The Great Exhibition of 1851 significantly advanced botany by showcasing exotic imperial plants (like the giant Victoria amazonica lily) to popularize tropical flora, fostering botanical exploration and colonial interest, and highlighting economic botany through displays of fibers, woods, and new cultivars, inspiring design principles from nature and boosting horticultural commerce through better transport and catalogues. It united scientific display with public fascination, driving Victorian botanical enthusiasm.
Key Botanical Contributions:
Imperial Expansion & Exotic Flora: The exhibition, housed in the Crystal Palace, featured plants from across the British Empire, making tropical species like palms, orchids, and the Victoria amazonica water lily (a centerpiece) familiar to the public, symbolizing imperial reach and fueling interest in new world plants.
Economic Botany: Displays of plant-derived materials (woods, fibers, dyes) demonstrated the commercial value of colonial botany, while artisans showcased innovative uses, such as botanical lace made from nettles and hemp.
Horticultural Innovation: Joseph Paxton, designer of the Crystal Palace, was inspired by the water lily, while the exhibition spurred commercial horticulture, making exotic plants more accessible and popularizing new cultivars.
Design Inspiration: Botanists and designers, like Christopher Dresser, used the exhibition to promote nature as a source for design, deconstructing plant structures to find universal principles for art and industry.
Catalyst for Botanical Literature & Trade: The event encouraged illustrated catalogues and scientific publications, connecting nurseries, gardeners, and the public, aided by new railways and the Penny Post for distribution.
In essence, the Great Exhibition acted as a massive educational and commercial platform, bridging botanical science, imperial ambition, and popular culture, making botany a fashionable and significant field in Victorian society.