Stereo-daguerreotype of the Crystal Palace

A stereoscopic daguerreotype taken by Henry Negretti and Joseph Zambra, showing an interior view with fountain and lily pads. After housing the Great Exhibition in 1851 the Crystal Palace had been dismantled and rebuilt on a site at Sydenham, south east London, reopening in June 1854. The 'Palace of the People' as it became known, was at first a huge success as the world's first 'theme park'. However, in the twentieth century the Crystal Palace's popularity declined, failing to compete with newer forms of entertainment and recreation.