Painting of the Day: Queen Victoria Inspecting Wounded Grenadier Guardsmen, 1855

Queen Victoria Inspecting Wounded Grenadier Guardsmen
George Housman Thomas, 1855
The Royal Collection

Queen Victoria—despite what some of her detractors might have thought at the time—was deeply troubled by the Crimean War, and, in particular the plight of the men who were wounded and killed in battle. In 1855, the Queen welcomes thirty-two wounded guardsmen and their families into the newly renovated Great Hall.


She had prepared to make a speech—to offer the men and their families some words of encouragement to ease their suffering. However, she was so overcome upon seeing how badly the men had been wounded, that she found herself stumbling with her words. That night, she wrote in her journal, “‘It was a touching sight, & one could not see a finer set of men ... whom it made one’s heart bleed, to see so mutilated ... I had meant to make some kind of general speech, but I was so agitated, that it all stuck in my throat”

The event was recorded in this watercolor painting by George Housman Thomas who was a military artist for the Illustrated London News. The painting is also one of the first—if not the first—which shows Queen Victoria’s 1855 redecoration of parts of the palace.

Mastery of Design: The British Alliance Brooch, 1855

Brooch
John Linnit for Garrard & Co, 1855
Gold, Silver, Diamonds, Rubies,
Sapphires, Emeralds and Enamel
The Royal Collection

Designed under the supervision of Prince Albert (as was most of Queen Victoria’s jewelry), this brooch of gold, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds and enamel was created to symbolize the alliance between Britain, France and Turkey during the Crimean War.


The Royal jewelers at R. & S. Garrard & Co. commissioned jeweler John Linnit to create the brooch for Her Majesty. Linnit was celebrated for his intricate jeweled boxes and his ability to create glittering mosaics from precious stones. Linnit carefully set and enameled the piece which features the flags of Britain and France flanking the symbols of Turkey—a crescent moon and star. A laurel of emeralds represents peace. Upon a cerulean blue enamel sash, the date 1855 has been written in gold.

Prince Albert presented the brooch to Queen Victoria on Christmas Day of 1855. This is one of the pieces of her personal collection of jewelry that she willed to the State upon her death.