1920s: the decade that changed London

24 July 2003

After a two-year break in its exhibition programme, the Museum of London bursts back into London’s cultural calendar with an exciting panorama of one of the most dynamic periods in the capital’s recent history.

After a two-year break in its exhibition programme, the Museum of London bursts back into London’s cultural calendar with an exciting panorama of one of the most dynamic periods in the capital’s recent history.

1920s: the decade that changed London, from 17 October 2003 to 18 July 2004, brings together fashion, art, architecture, film, politics and culture in a kaleidoscope of objects and ideas which throw new light on this exhilarating decade. Over 400 exhibits, some not seen in public in over 80 years, reveal the many ways in which Londoners came to terms with life in the 20th century.

From Anna Pavlova’s ballet costumes and an early Norman Hartnell wedding dress to Selfridges’ golden lifts and the gates of the 1929 Firestone Factory, costume and architecture appear side by side to capture the decade’s unique style. Yet there was much more to the 20s than the Charleston and Art Deco, and the exhibition highlights the influence of America and Russia in a dramatic story of political and social change.

Letters from Gandhi and Bolshevik propaganda posters join the work of contemporary artists Eric Gill, Laura Knight, William Roberts, Doris Zinkeisen, Henry Tonks and Ambrose McEvoy in an exploration of the thoughts and ideas of the time.

Everyday items, from one of the earliest red phone boxes to cartoons starring Fritz the Cat and a wall of giant advertising posters, highlight the period as one of innovation and change, while a unique collection from 1920s cult group The Kindred of the Kibbo Kift celebrates a return to a more spiritual sense of Englishness.

Moving from ballet to Bolshevism, capitalism to spiritualism, the ground breaking displays at the heart of 1920s: the decade that changed London challenge our understanding of Britain’s capital immediately after the First World War, and in doing so raise many questions that will resonate with Londoners today.

Was democracy working? Had government spin gone too far? Was American capitalism destroying the British way of life? Should London’s transport be run by public or private companies? The roots of today’s big issues lie in the 1920s and the exhibition offers many thought-provoking parallels between London then and London now.

Editor's notes:

1. 1920s: the decade that changed London is the first exhibition in the new Linbury Gallery, a dedicated exhibition space generously sponsored by the Linbury Trust as part of the Museum of London’s £33 million redevelopment programme. Designed by recent Stirling Prize winners Wilkinson Eyre Architects, the new scheme will extend the existing building on London Wall to incorporate a 70% increase in gallery space, a bold new entrance at street level by Foster and Partners and a radical remodelling of the interior spaces.
2. Developed in-house by Gail Symington, the exhibition’s innovative design challenges traditional notions of Museum display, reflecting the 1920s as a period of change and innovation. Setting a new British standard for history exhibitions, it offers an engaging, stimulating and accessible experience for visitors of all ages and backgrounds, with a special family trail and series of interactive exhibits appealing directly to family visitors. The accompanying website has been tailored to the needs of citizenship studies in the national curriculum.
3. A full programme of events will run alongside the exhibition, including drama characters and a study day on film in 1920s London co-hosted by the London Film Archive, who have supplied much of the exhibition’s extensive film footage.
4. An accompanying book ‘Twenties London: a City in the Jazz Age' by exhibition curator Dr Cathy Ross, published by Philip Wilson Publishers, is available from the Museum shop price £14.95, paperback. ISBN0-904818-99-3.

Opening times
Monday to Saturday 10am-5.50pm
Sunday 12pm-5.50pm

Ticket prices
Adults £5, for an unlimited number of visits to the exhibition
Concessions, children and students £3.00

Press enquiries:
Judith Holmes 020 7814 5502
Fay Ross-Magenty 020 7814 5503