Crystal Palce: General View of the Palace, Cascades and Lower Fountains 1850 - 1899

This stereo card provides a general view of the Crystal Palace, cascades, and lower fountains; it was likely made shortly after the Palace was relocated to Sydenham in 1854. The Crystal Palace was originally constructed out of iron and glass in 1851 to house the Great Exhibition. Its modular design, using prefabricated parts, was a marvel of industrial production. Relocated in 1854, it then became a leisure destination for the British public. The Crystal Palace’s vast interior space and contents celebrated global trade, industry, and technological advancement. These stereo cards were a popular souvenir, offering a captivating, dimensional view of this symbol of British industrial power. The photographic printing process itself was relatively new at this time; it democratized image-making, as compared to earlier forms of visual depiction. Considering this image, we can see how new modes of design, production, and consumption reshaped the visual landscape and cultural imagination of the Victorian era.