Celebrating all things French and British ...... the Exhibition of 1908

It’s curious how you come to uncover little bits of our history.

A souvenir of the event, 1908

Now I was well aware of the 1904 Entente Cordial between Britain and France, which cemented good relations between the two countries, while at the same time settling possible disputes over our Imperialist designs on Egypt and France’s in Morocco.

The Machinery Hall, 1908

But what I knew nothing about was the joint exhibition held in London four years later.  It lasted from May to the end of October, attracted 8 million visitors, and covered an area some 140 acres including a lake and a series of buildings al painted white.

These included two colonial villages, one of which was Irish and the other Senegalese.

What drew me to the story was another of those crested pieces of china from the collection of Fred Page.  I have become quite a fan of these, mass produced porcelain models which often carried the name and coat of arms of British towns and cities.

Palace of French Applied Art

I first came across the “war ones” sold as souvenirs during the Great War, but I knew they had an earlier history and ranged from models of Blackpool Tower to Ann Hathaway’s cottage.

And here is one from the collection of Fed Page.

In 1908 the china companies would have been working overtime turning souvenirs as was the picture postcard industry.

The rest is for you to find out.

Location; London


Pictures; crested china souvenir of the Franco British Exhibition, 1908, from the collection of Fred Page and the Palace of Applied French Arts, produced by Tuck 8 Sons, 1908, courtesy of Tuck DB Postcards,  https://tuckdb.org/history