Locating the Crystal Palace

The books and periodicals in this case grapple with the Crystal Palace’s physical features and indicate its cultural impact during the Exhibition’s run. The Illustrated Exhibitor and Telescopic View feature unusual material structures, interrupting expected reading practices of opening covers and turning pages to capture the disorienting effect of the Crystal Palace’s massive scale. Meanwhile, the Illustrated London News and The Palace of Glass and the Gathering of the People reflect the Crystal Palace's position within mid-nineteenth-century London's rapidly changing geographic and cultural landscape. 

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