Mug, bone china, printed in black overglaze with a view of The Crystal Palace; base, printed retailer's mark, patent number 75883 and registered design mark with encoded date of 20th January 1851, made by an unidentified manufacturer for James Green, china merchant, Upper Thames Street, London, 1851.
Designs registered under the scheme introduced in 1842 were granted patent numbers as well as the right to use the diamond-shape registration mark; the patent numbers rarely appear on items.
The design on the mug shows the main exhibition building from the 1851 Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, or the Great Exhibition as the name was shortened to. The main building itself became commonly known as the “Crystal Palace".
The event took place from 1st May to 15th October in Hyde Park, London and was visited by around six million people. It was the first in a series of World Fairs – organised by Prince Albert- to showcase the culture and industry of the age.
The whole project was funded by the public rather than the government. A committee was formed to decide on the design of the new building: its prestigious members included the engineers Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Robert Stephenson. Although over 245 designs were put forward, including one by the co-designer of Kew Gardens’ Palm House (Richard Turner), all the designs were rejected. The brief had been to design a building that was temporary, simple and economical to build in the short space of time available. The committee then came up with its own design for a brick building but this was widely criticised by the public.
Finally, a design was submitted by Joseph Paxton (1803-1865). He had been head gardener at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, home of the Duke of Devonshire since 1826 and had already designed glasshouses being used on the estate.
The building was constructed from cast-iron and plate glass and was revolutionary with its modular, prefabricated design which could be easily put up and taken down again at a later stage. Paxton’s design was inspired by the huge ribbed floating leaves of a giant water lily recently discovered by European botanists – the Victoria amazonica. He had been caring for this plant in Chatsworth after it had failed to flourish in Kew Gardens, London.
It took two thousand men thirty-nine weeks to construct the building which covered 92,000 m2 (990 000 square feet) and had a ceiling 39 metres (128 feet) high. A total of 60,000 panes of glass were used ensuring it was the largest glass building ever seen. The visiting public were amazed to see such a bright, clear building, which did not need any extra lighting thus earning it the name – “The Crystal Palace” . The Guardian reported on 7th May, 1851 that, “expressions of wonder and admiration saluted the ear on every side. The grand design, the artistic decorations, and the regular proportions of the building, were all carefully observed.” Joseph Paxton was knighted by Queen Victoria, in October 1851, for the success of the project.
After the exhibition, the building was relocated to Penge Hill in south London where it stood until it was destroyed by fire in November 1936.
One of the aims of the exhibition itself was to promote British products and over half the 100,000 products on display were British or from the Empire. Other countries represented included America, Russia, Austria, China and France. Business stands showcasing new innovations included an envelope folding machine, adding machines, folding pianos for yachts, a cigarette making machine and as Queen Victoria wrote in her diary, “every conceivable invention”. It was also the first time public conveniences were available in a building.
Among the items displayed at The Great Exhibition was the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond, which is now part of the British crown jewels. The diamond was ‘acquired’ by the British when the Punjab region of the Indian sub-continent was proclaimed to be part of the British Empire in 1849. Even at the time, some considered this a controversial action: today it reignites troubling and painful memories of the British Empire and colonial rule over the Indian sub-continent. The diamond has been used in crowns for several Queens: Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. However, because of its controversial history, Queen Camilla, chose not to use it in the recent coronation ceremony of King Charles III.
Not much is known about the china and glass merchant, James Green, for whom the mug was made. It was possibly the company James Green and Nephew of 35-36 Upper Thames Street, London.
This bone china mug is one of the numerous souvenirs produced for the Great Exhibition. Other popular items included maps, printed catalogues, paper peepshows and telescopic views, plates, jars, boxes and even ladies’ fans.
Written by Karen Stewart, Ceramic Research Volunteer
