View of the Great Exhibition Telescopically Arranged
Paper Peepshow
1851
1851
The Great Exhibition in 1851 was the first international exhibition of manufactured products. Organised by Henry Cole and Prince Albert, it was held in the purpose-built Crystal Palace in Hyde Park in London. Many of the objects in the Exhibition were used as the first collection for the South Kensington Museum which opened 1857 and later became the Victoria and Albert Museum.
The Exhibition spurred great international interest, and was one of the two most popular subjects of the paper peepshow in nineteenth century, the other one being the Thames Tunnel. Like the Thames Tunnel, the Great Exhibition became the topic of a large variety of souvenirs, including many optical toys.
Compared to other English paper peepshows of the Great Exhibition, this work is less sophisticated in its execution. The imagery on the cut-out panels tend to be more rough and generalised, and the panels themselves are crudely cut. The peep-hole is also much smaller. Moreover, it does not bear any publisher information like the others do. Might it be a production aimed at a smaller market?
Although the paper peepshow is stylised and offers nothing new in terms of its content, it does prove an innovative piece in its combination of the paper peepshow with other media. The picture frame on the front-face and back panel creates the impression that what we see in the paper peepshow is contained in a painting. On the other hand, the placement of the peep-hole on a peepshow box—from which the paper peepshow developed—effectively gives us the sense of looking into the box instead. The allusion to other media in this paper peepshow reflects the way different visual culture phenomena interacted with each other constantly in the nineteenth century.
For more information on the Great Exhibition and the Crystal Palace, see references.
The Exhibition spurred great international interest, and was one of the two most popular subjects of the paper peepshow in nineteenth century, the other one being the Thames Tunnel. Like the Thames Tunnel, the Great Exhibition became the topic of a large variety of souvenirs, including many optical toys.
Compared to other English paper peepshows of the Great Exhibition, this work is less sophisticated in its execution. The imagery on the cut-out panels tend to be more rough and generalised, and the panels themselves are crudely cut. The peep-hole is also much smaller. Moreover, it does not bear any publisher information like the others do. Might it be a production aimed at a smaller market?
Although the paper peepshow is stylised and offers nothing new in terms of its content, it does prove an innovative piece in its combination of the paper peepshow with other media. The picture frame on the front-face and back panel creates the impression that what we see in the paper peepshow is contained in a painting. On the other hand, the placement of the peep-hole on a peepshow box—from which the paper peepshow developed—effectively gives us the sense of looking into the box instead. The allusion to other media in this paper peepshow reflects the way different visual culture phenomena interacted with each other constantly in the nineteenth century.
For more information on the Great Exhibition and the Crystal Palace, see references.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | View of the Great Exhibition Telescopically Arranged (published title) |
| Materials and techniques | |
| Brief description | View of the Great Exhibition Telescopically Arranged, 1851 |
| Physical description | Accordion-style paper peepshow of the Great Exhibition. 5 cut-out panels. 1 peep-hole. Hand-coloured lithograph. Expands to approximately 49 cm. In a red buckram portfolio, which indicates that it came from the collection of Percy Muir. Inscription in gold on the spine: ‘GREAT EXHIBITION (INTERIOR).’ In the portfolio, bookplate of Eric Quayle of Zennor, Cornwall. Front-face: a picture frame surrounding the image inside. The title on a scroll, and curtains on the left and right drawn back. A mother with two girls and two boys. The peep-hole consists of a small circular hole in a peepshow cabinet. One of the boys looking through the peep-hole. Panels 1 and 2: visitors and exhibits (mainly sculptures) in the Great Exhibition. Panel 3: visitors and the Crystal Fountain in the Great Exhibition. Panel 4: visitors and the Silk Trophy in the Great Exhibition. Panel 5: visitors in the Great Exhibition. Back panel: visitors in the Great Exhibition. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Accepted under the Cultural Gifts Scheme by HM Government from the collections of Jacqueline and Jonathan Gestetner and allocated to the Victoria and Albert Museum, 2016. |
| Object history | Eric Quayle of Zennor, Cornwall, 19th century? (In the portfolio, bookplate of Eric Quayle of Zennor, Cornwall.) Percy Muir (In a red buckram portfolio, which indicates that it once belong to the collection of Percy Muir. Inscription in gold on the spine: ‘GREAT EXHIBITION [INTERIOR].’) Part of the Jacqueline and Jonathan Gestetner Collection, collected over 30 years and given to the V&A Museum through the government's Cultural Gift Scheme, 2016. |
| Summary | The Great Exhibition in 1851 was the first international exhibition of manufactured products. Organised by Henry Cole and Prince Albert, it was held in the purpose-built Crystal Palace in Hyde Park in London. Many of the objects in the Exhibition were used as the first collection for the South Kensington Museum which opened 1857 and later became the Victoria and Albert Museum. The Exhibition spurred great international interest, and was one of the two most popular subjects of the paper peepshow in nineteenth century, the other one being the Thames Tunnel. Like the Thames Tunnel, the Great Exhibition became the topic of a large variety of souvenirs, including many optical toys. Compared to other English paper peepshows of the Great Exhibition, this work is less sophisticated in its execution. The imagery on the cut-out panels tend to be more rough and generalised, and the panels themselves are crudely cut. The peep-hole is also much smaller. Moreover, it does not bear any publisher information like the others do. Might it be a production aimed at a smaller market? Although the paper peepshow is stylised and offers nothing new in terms of its content, it does prove an innovative piece in its combination of the paper peepshow with other media. The picture frame on the front-face and back panel creates the impression that what we see in the paper peepshow is contained in a painting. On the other hand, the placement of the peep-hole on a peepshow box—from which the paper peepshow developed—effectively gives us the sense of looking into the box instead. The allusion to other media in this paper peepshow reflects the way different visual culture phenomena interacted with each other constantly in the nineteenth century. For more information on the Great Exhibition and the Crystal Palace, see references. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Other number | 38041016058703 - NAL barcode |
| Collection | |
| Library number | Gestetner 250 |
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| Record created | July 4, 2018 |
| Record URL |
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