Julius Bryant's 'The Great Exhibition in Art' Re-examines 1851 World's Fair Through Visual Sources

Julius Bryant's publication, 'The Great Exhibition in Art: Picturing the First World's Fair, 1851,' is set to be released by Lund Humphries/V&A Publishing on 27 October 2025. This 160-page work delves into visual materials from the Great Exhibition of 1851, which took place in Hyde Park, London, from 5 May. It features 150 illustrations and explores the significance of various paintings, prints, and photographs. The event was managed by Prince Albert, who was 30 at the time, and attracted 13,937 exhibitors and over six million attendees. Profits from the exhibition supported educational institutions in South Kensington. Notable figures included Henry Cole and Matthew Digby Wyatt. Albert passed away on 14 December 1861, and the book acknowledges Charlotte Gere while tracing back to 18th-century trade fairs.