibits from around the world, divided broadly into raw materials, machinery, manufactures and the fine arts; Queen Victoria herself visited no fewer than thirty-four times. The substantial profits were used to establish the South Kensington Museum, renamed the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1899.
The opening of the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations took place on 1 May 1851. On a raised dais in the central crossing of the Crystal Palace, built in Hyde Park and enclosing several of the park’s mature trees, the Queen received the report of the Commissioners, led by Prince Albert. The Queen described the day as ‘one of the greatest and most glorious days of our lives’.
Text adapted from Victoria & Albert: Art & Love, London, 2010
FAQs
The Industrial Revolution had made Britain a world-leader in industry. And by 1851, Britain was enjoying a semi-golden age of peace and prosperity. The Victorians wanted to celebrate their industrial successes – and to promote them. So, a Great Exhibition was proposed that would showcase the wonders of new technology.
What was the goal of the Great Exhibition of 1851 Quizlet? ›
In 1851, the British organized the first industrial fair at London in the Crystal Palace. The fair had 100,000 exhibits that showed a wide variety of products made in the Industrial Revolution. It was a display of Britain's wealth to the world.
What happened to the Great Exhibition in 1851? ›
Park, London, that housed the Great Exhibition of 1851. The structure was taken down and rebuilt (1852–54) at Sydenham Hill (now in the borough of Bromley), at which site it survived until 1936.
What did the Great Exhibition of 1851 showcase? ›
Queen Victoria opened the Great Exhibition on 1st May 1851. People could see art, musical instruments, precious jewels, and inventions from over 25 different countries. The world's largest diamond called the Kohinoor was on show. There were over 8 miles of displays.
What was the purpose of the exhibition? ›
An exhibition definition is a public display of goods and services. Events and exhibitions can be an effective means of spreading brand awareness. They allow you to reach out to a group of people who may have never heard of you before.
What was the most important outcome of the Great Exhibition? ›
The cash profits of the exhibition were spent on establishing a new cultural quarter in South Kensington, sometimes referred to as 'Albertopolis', the home today of the Victoria and Albert Museum, Science Museum, Imperial College, Royal Albert Hall and other institutions.
What are the benefits of the Great Exhibition? ›
The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, which was appointed in 1850 to organise the Exhibition, was continued in perpetuity to spend these profits. Prince Albert decreed they were to be used to “increase the means of industrial education and extend the influence of science and art upon productive industry”.
What is the goal of an exhibition? ›
The goal of an exhibition is to establish new artistic standards.An exhibition is a public display of works of art or items of interest. The purpose of an exhibition is to provide an opportunity for the public to view works of art or items of interest that they might not otherwise have access to.
What inventions were at the Great Exhibition 1851? ›
Numbering 13,000 in total, the exhibits included a Jacquard loom, an envelope machine, kitchen appliances, steel-making displays and a reaping machine that was sent from the United States. The Mintons stand exhibited ceramics including majolica which proved a world-wide success.
How did the Great Exhibition burn down? ›
No lives were lost and just how the fire had begun was never established. Rival theories attributed it to a cigarette left burning that ignited wooden flooring, or to deliberate sabotage by a disgruntled worker or some sort of extremist.
Very few people alive today have. It burned down in 1936 after 85 years' service hosting events and exhibitions. Its finest season was also its first when, in 1851, it was purpose built to house the Great Exhibition. Not here, but in Hyde Park.
Who was responsible for the 1851 Great Exhibition? ›
It is Queen Victoria's husband Albert who is normally credited with being the driving force behind the Great Exhibition of 1851, but it appears that just as much praise for organising this remarkable event should also be bestowed upon one Henry Cole.
What was the Great Exhibition of 1851 architecture? ›
The exhibition opened in the Crystal Palace on May 1, 1851. The Crystal Palace, designed by Sir Joseph Paxton, was a remarkable construction of prefabricated parts. It consisted of an intricate network of slender iron rods sustaining walls of clear glass.
What is the memorial to the Great Exhibition of 1851? ›
The Memorial for the Exhibition is situated opposite the Hall's south entrance on the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Steps. It records the success of the Great Exhibition, the international exhibition held in Hyde Park in 1851 organised by Henry Cole and Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband.
What was the main purpose of the Centennial exhibition? ›
While the 1876 Centennial Exposition was organized as a world's fair, the first on U.S. soil, it was explicitly planned to showcase America's meteoric rise as a world industrial power.
What was the purpose of the degenerate art exhibition? ›
In 1937, 740 modern works were exhibited in the defamatory show Degenerate Art in Munich in order to “educate” the public on the “art of decay.” The exhibition purported to demonstrate that modernist tendencies, such as abstraction, are the result of genetic inferiority and society's moral decline.
What was the purpose of the Great exhibitions Worlds fairs of the late 19th and early 20th centuries? ›
World fairs during the late 19th century and early 20th centuries showcased the technological, industrial, and cultural achievements of nations around the world, sometimes displaying cultural superiority over colonized nations through human exhibits.
What ultimately happened to the Crystal Palace after the Great Exhibition? ›
After the exhibition, the Palace was relocated to an open area of South London known as Penge Place which had been excised from Penge Common. It was rebuilt at the top of Penge Peak next to Sydenham Hill, an affluent suburb of large villas. It stood there from June 1854 until its destruction by fire in November 1936.
