The Great Exhibition

The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition, was an international exhibition held in Hyde Park, London, England, from 1 May to 15 October 1851 and the first in a series of World's Fair exhibitions of culture and industry that were to be a popular 19th century feature.

The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations (its full title) was organized under the leadership of Prince Albert and members of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.It was planned for 4 months. It was a celebration of modern industrial technology and design.

Its prime motive was for "Great Britain [to make] clear to the world its role as an industrial leader".^[1] Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's consort, was an enthusiastic promoter of the exhibition, which was self-financing. Queen Victoria and her family visited three times.

Technology and moving machinery was popular, especially working exhibits. Visitors could watch the entire process of cotton production from spinning to finished cloth. Scientific instruments included electric telegraphs, microscopes, air pumps and barometers, as well as musical, horological and surgical instruments.^[2]

1. ↑ Kishlansky, Mark; Patrick Geary and Patricia O'Brien. 2008. Civilization in the West. 7th ed, volume C. New York: Pearson Education.
2. ↑ Forgan, Sophie (2000), "A compendium of Victorian culture", Nature, 403 (6880): 596, doi:10.1038/35001134, S2CID 7602408