The Great Exhibition, 1851: Statue of Her Majesty by Vielle Montagne Company

Photograph of a statue in zinc of Queen Victoria in Coronation robes and Regalia sitting on a throne over a dais which is resting on a richly decorated plinth bearing the Royal Coat of Arms. This rests on a dark stone plinth inscribed in the centre 'CAST in in ZINC by the / VIELLE-MONTAGNE Zinc Mining Company / of / FRANCE and BELGIUM.'

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).