What The Victorians Ate At The 1862 International Exhibition

Spoiler… it was a lot

Panoramic view of the International Exhibition of 1862 in South Kensington, London, Unknown Artist

The Great Exhibition of 1851 was an international celebration of the Industrial Revolution, held in London at the Crystal Palace. Eleven years later, it was followed by the Great London Exposition or International Exhibition, a seven-month world’s fair attended by just over 6 million people.¹

Here’s what they ate.

A Lady and Bun Business

A primary criticism of the 1851 Exhibition was the lack of substantial food. Caterers were only permitted to serve “light” fare. Derisively, this was termed a “lady and bun business.” Visitors who wanted something heartier to eat had to bring their own lunches. In fact the public was so critical of the fare on offer that when the caterer, Mr. Younghusband (no, really) published his bill of fare, he was accused of wildly inflating the numbers.

In part to settle this accusation, but mostly to silence the complaints about the quality and quantity of the food served in 1862, the new caterer, Mr. Morrish, published his own bill of fare.

Originally printed in the Times, the bill of fare was reproduced by most other newspapers through the end of October. The version I found came from the Dublin Evening Mail, printed on Wednesday 29…