Lane's Telescopic View of the Ceremony of Her Majesty Opening the Great Exhibition of all Nations thumbnail 1
Lane's Telescopic View of the Ceremony of Her Majesty Opening the Great Exhibition of all Nations thumbnail 2
Not on display

Lane's Telescopic View of the Ceremony of Her Majesty Opening the Great Exhibition of all Nations

Optical Toy
1851 (published)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Peepshows were made by many 19th-century publishers. Some were produced to mark certain events, such as the opening of the Thames Tunnel, or, as in this example, the Great Exhibition of 1851. Others showed places of interest, such as St Mark's Square in Venice. They have a very simple construction - five or six sheets of card connected with pieces of cloth. Peepshows can be folded flat for easy transportation, but give a wonderful three-dimensional effect when opened out.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • Lane's Telescopic View of the Ceremony of Her Majesty Opening the Great Exhibition of all Nations (manufacturer's title)
  • Guy Little Theatrical Photographs (named collection)
Materials and techniques
Hand-coloured lithograph on card, with strips of linen
Brief description
Hand coloured paper and card peepshow of the opening of the Great Exhibition published in England in 1851. Guy Little Collection.
Physical description
Six cut-out and hand coloured card showing the main hall of the Great Exhibition joined to each other with strips of linen. The front or cover has some hand colouring on it with the title, the royal coat of arms and an illustration of two women classically dressed, one reading, the other painting and both looking at a group of objects from the Exhibition. There is a circular glass peephole near the centre through which to view the cards behind.
Dimensions
  • Folded flat height: 19cm
  • Folded flat width: 15cm
Production typeMass produced
Credit line
Bequeathed by Guy Little
Production
Designed by Rawlins
Summary
Peepshows were made by many 19th-century publishers. Some were produced to mark certain events, such as the opening of the Thames Tunnel, or, as in this example, the Great Exhibition of 1851. Others showed places of interest, such as St Mark's Square in Venice. They have a very simple construction - five or six sheets of card connected with pieces of cloth. Peepshows can be folded flat for easy transportation, but give a wonderful three-dimensional effect when opened out.
Collection
Accession number
E.2649-1953

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Record createdMarch 5, 2004
Record URL
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