Diana Memorabilia

No one witnessed the scenes that followed the death of Diana Princess of Wales could doubt either the intensity of the emotion or the crucial role of the mass media its blanket coverage and global broadcasting. In the months since her death, commentators have begun to analyse both the causes and effects of this event. Certainly, one result in Britain has been a further re-assessment of the monarchy, the institution that so long projected itself as essential to British identity. An equally striking feature of the reaction to Diana's death, however, was the effect it had outside Britain. To the debates on the meaning of her life and death which followed the scenes of mass mourning, may be added the question who controls access to whatever meaning can be agreed? This tension between public and private accessibility has been felt particularly in the area of marketing, an area close links to mass media. Within a few days of her death, Diana memorabilia began to appear, attended by questions of taste and copyright and the degree to which profit should be diverted to the charities which were essential to the Princess's image even before her death. This complex mixture of mass marketing, media reportage, and popular reaction to a figure to whom the term modern icon is actually appropriate will no doubt be debated many years to come, and folkloristics is one of the many disciplines a contribution to make. A specialised, but interesting, area of the Diana marketing phenomenon is the selling of collectables through popular magazines in the USA. This mail-order collectable market is hardly new and has, in fact, been increasing in the past decade. The formula is much the same any product. Collectable objects--ceramic plates, cups and saucers, figures or, most important the Diana phenomenon, dolls--are offered by mail order in editions and a series of modest payments. The advertisement emphasises traditional subject matter as well as traditional craftsmanship. The essential marketing ploy is buying into which is embodied in a transient object, though the easy payments suggest access all. There is a certain conflict here since a limited edition suggests exclusivity, and such implies access only to an elite. The rhetoric of these advertisements indirectly offers a resolution between craftsmanship, exclusivity, and mass access. This is particularly interesting since the Diana dolls began to be advertised in popular magazines within a month of her death. Dolls and plates, objects where representation of the woman can predominate, have been the most common collectables offered so far. Such memorabilia stress the quality of the object. Dolls are invariably modelled by a renowned or gifted artist and plates have at least one element which is hand-painted with exquisite care. Words like care and craftsmanship imply that the creation of the object requires time and labour, and the reader is urged to acquire it or submit a reservation it rather than buy. The concept of tradition which these objects evokes implies beauty, stability and value, whether monetary, cultural or religious. Titles of series often incorporate the word heirloom. Children and baby dolls, often in period costume, appear frequently. A series called fantasies shows an elaborately dressed Victorian child, a descendent of US emigrants holding a picture of her grandparents: Feel her love family tradition and hold it in your heart forever (Ladies Home Journal October 1997). Bride dolls are among the most popular, particularly following a fashion through the ages theme. For example, a doll in turn-of-the-century costume will be remembered for the traditions she inspires in her daughters when they become brides (Ladies Home Journal August 1995). Both Jacqueline Kennedy and Princess Diana are depicted in their wedding dresses, the latter on a commemorative plate

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• Roadside Crosses in Contemporary Memorial Culture

  Richard E Meyer, Holly Everett•Western Folklore•2002

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