Revisiting the Great Exhibition of 1851

The Lydia and Manfred Gorvy Lecture Theatre
V&A
 
In 1851, more than six million visitors flocked to Hyde Park’s Crystal Palace for what was, at that time, the largest public event in history.
 
The Great Exhibition of 1851 was a “World Fair of Nations” that showcased industry, innovation and imperial ambition during Victorian Britain. But how should we reflect on its legacy—one that still resonates 175 years later?
 
Profits from the Great Exhibition helped establish the museums, colleges and cultural institutions of South Kensington. But its influence extends far beyond. The global networks of industry, empire and exchange that shaped the Great Exhibition are also part of the complex histories that connect people across the UK today.
 
Together, our panel will take us back inside the Crystal Palace to explore what was on show, what was left out and how these decisions link to Imperial ambitions that exploited and suppressed people from the wider world.
 
We will also learn who came, what they thought of it and how attending might have influenced their understanding of the world, and Britain’s role within it. Finally, the panel will consider the Great Exhibition’s modern legacy, asking to what extent we are still living with a worldview that the Great Exhibition helped create?
 
Content Warning: This panel will include discussion of topics linked to imperialism, colonialism and slavery.