The Great Exhibitor: The Life and Work of Henry Cole
Out of Stock
- Details
- Delivery & Returns
'A substantial contribution to our understanding of Cole's achievements. Invaluable' - Apollo.
By the end of his life Henry Cole was recognised as a national institution, "Old King Cole", though he was also treated with caution as a "playful monster". He was a lifelong civil servant, in a period when civil servants could be buccaneers and reformers, rather than the modern impassive mandarins. Described as "a clever agitator, and a public spirited fellow", he waged many campaigns, moving from the Public Records to the Penny Post, to railway expansion, to patent law revision, to art and design reform. With Prince Albert, he created the Great Exhibition of 1851, and continued to organise international exhibitions for the remainder of his life. He was responsible for a national system of art and science education, and in collaboration with the Prince, developed the South Kensington area as the intellectual quarter of London.
The Victoria and Albert Museum, of which he was founding Director, remains his best-known memorial, and is a symbol of his mission to educate through the exhibition of objects. This book gives a rounded picture of an extraordinary man. Portrayed, not only as an exhibitor, museum director and educationalist, but also as a galvanic force administering salutary shocks over broad areas of Victorian life. Children's books, hackney cabs, public lavatories, choral singing, cookery, sewage disposal, to name a few subjects, all came under his critical gaze. In his peers, Cole aroused admiration and antipathy in equal measure. Today, he is remembered for his energy and creativity and an inimitable Victorian phenomenon.
Author/Artist/Designer
Elizabeth Bonython and Anthony BurtonPages
256 pages
Dimensions
234 x 156mm
ISBN
9781851773268
Colour
Product code
50462
Book Format
Hardback
Delivery
Our standard delivery charges and estimated timescales are as follows. Selected product exceptions apply; see product details. International deliveries may also be subject to customs fees or taxes upon arrival, which are your responsibility.
Please note: New orders are now likely to arrive after Christmas. For last minute gifts, visit our museum shops until 23 Dec, or explore our digital options such as V&A Membership.
Custom prints
Each print is made to order and dispatched separately to other V&A Shop products, for UK delivery only. The charges and estimated timescales below are in addition to our standard delivery charge when bought together with a V&A Shop product. However, delivery is free for all orders over £60.
Returns
An extended returns window is granted over the Christmas period. Orders placed from Friday 1 November 2024 can be returned until Monday 20 January 2025.
We hope you are happy with your V&A Shop purchase. However, if you are not, most items are eligible for a full refund, subject to the criteria below. Refunds are offered for items in an unused, unopened condition, and with original packaging – with the following exceptions. This does not affect your statutory rights.
The following items are excluded from our returns policy and cannot be refunded unless faulty, damaged, or not as described:
- Custom prints and other items made to your specification or personalised;
- Items that have been sealed for hygiene reasons, where the seal has been broken, such as beauty products, soap, pierced earrings, hosiery, socks, sunglasses and face coverings;
- Perishable or edible items such as flowers or food;
- Memberships, tickets for exhibitions, bookings for events and courses.
For full details, visit our Delivery & Returns page.