THE
EVOLUTION
OF
SOUVENIRS
The word was borrowed from the French language
meaning ‘to remember’ or ‘come to mind’
Throughout history, people have always collected tokens from their travels to distant places. Here’s a look at how it all began.
Religious Relics
The First Souvenirs
It was common for pilgrims to chip pieces off religious buildings and
statues, thinking that they were transporting the miraculous powers home.
People started acquiring tokens and
momentos from visited countries.
500AD
1660 - 1840
1400AD
The First Mass-Produced
Souvenirs
Pilgrim badges, which were easier to
manufacture than ampullae, soon
became the souvenir of choice and
were available at shrines across
Europe in vast numbers & designs.
Souvenirs of the past
and their modern equivalents
Pilgrim
badges
Painted
portraits
Capture moments from
your travels in a cool way
Souvenir
spoons
Painted
potteries
Novelty
t-shirts
Comedic
caricatures
A miniature view of your
holiday destinations. Now in 3D!
Souvenirs today:
Did you know?
Snow
globes
Memorabilia that remind
you of momentous
events attended
Music
festival t-shirts
& bandanas
The Souvenir Boom
As travelling became more affordable,
an industry for inexpensive souvenirs
rocketed; giving rise to even more types
of vacation keepsakes. Popular ones in
England included painted images of
seaside towns on vases and figurines.
Souvenir cups depicting various
destinations enjoyed a golden age,
followed by small paintings and
the picture postcard in the 1890s.
CUSTOMARY for Japanese travellers to
The Brits are one of the
The World's
It is
on souvenirs, spending over
in Las Vegas is as big as
for friends and colleagues. They usually allocate
£1.2
billion
annually
LARGEST GIFT SHOP
3
Olympic
sized
Swimming
Pools
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Royal wedding
scarves, cups,
tea towels and tins
Today, it is a niche hobby
and each spoon can range
from US$5 to US$3000.
1870 - 1960
21st century
BIGGEST SPENDERS
Fridge
magnets
Daily objects that
remind you of your travels
The Ultimate
European Excursion
It was fashionable to return with a
variety of paintings, personal portraits,
sculptures, fine clothes and monuments
as a show of their new found knowledge.
PRESENT
Show off where
you’ve been!
Mid
1800s
The Grand Tour was a traditional
coming-of-age trip undertaken by
wealthy travellers which started in
Europe.
Are souvenirs today that much different from those in
the past or have they just evolved with time?
PAST
Souvenir spoons were produced
in thousands of designs to
commemorate American cities,
towns, famous people, and
significant historical events.
To stop this trend, churches started to produce souvenirs for
pilgrims to take home instead. Ampullae, little containers storing
holy water, were some of the first souvenirs created.
980BC
Amber beads from
Scandinavia were found in
Ireland and are believed to
be the very first souvenir.
Souvenir Mania:
Collecting Spoons
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BUY OMIYAGE (お土産) , gift-packed edible souvenirs
1
2
suitcase
of space
for these
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http://www.byte-time.net/souvenir/ch4.htm | http://www.world-wide-gifts.com/souvenirs/articles-about-souvenirs/international-souvenirs/ | http://www.flysfo.com/museum/exhibitions/souvenirs-tokens-travel |
http://www.lionheartreplicas.co.uk/pilgrim-badges.html | http://www.canterbury.co.uk/museums/heritage-museum/Pilgrim-badge.aspx http://www.pasthorizonspr.com/index.php/archives/12/2012/first-souvenirs-enamelled-vessells-from-hadrians-wall |
https://www.boundless.com/art-history/europe-and-america-in-the-1700s-and-early-1800s/neoclassicism-in-italy/the-grand-tour-and-its-portraits| http://www.thewisecollector.com/the-souvenir-age.html |
http://www.cobhmuseum.com/Exhibitions/Travelling/Travelling.html | http://www.squidoo.com/international-souvenirs | http://www.univie.ac.at/Anglistik/aaas_2007/route66/class/travel/index.htm |
http://www.forgottenbooks.org/readbook_text/The_Bronze_Age_in_Ireland_1000689205/89| http://www.ancient.eu.com/article/214/ | http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/feature/history-of-souvenir-spoons/ |
http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/the-worlds-strangest-souvenirs| http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/network/english/newsletter/things_japanese_43.html |
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2169667/Holiday-spending-Britons-spend-1-2bn-year-souvenirs.html