Art & Industry: The role of the RDS in the organisation of the Great Industrial Exhibition of 1853

This paper, by Cora McDonagh, Project Researcher for the RDS Library and Archives and PhD candidate at Maynooth University, explores the role of the RDS in the organisation of the 1853 Great Industrial Exhibition. Through an examination of the Committee of Manufactures records from June 1852, it will highlight how quickly plans were in motion for designing the building and securing exhibits of art and industry. It will trace negotiations between the sole financier of the exhibition, William Dargan, and the various RDS committees as they prepared for the opening of the exhibition. Finally, it will examine the lectures and demonstrations held during the exhibition by the RDS, as they supported the promotion of Irish industry