Napkin, handkerchief, serviette

Souvenir paper table napkin commemorating the Royal inauguration of the London County Council tram services by the Prince and Princess of Wales. The napkin is printed with a programme and timetable of the day's events and illustrated with a woodcut of a tram. Surrounded with a pre-printed decorative floral border coloured pink and green the programme also notes that the royal visit begins in Lambeth Palace Road and includes a visit to a cottage on the newly built Totterdown Fields LCC social housing estate in Tooting.

Similar souvenir napkins were printed for every large public event, ceremony or procession that occured in London from the early to mid 20th century. The squares were imported into London from Japan pre-printed with a decorative border in up to 5 colours and a blank central area. This example published by Hollings and company would have been sold for a penny (1d) by street hawkers moving amongst the huge crowds that attended such popular events. As well as providing practical information such as a programme and timetable of the day's events these napkins were also intended to be taken home and kept as a souvenir. Many were framed and used as decoration in working class homes.