"Almost Pathetic ... But Also Very Glorious": The Consumer Spectacle of the Diamond Jubilee

Authors

  • Tori Smith

Abstract

Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee celebration in London in 1897 offers a window through which to explore how public ceremony became interwoven with the emerging consumer culture. Although centred on state-sponsored events, the diamond jubilee comprised many other elements. Souvenirs, press coverage, advertisements, and theatrical presentations were as much a part of the spectacle as the official procession; manufacturers, the press, and advertisers were as much its authors as were civil servants and politicians. Commercial activity geared to a burgeoning mass market had become not just a spinoff of the main event, but helped create the spectacle and define its significance.

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Published

1996-11-01

Issue

Section

Constructing National, Imperial, and Labour Identities