Her Majesty's Retiring Room, from "Recollections of the Great Exhibition, 1851"
Not on view
At the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations, held in London in 1851, displays of art and manufacture were shown at the Crystal Palace, a specially-built glass and iron building in Hyde park designed by Joseph Paxton. Between May and October more than six million visitors flocked to view thousands of objects organized by theme and place of origin at the first world’s fair. Royal support was crucial to the exhibition's success, with Prince Albert a leading planner, and Queen Victoria a repeated visitor. This lithograph shows a sitting room created for her use near the northern entrance, decorated with a tented ceiling, blue and white striped walls, and a floral carpet. Publishers Lloyd Brothers teamed with lithographers Day & Son to create the hand-colored set to which the print belongs, the whole offering well-to-do visitors a detailed and beautifully produced souvenir.