Imagine you have never seen a photograph before…

2007/1940.3.1 – Claude-Marie Ferrier, View of the Eastern Nave, salted paper print.

In 1851, the world was experiencing unprecedented technological and cultural developments. Excited to show off the world’s marvels and celebrate the advancements of the Industrial Revolution, Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband, commissioned the first World’s Fair: The Great Exhibition of Works of Industry of All Nations (also referred to as the “Crystal Palace Exhibition”), held from May to October in Hyde Park, London. Among the wonders in the exhibition: a very early version of a fax machine, electric telegraphs, a revolving lighthouse light, and best of all, the Palace had the first ever public toilets (costing users one penny for the privilege).

The 1851 Crystal Palace Exhibition was the first time many people were introduced to photography. It was also the first time that photographs from around the world were exhibited together – about 772 of them. Some of the most important names in early photo history participated, like Sir John Herschel, Jean-Baptiste Gustave Le Gray (whose albumen print of the Mona Lisa can be seen as part of our new photography installation, part of Look:Forward, our exciting reinstallation of the AGO Collection) and David Octavius Hill.

One of the most common processes on display in 1851 was the daguerreotype, named after its inventor, Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre (1787–1851). The example below is also part of our new photography installation.

Excited to get your hands on a new VR headset? You can also thank another invention showcased at the Crystal Palace – a handheld stereoscope created by Sir David Brewster and Jules Duboscq that was the first technology to simulate 3D views. A later version of the handheld stereoscope and photographic stereocards can also be seen in our current installation.

Over six million people visited the Exhibition and were exposed to the innovations of the Industrial Revolution, which was all captured in the Great Exhibition presentation volumes. And, you can see these volumes, as well as some of the photographic innovations of the Great Exhibition in – you guessed it – our photography collection! Want to see this early photography for yourself? AGO Members see the AGO Collection for free, anytime, as often as they want. Click here for more details.

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