Art and Industry as Represented in the Exhibition at the Crystal Palace, New York- 1853-1854

The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations was organized by Prince Albert, Henry Cole, Francis Henry, George Wallis, Charles Dilke and other members of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce as a celebration of modern industrial technology and design. It was arguably a response to the highly successful French Industrial Exposition of 1844 : indeed, its prime motive was for "Great Britain [to make] clear to the world its role as industrial leader." Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's consort, was an enthusiastic promoter of the self-financing exhibition; the government was persuaded to form the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 to establish the viability of hosting such an exhibition. Queen Victoria & her family visited 3 times. The Great Exhibition was a platform on which countries from around the world could display their achievements, the British exhibits at the Great Exhibition "held the lead in almost every field where strength, durability, utility & quality were concerned, whether in iron &steel, machinery or textiles." A special building, nicknamed The Crystal Palace, or "The Great Shalimar" was built to house the show. Designed by Joseph Paxton with support from structural engineer Charles Fox went from its organisation to the grand opening in just nine months. The building was architecturally adventurous, drawing on Paxton's experience designing greenhouses for the sixth Duke of Devonshire. It took the form of a massive glass house, 1851 feet long by 454 feet wide & was constructed from cast iron-frame components and glass made almost exclusively in Birmingham and Smethwick. From the interior, the building's large size was emphasized with trees & statues; this served, not only to add beauty to the spectacle, but also to demonstrate man's triumph over nature. The Crystal Palace was an enormous success, an architectural marvel, but also an engineering triumph.