News

News feeds |

Photo Studio

Exhibitions showcased talent

Prince Albert's Great Exhibition of the works of Industry of all Nations in London's Hyde Park in 1851 provided the model for many others which were to follow.

Staged in the Crystal Palace, Sir Joseph Paxton's masterpiece in iron and glass, it was the first truly international exhibition the world had ever seen.

A number of Newark firms were represented including Nicholson's the agricultural machinery makers who showed their Gold Medal winning oil cake breaker.

A Mr McRae of Newark showed "a very ingenious triple stay for those parts of male attire requiring additional strength".

Following the success of 1851 many other large additional exhibitions were staged at both home and abroad.

In 1862 Paris hosted an international Exhibition of the Industrial Arts and Manufacturers and the Fine Arts of all Nations and by 1865 even large towns such as Nottingham were organising their own, more localised versions.

This weekend marks the 100th anniversary of Newark's first Fine Art and Industrial Exhibition which ran from November 30 to December 2, 1898.

It was organised by the Newark Trades Men's Association and staged in the Town Hall, using the ballroom and all the major first floor rooms.

Whereas the big national and international exhibitions concentrated on the output of large manufacturing companies, Newark's exhibition was designed to showcase the talents of local amateurs.

The emphasis fell very much on artistic accomplishments with no fewer than 22 of the 103 classes being concerned with painting and other forms of illustration: by contrast only eight classes were devoted to industrial subjects.

Sandwiched between these two extremes lay a bewildering array of intermediate classes for skills as diverse as penmanship, art needlework, photography, shorthand, handmade clothes, crewel work, lacework, darning skills, commercial letter writing and map drawing.

Some classes were restricted to entries from local residents, while others were open to 'all England' and succeeded in attracting entrants from far afield.

The fine art section - landscapes in oils, still life in watercolours, drawing in pen and ink - attracted no fewer than 232 entries, many depicting local views.

The judges were pleased to receive a large number of entries from pupils at the newly opened School of Science and Art on London Road (now part of the Newark High School).

The new school put up a very creditable performance securing 31 prizes and no fewer than ten firsts across a range of classes. In the related field of art crafts, it was the ladies of the town who swept the board in categories such as lace and crewel work, netting and hairpin work, crochet and knitting.

Special classes were arranged for children with girls from local schools - the Mount, Christ Church and Wesleyan schools - excelling at hand sewing and darning old socks.

The boys competed in penmanship, map drawing and commercial letter or shorthand writing. Perhaps the most intriguing area of the exhibition, however, was that concerned with industrial subjects.

The emphasis was still on the work of amateurs, but this time in terms of engineering skill, particularly in miniature. Thus Mr J. Venn won first prize for his splendidly made model of a horizontal steam engine and a Mr C. Durose of Northgate, Newark, was highly commended for his miniature working lathe.

Special mention in the wrought iron and ribbon work category went to Miss Starkey of Norwood Park, Southwell, for a standard lamp which she had both designed and made.

Trade stands in the industrial hall included examples of bicycles manufactured at Southwell by A. T. Loughton. Elsewhere in the industrial hall, reflecting Newark's reputation as a centre for fishing, a special category was devoted to angling appliances.

The manufacture of fishing rods and tackle was a well established industry in the town with companies such as Messrs David Slater and Co. of Egglestone's Yard enjoying an international reputation.

For the purpose of the exhibition, however, local amateurs were invited to show their skills. Mr F. Bird of New Street, Newark, for instance, produced a magnificent six-joint cork-handle Greenheart pocket fly rod and Mr J. H. Clark of Newnham Road exhibited a 4ins Zephyr reel made of aluminium, walnut and gun-metal.

One of Slater's own employees, a Mr W. Turnbull, entered the competition on his own account with a 10ft, three-joint hexagonal built cane rod with steel centre.

There were many other categories and classes in which exhibits were entered at Newark's first Fine Art and Industrial Exhibition and it has been possible here to describe only one or two of the most prominent.

By way of conclusion, however, it is perhaps worth sparing a mention for one final class of exhibit which aroused particular interest; photography. While in 1898 entries were limited, over subsequent years art photography became one of the staple categories in the show.

By the time Newark hosted its third Fine Art and Industrial Exhibition in 1901, not only had the number of practitioners increased, but one local photographer, H. J. Bliss of Lombard Street, had actually begun making 'animated photographs' or 'cinematographs'.

The very first motion pictures had been exhibited in Newark in November 1896 and here was Bliss, only five years later, actually making movies in the town. I wonder what happened to any that were made?

ABOVE: Art Nouveau design by W. F. Berry of Bowbridge Road, Newark, for the cover of the catalogue of Newark's first Fine Art and Industrial Exhibition. It took place 100 years ago in November 1898.

<Back