General view of the India Court (‘India No. 5’); the Great Exhibition of 1851

With the intent to position Britain as the leading manufacturing and design nation, Prince Albert consort of Queen Victoria and the President of the Society of Arts, set up a committee to organise exhibitions. The first of these International exhibitions was the Great Exhibition of 1851, held in a specially constructed glass and iron structure known as 'Crystal Palace' in Hyde Park, London. The exhibition showcased raw materials, machinery, manufactures and fine arts from across the British empire as well as other nations. Six million people across the world flocked to visit the wonders from across the world over the period of six months.

Represented by East India Company, the Indian pavilion showcased raw materials as well as manufactured products from various parts of India including carpets, pottery, silver, armoury, Bombay blackwood furniture, Indian attires, hunting saddles, models of ships, ivory as well as figures illustrative of “Indian manners”. A stuffed elephant that was on loan from Saffron Walden Museum in Essex, the Kohinoor diamond, and the famous Ivory throne gifted by Maharajah of Travancore to Queen Victoria dazzled the visitors. The Indian court piqued interest in India's arts and crafts on a commercial and economic level.