International Fisheries Exhibition

The International Fisheries Exhibition was a Victorian era scientific, cultural, and animal exhibition open in South Kensington, London, United Kingdom, between May 12 and October 31, 1883. One of many world's fairs that took place in the second half of the 19th century, the exhibition was the largest special event held in the world to that point, attracting 2.6 million visitors, an average of 18,545 per day. The grounds of the exhibition encompassed 21 acres (0.085 km²) of the Royal Horticultural Society grounds in South Kensington, site of the 1862 International Exhibition. The exhibitions on display were based upon the Buckland Museum of Economic Fish Culture, a private collection at South Kensington, and were expanded upon by exhibits from 31 countries and colonies. The exhibition attracted attention not only for the variety of fish species and fishing equipment on display, but also for technological achievements like the widespread use of electric lighting.

References

• Annual Report of the Smithsonian Institution for the Year 1883. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1885.
• "The International Fisheries Exhibition -- Second Paper," Science. Vol. 1, No. 20 (June 22, 1883), pp. 564-565.
• Walpole, Spencer. Fisheries Exhibition Literature, 13 volumes. London: William Clowes and Sons, Ltd., 1883 and 1884.