Attendance figures were published regularly at the International Exhibition of 1888. A measure of success was deemed to be the total achieved for the Royal Jubilee Exhibition held in Manchester in 1887. In order to surpass the Manchester figures, many season ticket holders took it upon themselves to go in and out of the Glasgow Exhibition many times in the one day, as illustrated in this cartoon.
When the Exhibition closed in November, the final attendance figure of 5,748,379 easily surpassed that of Manchester. A profit of £43,000 was further evidence of the Exhibition's success, with the money going towards the new municipal museum and art gallery. The temporary buildings were dismantled and Kelvingrove Park returned to normal until the next great exhibition in 1901.
The statue is of Sir Walter Scott.
Reference: Mitchell Library, GC 606.4 (1888)
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries and Archives
Keywords:
art galleries, exhibitions, International Exhibition, 1888, Kelvingrove Park, museums, Royal Jubilee Exhibition