The Great Exhibition, 1851: Brass Lectern by Hardman and Co.

Photograph of a brass lectern in the shape on an eagle with spread wings standing on the dome of a gothic style tower. The tower has trefoil windows and a flying buttress on both sides, incorporating candle stands, supported on sculptures of three lying lions. The lectern by Hardman & Co. was displayed in the 1851 Great Exhibition.

This photograph is from Volume III (RCIN 2800002) of ' Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, 1851: Reports by the Juries on the Subjects in the Thirty Classes into which the Exhibition was Divided'. The incredibly successful Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, commonly known as the Great Exhibition, ran from May to October 1851. At the exhibition's conclusion, over 100 copies of the four volume 'Reports by the Juries' were distributed to foreign governments and notable participants. The reports consist of the juries' comments and assessments of the works displayed in the exhibition. The idea and decision to illustrate the reports with photographs is attributed to Prince Albert (1819-61).