Thursday, December 12, 2013

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: The Queen's Birthday Table at Osborne, 1859

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Via The Royal Collection Trust
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II




On special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas, gifts to Her Majesty Queen Victoria would be presented for display within whichever of the palaces she happened to be occupying at the time so that the residents (not the public) could enjoy them and so that the Queen herself could take inventory of all that she'd raked in.

While. once photography came into vogue, photographs were often taken of these gift tables, Her Majesty preferred to have these gift tables recorded for posterity in watercolor.  James Roberts was her watercolorist of choice.  

Here, we see Mr. Roberts' rendition of the Queen's Birthday Table as it was presented at Osborne House on her birthday May 24, 1859.

This was Her Majesty's fortieth birthday.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Via The Royal Collection Trust
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

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