The Great Exhibition, 1851: Ivory casket by Matifat

Photograph of an ivory casket exhibited by Matifat at the Great Exhibition. On top of the main part of the casket is a sculpture of a seated female figure holding a child on her legs by his hands. The casket has claw feet supporting slender columns. Halfway up the columns are depictions of human heads. The columns terminate in a flattish circular bowl.

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).