Haghe, Louis: The State Opening of the Great Exhibition of all Nations, May, 1st. 1851

The world as a guest in London: On 1 May 1851, Queen Victoria with the Archbishop of Canterbury celebrated the grand opening of the World Exhibition to joy of the population. Prince Albert delivered the opening speech and handed the report of the exhibition commission to the queen. The five-nave cathedral made of glass was euphorically celebrated by the critics as well as the “creator” of the World Expo. Be it on the Winterhalter painting “The First of May” or on the posthumous monuments for Prince Albert, from now on, the Crystal Palace became his attribute. This glass-iron construction by the architect Joseph Paxton (1803–1865) proved to be a milestone of modern architecture. In the run-up to its construction, however, there had been great doubts as to whether the statics could withstand. The hall eventually fulfilled its function perfectly: offering an area of approx. 90,000 m² for over 17,000 exhibitors from 28 countries and withstanding the on-rush of almost 7 million visitors. In the shape of an oversized greenhouse, the glass-iron construction spanned the exhibition area with its galleries. The modules of the uniform grid were prefabricated so that it took only 17 months to build and dismantle the palace. It was rebuilt in the Sydenham district and burnt down in 1936.

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