Object of the Day: A Commemorative Plate Depicting the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, 1937

Plate
Shelley China, 1937
Photo by Marcus Adams, 1934
The Royal Collection

The unexpected coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth allowed for a lot of souvenir merchandising opportunities that King Edward VIII’s coronation wouldn’t have afforded. The commemorative objects made for the coronation that didn’t happen could only feature images of Edward. It was Edward, Edward, Edward—which I’m sure the future Duke of Windsor liked because he was, after all, rather self-involved. Still, after the abdication crisis, and the news that the Duke of York would ascend the throne, manufacturers were able to produce souvenir items which not only featured their new king, but his consort and his two very photogenic daughters—the Princesses Elizabeth (now Queen Elizabeth II) and Margaret Rose (now dead).

Here, we see a very attractive souvenir plate which was made in 1937 for the coronation of King George VI. The plate features a transfer-print which shows a photo of the two young princesses taken in 1934 by famed photographer Marcus Adams.

Meanwhile, the Edward VIII souvenirs were mostly scrapped. I’ve got a few of them. I like to think that the rest of them were purchased by the Duke of Windsor himself who probably delighted in eating off of his own face and drinking tea from his own head. Of course, that’s purely speculation on my part, but I suspect not too far from the truth.