The Great Exhibition, 1851: Dog protecting a Child by Lechesne

Photograph of a plaster sculpture depicting a dog rescuing a child from the attack of a snake. The child is lying unclothed on leafy ground, supported by his arms, and facing the snake. The dog stands over the child, snarling at the snake below. The snake is coiled around the dog's back right leg. The sculpture by Auguste Jean-Baptiste Lechesne (1815-88) was exhibited at the Great Exhibition. This sculpture was paired with the sculpture depicted in photograph RCIN 2800140.

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).