The Great Exhibition "Wot is to Be", Probable Results of The Industry of All Nations in The Year '51, Showing What is to be Exhibited, Who is To Exhibit, in Short How Its All Going to Be Done 1850

George Augustus Sala made this satirical cartoon drawing in anticipation of the Great Exhibition of 1851, using ink on paper. This piece is dripping with the social anxieties of Victorian England, reflecting the era's class prejudices and imperialistic attitudes. We see the artist poking fun at the spectacle of the exhibition itself, but also at the societal hierarchies it put on display. "Numerous lady birds will be exhibited, guarded by a dragonfly and followed by spiders," Sala writes, mocking the objectification of women in the marriage market. Then there are the caricatures of foreign dignitaries, dripping with racial stereotypes and the condescension of empire. The "Nepaulese Ambassadors" are depicted as absurd figures, their cultural identity reduced to a punchline. It’s uncomfortable, yet it reveals the power dynamics at play during this period of intense globalization. The drawing captures a moment of both excitement and apprehension, as Britain grappled with its place on the world stage. But beyond the satire, there’s a sense of unease, a recognition of the human cost of progress and empire.