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The Indian Court

Print
1854 (published)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This lithograph shows the Indian Court in the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations held at the Crystal Palace in London in 1851. The stuffed elephant was on loan from Saffron Walden Museum in Essex. The Koh-i-noor diamond, which had been presented to Queen Victoria in 1850, was also exhibited in the Indian Court.

The Great Exhibition included displays from British colonial territories, promoting the idea of Britain as a powerful empire. The Indian pavilion raised an interest in India, and the visitors to the India Museum in London's Whitehall doubled in 1851. The India Museum's collection was dispersed in the 1870s, and a part of that collection is now at the V&A.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleThe Indian Court (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Colour lithograph on paper
Brief description
Lithograph, 'The Indian Court, from 'Dickinsons Comprehensive Pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851', pub. Dickinson Brothers, 1854
Physical description
Colour lithographic print of Indian Court at The Great Exhibition; the central display shown here is that of the Howdah and the stuffed elephant.
Dimensions
  • Height: 44.4cm
  • Width: 59.8cm
Object history
This image is one from the Dickinson Brothers publication entitled 'Dickinsons Comprehensive Pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851' of lithographs from the originals painted for Prince Albert.
Subjects depicted
Places depicted
Summary
This lithograph shows the Indian Court in the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations held at the Crystal Palace in London in 1851. The stuffed elephant was on loan from Saffron Walden Museum in Essex. The Koh-i-noor diamond, which had been presented to Queen Victoria in 1850, was also exhibited in the Indian Court.

The Great Exhibition included displays from British colonial territories, promoting the idea of Britain as a powerful empire. The Indian pavilion raised an interest in India, and the visitors to the India Museum in London's Whitehall doubled in 1851. The India Museum's collection was dispersed in the 1870s, and a part of that collection is now at the V&A.
Bibliographic reference
Guy, John and Swallow, Deborah (eds.) Arts of India: 1550-1900. Text by Rosemary Crill, John Guy, Veronica Murphy, Susan Stronge and Deborah Swallow. London : Victoria and Albert Museum, 1990, reprinted 1999. 240 p. : ill. ISBN: 1851770224. p.220, pl.195
Collection
Accession number
19536:11

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Record createdFebruary 23, 2000
Record URL
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