The Dublin Great Industrial Exhibition of 1853 1853

This photograph by Edward King Tenison captures the Dublin Great Industrial Exhibition of 1853. The building’s architecture, with its towering arches, evokes the Gothic cathedrals of old, but now it houses symbols of industry and progress. Notice the statues and ornate fountains, each acting as a modern-day icon, emblems of innovation. Think of the Roman goddess Fortuna, often depicted with a cornucopia, symbolizing abundance and the capricious nature of fate. Here, she might reappear, not in her classical form, but as these new industrial marvels promising prosperity. This impulse to imbue new creations with familiar, powerful symbols speaks to our deep-seated need for connection and continuity. We reach back into our collective memory, a psychological bridge linking past and present, as we navigate an ever-changing world. These exhibitions, charged with the optimism of the Victorian age, stir something within us – a hope, a promise, that echoes through the corridors of time.