Queen Victoria wore this gorgeous dress to the opening of the Great Exhibition in 1851. The exhibition, planned by Prince Albert and collaborators, has been called the first world's fair. The official name was Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Continents and it ran from 1 May to 15 October 1851. The whole fair was housed under a glass and iron structure designed by Joseph Paxton, nicknamed the Crystal Palace. The Crystal Palace had, among other things, rest rooms costing a penny to use. The Crystal Palace, intended as a temporary structure and relocated elsewhere in London after the exhibition, burned down in 1936.
The left image was posted to Foro Dinastias by Veronica by 29 September 2009; the right image is from pinterest.com/bookwoman15/royal-fashion/. Double image posted 17 November 2014.
This is a dressy dress, but the neckline is on-, not off-, shoulder. The original color is a guess looking at this. Colors can fade, especially when exposed to light.
Keywords: 1851, Queen Victoria, Welf family, Hanover family, Wettin family, Princess, Queen, British, vee neckline, modesty piece, revers, stomacher, lace, bows, quarter length sleeves, engageantes, vee waistline, full skirt, over-skirt, flounces