From the Desk of Elizabeth Jane Oldschool

Good day and God Bless. My name is Elizabeth Jane Oldschool, and I hail from the bustling streets of Victorian London. My father is George Frederic Oldschool, the great Earl of Gloucestershire. I am writing these words with the utmost of excitement, as the year is eighteen hundred and fifty two, and we have just begun the new year. My excitement stems from the prospects and innovations that this year has in store for us! As evidenced by the success of last year's Great Exhibition, put on by the most honorable Prince Albert, our country, known across the land as the Greatest Country on God's Earth, has been placed in direct eyesight of all who crave culture, art, and literature.

I remember clearly that as I paced through Prince Albert's Great Exhibition, I could not contain my joy and wonder at what my eyes were viewing before them. As soon as the thoughts began to flood me, I insisted on public explanation, regardless of insufficient warning. "Oh Happy Day," I exclaimed, "this exhibit has truly captured my attention and has certainly exceeded my wildest expectations! Alas, our beloved Prince Albert has again shone his light upon his people in a most fascinating way! How humble must we be in the presence of such refinement!" My company generously agreed - this exhibition could but not for the grace of God be any more perfect. As I describe these feelings to you, I am reminded of the writings of the profound poet William Wordsworth, in his poem on the wonders of that great Tintern Abbey:

"Of aspect more sublime; that blessed mood,

In which the burthen of the mystery

In which the heavy and weary weight

Of all this unintelligible world

Is lighten'd: - that serene and blessed mood,

In which the affections gently lead us on,

Until, the breath of this corporeal frame,

And even the motion of our human blood

Almost suspended, we are laid asleep

In body, and become a living soul..."

(38-47, "Lines Written A Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey")

In these words I find relation in both body and soul. The vastness of expertise and beauty at this Exhibition caused a chasm in the very soul of me, a shift in the mind's discretion and breadth of understanding. This sublime mood Wordsworth writes of was so positively instilled in me upon my entire entry to this exhibit that I cannot bear to repeat the experience in fear that I shall be too spoiled by God and his gifts. Attached below I have provided a visual illustration of the interior of the Crystal Palace in which this Exhibition was held - while a secondhand drawing may not instill upon my reader the same feelings I experienced, this example will, I hope, inspire some sort of artistic awakening, and will plead upon you to at once emerge yourself in the grand world of English art and culture.

For now, I bid my reader adieu. 
Elizabeth Jane Oldschool
19th of January, 1852