PEOPLE
FROM NATIONAL TO INTERNATIONAL: HENRY COLE AND THE FIRST EXPO
How a British civil servant and design reformer helped transform national industrial exhibitions into an international platform for innovation, cultural exchange and cooperation.
01 THE IDEA
AN INTERNATIONAL VISION
In 1851, London welcomed the world to an unprecedented event. Inside the Crystal Palace, a vast structure of iron and glass erected in Hyde Park, visitors encountered machinery, manufactured goods, artworks and natural resources from Britain and countries around the globe. The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations became the first major international exhibition and established a model that would influence Expos for generations.
Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, is often remembered as the exhibition’s leading patron. Yet much of the work that made the event possible was driven by Henry Cole, a British civil servant, design reformer and determined organizer. His contribution extended beyond the practical challenges of staging the exhibition. Cole helped shape the idea that international exhibitions could encourage industrial progress, educate the public and strengthen relations among nations.
From national exhibitions to an international vision
The Great Exhibition did not emerge in isolation. France had organized national exhibitions of manufactured products since 1798, providing opportunities for manufacturers to display their achievements and compete for recognition. Britain followed with its own initiatives, including national exhibitions organized by the Society of Arts during the 1840s.
Cole was closely involved in the Society of Arts and recognized that these exhibitions could serve a much larger purpose. Rather than limiting participation to British manufacturers, he envisioned an event that would bring together the industrial and artistic achievements of different countries.
In May 1849, Cole traveled to Paris to study the French national exhibition. During his visit, he met Louis Buffet, the French minister of agriculture and commerce, who had also considered organizing an international exhibition but had been unable to secure sufficient support.
The visit reinforced Cole’s ambitions. He returned to London convinced that Britain could organize an exhibition of international scope, transforming a familiar national practice into an entirely new kind of event.
“International, certainly.”
Prince Albert’s reply in June 1849, according to Henry Cole’s later account, when Cole asked whether the proposed exhibition should be national or international.
1798
FRANCE BEGINS NATIONAL EXHIBITIONS
1849
COLE AND PRINCE ALBERT PLAN AN INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION
1850
THE ROYAL COMMISSION IS ESTABLISHED
1851
THE GREAT EXHIBITION, LONDON
The partnership with Prince Albert
A decisive moment came in June 1849, when Cole discussed the proposed exhibition with Prince Albert, who was president of the Society of Arts. According to Cole’s later account, he asked whether the exhibition should be national or international. Albert reportedly replied: “International, certainly.”
Their partnership combined complementary strengths. Albert provided royal patronage, political influence and a vision of international cooperation through industry and culture. Cole contributed organizational experience, persistence and an exceptional capacity to turn proposals into action.
Cole also helped establish the institutional framework for the exhibition. He prepared drafts for the Royal Commission that would oversee the undertaking and took part in discussions about its composition, financing and location. He proposed Hyde Park as a suitable site, a choice that eventually became one of the exhibition’s defining features. The Royal Commission was formally established in January 1850, with Prince Albert as its president.
Turning an ambitious idea into reality
Organizing the exhibition required much more than royal approval. Its promoters needed manufacturers willing to participate, financial guarantees, public support and a building large enough to hold exhibits from around the world.
Cole became one of the exhibition’s most energetic advocates. During 1849, he and his colleagues traveled through industrial centers in England, Scotland and Ireland, meeting manufacturers, civic leaders and businesspeople to secure their support.
His efforts extended to public communications. At a major meeting in London’s Mansion House in October 1849, Cole delivered a speech describing the extraordinary variety of objects that visitors might encounter, from industrial machinery and agricultural products to textiles, sculpture and technological inventions. He presented the proposed event not merely as an exhibition of commercial goods, but as a celebration of human ingenuity and a festival of peaceful industry.
The undertaking nevertheless encountered considerable opposition. Critics questioned its financial viability, objected to the use of Hyde Park and expressed concern about its political implications. Disagreements within the organizing bodies further complicated preparations.
Cole’s persistence was particularly important during these difficult months. He helped mobilize financial support, encouraged participation, negotiated with contractors and repeatedly pressed the organizers to make decisions. The Great Exhibition was a collective achievement, but Cole was among the individuals most responsible for ensuring that the original idea became a functioning event.
AT A GLANCE
Born: July 15, 1808, Bath, England.
Died: April 18, 1882, London.
Pen name: Felix Summerly.
Notable achievements: proposed and organized the Great Exhibition of 1851; helped introduce the Penny Post; formed the nucleus of the South Kensington Museum, today the Victoria and Albert Museum; helped steer the exhibition’s profits into education in South Kensington.
