Crystal Palace during The Great Exhibition, 1851: View of the Western Nave

Photograph showing an internal view of the western nave of the Crystal Palace, the site of the Great Exhibition, 1851. The ceiling structure is clearly visible. The nave has a series of exhibits displayed along the middle with a path on either side. An egg-shaped exhibit and a fountain are visible in the foreground while a domed cage-like structure dominates the middle ground.

This photograph is from Volume IV (RCIN 2800003) 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).