Art Treasures of Great Britain exhibition opens in Manchester
- When
- 1856–1857
- Where
- Manchester
- Episodes
- 4
The Art Treasures of Great Britain exhibition opened in Manchester on 5 May 1857 and ran until 17 October. It displayed over 16,000 works, attracting more than 1.3 million visitors. Funded by local business leaders, it was restricted to fine art, unlike earlier industrial exhibitions. The event was organized by committees chaired by the Earl of Ellesmere and later Baron Overstone, with artistic advice from Gustav Waagen.
Episodes
- Fundraising and Patronage
A guarantee fund of £74,000 was underwritten by around 100 contributors, and Queen Victoria and Prince Albert granted their patronage.
- Visitor Attendance
Over 1.3 million visitors attended the exhibition, which was about four times the population of Manchester in 1857.
- Opening Ceremony
Prince Albert opened the exhibition on 5 May 1857, while in mourning for Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester, who had died a few days prior.
- Day of Humiliation Closure
The exhibition was closed on 7 October 1857 to mark a 'day of humiliation' due to the ongoing Indian Mutiny, despite running until 17 October.
Background and detail
Background. Manchester, an industrial city with 95 cotton mills and 1,724 warehouses by 1855, gained city status in 1853. The exhibition was financed by affluent business grandees motivated by cultural attainment. Inspired by the 1851 Great Exhibition, the 1853 Dublin Exhibition, and the 1855 Paris International Exhibition, the Manchester event was restricted to works of art without industrial or trade items.
Organization. The idea originated in a February 1856 letter from John Connellan Deane to Thomas Fairbairn. A guarantee fund of £74,000 was underwritten by around 100 contributors, and Queen Victoria and Prince Albert granted patronage. A General Committee was established in May 1856, chaired initially by the Earl of Ellesmere and later by Baron Overstone, with an Executive Committee chaired by Fairbairn.
Operations. The exhibition attracted over 1.3 million visitors, about four times Manchester's population. Many visited on organized railway excursions, including 'moonlight' trips from Newcastle arranged by Thomas Cook. A guide booklet titled 'The Operative's Guide' was published. The exhibition building was entirely demolished by November 1858.
People involved
- John Connellan Deane · Originator of the exhibition idea
- Thomas Fairbairn · Executive Committee Chair
- Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere · General Committee Chair
- Samuel Jones-Loyd, 1st Baron Overstone · General Committee Chair
- Gustav Waagen · Artistic Advisor
- George Scharf · Art Secretary
- Prince Albert · Patron and Opener
- Thomas Cook · Excursion Organizer
Sources
- Art Treasures Exhibition, Manchester 1857 Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-12
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