The autobiography of a nation The 1951 Festival of Britain [Paperback]

The first full-length study on the 1951 Festival of Britain. An examination of how Britain and Britishness were portrayed in the 1951's Festival's exhibitions and events. Covers the Festival's history and historiography, its purpose, its representations of the future and the past, the role of London and the 'local', the British Empire and finally its legacy.

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgements

Section 1: Introducing the Festival

1. The Background: history and historiography

2. The Festival's People and Purposes

Section 2: Time

3. The Festival's representations of the future

4. The Festival's representations of the past

Section 3: Place

5. London-based representations of the metropole and the 'regions'

6. The role of 'the local' in the Festival

7. The place that was almost absent: the British Empire

8. The place of escape and edification: the Battersea Pleasure Gardens

Section 4: Conclusion

9. Conclusion: The Festival and its legacy

Select Bibiliography

Appendices

Index

Becky E. Conekin is a Research Fellow and Lecturer at the London College of Fashion, The London Institute