'The Great Exhibition'
The British Empire, at its peak, ruled over 25% of the world and its population. It was perhaps best encapsulated by one building, a building which, like the empire today, no longer exists.
By the 1840s, British colonial arrogance — built on brutality, xenophobia, and economic sabotage — demanded something grand to flaunt its so-called ‘greatness’. Intending to rival France’s successful industrial expos, Britain launched the Great Exhibition, a global spectacle meant to outshine all — especially the French.
British architect, Sir Joseph Paxton, built a giant glass and iron structure in London’s Hyde Park to host the first Great Exhibition. The structure was nicknamed the Crystal Palace and epitomized Victorian era Britain- a symbol of power and imperialism.
On May 1, 1851, the Great Exhibition opened to huge fanfare. Among the noted individuals present at the opening ceremony were Queen Victoria, Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin, Charlotte Bronte, and William Makepeace Thackeray.
Koh-i-Noor - the showstopper!
The Great Exhibition hosted more than 10,000 objects, from more than 14,000 exhibitors around the world. Britain, the star of the show, occupied half the exhibition slots. Of the items displayed, the most talked about was the Koh-i-Noor diamond.
The Koh-i-Noor had already made a fairly long journey from the Mughal court to Persia to Afghanistan, and eventually Punjab. On March 29, 1849, under intense pressure, 10-year-old Maharaja Duleep Singh signed the Treaty of Lahore, surrendering Punjab — and arguably the single most valuable object not just in Punjab, but in the entire subcontinent — the Koh-i-Noor — to Queen Victoria.
Ties to Crystal Palace
The Great Exhibition of 1851 was a roaring success, drawing 40,000 visitors a day over five and a half months. The famous Crystal Palace Football Club in London gets its name from the glass building first erected for the Great Exhibition of 1851.
If you look closely, the current club crest still features this glass structure. This week, the club secured the first major trophy in its 120 year history by winning the FA Cup!
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