In Europe trade on a more than local scale was conducted in fairs and markets from the Middle Ages at least. Selling was the main purpose of such fairs, but inevitably goods were exhibited. A series of national trade exhibitions in France in the early nineteenth century inspired the English to arrange an international exhibition, the Great Exhibition of the Works of All Nations, in 1851. This was a remarkable success, and many other nations arranged fairs: New York, 1853; Paris, 1855, 1867, 1878, 1889, 1900, etc.; Vienna, 1873; Philadelphia 1876; Sydney, 1879; Barcelona, 1888; Chicago, 1893; Turin, 1911; and many others. The 1851 Exhibition was viewed as a contribution to world peace. Later, armaments were featured in the exhibitions, and towards the end of the nineteenth century nations promoted their colonies in ways now regarded as exploitative. Until 1928 international exhibitions were private enterprises by individual nations. Then an international convention established an International Exhibitions Bureau, which has since co-ordinated and validated such exhibitions. By Anthony Burton
A short history of international exhibitions
Advertisement
April 26, 2010 at 7:32 pm |
Anthony can you give us any information on China’s presence at the 1851 Exhibition? Do you know what trading links were operating? I have read that Queen Victoria personally bought and admired silk from Shanghai merchants and started a fashion for such silk. Is this true?