Bouw van het Crystal Palace voor de internationale tentoonstelling van industrie te Londen, ter ere van Albert, prins van Saksen-Coburg-Gotha 1851

Editor: Here we have a medal from 1851, commemorating the Crystal Palace for the Great Exhibition in London. The material looks like pewter or some similar metal, and it's split into two distinct sides - one with a portrait of Prince Albert, and the other with a rendering of the Crystal Palace. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: Well, looking at this medal from a materialist perspective, it's interesting to consider not just the image it presents, but also the metal itself. Who had access to this medal, and what social value did it carry? Was it mass-produced, and if so, what does that say about Victorian-era industry and its relationship to commemorating power? Editor: That's interesting! I hadn't thought about who would actually own one of these. Do you think that changes how we view Prince Albert's portrait on the front? Curator: Absolutely. Consider how metalworking during the 19th century was largely industrialized. The medal’s availability speaks to the rise of a middle class with disposable income and perhaps a desire for keepsakes linked to national achievements and royal figures. Albert isn't just a royal, he’s a commodity being consumed, if you will, through this object. And, of course, the Crystal Palace itself as a celebration of industrial materials and methods. The labor involved is quite distanced. Editor: So, it’s not just a celebration, but almost a…commentary on industry itself? Highlighting it in both subject matter and production? Curator: Precisely. The medal's existence intertwines with the very themes the Palace championed – mass production, technological advancement, and a specific distribution of labor that distances creator and object. Were there other commemorative objects produced at the time? That could influence my views even further. Editor: I see the medal now as a reflection on the Industrial Revolution in England, and also the celebration of consumerism at the time. Curator: Exactly! Material analysis redirects our gaze from mere aesthetics to questions of production, distribution, and social access, enabling a much richer understanding.