Souvenir of the Great Home Rule Demonstration

The demonstration in Trafalgar Square on 17th February 1912, in support of Irish independence from Britain was organised by the National Radical League, Liberal and Radical Associations and the United Irish League. The event was attended by at least 15,000 demonstrators. Two months later Parliament began debating the Government's Third Home Rule Bill that would have granted self-government to the whole of the Isle of Ireland. The Bill was passed into law in September 1914 but implementation was deferred due to the outbreak of World War I. Robert Emmett depicted on the napkin was an Irish nationalist and martyr, hung for treason in 1803 for inspiring an uprising against British rule.
Similar souvenir napkins were printed for every large public event, ceremony or procession that occured in London from the early 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 large crowds of spectators drawn to the state pageantry of royal processions through London's streets such as the state opening of parliament. 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. Text and images printed on the napkins was usually sourced from the national newspapers. The selling of the programmes was a regular feature of London life as indicated by a report in the Times newspaper of November 1907 on a German Imperial visit to London that noted during the period of waiting for the royal procession on its return journey from the Guildhall ‘a brisk trade was done' in programmes printed on Japanese paper which were recommended by the vendors as ‘souvenirs and pocket handkerchiefs’ – two diverse uses which only a street hawker would think of reconciling.'