Glasgow's first major exhibition was urged on by civic rivalry between its old adversary, Edinburgh, and Manchester, which had hosted shows in 1886 and 1887 respectively. In 1888, the Glasgow International Exhibition easily outshone both. It was the largest and grandest event of its kind seen in Britain since London's Crystal Palace Exhibition 26 years earlier. Although advertised as international, most of the displays focused on Glasgow's industrial might with much of the remainder coming from the Empire and in particular India. Surrounding the main complex were many beautiful buildings, mostly made from wood, which included a full-size replica of the long-gone Bishop's Palace. On May 08, the exhibition was opened by the Prince of Wales. When it eventually closed its gates on November 10th, 5,748,379 people had visited it.
The profits from the exhibition exceeded £46,000 which was used to build Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
