Prince Albert, the Great Exhibition 1851 and its Aftermath in the Context of Anglo-German Cultural Relations
Lead Research Organisation:
Queen Mary University of London
Department Name: School of Languages Linguistics and Film
Abstract
The project aims to undertake research into the role of Prince Albert in the Great Exhibition of 1851 in specific view of the German contributions to the Exhibition. It will analyse Prince Albert as an Anglo-German Cultural Transferant and what role he played in the selection of German exhibits at the Great Exhibition of 1851 and how these were perceived on both side of the Channel. It will look at the exhibits that subsequently were taken into the permanent collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum and look at the Aftermath of the Great Exhibition in regards to institutional, educational and collecting practices in the mid-19th Century.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Rudiger Gorner (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Jana Riedel (Student) |
| Title | Participation in Queen Victoria documentary |
| Description | I was interviewed as one of three experts for a documentary, depicting the life of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and the nineteenth century generally. The documentary was entitled: "Zwischen Lust und Pflicht - Queen Victoria" ("Between pleasure and duty - Queen Victoria"). It was screened on ARTE on Saturday, 18 May 2019 at 9.45pm, and on ORF 2 (Austrian channel) on Friday, 24 May 2019 at 10.22pm. The following text is from a TV advert translated into English: Content: Queen Victoria was an icon of the rising bourgeoisie and stood for progress and prosperity in the age of the Industrial Revolution. Her reign lasted around 64 years, giving her name to an entire epoch: the "Victorian Age". On 24 May Queen Victoria would have been 200 years old. Who was this woman behind the golden statues? What were her strengths and weaknesses? What unfulfilled longings and dreams did she indulge in? How did she face adversaries and strokes of fate? |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Impact | The viewing figures for the ARTE screening were at 1.8 percent in Germany and 2.8 percent in France. It is not know how many viewers this constituted, however, considering the time of the screening the editorial office at ARTE was very pleased with the figures. Metafilm in Vienna, who produced the documentary, has produced an English version for "ORF-Enterprises", which offers the film at international TV trade fairs. It is not know yet whether the film has sold. |
| URL | http://metafilm.at/film/victoria/ |
| Title | Photographic Exhibition: Behind the Scenes - The Untold Stories of Prince Albert's German Household (2019) |
| Description | The project's aim was to produce a photography exhibition which sheds light on Prince Albert's German servants, who came with him from Germany in the 1840s. These were people of crucial importance to Albert's and Victoria's life and work but were usually forgotten by historiography. Included were also some key (German) figures who worked with and for Prince Albert during his time in England whilst staying behind in Germany themselves. The exhibition was displayed in Albert's hometown Coburg, Germany, on large information boards, installed in retail windows across the town. It was also shown electronically on a touchscreen in the Visitor Centre of Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, UK. |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Impact | The Exhibition was installed in Germany (Coburg) from August to December 2019, and at Osborne House, Isle of White from September to December 2019. The number of people who viewed the boards in Coburg or used the touchscreen at Osborne House is not known. However, at Osborne House, the touchscreen was situated in the Visitor Centre, which is the entrance hall/shop to Osborne through which every visitor has to pass. In Coburg, retail shops around the market square were used to placed the placards. Inhabitants are very engaged in their town's history, therefore, the posters will have received considerable attention. |
| URL | https://albertshofstaat.mein-coburg.de/ |
| Description | Collaboration for Photographic Exhibition 2019 |
| Organisation | Coburg Marketing |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | In collaboration with the Town of Coburg (Stadt Coburg), we have put together this partnership in order to work on a photographic exhibition entitled "Behind the Scenes - The Untold Stories of Prince Albert's German Household'. The exhibition was displayed in Germany and England from August/September to December 2019. My contribution was to apply for the Queen Mary University of London's HSS Collaboration Fund, which has been successful. I also undertook the research and the choice of content for the exhibition, and project managed the production of the project. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Royal Collection Trust provided the expertise from its photographic department as well as the photographs themselves for the exhibition. Where necessary, the RCT was also re-photographing images for reproduction. RCT also gave their time for meetings to discuss the project. Osborne House's (English Heritage) contribution was the management of the installation of the display at Osborne House. The curator also gave his time for meetings and to feedback on any curatorial queries. The Town of Coburg contributed financially by producing the displays in Coburg and Osborne House. They were consulted for curatorial decisions and also initiated the project. |
| Impact | The outcomes were two installations, one in Germany and one of the Isle of Wight. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Collaboration for Photographic Exhibition 2019 |
| Organisation | The Royal Collection Trust |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | In collaboration with the Town of Coburg (Stadt Coburg), we have put together this partnership in order to work on a photographic exhibition entitled "Behind the Scenes - The Untold Stories of Prince Albert's German Household'. The exhibition was displayed in Germany and England from August/September to December 2019. My contribution was to apply for the Queen Mary University of London's HSS Collaboration Fund, which has been successful. I also undertook the research and the choice of content for the exhibition, and project managed the production of the project. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Royal Collection Trust provided the expertise from its photographic department as well as the photographs themselves for the exhibition. Where necessary, the RCT was also re-photographing images for reproduction. RCT also gave their time for meetings to discuss the project. Osborne House's (English Heritage) contribution was the management of the installation of the display at Osborne House. The curator also gave his time for meetings and to feedback on any curatorial queries. The Town of Coburg contributed financially by producing the displays in Coburg and Osborne House. They were consulted for curatorial decisions and also initiated the project. |
