Item NU 34854 Medal - Adelaide Jubilee International Exhibition, Prize, South Australia, Australia, 1887

Summary

A large bronze prize medal (75 mm diameter) featuring a profile portrait head of Queen Victoria crowned and wearing a long veil facing left and a wreath of Australian native flowers, fruits and vegetables.
Prize medals were only issued for First Prize at the Adelaide Jubilee International Exhibition; they were not named. This medal is unusual in that it has the shield of the "For Services" medal but is a First Order of Merit prize medal.
As Adelaide's first international exhibition, the Jubilee International Exhibition opened to great fanfare at noon on Tuesday 21 July 1887. The Governor, Sir W.C.F. Robinson, arrived to a flourish of trumpets. A procession of dignitaries entered the hall to the national anthem. 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 1s 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

A large bronze prize medal (75 mm diameter), it features a profile portrait head of Queen Victoria crowned and wearing a long veil facing left and a wreath of Australian native flowers, fruits and vegetables.

Obverse Description

At centre, profile portrait head of Queen Victoria crowned and wearing a long veil facing left; around, ADELAIDE JUBILEE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION . MDCCCLXXXVII E.A. ALTMANN . MELBOURNE in tiny letters under bust

Reverse Description

Within wreath of Australian native flowers, fruits and vegetables; FIRST ORDER / OF / MERIT

Edge Description

Plain