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Laughing Matters: The State of a Nation
This display reflects on the role of humour in debates around identity, empire and power over the past two hundred years
Through over 30 objects, ranging from costumes to scripts, from puppets to music, this display unpicks the punchlines to discover what humour since the Victorian era – whether subversive, surreal, mocking or celebratory – can tell us about what it means to be British today.
Look out for the Lunchtime Lecture on 1 May at 13.00, Hochhauser Auditorium. On 2 May the In Focus Tour at 13.00 starts from the Grand Entrance, Meeting Point.
Brexit Dress. Pantomime dame costume designed by Lotte Collett for Sleeping Beauty at the Hackney Empire, 2016 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Header image: Brexit Dress. Pantomime dame costume designed by Lotte Collett for Sleeping Beauty at the Hackney Empire, 2016 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London