Inventions and designs: the first commercial Christmas card (1843); the Felix Summerly tea service, made by Minton; children’s books written as Felix Summerly, including The Home Treasury. He is sometimes credited with the design of the Penny Black, the first postage stamp.
BEFORE 1851
Began his career as a clerk at 15 and rose to assistant keeper of the Public Record Office.
1837 to 1840: assisted Rowland Hill in introducing the Penny Post.
1843: introduced the first commercial Christmas card, illustrated by John Callcott Horsley.
1840s: designed a prize-winning tea service, made by Minton, under the name Felix Summerly.
1847: founded Summerly’s Art Manufactures, pairing artists with industry.
1849: co-founded The Journal of Design and Manufactures with the painter Richard Redgrave.
AFTER 1851
1851: made a Companion of the Bath for his work on the Great Exhibition.
1852: secretary of the Board of Trade’s new Department of Practical Art (later Science and Art).
1855: general commissioner for the British section at Expo 1855 Paris.
1857 to 1873: first director of the South Kensington Museum, today the Victoria and Albert Museum.
1862: general adviser to Expo 1862 London, held in South Kensington.
1867: executive commissioner for Britain at Expo 1867 Paris; the official British reports, published in seven volumes (1868 to 1869), open with his report.
1871: helped raise the funds for the Royal Albert Hall, opened March 29, 1871.
1871 to 1874: led the Annual International Exhibitions in South Kensington, planned as 10 yearly shows but ended after four.
1875: made Knight Commander of the Bath.
02 THE EXHIBITION AND ITS LEGACY
HELPING MAKE THE CRYSTAL PALACE POSSIBLE
One of the greatest challenges was finding a suitable exhibition building. The Royal Commission initially considered an elaborate conventional structure, but the proposed design drew criticism because of its appearance, cost and implications for Hyde Park.
An alternative emerged from Joseph Paxton, whose experience designing greenhouses inspired an innovative structure assembled from prefabricated iron and glass components. Cole played an important behind-the-scenes role in advancing Paxton’s proposal. He helped establish contact with Fox, Henderson & Co., the engineering firm that developed the construction arrangements needed to make the project feasible.
Paxton deserves credit for the architectural concept, while the engineers and contractors made its realization possible. Cole’s contribution was to help bring the people, resources and decisions together.
The resulting Crystal Palace became one of the most celebrated buildings of the 19th century. Its extensive use of glass, modular construction and enormous interior spaces demonstrated the possibilities of industrial technology in architecture. It also established an enduring link between Expos and architectural experimentation: exhibitions could offer opportunities to test new materials, construction techniques and spatial concepts on an extraordinary scale.
Organizing the world under one roof
Cole’s responsibilities extended to the arrangement of the exhibits themselves. As preparations accelerated, he became centrally involved in allocating exhibition space, coordinating exhibitors and resolving the many practical difficulties of displaying an unprecedented variety of objects.
The exhibition’s contents were organized into broad categories covering raw materials, machinery, manufactures and the fine arts. Lyon Playfair contributed significantly to the classification system, while Cole worked to translate its principles into a practical arrangement inside the building.
About half the exhibition space was reserved for Britain and its colonies, while the other half accommodated foreign participants. Countries were generally allowed to organize their own displays within the areas assigned to them. This arrangement helped establish a recognizable feature of later international exhibitions: the presentation of national achievements within a shared international setting.
Visitors could compare technologies, observe differences in manufacturing and design, and discover products from places they might never visit. The exhibition thus became more than a collection of objects. It offered a physical representation of the industrial, commercial and cultural connections among countries.
Making industrial progress accessible to the public
Cole believed that exhibitions should serve an educational purpose. The Great Exhibition was intended to attract visitors beyond the wealthy and influential. Although admission prices initially favored more affluent audiences, reduced-price tickets eventually allowed working-class visitors to attend in large numbers. Special railway excursions also helped bring people from industrial towns to London.
For many visitors, the exhibition offered a rare opportunity to see technological innovations, international products and manufactured objects gathered in a single place. This public dimension was important to Cole’s understanding of exhibitions. They could stimulate curiosity, encourage learning and expose manufacturers and consumers to unfamiliar ideas.
The exhibition also reinforced his belief in the need to improve industrial design. While British manufacturers showed considerable technical and productive capabilities, Cole believed that British design often fell behind that of foreign competitors. International comparison, in his view, could become an instrument of education and reform.
An international ideal with limitations
The Great Exhibition promoted an ambitious vision of peaceful relations among nations through commerce, science and culture. However, its internationalism reflected the political and economic inequalities of the 19th century.
Industrialized countries occupied prominent positions, while colonies and less industrialized societies were often represented through raw materials, traditional crafts or objects presented as exotic curiosities. The organization of the exhibition reflected Britain’s imperial position and prevailing assumptions about industrial progress.
