[Illustration: Bookcase in Carved Wood.
Designed and Manufactured by Messrs. Jackson & Graham,
London, 1851 Exhibition.]
[Illustration: Grand Pianoforte. In Ebony
inlaid, and enriched with Gold in relief. Designed
and Manufactured by Messrs. Broadwood, London. 1851
Exhibition]
From 1851 to the Present Time.
THE GREAT EXHIBITION: Exhibitors
and contemporary Cabinet Makers—Exhibition
of 1862, London; 1867, Paris; and subsequently—Description
of Illustrations—Fourdinois, Wright, and
Mansfield—The South Kensington Museum—Revival
of Marquetry—Comparison of Present Day
with that of a Hundred Years ago—AEstheticism—Traditions—Trades-Unionism—The
Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society—Independence
of Furniture—Present Fashions—Writers
on Design—Modern Furniture in other Countries—Concluding
Remarks.
[Illustration]
In the previous chapter attention has been called
to the success of the National Exhibition in Paris
of 1849; in the same year the competition of our manufacturers
at Birmingham gave an impetus to Industrial Art in
England, and there was about this time a general forward
movement, with a desire for an International Exhibition
on a grand scale. Articles advocating such a
step appeared in newspapers and periodicals of the
time, and, after much difficulty, and many delays,
a committee for the promotion of this object was formed.
This resulted in the appointment of a Royal Commission,
and the Prince Consort, as President of this Commission,
took the greatest personal interest in every arrangement
for this great enterprise. Indeed, there can
be no doubt, that the success which crowned the work
was, in a great measure, due to his taste, patience,
and excellent business capacity. It is no part
of our task to record all the details of an undertaking
which, at the time, was a burning question of the
day, but as we cannot but look upon this Exhibition
of 1851 as one of the landmarks in the history of
furniture, it is worth while to recall some particulars
of its genesis and accomplishment.
The idea of the Exhibition of 1851 is said to have
been originally due to Mr. F. Whishaw, Secretary of
the Society of Arts, as early as 1844, but no active
steps were taken until 1849, when the Prince Consort,
who was President of the Society, took the matter
up very warmly. His speech at one of the meetings
contained the following sentence:—
“Now is the time to prepare for a great Exhibition—an
Exhibition worthy of the greatness of this country,
not merely national in its scope and benefits, but
comprehensive of the whole world; and I offer myself
to the public as their leader, if they are willing
to assist in the undertaking.”
[Illustration: Lady’s Escritoire, In White
Wood, Carved with Rustic Figures. Designed and
Manufactured by M. Wettli, Berne, Switzerland. 1851
Exhibition, London.]
