Napkin, handkerchief, serviette

Souvenir paper table napkin commemorating the visit of the French fleet to London in August 1905. Printed in both French & english the napkin includes the 'Official Programme' of the events including a full list of the streets on the route taken by French & British officers from Victoria Station to the reception at the Guildhall. The programme is illustrated with a woodcut of St Paul's Cathedral and portraits of King Edward VII and the French President. Below the heading is a woodcut of a French naval ship and a handshake captioned 'Soyez les Bienvenus en Angleterre.' The napkin is surrounded by a border of purple and yellow flowers. The English and French text is slightly different suggesting the napkin was intended as a souvenir for a French speaking clientele but as an informative guide for Londoners attending the event. The English version thus includes a list of the streets to encourage crowds to line the route and show their support for the Anglo-French alliance. This interpretation of the napkin as having a dual function is reinforced by the printer's description on the napkin as 'wholesale & export printers of souvenir handkerchiefs' suggesting this example may have been exported to France for sale as a souvenir of the highly publicised event.

Similar souvenir napkins were printed for every large public event, ceremony or procession that occured in London from the late 19th to mid 20th century. The squares were imported into London from Japan pre-printed with a decorative border in up to 5 colours and a blank central area. Burgess was one of the main printer of such napkins that would be sold for one penny (1d) by street hawkers moving amongst the huge crowds that attended such popular events. As well as providing practical information such as a programme and timetable of the day's events these napkins were also intended to be taken home and kept as a souvenir. Many were framed and used as decoration in working class homes.