The State Entry into Delhi offers one perspective on the state of British imperial rule in recording for posterity an event which celebrated British rule. There was support in Britain and abroad for the empire but also many other views. The objects below represent the diversity of responses for and against the empire and the different kinds of objects which represent the imperial encounter.

In the late 18th century, Tipu Sultan resisted the forces of the British East India Company many times but was finally and dramatically defeated at the Battle of Seringapatam. Objects from his personal collection were highly prized by the British.

Ring and sword of Tipu Sultan

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Indian Rebellion of 1857

Allegorical print of the British response to the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

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Badge from 1900

Badge from 1900 during Boer War: “We hold a vaster empire than has been.”

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Sayings of Gandhi

Plate with key principles and sayings of Gandhi: “Freedom [is] birthright - Don’t give space to outsiders - Yield to your enemy”.

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Gandhi and his spinning wheel

Plate depicting Mohandas Gandhi working on his spinning wheel.

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Printed cloth

Cloth printed at time of Ghana’s independence from Britain in 1957.

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