THE “ALBERTOPOLIS“
The Great Exhibition of 1851… was such a success that Prince Albert-Queen Victoria’s husband
wanted to promote the aims of the Exhibition and to extend “the influence of Science and Art upon Productive Industry” by building museums, colleges, schools, concert halls, and premises flearned societies.
wanted to promote the aims of the Exhibition and to extend “the influence of Science and Art upon Productive Industry” by building museums, colleges, schools, concert halls, and premises flearned societies.
Out of that enterprise came the Royal Albert Hall, The Science Museum, The Victoria and Albert Museum,The Natural History Museum, the Colleges of Art and Music, The Royal Geographic Society, Imperial College of Science.
Each one a grand edifice to Victorian expansion, Empire and progress through science and technology. The area is a repository of the Victorian sense of opulence in design-the buildings themselves being sometimes more than their contents.
Below- The golden Prince Albert looks out from his shrine in Kensington Gardens across at the Romanesque Albert Hall.
Surrounding his shrine at the four corners sit symbols for the four continents. Below is Africa and below that Asia or the Orient.
The Victoria and Albert Museum below
is the world’s largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects.
is the world’s largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects.
Below –The dining room.
One of the most decorative places in London to eat lunch.
Originally this room was opposite as one entered the building. It is flanked by two smaller rooms one, a breakfast room was an early William Morris’s commission. The windows are full of Victorian maxims and mottoes about the joys of eating and drinking, such as such as ‘Hunger is the best sauce’ and ‘A good cup makes all young’.
One of the most decorative places in London to eat lunch.
Originally this room was opposite as one entered the building. It is flanked by two smaller rooms one, a breakfast room was an early William Morris’s commission. The windows are full of Victorian maxims and mottoes about the joys of eating and drinking, such as such as ‘Hunger is the best sauce’ and ‘A good cup makes all young’.
Photo above courtesy Wikipedia because I could not get everyone to clear out of the room.
Below– I could photo the ceiling though. It is all tiles !
The V&A was the first public museum in the world to be artificially lit so that workers could come in the evenings.
Below- a Robert Adam ceiling from the demolished Adelphi House.
What is the specialty of the Victoria and Albert ?
Rather than naming what they do have it is easier to name what they do not have in their collections. Sculpture, painting, ceramics, porcelain, furniture,glass. Greek to Modern.
Obviously we went immediately to the fashion and clothing area.
Rather than naming what they do have it is easier to name what they do not have in their collections. Sculpture, painting, ceramics, porcelain, furniture,glass. Greek to Modern.
Obviously we went immediately to the fashion and clothing area.
Above- a dress from 1700’s that one had to go sideways through doors with.
I suppose they could not travel anywhere either so had to wear these at home.
Below – The museum is not just fashion but for the spectrum of industrial design.
Below an orange leather loveseat.
Below-a bookshelf and a cabinet.
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