The article examines the 1857 “Art Treasures of Great Britain” exhibition in Manchester as a pivotal event in Victorian exhibition culture. The study demonstrates that this large-scale exhibition served as a response to the critique of industrialization following the 1851 Great Exhibition, offering the public a positive vision of industrial progress through art. By analyzing the Executive Committee Report, periodical press, visual materials, the exhibition catalogue, and documents from the Manchester Archives and Local Studies, the article reveals the exhibition’s role in shaping national identity, advancing museum practices, and fostering the emergence of a mass visual culture in industrial England.
Alphia Karaseva (2025) studied this question.