Photography and the 1851 Great Exhibition

Book excerpt: The first comprehensive study of the diverse role and impact of photography at the 1851 Great Exhibition in London, drawing together two decades of research to create a broader understanding of the step-change in image making and distribution represented by The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations - the genesis of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.0While the Great Exhibition has received a variety of examinations, its role in exhibiting and furthering the cause and exploitation of photography and its impact on illustration has been largely underappreciated. More broadly, 1851 saw a massive change in information management: in the creation and dissemination of visually based graphic information characterized by images of the building, its contents and their display that collectively constituted the Great Exhibition. Photography played a critical role in this quantum leap.00Exhibition: V&A Photography Centre, London, UK (October 2018).