Opening of the Festival of Empire on 12 May 1911. Image: Festival of Empire at the Crystal Palace in South London, taken from the replica Canadian parliament building (1911; author unknown). This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.
Located at the Crystal Palace, Sydenham, the Festival of Empire, originally scheduled for 1910 but postponed due to the death of Edward VII, was a physical manifestation of imperial rhetoric. British colonies and dominions were represented by three-quarter size replicas of their Parliamentary buildings housing exhibits of products of those countries as well as scenes recreating the physical environment of select locales, such as a Maori village. The Festival of London, part of the Festival of Empire, featured historical pageants and reinforced London’s role as the chief locus of empire
Articles
Anne Helmreich, “On the Opening of the Crystal Palace at Sydenham, 10 June 1854”
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