Summary

Transfer printed tea cup, produced as a souvenir of the Adelaide Jubilee International Exhibition. The exhibition was held in 1887 to mark Queen Victoria's 50th Jubilee. The Cup features an image of the exhibition building, which was constructed on North Terrace in central Adelaide, following a design by the architects Withall & Wells.

As Adelaide's first international exhibition, the Jubilee International Exhibition opened to great fanfare at noon on Tuesday 21 July 1887. The Governor of South Australia, Sir W.C.F. Robinson, arrived to a flourish of trumpets. A procession of dignitaries entered the hall to the national anthem (God Save the Queen). Addresses were read, a choir sang, the Queen was cheered and the national anthem was sung again. The exhibition was now open to the general public, who were charged 1/- to enter, with children under 14 half price. Season tickets were also available. The exhibition included 296,720 feet of floor space and 73,893 feet of wall space. 200 jurors assessed the entries, under the superintendence of Dr Rennie, Professor at the University of Adelaide. Awards were presented to prize winners at an evening ceremony on 30 November. Rolls of awards were presented to the representatives of each country, rather than to the large numbers of individual winners. On-going entertainments were offered to visitors during the course of the exhibition. 789,672 people visited the exhibition, more than twice Adelaide's population of 309,820. The exhibition closed on 6 January 1888, again to rousing renditions of the national anthem.

Physical Description

Ceramic cup. White body, tinted pink on the exterior, with a transfer printed image of the exhibition building on the face (opposite to the handle).

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