Colonial and Indian Exhibition

The Colonial and Indian Exhibition of 1886 was a very substantial exhibition held in South Kensington in London, and intended (in the words of the then Prince of Wales) "to stimulate commerce and strengthen the bonds of union now existing in every portion of her Majesty's Empire". It was housed in a collection of purpose-built buildings designed in an Indian style; the Jaipur Gate built for the exhibition is now in a museum in Hove [1].

Several dozen Indians were imported, reputedly from Agra jail [2], to serve as living exhibits; they were described as artisans, it appears that they were trained in their crafts as part of the British Empire's long-term project to 'reform the criminal castes'.

References

  1. ^ http://www.hove.virtualmuseum.info/jaipurgate.asp
  2. ^ http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ndh3NvwqzRkC&pg=PA52&lpg=PA52&dq=colonial+and+indian+exhibition&source=bl&ots=jV0HUGxgMx&sig=KlEGmVsmkqxIHIhA-CIw-h9ejos&hl=en&ei=F-sHTORVkfLSBNKX9WM&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CCwQ6AEwBTgK#v=onepage&q=colonial%20and%20indian%20exhibition&f=false page 60