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

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.