Industrial Revolution Design and The Great Exhibition (1851) - Key Terms

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the Victorian design and Industrial Revolution notes, focused on the Great Exhibition of 1851 and associated innovations.

First Industrial Revolution (1760-1840)

Period when production shifted from manual crafts to machine manufacturing, powered by steam and coal, beginning in Britain.

Second Industrial Revolution (1840-1870)

Later phase featuring steam-powered systems, large-scale manufacture of machine tools, and the growth of factories and mass production.

Crystal Palace

The glass-and-iron display hall designed by Joseph Paxton for the 1851 Great Exhibition; known for its modular, prefabricated construction.

Great Exhibition of 1851

International showcase in London to display industrial works; ran six months, attracting millions of visitors and exhibitors, with thousands of objects on display.

Joseph Paxton

Designer of the Crystal Palace; previously a greenhouse designer; emphasized glass, iron structure and modular, prefabricated construction.

Penny Toilets (George Jennings)

Public toilets installed at the Great Exhibition in retiring rooms; funded by a penny toll; hundreds of thousands of visitors used them.

Follett Osler Glass Fountain

World’s first glass fountain shown at the Great Exhibition; featured four tons of glass and stood about 27 feet tall.

Machine Hall

Exhibition space in the Crystal Palace where machines were displayed and demonstrated in operation.

Cyrus McCormick Reaper (1831)

Mechanized reaper for harvesting crops; demonstrated at the Great Exhibition and awarded a top prize for its performance.

Samuel Colt Revolvers

Colt Navy and Dragoon revolvers from the 1840s; showcased at the American Exhibit at the Great Exhibition.

Victorian Pattern Books

Pattern books that provided repeatable designs for woodcarvers, jewelers, painters, and other crafts; patterns reused across materials.

Cooke and Wheatstone Telegraph

Victorian-era telegraph system displayed at the Great Britain booth; early electrical communications device from the 1850s.

Daguerre Camera

Early camera used for daguerreotype photography; box-like, minimal ornament, emblematic of machine-made design.

Thonet Bentwood Chair #14

Lightweight chair produced by the Thonet brothers using bentwood technique; emphasized function and simple curved forms.

Bentwood Chair Process

Industrial method of steam-softening wood, bending around molds, and assembling on an assembly line to create six-part chairs with a gentle curve.

Thomas Shearer Desk (1851)

A handcrafted desk from the Arts and Crafts Movement; emphasizes function and rejects excessive ornament despite its Victorian influence.

Victorian Design (Domesticity and Ornament)

Design emphasis on beauty and domestic life, with ornament, handcrafted workmanship, curved patterns, and display of decorative objects.

Arts and Crafts Movement

Reaction to mass production; champions handcrafted, functional, streamlined forms and opposed to industrial-scale manufacturing.

James Watt’s Rotary Steam Engine

Early steam engine (1760s-1770s) powering machinery in textile factories and driving the shift toward steam power.

Crystal Palace Modular System & Prefabrication

Construction approach using 24-foot modules that were prefabricated and assembled on site for the Crystal Palace.

Opening and Demolition Dates for Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace opened May 1, 1851, and was destroyed by fire in November 1936.