The Franco-British Exhibition (1908) was a major "world’s fair” held in west London (Shepherd’s Bush/White City) from 14 May to 31 October 1908, created to showcase British and French industry, art, and imperial power while publicly celebrating the Entente Cordiale (1904)., resolving a set of colonial disputes like those around Egypt and Morocco between the two colonial powers.
The Indian Pavilion at the 1908 Franco‑British Exhibition was a massive imperial display—staging India as both an ancient craft civilization and a modern, productive colony—under official sponsorship from the Government of India. The architecture was described as Islamic, a recognizable Indian style to signify authenticity. The pavilion itself celebrated British India's elite and artisan production—textiles, carved woodwork, regional crafts, and art-school outputs (Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, Lahore)—as well as commodities such as wheat, cotton, hides/skins, and seeds.