Mayhem in the Metropolis: King's College London versus University College in Student Rags
University College studentsRivalry between King's College and University College, two of London's leading higher education institutions, spilled out onto the streets of London in the form of the student rag, especially in the twentieth century.
This exhibition, designed by King's College London Archives and Corporate Record Services, explores these events - colourful, subversive and sometimes dangerous for both participant and bystander - that reached their height between the two World Wars.
Rag at King's in 1934The exhibition explains the basis of the rivalry and illustrates both the light-hearted side of running campaigns to capture each side's mascots and the sometimes dangerous outcomes such as the fate of visiting American temperance evangelist, 'Pussyfoot' Johnson who lost an eye in a battle with King's students in 1919.
It also shows how attitudes to student high spirits gradually changed and running battles were finally brought to an end by College authorities.
Several pictures have been reproduced with the kind permission of University College London
© All images shown are copyright and should not be reproduced without permission.
PLEASE NOTE: This exhibition was created for the web and is only available to view online.
In this exhibition
- Origins and mascots
- The heyday of the rag
- Later rags