Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha as Collector, Educator and Cultural Transferant
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Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha as Collector, Educator and Cultural Transferant
Prinz-Albert-Forschungen / Prince Albert Research Publications. Neue Folge, Vol. 3
(2024)
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Jana Riedel studierte Anglo-German Cultural Relations an der Queen Mary University of London und promovierte dort im Rahmen eines vom Arts and Humanities Research Council geförderten kollaborativen Doktorandenprogramms mit dem Victoria and Albert Museum. In ihrer Forschung etablierte sie Prinz Albert von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha als einen bedeutenden Akteur des europäischen Kulturtransfers. Seit Januar 2024 arbeitet sie als Virtual Production / XR Project Manager am Fashion, Textiles and Technology Institute, University of the Arts London. Zu ihren Forschungsinteressen gehören Kulturtransferprozesse, visuelle und materielle Kultur, Geschichte des Sammelns und DDR-Kunst und Kultur.Abstract
The contribution that Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819-1861) made as a cultural transferant between Great Britain and the German lands has long been undervalued. Historiography has tended to overlook and/or systematically underplay Albert’s role in British political and cultural life, although recent research has challenged this view. This study reassesses Albert’s life and work and utilises cultural transfer theory to re-appraise his contribution to the development of contemporary British society. It analyses Albert’s education, his collecting and working practices and the influences that shaped his role as Prince Consort. Central to the study is Albert’s involvement in the Great Exhibition of 1851 and its aftermath. This study establishes Prince Albert as a major European cultural transferant, as demonstrated especially in the South Kensington complex of museums and other cultural institutions, also known as Albertopolis.The role of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819-1861) as cultural transferant between Britain and the German lands has long been undervalued. This study reassesses his contribution to British life through the lens of cultural transfer theory. Examining Albert’s education, collecting and working practices, it focuses on his pivotal role in the Great Exhibition of 1851. The book establishes Prince Albert as a major European cultural transferant, particularly evident in the South Kensington complex of museums known as Albertopolis.
Table of Contents
| Section Title | Page | Action | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acknowledgements | 5 | ||
| Table of Contents | 9 | ||
| Abbreviations | 12 | ||
| Introduction | 13 | ||
| A. The Making of a Prince Consort: Prince Albert’s Bildung | 25 | ||
| I. The early years | 26 | ||
| II. The teenage years | 32 | ||
| III. Kavaliersreisen and Grand Tours | 39 | ||
| B. Prince Albert’s Collecting Practices | 48 | ||
| I. Early Influences on Prince Albert’s Collecting Practices | 51 | ||
| II. Prince Albert’s (and Ernst’s) Early Collections | 57 | ||
| III. Prince Albert’s (and Victoria’s) Collections in Britain | 71 | ||
| C. The Basis for the Great Exhibition of 1851 | 91 | ||
| I. The (mixed) Reception of Prince Albert in Britain | 91 | ||
| II. The Royal Networker | 96 | ||
| 1. Further Studies and Intellectual Networks | 96 | ||
| 2. Trade Networks | 98 | ||
| III. Towards the Great Exhibition of 1851 | 99 | ||
| 1. New Decorations for the Houses of Parliament | 100 | ||
| 2. Prince Albert and Education in Britain | 113 | ||
| 3. The Royal Society of Arts | 115 | ||
| D. The Conception and Design of the Great Exhibition of 1851 | 124 | ||
| I. Precursors of the Great Exhibition of 1851 | 124 | ||
| II. The Concept of the Great Exhibition | 125 | ||
| III. Shaping the Great Exhibition | 128 | ||
| IV. The ‘Natural Feat of Engineering’ and its Interior Design | 130 | ||
| V. The Organisation of the Exhibition or ‘The Great Job of 1851’ | 135 | ||
| 1. Who is exhibiting? – The Selection Processes for the Exhibition | 137 | ||
| 2. Classifying the World or Wie stellt man die Welt aus? | 140 | ||
| E. The World Presents Itself: The Great Exhibition of 1851 | 148 | ||
| I. The German States’ Contributions, including those of Coburg and Gotha | 149 | ||
| II. Albert and Victoria as Exhibitors at the Great Exhibition of 1851 | 150 | ||
| III. Hosting a World Event — London in 1851 | 168 | ||
| F. Cultural Transfer and the Legacy of the Great Exhibition of 1851 | 176 | ||
| I. World Fairs | 177 | ||
| II. Albertopolis | 180 | ||
| III. The South Kensington Phenomenon | 190 | ||
| Epilogue | 200 | ||
| Appendix A – Sources | 204 | ||
| Archives | 204 | ||
| List of Archives | 206 | ||
| Collections | 207 | ||
| List of Collections | 207 | ||
| Exhibitions | 208 | ||
| List of Exhibitions | 211 | ||
| Literature | 212 | ||
| Bibliography | 214 | ||
| Appendix B – relating to chapter B. | 218 | ||
| Instruction für die Directoren des Herzoglichen Kunst- und Naturaliencabinettes | 218 | ||
| Instruction for the Directors of the Ducal Art and Natural History Cabinet | 221 | ||
| The Royal Collaborator — Prince Albert’s Designs | 224 | ||
| Appendix C – relating to Chapter D. | 228 | ||
| Committees set up to organise the Great Exhibition | 228 | ||
| Foreign States at the Great Exhibition of 1851 | 231 | ||
| British Colonies at the Great Exhibition of 1851 | 232 | ||
| Number of Exhibitors of the German States at the Great Exhibition of 1851 | 232 | ||
| Appendix D – relating to Chapter E. | 233 | ||
| The Exhibits from Coburg | 233 | ||
| The Exhibits from Gotha | 233 | ||
| Royal Loans to the Great Exhibition of 1851 | 235 | ||
| List of Illustrations | 240 | ||
| Bibliography | 242 | ||
| Archival Material | 242 | ||
| Published Primary Sources | 245 | ||
| Secondary Sources | 246 | ||
| Digital Sources | 253 | ||
| Index | 258 |