Part of the China Court, from "Recollections of the Great Exhibition, 1851"
John Absolon British
Lithographer Day & Son, Ltd., London British
Publisher Lloyd Brothers & Co. British
Not on view
At the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations, held in London in 1851, displays of art and manufacture were shown at the Crystal Palace, a specially-built glass and iron building in Hyde park designed by Joseph Paxton. Between May and October more than six million visitors flocked to view thousands of objects organized by theme and place of origin at the first world’s fair. China did not respond to the invitation to participate in the exhibition, so the display shown here was assembled by British importers, led by Hewett & Co. of Fenchurch Street. Ceramics, screens and lanterns surround a European marble sculpture of Cupid with Pysche or Aurora, and the publishers Lloyd Brothers teamed with lithographers Day & Son to create the hand-colored set to which the print belongs, the whole offering well-to-do visitors a detailed and beautifully produced souvenir.
