The Great Exhibition of the Works and Industry of all Nations was held in the Crystal Palace at Hyde Park, London in 1851. The building that housed the exhibits was a revolutionary glass and iron structure. It included over 13,000 exhibits and was the first international exhibition of manufactured products. The exhibition attracted more than six million visitors, equivalent to a third of the population of Great Britain. It was enormously influential on the development of many aspects of society including art and design education, international trade relations, and even tourism. Apart from supporting British industry the exhibition sought to bring together the skills of individual artisans and large manufacturers, provide a platform for international dialogue, benefit trade and exchange of skills, and contribute to the improvement of international understanding. All the aims were underlined by a wish to educate all participants such as the exhibitors about new methods of production, visitors about new products, and the British about taste. The profits from the Great Exhibition were used to fund several science and art initiatives in South Kensington. This included the Victoria and Albert Museum whose earliest surviving building was erected in 1857.

This print showing the Turkish Court is from a group of images reproduced as colour lithographs in Recollections of the Great Exhibition, a lavish contemporary souvenir guide.