{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1519019"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1519019/"}},"images":null,"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1519019","accessionNumber":"Gestetner 170","objectType":"Paper peepshow","titles":[{"title":"[The Great Exhibition]","type":"popular title"}],"summaryDescription":"The Great Exhibition in 1851 was the first international exhibition of manufactured products. Organised by Henry Cole and Prince Albert, it was held in the purpose-built Crystal Palace in Hyde Park in London. Many of the objects in the Exhibition were purchased to form the basis of the collection of the South Kensington Museum which opened in 1857 and later became the Victoria and Albert Museum.\n\r\nThe Exhibition attracted great international interest and was promoted through a wide variety of souvenirs, including paper peepshows, produced both in Britain and abroad. The embossed strip on this work is characteristic of German paper peepshows. Like other German works of the Great Exhibition in the collection, this one does not depict an accurate view of the Crystal Palace but represents generic scenes of visitors and exhibits. Nonetheless, the inside panels successfully convey the bustling atmosphere in the Crystal Palace. The orthogonal lines on the back panel, on the other hand, effectively heighten the illusion of depth achieved by the expanded paper peepshow.\n\r\nInterestingly, this work has five peep-holes. Apart from the one in the middle, the other ones only show visitors without exhibits \n\r\nThis work was also been published in an unmounted version, without bellows (see Gestetner 365).","physicalDescription":"Accordion-style paper peepshow of the Great Exhibition of 1851.\n\r\n4 cut-out panels. 5 peep-holes. Hand-coloured lithograph. Expands to approximately 46 cm. \n\r\nFront-face: exterior view of the Crystal Palace from the Western Nave side. An embossed, floral strip is pasted around the edge of the front-face. The peep-holes consist of five circular openings in the centre, and left and right hand side of the front-face.\n\r\nPanels 1-4 and back panel: interior view of the Great Exhibition.\r\n\r\n","artistMakerPerson":[],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"materials":[{"text":"paper","id":"x30308"}],"techniques":[],"materialsAndTechniques":"","categories":[{"text":"National Art Library","id":"THES271541"},{"text":"Optical toys","id":"THES274374"},{"text":"Paper Peepshow","id":"THES275149"},{"text":"Great Exhibition","id":"THES48945"},{"text":"History of the V&A","id":"THES252692"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"NAL","id":"THES48605"},"images":[],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"NAL","id":"THES251738"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"peepshows","id":"AAT211180"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"No","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Germany","id":"x28873"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1851","earliest":"1851-01-01","latest":"1851-12-31"},"association":{"text":"published","id":"x30682"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Accepted under the Cultural Gifts Scheme by HM Government from the collections of Jacqueline and Jonathan Gestetner and allocated to the Victoria and Albert Museum, 2016.","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"14.2","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"20.3","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Length","value":"46","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"fully extended","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Part of the Jacqueline and Jonathan Gestetner Collection, collected over 30 years and given to the V&A Museum through the government's Cultural Gift Scheme, 2016.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"[The Great Exhibition], 1851","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"R. Hyde, Paper Peepshows. The Jacqueline and Jonathan Gestetner Collection (Woodbridge: The Antique Collectors' Club, 2015), cat. 170."}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["38041016070179"],"accessionNumberNum":"38041016070179","accessionNumberPrefix":"","accessionYear":null,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"NAL barcode","id":"THES50330"},"number":"38041016070179"}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-18","recordCreationDate":"2019-12-04","availableToBook":false}}