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Great Exhibition medal

Object

Medal

Production date

1851

Object number

1987.549

Physical Description

'International Industrial Exhibition' Medal

Associated Person

Marian Wilson

Material

Metals

Dimension

Diameter (Front): 50mm
Depth (Front): 5mm

Exhibition Label

From the exhibition 'Pubs, Clubs & Carnivals: An exhibition about pleasure and leisure in Hackney' [21 June - 3 September 2016]

The Great Exhibition 1851

Exhibitions in particular were considered suitable activities for the working classes as they were seen to be educational. The most famous example of this is the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, which aimed to educate public taste by exposing them to the best of British, Empire and foreign manufacturing.

The Illustrated London News wrote “we must address ourselves to the elevation of the people… the Great Exhibition is fitted to become a special instrument towards this end.”

Describing poorer visitors on days with reduced or no entrance fees, it claimed “the Great Exhibition is to them more of a school than a show”.

On display?

No