Object of the Day, Museum Edition: A Souvenir of the Marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana

Mug
Commemorating the Wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales
and Lady Diana Spencer, 1981
China, Made in England
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Lately, I’ve enjoyed coming across items in the collections of museums which I also have in my own collection. I recently noticed, in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum, this china mug commemorating the 1981 wedding of The Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer at St. Paul’s Cathedral.


A few weeks ago, during the Royal Wedding hoopla, I posted an image of my own “Charles and Diana” plate which has been printed with the same pattern. The cup at the V&A, a creation of bone china from Nanrich Pottery, was actually in use by a member of the museum’s staff for many years before being selected for display in the British Galleries and its formal acquisition by the V&A.

Such souvenirs generally fall into two categories. The first are functional object designed for daily use. The second set of objects are those which are created solely as keepsakes. Oddly enough, it’s those items which are used daily which seem to be the ones which survive the longest.