King george vi biography coronation souvenir programme
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The Coronation of their Majesties King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, May 12, 1937. It was found in a box of uncatalogued College archive material, where it obviously doesn’t belong. (28.3 x 21.5 x 3 cm)
Books
Gift of Marise Johnson, 1972
1972.582.1
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Official Souvenir Programme
Artwork Details
- Title:
Coronation of Their Majesties King George VI & Queen Elizabeth. However, the lineage in George VI’s programme is presumably more accurate.
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Royal History: A close look at George VI’s Coronation Programme
Colin Penman, Head of UCL Records, writes about a newly uncovered item in the UCL Records collection.
In the timely way that these things can happen, I recently came across an official souvenir programme for the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in May 1937:
As this is the last time there was a coronation of a king and a queen consort –Charles III’s grandfather and grandmother – it has been interesting to compare the occasion with Saturday’s event.
The program features writings by Poet Laureate John Masefield and renowned playwright John Drinkwater, offering literary perspectives on this symbolic ceremony. There is also an interesting essay on the ceremony itself by the Garter King of Arms, the full order of service, and a genealogical table showing the king’s descent from William the Conqueror.
Official Souvenir Programme
London
1937
Books
Gift of Mrs. Alfred G. Mayor, 1956
56.551.2
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars.
The pages are clean and in good condition. Official Souvenir Programme
King's Jubilee Trust (London)
London
1937
Illustrations: photographs
11 1/8 x 8 7/16 x 1 3/16 in.
King Charles, on the other hand, will simply travel up Whitehall and down the Mall to get back to Buckingham Palace:
Image fromgov.uk
The programme for George VI’s coronation includes a coloured, embossed title page:
and another showing the emblems of the king’s Dominions, which definitely wouldn’t look so crowded in today’s equivalent:
This is followed by a poem by the Poet Laureate, John Masefield, very much of its time: ‘Make wise the councils of the men who sway / The Britain here, the Britains far away’.
If not, this will be an interesting addition to our London History collection.
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Coronation Of Their Majesties King George VI And Queens Elizabeth: Official Souvenir Programme (1st) [Paperback] John Masefield and John Drinkwater
Description
Hardcover has some fading and slight fraying at edges.
The procession and liturgy are very similar, these things changing little over time. Beyond its historical significance, the book holds value as a rare surviving artifact from a grand royal occasion, with its well-preserved pages allowing readers to experience the pomp and circumstance of that day. For collectors, it represents a tangible link to the early reign of the beloved Queen Elizabeth’s parents and the continuity of the British crown during a turbulent era.
Coronation of Their Majesties King George VI & Queen Elizabeth.
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We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection.
But some elements of the ceremony date back to before the Norman Conquest, for example the Presentation, when the king is ‘presented’ to the four points of the compass.
The programme itself is quite a lovely thing, a lavish 36 page quarto booklet with decorative embossed card covers, glassine protective sheets, and nice watered-silk end papers.
We can compare this route with a London Transport map which can be found in the Gaitskell papers in Special Collections, showing the route of Queen Elizabeth II’s procession in 1953:
GAITSKELL/G/MISCELLANEOUS PAMPHLETS AND OTHER PAPERS
Not much between them.