Tag Archives: Souvenirs

November 1939: This month last century

30 November 2011 – 10.25am

Seventy-two years ago, the Centennial Exhibition opens in Wellington (9 November 1939)

Commemorative sticker, 1939, New Zealand. Purchased 1995. Te Papa

Commemorative sticker, 1939, New Zealand. Purchased 1995. Te Papa

The 1940 Centennial exhibition was one of the many ways in which New Zealanders marked 100 years of British government. The exhibition, which was located in Rongotai, attracted over 2.6 million visitors over a period of six months. Below is a colourised view of the exhibition, taken by the official photographer, Eileen Deste. The exhibition’s modernist tower, which is in the centre of the image, was a popular subject for photographs and souvenirs.

Centennial Tower, 1940, Wellington, Eileen Deste. Purchased 1999 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa

Centennial Tower, 1940, Wellington, Eileen Deste. Purchased 1999 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa

 
The exhibition was meant to demonstrate a century of progress. It also had educational and promotional aims, but for thrill-seekers there was a theme park called Playland. In the photograph of Playland’s ‘Cyclone’ roller coaster (below) you can see a soldier in uniform – evidence that New Zealand was at war with Germany.
 
Rollercoaster, New Zealand Centennial Exhibition, Wellington, 04.1940, Wellington, Eric Lee-Johnson. Purchased 1997 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa

Rollercoaster, New Zealand Centennial Exhibition, Wellington, 04.1940, Wellington, Eric Lee-Johnson. Purchased 1997 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa

 
Enthusiasts could purchase a season ticket for repeat visits to the exhibition. Here is the one used by young Kevan Blaxall, whose father ran a jewellery stand in the exhibition.
Season ticket, 1939, New Zealand. Maker unknown. Purchased 1996 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa

Season ticket, 1939, New Zealand. Maker unknown. Purchased 1996 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa

 
Kevan’s father made and sold silver hei tiki pendants like the one below. The pendant is an example of one of the many Centennial souvenirs that appropriated elements of Māori culture. 
Tiki pendant, circa 1940, Wellington, Norris Blaxall. Purchased 1996 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa

Tiki pendant, circa 1940, Wellington, Norris Blaxall. Purchased 1996 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa

This striking example – a length of souvenir fabric – combines a repeated tiki motif with icons related to European settlement, the landscape, and native flora and fauna. 
 
Fabric length, commemorative, circa 1939-1940. Maker unknown. Gift of Sylvia Minogue, 2010. Te Papa

Fabric length, commemorative, circa 1939-1940. Maker unknown. Gift of Sylvia Minogue, 2010. Te Papa

This juxtaposition of aspects of ‘ancient’  Māori culture with symbols of European progress was a common thread in the 1940 Centennial celebrations. It was symptomatic of the way in which the event was primarily a celebration of a century of Pakeha progress and modernisation, with Māori contributions, while considered ‘noble’, were consigned to the margins of history.
 
 

You’ll also find a Maori perspective on the Centennial in Slice of Heaven:  20th Century Aotearoa

By Kirstie Ross | Posted in Collections Online, Exhibitions, History, Slice of Heaven: 20th Century Aotearoa | Also tagged , , , | Comments (0)

December 1953: This month last century

19 December 2010 – 5.09pm

57 years ago – Queen Elizabeth arrives in Auckland, becoming the country’s first reigning monarch to visit New Zealand (23 December 1953)

The Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, arrived in New Zealand just before Christmas in 1953 for a 39-day tour. In the past, only sons or brothers of monarchs had visited the country, such as the Duke of Cornwall and York who visited in 1901. The Duke was the son of King Edward VII and grandson of the late Queen Victoria.

GH009568 Invitation to the hui at Rotorua put on for the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York, 1901, by Benoni White. Te Papa.

 New Zealanders had been waiting patiently to see a reigning royal in their homeland. At long last, over the summer of 1953-1954, we had the opportunity to express our loyalty to the Queen and the British Commonwealth.

It was as if all our Christmases had come at once. Altogether about three-quarters of New Zealand waved Union Jacks and craned their necks to catch a glimpse of the newly-crowned Queen Elizabeth II.

A.008487 The Queen at the Basin Reserve, Wellington, 16 January 1954 by Leslie Adkin. Te Papa

Finally, the Queen was face-to-face with her subjects. Her Christmas message, broadcast from Auckland, touched on the importance of this:

‘I want to show that the Crown is not merely an abstract symbol of our unity but a personal and living bond between you and me.’

Elizabeth and Philip had sailed south to New Zealand after visiting Fiji and Tonga. Brian Brake took personal photographs of this leg of their tour, while he was covering it for the National Film Unit.

CT.045267 Fiji - Royal Tour 1953 by Brian Brake. Gift of Raymond Wai-man Lau. Te Papa

The Queen’s first port of call in New Zealand was Auckland. According to one newspaper, the day she arrived ‘was the best day in Auckland’s history’.

While they were in New Zealand, the Queen and Prince Phillip passed through 46 towns and cities from the Far North to Bluff. And after the Queen and Prince Philip sailed off in the Gothic, the Prime Minster Sid Holland proclaimed that ‘New Zealand has known nothing like this before’ – and probably not since.

GH13242 Beer tankard made as a souvenir for the 1953-54 royal tour. Te Papa

Many New Zealanders made or bought souvenirs to keep the memories of the royal summer alive. There were tour souvenirs to suit all tastes and budgets. Regardless of a souvenir’s cost or quality, all were treasured keep-sakes of a glorious royal summer.

Collections Online has a selection of souvenirs from the 1953-54 royal visit and the 1953 Coronation.

Visit the Slice of Heaven: 20th Century Aotearoa mini-site for more about these topics.

By Kirstie Ross | Posted in Collections Online, Slice of Heaven: 20th Century Aotearoa | Also tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 281 other followers