Napkin, Official Program of the Queen's Jubilee

This 1897 napkin is printed with the official program of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee procession, which took place in London on 22 June. The six-mile parade through the streets of London was the highlight of the Jubilee; a lavish ‘Festival of the British Empire’ (Sully 2012). The New Zealand Mounted Rifles and Premier Richard John Seddon represented New Zealand in the Colonial Procession, and according to reports from the Press Association were greeted with ‘thunders of applause’ (South Canterbury Times, 24 June 1897).

Colonial ties
In Aotearoa New Zealand, councils, schools, churches and other organisations staged extravagant events to commemorate the Queen’s Jubilee, and in a number of major cities, permanent tributes such as statues and buildings named for Victoria were erected. While there was plenty of excitement at home, New Zealanders also wanted to connect with the events in London, and newspapers reported on the parade in detail. After the event, passionate imperialists could purchase photographs of the procession or watch a Kinematograph reproduction of the whole ‘magnificent pageant’ (Otago Witness, 2 September 1897).

This napkin allows us to explore New Zealanders’ engagement with the Jubilee, both here and abroad. This engagement reflected deep and ongoing loyalty to the Queen, as described by a writer for the Southern Cross after the Jubilee: ‘It is a far cry from London, the centre of the Diamond Jubilee rejoicings, to New Zealand, one of her majesties most remote territories. But geographical limitations do not always count, and the sentiment which finds expression in the aspiration ‘God Save the Queen!’ is as strong here as there.’ (Southern Cross, 26 June 1897)

Souvenir napkins
Souvenir napkins first appeared in Britain in 1887 when John Dickinson Ltd printed napkins for their annual dinner. The novelty took off and napkins were soon printed for many major events and commemorations. As well as providing helpful information on the day the napkins were affordable souvenirs, and many were framed and used as decoration. Napkins pre-printed with decorative borders were imported from Japan in quantity and overprinted in London by local firms. The napkins were produced quickly so were often printed with mistakes or grammatical errors, and with the woodcut misaligned.

References

• Mellby, Julie L. 2009. Souvenir serviettes. Exhibitions, acquisitions, and other highlights from the Graphic Arts Collection, Princeton University Library. https://www.princeton.edu/~graphicarts/2009/08/souvenir_serviettes.html
• Museum of London, 2020. Napkin. Collections Online, ID63.104/18. https://collections.museumoflondon.org.uk/online/object/493061.html 
• Phillips, Jock. 2021. Anniversaries – Early celebrations and Queen Victoria’s jubilees. Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. https://teara.govt.nz/en/anniversaries/page-1
• Sully, Andy. 2012. Queen Victoria and Britain’s first Diamond Jubilee. BBC News, 22 May. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-17368499
• Te Papa. n.d. International Relations: Colonial Ties. Slice of Heaven Exhibition. http://sites.tepapa.govt.nz/sliceofheaven/web/html/colonialties.html