Festival of Empire, London, 1911
The Festival of Empire was held in London’s Crystal Palace from May 12 to October 1, 1911 to celebrate the coronation of King George V.
“The Festival, by all accounts, was pure imperialist propaganda. The souvenir brochure used a domestic rhetoric to signal the event’s aims: it was ‘a Social Gathering of the British Family’ to encourage the ‘firmer welding of those invisible bonds which hold together the greatest empire the world has ever known’. Members of the India Society, including E. B. Havell and Walter Crane, were involved with the Indian Court of the Festival which was divided into four sections: 1. The History of India and of its inhabitants at different periods; 2. The daily life of the people; 3. The Art of India; 4. Progress in recent times.” –– Open University
Many articles about the Festival mentioned the baby incubator exhibit in passing, but the only non-trivial press coverage that I have discovered so far was part of an article in The Era on September 2, 1911:
The promoters claimed that the incubator exhibit drew many viewers:
Below: A map of the exhibit grounds.
Last Updated on 10/23/26