Queen of the Roads Badge

Details

ProvenanceProspect marked Australia Day in 1918 on 5 October with a pageant and three ‘exclusive design’ buttons sold at auction, among other attractions to raise funds. (Prospect Australia Day, 'The Express and Telegraph', 27 Sep 1918, p. 2) Money from the carnival day went to the Widows’ and Orphans’ Insurance Fund. (Prospect Australia Day, 'The Register', 5 Oct 1918, p. 6)

This badge would have been made for the ‘queen competition’ which included a Queen of Sports, Queen of Commerce, Queen of Children, and Queen of Roads. Miss A De Rose won the Queen of the Roads category represented here. (Prospect Australia Day, 'The Register', 7 Oct 1918, p. 8) ‘The Register’ reported that ‘The voting was heavy and provided considerable revenue.’SignificanceIllustrative of the badges that were popular as a means of raising funds to support charities during the First World War, following the return of soldiers, and again in the Second World War and following. This and other associated badges are a rich source of evidence on the material and cultural history of fundraising in Australia. The symbols, colours and mottoes used on the badges themselves also express ideas about the values and identity that Australians held in the early to mid-twentieth century, particularly during wartime.DescriptionCircular badge: printed paper between tin base and celluloid cover. Blue rim - marked 'Prospect Australia Day' '1918' Centrepiece - gold, marked 'Queen of the Roads'.Creator (person) Creator (organisation) Acknowledgement Queering the MuseumThis object was selected to be featured as part of the Queering the Museum project, which offered members of the LGBTQI community the opportunity to re-interpret objects from the State History Collection through a different lens. Learn more on the Queering the Museum website. External LinkQueering the MuseumWhat do you think?The meaning of an object is never fixed, but rather, is open to interpretation. When we encounter objects we bring to those encounters a history which is both culturally shared and particular to us. Museums tend to ignore this and instead to offer single interpretations of objects. This object is one of a number chosen from the State History Collection to appear in a project entitled Queering the Museum. The project invites users to upload their own interpretation of or response to a chosen object. Users can also provide links to things that inform their interpretations or responses (for example, video clips, photographs, sound tracks, artworks). Through this process we open up space for multiple interpretations. Keywordsbadgescharity badgesfundraisingAustralia Daywartime badgesLGBTIQDate of Creation1918Date of Usage1918MaterialTin
|paper
|celluloid
Accession NumberHT 1985.2015

Connections

CollectionFundraising Badges

Image Credits

Image FilenameHT1985-2015_CI23072.jpgCopyrightOut of CopyrightLicensePublic DomainPhotographerMigration Museum

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