Crystal Palace during The Great Exhibition, 1851: View of North West Corner of the Building

Photograph showing the exterior of Crystal Palace, Hyde Park, the site of the Great Exhibition, 1851. There are flags flying all along its side. The north transept is visible in the background.

The Crystal Palace was designed by Joseph Paxton and was made almost entirely of glass with a cast-iron frame.

This photograph is from Volume II (RCIN 2800001) of ' Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, 1851: Reports by the Juries on the Subjects in the Thirty Classes into which the Exhibition was Divided'. The incredibly successful Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, commonly known as the Great Exhibition, ran from May to October 1851.  At the exhibition's conclusion, over 100 copies of the four volume 'Reports by the Juries' were distributed to foreign governments and notable participants. The reports consist of the juries' comments and assessments of the works displayed in the exhibition. The idea and decision to illustrate the reports with photographs is attributed to Prince Albert (1819-61).