[Rarebooks] [fs] Irish Art Industry Exhibition -1853

[Joslin Hall Rare Books, ABAA]

THE EXHIBITION OF ART-INDUSTRY IN DUBLIN. 1853.

London; Virtue & Co.: 1853.

The elaborately illustrated catalog of highlights from the 1853 exhibition
of "Art-Industry" in Dublin, Ireland. A major part of the cost of the
exhibition was donated by one man- William Dargan, an Irish businessman
known for his tireless efforts on behalf of his country. Mr. Dargan, who
also put up the money for Ireland's first railroad, contributed $400,000
to the exhibition, and in return Queen Victoria offered him a baronetcy
which Dargan declined, saying he preferred to remain "plain William
Dargan."

Great hopes were entertained for this exhibition, the catalog stating that-

"We consider the Great Exhibition held in Dublin in the year 1853, as even
a larger contribution to the wealth of these kingdoms, than the Great
Exhibition which took place in London in the year 1851".

Ireland was in desperate straits at the time, population emigrating and
her manufactures almost nonexistent except in the linen trades. As the
catalog puts it- "...with so many natural helps to Manufacture, (Ireland)
has hitherto availed herself of few or none of them; with coal and iron
and limestone in abundance, her mines have been but very partially worked;
with waterpower running from every great lake in sufficiency to turn all
the spindles that derive their impulse from steam in Manchester, It runs
idly, and to waste, into bays and harbors that are estuaries of the
Atlantic; with a surplus in population craving employment, its people have
been without occupation; their labor "at home" has barely sufficed to
procure the means of a miserable existence. Ireland has been emphatically
termed " a land of raw materials," and he who develops its resources,
calls it latent energies into actions, and enables man to derive comforts
and luxuries from the wealth of nature, may be indeed described not only
as a Patriot to his country, but as Benefactor to the World".

All this seems a rather tall order for one man or a single exhibition, but
it was nonetheless hoped that this event would start the process. The 1853
Exhibition of Art-Industry opened on May 12th, in a building somewhat
resembling London's the Crystal Palace, specially designed by John Benson
who was granted a knighthood for the project. There were some Irish
manufactures, especially in the textile and linen exhibits, but a majority
of the wares came from England and France, with Belgium and Germany also
represented. They included textiles, ceramics, jewelry and silver work,
furniture, glassware, and all sorts of minor arts.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited on the 29th of August, and the
exhibition closed on October 31st, having accomplished at least some of
its intentions, for Irish industry would grow through succeeding decades,
though many of the other problems alluded to by the organizers were too
complex to be ameliorated by a single event such as this. The building,
lauded at the time as being almost more of an attraction than the items
exhibited in it, apparently did not survive the century, and the only
remains are a statue of William Dargan near the Royal Dublin Society in
Merrion Square, and the elaborate exhibition catalog we present here.

The catalog itself is styled after the catalog to the 1851 Crystal Palace
Exhibition, with a laudatory text running around hundreds of line cuts of
the pieces on display. There are also a dozen steel engravings of the
statuary, almost all of them naked or semi-clothed women, which must have
represented the "art" portion of the proceedings. Hardcover. 10"x13", viii
+ 64 pages, illustrated with many b/w illustrations in the text, plus 12
steel-engraved plates with tissue guards; bound in the original patterned
brown cloth with an elaborate gilt emblem on the cover. Some wear and
soil, small repair on spine; scattered light foxing, variable light foxing
on some plates. [05005] $250.00

Illustration-
<http://www.joslinhall.com/images03/th-05005.jpg>

More Ireland-
<http://www.joslinhall.com/Ireland.htm>


____________________________
JOSLIN HALL RARE BOOKS, ABAA
Fine books of the 16th-20th centuries
Post Office Box 516
Concord, Massachusetts 01742 USA
telephone (617) 492-5367
email <office at joslinhall.com>;
~~
Our full-service website features 82 separate subject categories, is
updated daily and has full search capabilities. http://www.joslinhall.com
~~
Subscribe to our free email News List and get special discounts and offers
on selected books! Send e-mail to
<JHRBnews- at joslinhall.com>; and put the word
"subscribe" (without quotes) in the Subject line of your note.
~~
Check out our "Featured Book"
http://www.joslinhall.com/today1.htm
~~

TERMS:
All payments must be in U.S. funds and negotiable through a U.S. bank;
We accept checks, money orders, American Express, Visa, Mastercard and
Discover.
Books may be reserved pending payment; Institutions may be billed;
Standard courtesies to institutions and the trade; Postage charges are
$5.00 for the first book, and $1.50 for each additional book.
Shipments outside the U.S. will be billed at cost. We accept returns if we
are notified within ten days of your receipt of the books-please
ask for full instructions and terms. Massachusetts residents must add
5% state sales tax.

As members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America we are
committed to upholding high professional standards and making sure your
bookbuying experience is enjoyable.

Subscribe to the free Rare Books Mailing List
http://www.rarebooksmailinglist.com