Distinctions
In the summer of 1851, the
Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations was held in London. “The Great Exhibition” was organised under the Presidency of HRH Prince Albert and benefited from the astute management of Henry Cole, the industrial designer credited with the introduction of the first Christmas card in 1843.
The Great Exhibition became a symbol of Britain’s “Golden Years” - showcasing the cultural and technological achievements of the mid-Victorian era. Visited by six million people - equivalent to a third of the population of Britain at that time - exhibits included ‘Bakewell’s image telegraph’ (a precursor of the modern fax machine); the ‘Tempest Prognosticator’ (a barometer using leeches); and the modern pay toilet, with over 800,000 visitors paying one penny for the privilege and in so doing coining the expression, “Spending a penny!”