Summary

Souvenir butter knife purchased from the Australian Butter display at the British Empire Exhibition, held in Wembley, Middlesex, in 1924 and1925. Twenty-seven million visitors attended the exhibition over two seasons.

The aim of the British Empire Exhibition was 'to stimulate trade, strengthen bonds that bind mother Country to her Sister States and Daughters, to bring into closer contact the one with each other, to enable all who owe allegiance to the British flag to meet on common ground and learn to know each other'. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Empire_Exhibition) Fifty-six of the 58 countries in the Empire participated in the Exhibition, including Australia. Participation at the BEE was important for maintaining trade ties, and drumming up future business for Australian manufacturers and producers.

Physical Description

Silvered metal knife. Rounded-edge, rectangular, flattened blade with pointed tip and rat tail handle. Engraved on upper side of blade with text either side of an image of a Kangaroo.

Significance

The aim of the British Empire Exhibition was 'to stimulate trade, strengthen bonds that bind mother Country to her Sister States and Daughters, to bring into closer contact the one with each other, to enable all who owe allegiance to the British flag to meet on common ground and learn to know each other'. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Empire_Exhibition) Fifty-six of the 58 countries in the Empire participated in the Exhibition, including Australia. Participation at the BEE was important for maintaining trade ties, and drumming up future business for Australian manufacturers and producers. With 27 million visitors (making it the most popular exhibition to date (2010) ) participation ensured a large and receptive audience. This butter knife, a souvenir from the Australian court, indicates the presence of the Australian dairy industry at the exhibition.

The museum does not currently hold any souvenirs or exhibits from the British Empire Exhibition.

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