Great Exhibition and construction of Crystal Palace

Historical Context Essay

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Ticket of Entrance to the Great Exhibition showing the Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace was first erected in Hyde Park, central London, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851 which put on display all a cornucopia of commodities, the products of the new industrial system. The exhibition was a project launched by Prince Albert in 1849 in his capacity as President of the Royal Society of Arts and Manufactures and was intended to provide an opportunity for manufacturers to display all the wonders of the modern commercial world. Despite the short notice, some 14,000 exhibitors attended from all over the world, displaying everything from modern steam engines, hydraulic presses, firearms and cotton weaving machines (in this respect the Exhibition provides a scene in Mrs. Gaskell’s North and

668 words

Citation: Clark, Robert. "Great Exhibition and construction of Crystal Palace". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 04 February 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1257, accessed 24 April 2024.]

1257 Great Exhibition and construction of Crystal Palace 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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