Few public events in early Victorian England caused so much concern to the authorities as the Great Chartist Meeting. The Chartists were campaigning for electoral and parliamentary reforms, most of which were subsequently carried out and which would now be taken for granted, such as payment for Members of Parliament, the abolition of the property qualification for them, manhood suffrage and voting by ballot. However, they were seen by many of their contemporaries as a dangerous threat to the established order. Riots were expected but, as it happened, the meeting was far less well attended than had been expected and when it started to rain the crowd was soon dispersed. When a petition bearing nearly two million signatures, of which many were found to be fictitious, was presented by the leaders to Parliament, the movement was exposed to ridicule and the reforms being sought were delayed for longer than might otherwise have been the case. Kilburn made two daguerreotypes of the scene, from which engravings were made to illustrate press reports. The daguerreotypes themselves, probably among the earliest photographs ever taken of a public meeting, were acquired by Prince Albert, who was deeply concerned about the condition of working people, although he deplored the Chartists' violent means of seeking reform.