Following the death of her father, King George VI, and with the encouragement of her grandmother, Mary of Teck, Elizabeth ascended to the throne in 1953 and ushered in a “new Elizabethan era.” Following the Second World War, it fell upon Elizabeth II to bolster Britain and show that the future of the Empire was bright. She was styled as a “fairytale” queen and the activities of her family (Prince Phillip and their four children) were studied, admired and sometimes criticized.
Approaching her Diamond Jubilee in 2012, Elizabeth II will have reigned 60 years, quickly nearing the tenure of the longest-reigning monarch, her Great Great Grandmother, Queen Victoria, who reigned for sixty-three years..
The 1953 Coronation was not only a celebration of the new monarch, but also an occasion for great hope as the people of Britain looked ahead with optimistic anticipation. As was the case for previous generations, many souvenirs of the coronation were created—among them, the most popular being china and porcelain. This lovely little gold-rimmed plate shows a portrait of the young queen above the date of her coronation and flanked by the flags of the empire.
I love these coronation souvenirs and have collected a good many of them recently—from Queen Victoria to Queen Elizabeth II. I’m drawn to their innate British-ness, but also to the feelings of pride and expectation which come with them.
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