Tourist trappings: why we all love a tacky souvenir fridge magnet

“Circumstantial evidence suggests that there is still an interest in having personalised ‘cabinets of curiosities’ at home that can be shown to members of the family, as well as guests, serving as stores of memory and topics for discussion.”

Lethbridge says that objets trouvés – found objects such as pebbles picked from the beach – can be powerful mementoes. But there is a certain honesty, she adds, in buying something from a souvenir shop. “The tourist in search of authentic will balk at the keyring or the novelty T-shirt,” Lethbridge says, “but the purer tourist – the tourist who kno... See more

What has kept us buying trinkets for hundreds of years? Souvenirs are unique objects that at once reveal how we perceive others (the most popular souvenir bought in France is a beret) and how we want others to perceive us (“Oh, this old thing? It’s from a small shop in Paree!”). By learning about our keepsakes, we can learn about ourselves.

“It’s proof, isn’t it? It’s proof of your adventure,”

“a token of adventure”

“Food is a locus of authenticity now,” Lethbridge says, “One of the really big differences about tourism of the past 30 years has been the emphasis on food.” Victorian, Edwardian and even midcentury tourists rarely mentioned edibles. Today, we’re “much more interested in food than cathedrals”.