1851 Royal Commission Digitised Archive Material

The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 was established in 1850 with Prince Albert as its President, to organise the Great Exhibition. The Exhibition was a huge success and when it made a surplus of £186,000 the Commission was granted a supplemental charter extending its existence in perpetuity to disburse the profits. Under Prince Albert’s guidance the Commissioners purchased an estate in South Kensington. This estate has developed to become a centre of scientific, cultural and educational excellence which now houses the Natural History, Science and V&A museums; Imperial College London; the Royal Colleges of Art and Music; and the Royal Albert Hall.

The Commission has been awarding fellowships and scholarships "to increase the means of industrial education and extend the influence of science and art upon productive industry" since 1891. Previous holders of these prestigious awards include 13 Nobel Laureates, and many others have gone on to become eminent in their field.

The Archive of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 records all aspects of the Commission’s work from 1849 to the present. Those items that have been digitised are available on this site. The full Archive catalogue is available at Home Page