As the twentieth century came to a close with the celebration of Glasgow
as City of Architecture 1999, so the century opened with the Glasgow
International Exhibition of
The exhibition was officially opened on 2 May 1901, and it ran until 9
November. The exhibition site sprawled over 73 acres in Kelvingrove Park in the
west of the city. Its centrepiece was the new Kelvingrove Art Galley and Museum
which appropriately housed the Fine Art section, including work by the
The complexity of organising and mounting such a massive event is hard to comprehend. This was a truly international affair with exhibits and people demonstrating products from all over the world: of the many temporary buildings constructed, for example, a whole Russian village of 7 buildings (4 of them being magnificent pavilions) was erected; there was a model farm complete with working dairy, windmill and grieve's house, a Grand concert hall with seating for more than 3,000, and a new sports ground at Gilmorehill with a four-lap cement cycle track, cinder pedestrian course, football pitch and stand accommodation for 25,000 spectators. The suggestion of limitless resources was enhanced by the breathtaking electrical illuminations that lit up many of the attractions by night. Although it lacked the novelty of 1888, Glasgow's second major exhibition was still enormously popular, resulting in attendance figures of over 11,000,000. The exhibition was an international shop window. Its accompanying guides and programmes, which were lavishly illustrated with advertisements from the participating companies, meant that information about products could reach a wide audience far beyond those who could actually attend in person. An excited and rowdy crowd bent on plundering the exhibition for souvenirs was expected. As is turned out, rain ensured that many stayed away and there was little trouble. The materials and fittings were auctioned off, and the profit made was invested in restoring the park; the surplus went to the Art Purchase Fund to enhance the new art galleries further.
Source:
Glasgow University Library Special Collections, Glasgow International
Exhibition 1901: Official Guide and Daily Programmes. Taken from the Book of the
Month web page for October 1999
Photographs of Glasgow International Exhibition 1901
The arrangement of this material reflects the original order in which it was received.
Unknown
Donation : James Maclehose : 12 January 1909
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Fonds level description compiled by Andrew Thomson, Hub Project Archivist, 18 August 2004. Biographical history compiled by Danielle West, Archive volunteer, June 2004.