Painting of the Day: A Portrait of Queen Mary by Richard Jack, 1927

Queen Mary
Richard Jack, 1927
The Royal Collection

No matter where King George V went, he always took a photograph of Queen Mary with him so that she could look out at him from his desk and offer him the inspiration that he needed to guide the Empire.

While in their many homes, the King liked to be surrounded by paintings of his family—particularly of his beloved wife. In 1927, His Majesty commissioned painter Richard Jack to create a full-length portrait of the Queen for display in the King’s chambers at Buckingham Palace.

By the 1920’s, Queen Mary’s golden hair had gone gray from age, but also from the stresses of the Great War and the King’s continued failing health. Still lovely and regal, Mary posed for this full-length portrait wearing one of her favorite gowns (she preferred, when not in mourning, to wear light colors such as white, gold and blue) and her some of her favorite jewels. In her hands, she holds one of the numerous antique hand fans from her personal collection, and across her sash she wears an assortment of her garter badges and order stars.