Fan leaf with assignats from the First French Republic
Anonymous, French, 18th century French
Not on view
The tragic death in 1861 of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's consort, inspired this design. He is honored for conceiving the Great Exhibition of 1851, held in the Crystal Palace in London. The fan opposes the latter building, at the left, with the Palais de l'Industrie, built in Paris to house the Exposition Universelle of 1855. Between the two, representatives of various nations cluster around a statue of Albert. In 1862, a second Great Exhibition had opened in London, and this fan leaf was undoubtedly printed in connection with the latter event.
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