London in 1851 was site of the Great Exhibition. Formally, it was titled, “The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations“. The press focused attention on the giant glass house containing the exhibition, dubbing it “Crystal Palace”. The core of the Great Exhibition was a series of exhibitions associated with specific British manufacturing industries that were producing precision science and engineering equipment, consumer goods, and fine decorative objects. Additional exhibitions provided international comparison both for quality of manufacture and for the supply of goods and raw materials from colonial networks. The modern approximation of such an event is a major trade show in a large exhibition centre.
By design, the Great Exhibition lasted for a single season. As the summer came to a close, many exhibits were sold. Others were returned. The glasshouse was sold, too. It was disassembled and transported to Sydenham in south London where it formed the centre point for the newly formed Crystal Palace Company’s pleasure gardens in 1854.
Textile Machinery of the Great Exhibition (1851) by Lewis D.B. Gordon
The Great Exhibition’s section on Machinery Applied to Textile Manufactures offered a fascinating insight into the mechanical ingenuity transforming raw materials into finished fabrics. This display focused on the precise processes and intricate mechanisms of machines, rather than the power sources driving them. It presented a journey from the simple beginnings of fibre preparation to complex weaving, illustrating the remarkable progression of industrial arts. The aim was to reveal the subtle yet profound innovations that led to the perfectly crafted textiles on show.
The exhibition highlighted the distinct methods required for processing materials like silk and cotton. For silk, visitors could explore the delicate reeling of fibres from cocoons, followed by the winding and “throwing” processes that spun raw silk into lustrous thread. Cotton’s journey, by contrast, involved the revolutionary saw-gin for separating fibres, intricate carding and drawing to align strands, and advanced spinning techniques that produced yarns of astonishing fineness – some so delicate they could only be seen under a microscope. These exhibits underscored how scientific principles were meticulously applied to achieve such industrial marvels.
The collection showcased the art of weaving, with particular attention to plain fabrics and the groundbreaking power-loom. While hand-looms represented traditional methods, the evolution of automated looms, including the intricate Jacquard designs, demonstrated a relentless pursuit of efficiency and scale. These machines, from the initial preparation of warp threads to the final interweaving of weft, symbolised the triumph of human invention in driving forward manufacturing capabilities and fostering global industrial progress.
Lewis Dunbar Brodie Gordon (1815-1876) was a Scottish civil engineer. At the time of writing this piece, he was Regus Professor of Mechanics, University of Glasgow.
Textile Machinery of the Great Exhibition (1851)
The Art-Journal: Monthly Journal of the Arts produced a richly illustrated catalogue of decorative arts objects on view at the Great Exhibition. The Art-Journal claimed a circulation of over 30,000. Introductory materials in the catalogue included short essays from associated of celebrity experts.
The full citation is:
- Gordon, Lewis D.B. 1851. “The Machinery of the Exhibition as Applied to Textile Manufactures” in Art-Journal (ed). 1851. Industry of All Nations Exhibition: The Art-Journal Illustrated Catalogue (London, The Art Journal), pp. 1-16.
Other essays in the introductory material for this volume include:
- History of the Great Exhibition
- The Science of the Exhibition, by Robert Hunt (Keeper of Mining Records, Museum of Practical Geology)
- The Machinery of the Exhibition, As Applied to Textile Manufactures, by Lewis D. B. Gordon (Regis Professor of Mechanics, University of Glasglow)
- On the Vegetable World as Contributing to the Great Exhibition, by Edward Forbes (Professor of Botany, King’s College, London, Etc.)
- Prize Essay: The Exhibition As a Lesson in Taste, by Ralph Nicholson Wornum
- The Harmony of Colours, as Exemplified in the Exhibition, by Mary Philadelphia Merrifield
Decorative Arts in the Great Exhibition (1851, Crystal Palace)
Below are sample pages from the catalogue itself. The full catalogue is available via Internet Archive.