Great Exhibition of 1851
Quick Summary
The Great Exhibition of 1851, also known as the Crystal Palace Exhibition, was a landmark event in British history and a precursor to modern world's fairs. Conceived by Prince Albert, it was held in the purpose-built Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London.12
The exhibition showcased industrial, scientific, and cultural achievements from around the world, with a significant number of international exhibitors alongside British ones. It featured innovations in technology, such as steam engines and automated machinery, as well as artistic and craft items. The event was a resounding success, attracting over six million visitors and demonstrating the importance of applying art to industry. Its success led to the establishment of better design education in England and the creation of the Victoria and Albert Museum. The Crystal Palace itself, a marvel of glass and iron construction, set a new standard for exhibition architecture.123
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
- industrial glassContainer making
At the Great Exhibition of 1851 in the Crystal Palace in London, one million āpopā bottles were consumed. The first beer pasteurized in glass was produced in Copenhagen in 1870. Pasteurization of milk followed soon after.
Read MoreAt the Great Exhibition of 1851 in the Crystal Palace in London, one million āpopā bottles were consumed. The first beer pasteurized in glass was produced in Copenhagen in 1870. Pasteurization of milk followed soon after.
Read More 
Michael Thonetā¦representative works shown at the Great Exhibition, London (1851), were a huge success. In 1853 he incorporated with his sons, renaming his firm GebrĆ¼der Thonet. By 1856 he had perfected the bending by heat of solid beechwood into curvilinear shapes, and he was ready for mass production, exporting as farā¦
Read Moreā¦representative works shown at the Great Exhibition, London (1851), were a huge success. In 1853 he incorporated with his sons, renaming his firm GebrĆ¼der Thonet. By 1856 he had perfected the bending by heat of solid beechwood into curvilinear shapes, and he was ready for mass production, exporting as farā¦
Read More
pottery19th centuryā¦situation was aggravated by the Great Exhibition of 1851, which encouraged manufacturers throughout Europe to vie with each other in producing wares displaying virtuosity unhampered by questions of taste. For example, from as far afield as St. Petersburg, theretofore outside the mainstream of European development, came some particularly colossal andā¦
Read Moreā¦situation was aggravated by the Great Exhibition of 1851, which encouraged manufacturers throughout Europe to vie with each other in producing wares displaying virtuosity unhampered by questions of taste. For example, from as far afield as St. Petersburg, theretofore outside the mainstream of European development, came some particularly colossal andā¦
Read More- potteryStoneware and earthenware
The Great Exhibition of 1851 completed the degeneration started by the revival of the Rococo style. Technical progress allowed the manufacturers ever-increasing elaborations with which they bludgeoned the few remaining sensibilities of their customers. Past styles were indiscriminately and ignorantly copied. Mintonās, for example, made anā¦
Read MoreThe Great Exhibition of 1851 completed the degeneration started by the revival of the Rococo style. Technical progress allowed the manufacturers ever-increasing elaborations with which they bludgeoned the few remaining sensibilities of their customers. Past styles were indiscriminately and ignorantly copied. Mintonās, for example, made anā¦
Read More