The Great Exhibition, the brainchild
of Prince Albert, the Consort to Queen Victoria, was conceived during the
the 1840s and opened in Hyde Park on 1 May 1851. After a quiet beginning
it proved to be a vast success in the six months that it ran and was, up
to that time, the greatest peacetime movement of persons ever witnessed.
Over six million people visited between May and October. On the last day,
11 October 1851, no fewer than 53,000 people visited the Exhibition.
It was housed in the beautiful
Crystal Palace, an inspired design by Joseph Paxton, based on his building
of the great glasshouses at Chatsworth.
After the Exhibition, there was
great debate about what to do with the Crystal Palace. It could not stay
in Hyde Park and was eventually, in 1854, rebuilt at Sydenham in south
London. There the Exhibition was re-created anew.
Wild claims have been made regarding
stereoviews of the Crystal Palace. Many are claimed to be of the Exhibition
in Hyde Park when in fact, NONE ARE KNOWN TO EXIST. Views do exist, however,
of the Crystal Palace as reconstructed at Sydenham. An especially fine
series was produced by T.R. Williams. De la Motte also produced fine views.
Exterior views usually illustrate the two distinctive towers (for water
storage), which didn't even exist at the Hyde Park site. An entirely separate
exhibition set was produced by the London Stereoscopic and Photographic
Company for the 1862 exhibition; these were taken by their chief photographer,
William England. This exhibition was held in a purpose-built building at
South Kensington, known as the 'Brompton Boilers' because of its two large
domes, and promptly demolished afterwards. I heard recently however that it was re-erected
some eight miles from London and still exists - and is used as a skating rink! These views are usually in monochrome
but, rarely, are encountered with beautiful hand-tinting. There are
around 450 views in this series.
As for the Crystal Palace, sadly
it burned down on the night of 20 November 1936, marking the final end
of the Victorian era.
For further information please
visit this
most interesting website.
Crystal Palace Views
The
Crystal Palace as re-erected at Sydenham. The chronology of Crystal Palace
views is complicated and an attempt was made by Treadwell et al (Institute
of Photographic Research, view list series #3, fifth edition, July 2000)
to sort the various series. Negretti and Zambra were assigned exclusive
rights in the early years but other photographers and varied series soon
appeared. T.R. Williams is generally credited with the early Negretti series
and, indeed, his 'TRW' blindstamp appears on some views. Yellow mount views
are later and can generally be attributed to the 1860s whereas the white
and grey mount views are considered to be from the 1850s.
Exterior Views
Handwritten 'Crystal Palace'.
Condition 7 (light stains
in sky).
Order #4361.
Price $22.
Untitled hand-tinted view.
Condition 7.
Order #4362.
Price $18.
Handwritten 'Fountains and
grounds, Crystal Palace'.
Condition 7 (marks in sky).
Order #4363.
Price $22.
Interior Views
Mid-1850s view with London
Stereoscopic blindstamp. Beautifully clear and probably by T.R. Williams.
Condition. Grubby mount. White
marks are reflections.
Order #4365.
Price $35.
Mid-1850s view 'Crystal Palace,
Sydenham'. Handwritten former owner 'George Bankart'. Bankart was President
of the Leicestershire Photographic Society in the 1850s and collaborated
with Emerson to provide the illustrations for the centenary edition of
Walton's Compleat Angler.
Condition. One soft corner.
Order #4366.
Price $22.
Mid-1850s view with London
Stereoscopic and owner's blindstamps. White label 'Macdonald's Statue "Andromeda",
plus three lines of text.
Condition 7.
Order #4367.
Price $18.
Mid-1850s view 'The Mourners'.
Handwritten former owner 'George Bankart'. Bankart was President of the
Leicestershire Photographic Society in the 1850s and collaborated with
Emerson to provide the illustrations for the centenary edition of Walton's
Compleat Angler.
Condition. Grubby mount and
one soft corner.
Order #4368.
Price $15.
Untitled hand-tinted view.
Condition 7.
Order #4370.
Price $12.
Untitled hand-tinted view.
Condition 8.
Order #4371.
Price $18.
Untitled hand-tinted view.
Comes together in the viewer.
Condition 7.
Order #4372.
Price $15.
Handwritten 'Nave from south,
Crystal Palace'.
Condition 7/8.
Order #4373.
Price $22.
'Crystal Palace. 71. The Tropical
Department from the Alhambra Court'. Hand-tinted.
Condition 6/7.
Order #4374.
Price $18.
Exposition Universelle de 1867 (Paris). By Leon and Levy
'No 101. L'avant dernier jour
de Napoleon 1er No 2. Beaux-arts Italiens No 2'.
Condition 8.
Order #8574.
Price $15.
'No 122. Copie de la Chaire
de Pise, Section Anglaise'.
Condition 8/9.
Order #8575.
Price $18.
'No 189. Groupe de statues
dans le Jardin Centrale, Colin-Maillard'.
Condition around 5 but some
loss to back of mount due to dampness.
Order #8576.
Price $8.
'No 192. Jardin Central, groupe
de statues (No 11)'.
Condition 8.
Order #8577.
Price $18.
'No 365. Perspective de la
Galerie de Baviere'.
Condition. Very grubby and
stain on r/h image.
Order #8578.
Price $4.
'No 366. Cristeaux Autrichiens'.
