HON 205 Queen Victoria

When Queen Victoria ascended to the throne in 1837 she was only eighteen years old (Cavendish 1). Having grown up without a father, Victoria was a willful, independent girl. Many people thought that an older, more mature husband would help tame her, but this was not to be.

            Victoria married her cousin Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who was from Germany (Reynolds 19). The match had been made by her German uncle, King Leopold, who was her mother’s brother (Cavendish 1, Reynolds 19). The Duke and Duchess of Kent…

            Sir Edwin Henry Landseer was a child prodigy who began training at the Royal Academy of Arts when he was only thirteen years old ("Landseer, Edwin Henry (Sir)" 1). Most known for his paintings, sculptures, and etchings of animals, he was Queen Victoria’s favorite painter. Landseer was so talented that when the former president of the Royal Academy, Sir Charles Eastlake, died, he was offered the presidency. He declined the offer ("Landseer, Edwin Henry (Sir)" 3).

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In the nineteenth century, royals began to have a budget for their fashion choices, which was paid through the taxes of citizens. As a result, most people insisted that the royals would wear “fine” clothing so that their money would not be going to waste (Staniland 12). Queen Victoria struggled to obtain all of her fashionable wear with her annual wardrobe budget of approximately 600 pounds (Staniland 13). Due to the tight fashion budget put in place by the royal court, “the Queen attached great importance to clothes,” (Stanley and Worsley 262) and clothing was often gifted onto others…

At the age of twenty years old, Queen Victoria married her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, on February 10th, 1840. Despite the political pressure placed on Queen Victoria to marry in order to satisfy the era’s social need for a solid male presence in a young woman’s life (Rohrs 5), the marriage between Victoria and Albert was a blissful one. Queen Victoria, unlike most women of the time, had the luxury of choosing her spouse. Queen Victoria’s personal selection of her spouse  appeared to have worked in her favor since the marriage between Queen Victoria and Prince…

Becker, E. Queen Victoria, the Prince Consort, and their children with the Duchess of Kent 1854 [Photograph of a group portrait of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert with their seven eldest children and Queen Victoria's mother, the Duchess of Kent. The group are posed in front of a fountain at Osborne House. The group stand, positioned from left to right are: Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, Princess Victoria, Princess Royal, Prince Arthur, Princess Alice, Prince Albert, Queen Victoria, Princess Louise, the Duchess of Kent, Princess Helena and Prince Alfred.]. Retrieved October 22,…

Caldesi, L. The Royal Family at Osborne May 1857 [Photograph of a group portrait of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert with their family taken in the grounds of Osborne House. The photograph depicts, from left to right, Prince Alfred, Prince Albert, Princess Helena, Princess Alice, Prince Arthur, Queen Victoria holding Princess Beatrice in her arms, Princess Victoria, Prince Leopold and Prince Albert Edward of Wales. The family pose in front of a sculpture of a full length female figure, positioned in in an alcove. There is a balustrade to the left of the group.]. Retrieved October…

After Queen Victoria ascended to the throne in 1837, the popularity of a different form of royal representation became more popular (Reynolds & Matthew 11). Most monarchs before Queen Victoria had had their portraits painted as a symbol of their status and power (Plunkett 69). While Queen Victoria herself had portraits commissioned, the symbolism behind the portraits changed with the dawn of a new form of representation in photography, leading to a subsequent decline in portraiture of future monarchs that began after the Victorian era. Having been invented and introduced in Paris in…

Roger Fenton studied at the University College London, initially studying mathematics as well as the classical languages including Greek and Latin, though he later also obtained a law degree (“Fenton, Roger”). Although he practiced law in his career, he also became known for his photography and painting skills, depicting a variety of subjects including notable figures like Queen Victoria and her family (“Fenton, Roger”). As a founding member of the Photographic Society of London, he had royal support from Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in encouraging the use of photography as a new…