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Paperweights featured in
London: heart of empire
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Glass paperweights were invented in the middle of the 19th century in Venice, Italy. Glassmakers from France quickly took up making paperweights, and English, American and other firms also began making weights.
Even today, paperweights are popular as souvenirs, and the same was true in the 19th century. The paperweight with the “Crystal Palace” was made for the “Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations,” 1851 (illustration, above), also known as the “Crystal Palace,” which took place in Hyde Park, in central London.
World’s fairs date back to medieval days, when traders and merchants from around Europe would gather to buy, sell and trade. One of the best-known was Scarborough Fair (1253-1788), which was also the origin for the Simon and Garfunkel song of the same name. Later, manufacturers and businesses attended fairs to see new products and innovations, and to trade and do business with each other.
The world’s fairs also became a source of great national pride. Prince Albert, consort (husband and companion) to Queen Victoria, was the royal sponsor for the 1851 London fair. Albert did not just lend his name as a sponsor; he was also actively involved in the fair’s day-to-day planning and decision-making.
By bringing together industrial and artistic products from France, Germany, Italy, the United States and elsewhere, the other organizers wanted British craftsmen to see and learn from the latest and best techniques and styles. Then, the British craftsmen could take this knowledge back and improve their own work in glass, silver and other materials.
In fact, the British gained so much that a museum was established to keep examples from the fair and to purchase new works of art from around the world. Today, the Victorian and Albert Museum is one of the world’s great collections of decorative arts.
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