Recognizing these limitations does not diminish the exhibition’s historical importance. Rather, it helps explain how Expos have evolved alongside changing ideas about national identity, international participation, economic development and cultural representation. The tension between international cooperation and national competition was already present in 1851 and remains relevant to understanding Expos today.
Beyond 1851: a lasting vision
For Cole, the Great Exhibition was not meant to be an isolated achievement. Even during preparations in 1849, he was already considering the possibility of large exhibitions becoming periodic events. His ambitions extended beyond the immediate success of the undertaking.
After the exhibition opened, Cole began exploring how its educational benefits could be preserved. In July 1851, he proposed assembling a collection of exhibits and documentation that could form the basis of a museum devoted to trade and manufactures. The financial success of the exhibition also encouraged Prince Albert and other organizers to consider permanent educational initiatives that would continue its work in promoting the application of art and science to industry.
Cole’s broader understanding of international exhibitions became particularly evident in a lecture to the Society of Arts in December 1851, titled On the International Results of the Exhibition of 1851. He argued that cooperation among artists, scientists, manufacturers and merchants could help strengthen international relations, potentially achieving forms of collaboration that conventional diplomacy struggled to deliver. His proposals extended to international standards, commercial regulations, intellectual property, postal systems and the exchange of knowledge.
For Cole, bringing nations together through exhibitions was not simply an opportunity to display their accomplishments. It could encourage practical cooperation and contribute to a more peaceful international order.
Cole also remained at the center of the international exhibitions that followed. He served as general commissioner for the British section at Expo 1855 Paris, as general adviser to Expo 1862 London, held in South Kensington, and as executive commissioner for Britain at Expo 1867 Paris, where the official British reports opened with his own. In 1871 he launched a series of Annual International Exhibitions in South Kensington, planned to run for 10 years. Falling attendance ended them after 1874, but they paved the way for the more focused, thematic exhibitions of the 1880s.
Henry Cole’s legacy in today’s Expos
The Great Exhibition of 1851 helped establish a new model for international events. Later exhibitions, including New York in 1853 and Expo 1855 Paris, continued the development of what would become a global tradition. Over the following decades, international exhibitions grew in scale and purpose. They increasingly incorporated national architecture, cultural presentations, scientific achievements, public education and visions of the future.
Eventually, the growing number of exhibitions prompted governments to establish international rules for their organization. This process culminated in the Convention Relating to International Exhibitions of 1928 and the creation of the International Exhibitions Bureau (Bureau International des Expositions, BIE).
Henry Cole did not single-handedly invent the Expo. The concept emerged from earlier exhibition traditions and through the combined contributions of many individuals, institutions and countries. His particular achievement was helping transform those precedents into a successful international event. As an organizer, promoter and reformer, he showed that an exhibition could serve industry, education, international exchange and the public all at once.
More than a century and a half later, Expos continue to bring countries together to present ideas, share knowledge, explore technological possibilities and imagine different futures.
Sources
"Annual International Exhibition." Wikipedia. Accessed October 8, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annual_International_Exhibition.
Bonython, Elizabeth, and Anthony Burton. The Great Exhibitor: The Life and Work of Henry Cole. V&A Publications, 2003.
Britannica Editors. "Sir Henry Cole." Encyclopaedia Britannica. Accessed October 8, 2026. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-Cole.
"Cole, Henry, 1808-1882." Science Museum Group Collection. Accessed October 8, 2026. https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/people/ap33374/cole-henry.
"Cole, Sir Henry." In Dictionary of National Biography. Reproduced on The Victorian Web. Accessed October 8, 2026. https://victorianweb.org/technology/engineers/cole.html.
Great Britain, Royal Commission for the Paris Exhibition, 1867. Reports on the Paris Universal Exhibition, 1867. 7 vols. Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1868-69. Royal Academy of Arts Collection. https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/book/reports-on-the-paris-universal-exhibition-1867.
"Henry Cole (inventor)." Wikipedia. Accessed October 8, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Cole_(inventor).
Image credits
Dickinson Brothers. Crystal Palace from the Northeast. From Dickinsons' Comprehensive Pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851, 1854. Public domain. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=543319.
Lock & Whitfield. Sir Henry Cole. Woodburytype, 1877. From Men of Mark. Public domain. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9793467.
The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park for Grand International Exhibition of 1851. Hand-colored print, 1851. Public domain. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Crystal_Palace_in_Hyde_Park_for_Grand_International_Exhibition_of_1851.jpg.
THE TRADITION CONTINUES
Henry Cole’s most enduring contribution was not simply helping organize the Great Exhibition of 1851. It was helping establish education as a central purpose of international exhibitions, transforming them from showcases of products into platforms for sharing knowledge, inspiring innovation and fostering international understanding.