Condition 7 (light surface
scratches).
Order #8579.
Price $12.
'No 366. Cristeaux Autrichiens'.
Variant.
Condition 9.
Order #8580.
Price $22.
'No 369. Perspective des Rideaux
Anglais'.
Condition 7 (light stains).
Order #8581.
Price $15.
'No 577. 'La toilette grecque,
par Bottinelli'.
Condition. Images 6 but bottom
left corner is broken.
Order #8582.
Price $5.
'No 593. Le Sommeil & l'Innoncence
par Argenti'.
Condition 8.
Order #8583.
Price $15.
The 1871 International Exhibition
Once again the London Stereoscopic
Company called on the sure hand of William England for this and the 1872,
1873 and 1874 Exhibitions.
'No 1. Royal Albert Hall, South
Side'. This view was issued for the 1871 and 1872 exhibitions with just
the mount title changed.
Condition 7 (light spotting).
Order #8584.
Price $22.
'No 23. Marguerite, by Terry'.
Condition 8.
Order #8586.
Price $18.
'No 64. The Young Philosopher
by A.A.F. Junck'.
Condition 7.
Order #8587.
Price $18.
'No 83. Modesty. Marble bust
by T. Bicltosoni'.
Condition 8/9.
Order #8588.
Price $18.
'No 88. Summer. Marble bust
by T. Watkins R.H.A.'.
Condition 7.
Order #8589.
Price $18.
'No 100. Gethsemane, bas relief,
by H. Mondford'.
Condition 7.
Order #8590.
Price $12.
The 1872 International Exhibition
'No 1. Royal Albert Hall, South
Side'. This view was issued for the 1871 and 1872 exhibitions with just
the mount title changed.
Condition 7/8 but light foxing
in sky.
Order #8591.
Price $22.
'No 1. Royal Albert Hall, South
Side'. Another less-marked copy.
Condition 8.
Order #8592.
Price $25.
'No 36. The bottle, group in
terra cotta, by Leopd. Harze, Belgian Court'.
Condition 8.
Order #8593.
Price $18.
'No 37. The Gossips, terra
cotta, by Leopd. Harze, Belgian Court'.
Condition 8.
Order #8594.
Price $22.
The 1873 International Exhibition
'No 38. A family pet,
group by F. Junck'.
Condition 8/9.
Order #8595.
Price $18.
'No 93. Western Gallery Exterior
and Horticultural Gardens'.
Condition 8.
Order #8596.
Price $25.
The 1874 International Exhibition
'No 32. The Humble Bee, marble
statue by C.A. Fraikin, Belgium'.
Condition 8.
Order #8597.
Price $18.
Exposition Universelle de 1878 (Paris)
Palais du Champ de Mars.
Condition. Probably much as
issued, with a few slight surface scratches.
Order #8598.
Price $12.
'Palais du Champ de Mars'.
Condition 8/9.
Order #8599.
Price $18.
'Pavillon de Monaco'.
Condition 5 (light and spotted).
Order #8600.
Price $6.
'Rue des Nations, facade du
Japon'.
Condition. Slight glue creep,
slight damage to mount and a few processing faults.
Order #12601.
Price $5.
Leon & Levy. No 177. 'Grande
Galerie Italienne'.
Condition 8 (very slight mount
damage).
Order #12602.
Price $18.
Leon & Levy. 'Galerie de
Beaux-Arts (Italie)'.
Condition. Right side very
soft with image slighly lifting. Otherwise around 6.
Order #12603.
Price $12.
'No 50. Ceramique Section Française'.
Tissue view.
Condition. Slight fingernail
split at right edge of left image.
Order #12604.
Price $22.
Glasgow International Exhibition (This exhibition was
in 1901. click here
to read about it).
The first group of views by the American International
View Co. are, with two exceptions, untitled. I am sure that they are all
of the 1901 Glasgow Exhibition as study of the illustrations in the above
linked website and comparisions between the views confirm a number of locations
at this exhibition.
Irish Pavilion, Glasgow Exhibition.
Condition 5 (grubby).
Order #12606.
Price $12.
Untitled. Building is labeled
'Japan'.
Condition 4 (surface scratches
and light).
Order #12607.
Price $8.
Untitled.
Condition 4 (moderately blurred).
Order #12608.
Price $8.
Untitled.
Condition 6.
Order #12610.
Price $15.
Untitled.
Condition 6.
Order #12611.
Price $15.
Untitled.
Condition 7/8.
Order #12612.
Price $22.
Untitled.
Condition. Pencil lines on
left image.
Order #12613.
Price $12.
Untitled.
Condition 7.
Order #12614.
Price $18.
Excelsior 'Central buildings
from inside Glasgow'.
Condition. Images 7, mount
slightly frayed at edges and grubby.
Order #12616.
Price $12.
Unidentified Exhibition Views
The next three are untitled hand-tinted views in what seems to be Crystal Palace.
Untitled.
Condition 7/8.
Order #12617.
Price $15.
Untitled.
Condition 9.
Order #12618.
Price $18.
Untitled. Exhibition cases
labeled in English.
Condition 7 due to scratch
on right image.
Order #12620.
Price $12.
A rather strange and faded
view titled 'Exposition', showing a crane with hook lifting a block of
stone in place.
Condition. Fading.
Order #12624.
Price $8.
