Napkin, handkerchief, serviette

Souvenir paper table napkin commemorating the opening of the Festival of Empire held at Crystal Palace as part of the Coronation celebrations of 1911. The napkin is illustrated with woodcuts of King George V, Queen Mary and the Prince of Wales and printed with details of the royal carriage procession from Buckingham Palace to Crystal Palace. The napkin also notes that during the drive through Camberwell the King & Queen will be greeted by '40,000 school children' the napkin is stamped with the registered number 567332 and has a coloured border incorporating union jack, royal standard and St George flags.
The Festival of Empire organised as a 'celebration' of the British Empire and included exhibitions of products from the imperial countries displayed in three-quarter size scale models of their Parliamentary buildings erected in the grounds.

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.