![](data:image/svg+xml;utf8,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1" height="1080px" width="1408px"></svg>)
The Wonderful World of the Nineteenth-Century Great Exhibition
Grand exhibitions like the International Exhibition and World’s Fair created cross-cultural pollination among art and design movements across the globe.
T he International Exhibitions of the nineteenth century were astounding experiences for their visitors, a dazzling encounter with the finest arts of the world as well as futuristic demonstrations of new inventions and technology. Each exhibition sought to outdo the previous one, with the sense of rivalry between nations feeding an extravagance that left a lasting impact on art, science and even the architecture of host cities as we know them today.
Large-scale exhibitions had existed previously, but the age of the International Exhibition (or World’s Fair as they are called in American English), was really ushered in by the 1851 Great Exhibition in London. Prince Albert and Queen Victoria were keen to create display of British excellence that would demonstrate to the world that the muscular British Empire not only ruled the seas and played a leading role in global diplomacy, but that it was also a pioneer in the sciences and a master of the arts. The custom-built exhibition building, a glass and iron structure called the Crystal Palace, was in itself a remarkable feat of cutting-edge engineering, and was created on a monumental scale to accommodate international exhibitors from across the world. Visitors could see all these wonders for as little as a shilling, and as a result the exhibition was hugely popular and visited by around one-third of the population of Britain.
In the wake of the Great Exhibition in London, other countries were keen to replicate its success and numerous significant exhibitions were organised in the coming decades in France, the United States as well as more in the UK. Whether hosting or sending a selection of their national products to an exhibition elsewhere, each country wanted to show off the best of its craft, and this spirit of competition was also fostered by the prizes and medals that were given out as marks of particular distinction. These prizes often went to top furniture makers who had produced particularly impressive work, including Henry Dasson in 1878 and François Linke in 1900.
In an era when the major powers were uneasy about their relative power status, particularly after the unifications of Italy and Germany in 1861 and 1871 redrew the geographical boundaries of Europe, there was always a political edge to these exhibitions. Indeed, the British essentially boycotted the 1889 international exhibition in Paris because it was scheduled to commemorate the centenary of the French Revolution, a seismic and violent moment of republican political change that the monarchical Britain had always sought to distance itself from.
The significant and lasting impact of the global exhibitions is unsurprising, given that they happened on such a large scale, were discussed copiously in the media and brought together the best of art and science from across the world. The impact on artistic developments at the time is clear – the cross-pollination of new ideas in the art world fuelled the birth of new epoch-defining international art movements like Art Nouveau at the close of the century and Art Deco in the 1920s. After Japan dramatically unsealed its trade borders and entered the world stage in the 1860s, its decorative arts could be admired first-hand by the public and by artists for the first time, undoubtedly contributing to the pronounced Japanese influence on European art movements including Japonisme, the Aesthetic Movement and elements of Impressionist painting.
Certain well-known creators of the era owe their international reputation to the forum created by International Exhibitions: for example, the luscious malachite pieces created by the Russian Demidoff factory were first seen internationally at the 1851 Great Exhibition, and Tiffany only became a leading name in high-quality American decorative art following its presence at the 1893 and 1900 exhibitions.
French furniture and decorative arts often excelled at the International Exhibitions: the success of furniture makers like François Linke, Alfred-Emmanuel Beurdeley, Henry Dasson and Ferdinand Barbedienne would have been unimaginable without the opportunity to create ambitious exhibition pieces that were on display to a large public and received wide attention from the press, while French makers in other art forms such as the glassmakers Baccarat and the silversmiths Christofle similarly became international household names during this period. English makers, too, such as Osler, Holland & Sons and Jackson & Graham would become internationally recognised through the exhibitions, and even several more niche craftsmen such as the Zuloaga family in Spain, who created astounding decorative art in damascened metal.
Beyond furniture and art, though, many of the technologies we live with today were pioneered at Great Exhibitions as wonderful innovations at the cutting edge: the first Ferris wheel was made for the 1893 exhibition in Chicago, and the winner of first prize at the 1900 Paris Exhibition was the first successful escalator. Finally, the exhibitions of the era have left a permanent mark on many major cities: in Paris, the Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 exhibition and the resplendent Grand Palais, Petit Palais and Pont Alexandre III were created for the 1900 exhibition, while London’s popular Victoria and Albert Museum was founded using the profits from the 1851 exhibition.
