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The Turkish Court

Walter Goodall

1851

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Impressionism Orientalism Realism Early 19th Century

Dominant colour

The Turkish Court is a 1851 watercolor by Walter Goodall, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Walter Goodall
When & what style?: 1851 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This watercolor shows the inside of the Turkish Court at the 1851 Great Exhibition. Walter Goodall captured the space in delicate brushstrokes meant to sell as prints later. The show drew six million visitors—then a third of Britain’s people—inside a glass hall nicknamed the Crystal Palace. Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum to see more from this show’s legacy.

The story of this work

Overview

The watercolour *The Turkish Court* by Walter Goodall depicts an interior view of the Turkish Court displayed at the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London’s Crystal Palace. The work was later reproduced as a colour lithograph in *Recollections of the Great Exhibition*, a commemorative souvenir guide. The exhibition, held in a glass-and-iron structure, showcased over 13,000 manufactured products and drew more than six million visitors. Proceeds from the event supported the establishment of cultural institutions, including the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington.

Read the full account in the museum source.

About the artist

Artist

Walter Goodall

Walter Goodall’s 1851 watercolors zoom in on the decorative arts of three royal courts: The Indian Court and Elephant Trappings, The Turkish Court, and Part of the French Court, no.

See the richer artist page