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 lithograph titled "The Great Exhibition 'Wot is to Be'" to envision the 1851 Great Exhibition in London. This event was intended to showcase Britain's industrial achievements, yet Sala's work reveals underlying anxieties about race, class, and cultural identity during the Victorian era. The print caricatures figures from various nations, particularly China, presenting them as absurd stereotypes. Sala exaggerates physical features and cultural practices, reflecting the prevailing European attitudes of racial and cultural superiority. The artist creates a narrative that reinforces the idea of British dominance. Each caricature seems to amplify a British sense of self-importance. The artist seems to comment on British legal practices, as he inscribes beneath one of the drawings: "The various process of the Bamboo will be exhibited in order to give Englishman some idea of Chinese Criminal Jurisprudence". This satirical representation of foreign cultures served to reassure viewers of their own cultural and moral superiority, reinforcing national identity. Ultimately, Sala’s print invites us to reflect on the power dynamics inherent in cultural exchange and the ways in which humor can both reveal and reinforce social biases.