Painting of the Day: A Stickpin Portrait of Queen Victoria, 1850

Stickpin with Portrait of Queen Victoria
William Essex after Franz Xaver Winterhalter
English, 1850
Gold, Enamel
The Victoria & Albert Museum

When young Queen Victoria ascended to the throne in 1837, she was quickly celebrated for her grace and beauty. Images of the Queen became popular decorations and even found their way into the design of jewels. This gold stickpin (or scarf pin) features a portrait of the Queen based on the 1843 canvas by Franz Xaver Winterhalter.


The portrait, beautifully rendered in enamel, is the work of the miniaturist William Essex—much beloved of the Queen and Prince Albert. Essex has taken great care to painstakingly reproduce one of the Queen’s favorite portraits.