Object of the month - May 2009
Royal Jubilee Exhibition catalogue, Manchester, 1887
May's object was the Royal Jubilee Exhibition official catalogue, Manchester 1887
Veronica Trick, volunteer, chose this month's object:
"The Book Worms
Through and through th'inspired leaves,
Ye maggots make your windings;
But O respect his lordship's taste,
And spare his golden bindings.
Burns 1787
I love books and, unlike his lordship, value their contents more than their presentation. However, this book just leapt out at me initially because it is such a beautifully made object. The bindings, the quality of the paper, the way the pages are arranged make it wonderful to handle - and the contents are interesting too!"
Royal Jubilee Exhibition
The Royal Jubilee Exhibition celebrated 50 years of Queen Victoria's reign. Its theme was progress in art, science and industry during this time. It was held at Trafford Park (near Old Trafford cricket ground) and open to the public. It even had its own temporary train station.
The official catalogue shows that there were sections on machinery, chemicals, industrial design and also fine arts, cotton, silk and an Irish section.
The catalogue contains details of businesses across the Country that assisted with the creation of the exhibition. Many of these businesses were from Manchester and the surrounding areas.
Olde Manchester and Salford
Olde Manchester and Salford was another section of the exhibition. It consisted of full scale models of buildings from Manchester and Salford's past, starting from the Roman times and included Market Sted Lane, Ancoats Hall and Salford Cross. People could walk through the reconstructed buildings and streets.