Sculpture of the Day: A Staffordshire Figure of Queen Victoria, 1840

Figurine
Earthenware
Staffordshire, England, 1840
Young Queen Victoria
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Earthenware figures such as this one were called “flatbacks.” Such figurines were designed for display on a mantelpiece. They’ve long been associated with Staffordshire, England, where they were first made in the late 1830s. This Staffordshire figure depicts the young Queen Victoria (1819-1901) and was made to commemorate her marriage to Prince Albert. A figurine of Prince Albert was created as a mate to this one.
The earliest datable Staffordshire figures seem to all be depictions of Queen Victoria and date to the time of her 1837 coronation, By the 1840’s, this trend gave rise to the design of many other royal figures by Staffordshire, especially to celebrate the birth of the royal children of Victoria and Albert.

By 1905, production had slowed considerably. However, they were especially popular during the reign of Victoria.