Souvenir of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II by husband and wife team Edwin Smith (1912–1971), and Olive Cook (1912-2002).

The Coronation took place in Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953, and the ceremony was broadcast on radio around the world and, at The Queen's request, for the first time on television. And while, that brought the ceremony to millions of people around the world, including 27 million in Britain alone, there was still a market for visually commemorating the event with a good old-fashioned peep-show.

Both Smith and Cook were based in Cambridge, Smith was a "photographer, architect, writer, painter, draughtsman and printmaker, born in poor circumstances in London, leaving school aged 12. While at a trade school became interested in architecture and won a scholarship to the Architectural Association. Smith became known, however, mainly as a photographer. His name appeared on about 40 volumes published internationally, and many shows of his prints have been held, for example at the Plymouth Art Centre and Brighton Festival in 1985. Edwin Smith also made two films for Samaritan Films, one on Rembrandt, the other on the Pre-Raphaelites. Smith wrote several books on photography and public collections, including Victoria & Albert Museum, hold his work. During his life only a few friends knew that Smith regarded himself mainly as an artist" (Buckman).

Cook was a "worked as a typographer for the publisher Chatto and Windus, then joined the staff of the National Gallery. Although not professionally trained as a painter, she gained help from her husband and Thomas Hennell, and spent a short time at Cedric Morris' East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing. Early watercolour landscapes were acquired for the Pilgrim Trust's Recording Britain project. In 1954 Cook was second prizewinner in an Italian government painting competition, she showed at Leicester Galleries, LG and WIAC and she had solo exhibitions at Arcade Gallery and at the Old Fire Engine House, Ely, 1979–84" (Buckman).