Charles Frederick Buckley (British, 1812-1869) The Great Exhibition, Crystal Palace, London,

Lot description

Charles Frederick Buckley (British, 1812-1869) The Great Exhibition, Crystal Palace, London, 1851 pencil, grey ink and watercolour with gum arabic, heightened with touches of bodycolour, indistinctly signed lower right, modern English hollow frame with shot ornament 10 x 21 ¾in. (25.4 x 55.2cm.) * Provenance: M Newman, Duke Street, St James's, London gallery label. Purchased Christie's 18th November 2004, lot 123 ** Notes: This is the original watercolour after which George Baxter made his famous print of the Great Exhibition of 1851. The print was released on 5th May 1851 only five days after the Exhibition was opened by Queen Victoria on 1st May 1851, therefore Buckley must have executed this watercolour before the actual opening day. The watercolour differs in many ways from Baxter's print; some figures have been removed or replaced and notably the Union Jack in the watercolour was not included in the print. It was sold on Baxter's own stall at the Great Exhibition and for the print itself he was awarded an Honourable Mention. The view is taken from the south-east and shows the south side and east end of the Crystal Place situated in Hyde Park in London. The competition to design the building for the exhibition took place in 1850 however none of the entries were deemed satisfactory. Subsequently a design submitted by Joseph Paxton was amended by contractors and finally accepted by the commissioners. The building was 1,848 feet long and 408 feet wide and covered an area of nineteen acres. Six million people came to the exhibition which showcased the work of 17,000 exhibitors. One of the exhibitors was George Baxter himself, whose stall sold the print of this subject during the first few days of the Exhibition, for which he was awarded an 'Honourable Mention'. In 1854, Baxter produced nine prints entitled 'Gems of the Great Exhibition' including the present view.