Two volumes in large folio, title, list of subjects, leaf of text to each plate. Fifty-five chromolithographed plates mostly unsigned. A lovely visual recording of this colourful and important event for London, and the remarkable glass erection, the Crystal Palace, which came to epitomise innovative English architecture of the mid-nineteenth century. This event is always closely associated with Prince Albert, the Prince Consort. The Great Exhibition was a significant turning point in British global influence. This was the first international exhibition of manufactured goods and products and was enormously influential in developing many aspects of society, including art and design education, international trade and relations, and even tourism. Coloured plates in order: Volume 1. (All proof copies.) 1. Waiting for The Queen. 2. The Inauguration. 3. Greece. 4. Russia. 5. North Germany. 6. Holland. 7. Belgium. 8. Austria No.1 9. Austrian Sculpture. 10. Zollverein. 11. Octagonal Room. 12. France No.1 13. France No.2 14. France No.3 15. France No.4 16. Spain & Portugal. 17. Switzerland. 18. Italy. 19. Sweden & Denmark. 20. Tunis No.1 21. Tunis No.2 22. Tunis No.3 23. Turkey No.1 24. Turkey No.2 25. China. 26. America. 27. Foreign Nave. Volume 2. All proof copies. 28. The Transept. 29. General View of the Exterior of the Building. 30. India No.1 31. India No.2 32. India No.3 33. India No.4 34. India No.5 35. India No.6 36. India No.7 37. Colonial Produce. 38. Guernsey and Jersey, Malta and Ceylon. 39. Canada. 40. Mediaeval Court. 41. Stained Glass Window. 42. Agriculture. 43. Sheffield Hardware. 44. Hardware. 45. Furniture. 46. Woollen. 47. Flax. 48. Furs. 49. Moving Machinery. 50. Machinery. 51. Minerals. 52. Liverpool (cotton). 53. Exterior. 54. The British Nave. 55. Closing Ceremony.