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W.E. Gladstone at the Edinburgh Exhibition
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W.E. Gladstone at the Edinburgh Exhibition 1884
  • Scottish Art
In the wake of the Great Exhibition organised by Prince Albert in London in 1851, both Europe and America put on a series of splendid exhibitions to celebrate and promote culture and industry. This photograph shows the pomp and circumstance that surrounded the arrival in Edinburgh of Gladstone (the Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal Party) for the official opening of the 1884 exhibition. The little railway carriage, made by John Hislop and Son of Edinburgh and named 'Alexandra', advertises the excellence of the workshop and, in the midst of this solemn gathering, looks like a pretty toy.

Glossary Open

Edinburgh International Exhibition

An international exhibition of industry, science and art held in 1886 in a temporary exhibition hall constructed on The Meadows. Attractions included art galleries, an electric railway and a reconstruction of a 17th century Edinburgh street.

Great Exhibition, 1851

An international exhibition of art, design and industry held in Hyde Park, London in 1851. It was housed in a massive wrought iron and glass structure designed by Joseph Paxton, known as the Crystal Palace.

Edinburgh International Exhibition, Great Exhibition, 1851

Details

  • Acc. No. PGP EPS 136
  • Medium Silver gelatine print
  • Size 18.20 x 24.00 cm
  • Credit Edinburgh Photographic Society Collection, gifted 1987

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Scottish Art