The Great Exhibition, 1851: Psyche and Cupid by Fraiken

Photograph of a statue of Psyche and Cupid. Psyche is depicted moving forward, carrying Cupid on her right shoulder. She holds his right foot in her left hand while touching his left hand with her right hand, raised over his head. The impression of movement is given by her right leg raised behind her with her left foot barely touching the ground and by the drapery flowing from her left thigh to the supporting pillar. The sculpture is by Charles-Auguste Fraikin (1817-93) and was exhibited at the Great Exhibition.

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).