| Impact | The outcomes were two installations, one in Germany and one of the Isle of Wight. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | April 2018 Workshop in Coburg, Germany |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | I was invited to give a paper to the Workshop entitled: 'Geographie und Naturwissenschaft in Thüringen und Sachsen um 1800. Ein Workshop zur Wissenschaftsgeschichte, in Verbindung mit der Ausstellung zu Johann Christoph Matthias Reinecke im Naturkunde-Museum Coburg' which took place from 25 - 26 April 2018 in Coburg, Germany. The presentation I gave was entitled: "The Making of Prince Albert: his education, influences and imprints in regards to arts and science in the years 1819-1840". The audience of about 30 people was a mix of scholars, professionals (curators, librarians, museum staff), students and the general public. There was quite an interest in my topic and presentation and it sparked quite a discussion afterwards. Again, I met scholars who gave leads for further research and this was followed up after the visit to Germany. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Conference organisation and paper presentation 26-28 June 2019 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The activity was an international conference at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. It was the Centre for Anglo-German Cultural Relations (where I study for my PhD) contribution to the bicentenary celebrations of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Entitled "Two Centuries of Anglo-German Correspondences: Celebrating Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, George Eliot and Theodor Fontane", the conference brought together international scholars to mark the outstanding contributions to British-German cultural exchange by the four key figures, all born in 1819. In four thematically oriented sections this conference considered aspects of British-German cultural transfer in the areas of literature/ history of thought; travel; science/knowledge; arts & music. Some of the leading experts in the field contributed to the exploration of affinities and differences between these cultures in the Victoria era. The thematic scope of the conference ranged from respective forms of mutual perception in various areas of cultural life at the time, royal collecting practices, artistic, philosophical and literary renderings and reflection of Otherness. The conference proceedings will be published in 'Angermion', the yearbook of the Centre for Anglo-German Cultural Relations, in 2021. My contribution was the organisation of the conference, as well as giving a paper on Prince Albert's collecting practices. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.vam.ac.uk/event/1yvWjD5j/two-centuries-of-anglo-german-correspondences-june-2019 |
| Description | Paper presentation at Conference in Gotha 9-11 May 2019 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | I was invited to give a paper at the conference "Dynastie - Wissenschaft - Kunst. Die Verbindungen der Dynastien Sachsen-Gotha-Altenburg und Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha zum Britischen Empire" in Gotha, Germany. The conference took place from 9-11 May 2019 and was part of the 2019 bicentenary celebrations around Prince Albert and Queen Victoria. My paper was entitled 'Prinz Albert als deutsch-englischer Kulturtransferant', talking about Prince Albert as Anglo-German cultural transferant. The audience of about 50 consisted of scholars (historians, cultural historians and other academics), professionals (curators, librarians, museum staff), students and the general public. The conference proceedings will be published later this year (2020) in the volume: Dynastie - Wissenschaft - Kunst. Die Verbindungen der Dynastien Sachsen-Gotha-Altenburg, Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha zum Britischen Empire. Herausgegeben von F. Freitag für die Stiftung Schloss Friedenstein Gotha. ca. 328 Seiten, ca. 44,80 Euro. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.stiftungfriedenstein.de/ausstellungen-und-veranstaltungen/dynastie-wissenschaft-kunst |
| Description | Paper presentation at international conference in Coburg 26-31 August 2019 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | After having submitted a paper proposal to the Prinz Albert Society in Germany, I was invited to give my paper 'Prince Albert's collecting practices' at the international conference "Was war und was bleibt? Queen Victoria und Prinz Albert damals und heute - historisches Erbe und gegenwa¨rtige Betrachtung.", in Coburg, Germany. The conference was part of a festival week to celebrate the bicentenary anniversary of Prince Albert. The conference took place from 26-31 August 2019. My paper talked about Prince Albert's collecting practices which sparked a great discussion afterwards as the conference was attended by museum directors and museum staff from Coburg and Gotha, as well as international scholars. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://prinz-albert-gesellschaft.de/page/2/ |
| Description | Presentation to 19th century Expertise Group of the V&A |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This was a presentation about the PhD topic - 'Prince Albert, the Great Exhibition and its Aftermath in the context of Anglo-German Cultural Relations' - and my progress thus far to the 19th century Expertise Group of the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), which I am a member of. Due to the nature of the topic and the audience (mainly curators and research staff of the V&A), there was quite a bit of discussion after my presentation, and people seemed genuinely excited and interested in my PhD. Again, I received tips and research leads and followed this up after the presentation with at least one member of staff. This was on 13 February 2018 and about 12 people attended the presentation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Presentation to Historic Royal Palaces |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This was a lunch time seminar and I gave a presentation to staff members of Historic Royal Palaces at the Tower of London. My presentation was about 45min and was entitled: 'Designing the Great Exhibition of 1851: Prince Albert's Contribution to the Exhibition'. About 8 staff members attended my presentation which was on 12 February 2018. I've presented the beginnings of my research for this particular topic. By nature of the topic and to whom I gave the presentation, great interest was sparked in the discussion afterwards. I also received a couple of leads on research in this area and was able to follow this up with one member of staff after the presentation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Study day of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation - 1 December 2018 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | This was a paper given at the study day for stipend holders of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation at the Victoria and Albert Museum on 1 December 2018. My presentation was entitled: 'The Iconic Figure of Anglo-German Transfer: Prince Albert then and now'. There were about 30 students and professional practitioners and academics in the audience. The audience was very engaged in the topic and questions afterwards inevitably ended up about Brexit. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |