The Great Exhibition of 1851 Part 2: Legacy

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• key primary sources and literature, charting the results of the Great Exhibition, how it changed Britain’s approach to national heritage and its ongoing legacy;
• key objects and products which stemmed from the Exhibition itself which you can use to explore a range of phenomena, including the rise of the heritage industry and the popularity of photography, stereoscopy and film
• the wider context of cultural change, with a focus on the development of education and mass entertainment at a national level;
• the aftermath of the Great Exhibition, including the actions of the Royal Commission, alongside current historiographical debates surrounding its immediate impact;

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• structure your ideas and research findings into well-ordered essays
• utilise and develop your time-management skills
• locate and use effective textual, visual and material culture sources in the library and on-line, synthesising this material in order to develop cogent arguments
• research historical questions and communicate your findings convincingly and concisely in written essays and reports

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• analyse critically a variety of textual, visual and material culture sources
• understand and contextualise primary source material and express this in essay
• engage with secondary literature on the impact of the Great Exhibition, contributing to the debates relating to its short and long term legacy

The Royal Commission, established in 1851 to organise the Great Exhibition, is still in existence today, nearly 170 years after the event. Now, it provides funding for research in the fields of science, engineering and industrial design, but immediately following the Exhibition its first task was to put the income generated at the Crystal Palace, some £186,000, to good use. This module will being by exploring the early actions of the Commission, which included the purchase of land to the south of Hyde Park for the establishment of the South Kensington Museum; the foundation of government schools to train new designers, scientists and artists; and the sale of the Exhibition building which, re-erected at Sydenham, subsequently became known as ‘The People’s Palace’ - part zoo, part theatre, part amusement arcade. Tracking the core themes of education and mass entertainment, we will consider the wider impact of the Great Exhibition post-1851, investigating its legacies including the generation of new manufacturing techniques, the production of new commodities and the creation of a heritage industry. Examining the short and long term impact of the Great Exhibition, where visits are possible in accordance with national guidelines, our sources will include objects on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) as well as the ‘Virtual Crystal Palace’ - an attempt to celebrate the legacy of ‘The People’s Palace’ at Sydenham.

An indicative list of seminar topics would include

• New acquisitions: purchasing for the nation at the Great Exhibition
• Foundations: Government Schools of art, design, history and science
• The making of the South Kensington Museum 1: dealers and the trade
• The making of the South Kensington Museum 2: collecting and curating
• Industry: working with the world in the wake of the Great Exhibition
• Entertainment for the masses: photography, stereoscopy and film
• The weird and the wonderful: the Crystal Palace at Sydenham, 1854 - 1936
• The past in the present: forging Britain's heritage
• Virtual impact: the Great Exhibition lives on

Teaching methods include:

• short presentations by students
• group discussions including feedback from the tutor
• detailed reading and analysis of the module texts

Learning activities include:

• preparatory reading, individual research and study prior to each class
• preparing and delivering short presentations relating to specific aspects of the module
• studying textual and visual primary sources
• participation in group and class discussion

In this module learning and teaching activities focus on helping you to explore and investigate the ideas and themes outlined above. Throughout the module you will also engage in directed and self-directed study, for example through pre-seminar reading and through library research. The presentations (by you and your fellow students) and your reading will provide you with a broad overview of the secondary literature, using the bibliography provided at the start of the module. The discussion generated by these presentations will provide you with the opportunity to explore the relevant major historical debates on a weekly basis. In addition, you will study in depth a range of primary written and visual sources, as well as surviving material culture. These sessions will allow you to prepare for the essay and examination exercises. Feedback on your progress and development will be given via seminars and group discussions. Responses from tutor and your fellow students to your presentation will also give you formative feedback.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.