Cotton handkerchief, 23-1/4 x 23-1/2”. These were printed in the machinery department of Crystal Palace, ca. 1879 as souvenirs for those touring the plant. They could watch their souvenir being printed. Border illustrated in black and red. 

Fiji became a British colony in October 1874 and this border, with a stylized Union Jack in all corners, illustrates the classic colonial attitude toward non-Western cultures. “Fiji Before Civilization” shows a giant monster coming out of the water and gobbling up whatever humans it can capture; “Dawn of Civilization” depicts two Britannias distributing Western clothing to near naked natives; “Advance of civilization” shows Fijians trying on these clothes – one woman put on a hat, but nothing else, others fight over these new items, clearly in short supply; and “Glorious Result of Civilization” depicts a parade of folks dressed in English finery (mostly) with children selling matches or picking pockets, one man with a sandwich board advertising “Gentlemen’s Ready Made Clothes,” one woman wears a kilt, sporran and plaid socks  – stereotypes direct from 19th century London. Although sources suggest this was sponsored by a missionary society, there is nothing inherently religious in these images, not even a Bible. The images are purely 19th century satire. (at present shrink wrapped on foam core, almost no staining or folding)