30th Apr, 2025 10:00
Cameras & Scientific Instruments
Mock student funeral, 1911, Cambridge
Mock student funeral, Hills Road, Cambridge, 1911, albumen print, image size 29.5cm x 21.5cm
In 1911, the University of Cambridge witnessed an event that was as unusual as it was humorous—a mock funeral organized by its students. This event, largely driven by a spirit of jest and satire, remains a curious footnote in the history of student traditions at Cambridge.
The mock funeral was staged in May 1911, and at its heart, was a playful protest against the supposed "death" of the Tripos, the university's traditional examination system. The students, lamenting the recent changes in examination regulations which they felt diluted the academic rigor and prestige of the Tripos, decided to stage a funeral not for a person, but for an idea—the integrity of their cherished system.
The procession was elaborate and theatrical. Students dressed in mourning attire and paraded through the streets of Cambridge with a coffin that symbolically carried the "deceased" Tripos. The event was marked by a blend of solemnity and farce; mourners exaggerated their grief, wailing loudly, while others gave eulogies that were rife with irony and sarcasm.
Bystanders and local press observed the spectacle with a mix of amusement and bewilderment. The funeral procession made its way to the River Cam, where the coffin was ceremoniously set afloat and pushed out to water, signifying the final farewell to the old examination system.
This 1911 event at Cambridge is reflective of a broader tradition in British universities where humor and satire serve as mediums for students to express dissent and critique.
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Mock student funeral, Hills Road, Cambridge, 1911, albumen print, image size 29.5cm x 21.5cm
In 1911, the University of Cambridge witnessed an event that was as unusual as it was humorous—a mock funeral organized by its students. This event, largely driven by a spirit of jest and satire, remains a curious footnote in the history of student traditions at Cambridge.
The mock funeral was staged in May 1911, and at its heart, was a playful protest against the supposed "death" of the Tripos, the university's traditional examination system. The students, lamenting the recent changes in examination regulations which they felt diluted the academic rigor and prestige of the Tripos, decided to stage a funeral not for a person, but for an idea—the integrity of their cherished system.
The procession was elaborate and theatrical. Students dressed in mourning attire and paraded through the streets of Cambridge with a coffin that symbolically carried the "deceased" Tripos. The event was marked by a blend of solemnity and farce; mourners exaggerated their grief, wailing loudly, while others gave eulogies that were rife with irony and sarcasm.
Bystanders and local press observed the spectacle with a mix of amusement and bewilderment. The funeral procession made its way to the River Cam, where the coffin was ceremoniously set afloat and pushed out to water, signifying the final farewell to the old examination system.
This 1911 event at Cambridge is reflective of a broader tradition in British universities where humor and satire serve as mediums for students to express dissent and critique.
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Auction: Cameras & Scientific Instruments, 30th Apr, 2025
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