| The Opening of the Great Exhibition by Queen Victoria | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Henry Courtney Selous |
| Year | 1851–52 |
| Type | Oil on canvas,history painting |
| Dimensions | 169.5 cm × 241.9 cm (66.7 in × 95.2 in) |
| Location | Victoria and Albert Museum,London |
The Opening of the Great Exhibition by Queen Victoria is an 1852history painting by the BritishartistHenry Courtney Selous.[1] It depicts the opening of theGreat Exhibition at theCrystal Palace inHyde Park on 1 May 1852.[2]Queen Victoria,Prince Albert and their children are on the raiseddais in the centre of the painting, surrounded by government ministers, other leading figures such as theDuke of Wellington and foreign delegations. TheArchbishop of CanterburyJohn Bird Sumner blesses the proceedings.[3]
Sealous exhibited the painting in a building offTrafalgar Square in May 1852 and it became one of the best-known images of the Great Exhibition due to theprints made from it. Today it is in the collection of theVictoria and Albert Museum inSouth Kensington, which was built from the proceeds of the Great Exhibition, and was acquired in 1889.[4]
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