Unusual Artifacts: Wedding Favors, 1854

Click image to enlarge.
Wedding Favors
England, c. 1854
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The tradition of handing out wedding favors, especially to those who participated in the wedding party, goes back centuries. The origin of this custom is difficult to trace as it is not unique to any one culture.

Some of the most famous wedding favors are those which were presented at the 1840 marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. “The Times” reported that white favors were given out at the lavish nuptials:

Every lady exhibited a white favour, some of which were admirable specimens of refined taste. They were of all sizes, many of white satin riband, tied up into bows and mixed with layers of rich silver lace. Others merely of riband intermixed with sprigs of orange flower blossom.

While the custom of orange blossoms at a wedding pre-dates Victoria’s wedding considerably and actually arose in Asia, the interest in the blooms was rejuvenated after that Royal wedding. After witnessing the gorgeous orange blossoms at Queen Victoria’s wedding, many brides wished to have similar favors and turned to more permanent imitation blossoms.

Take, for example, this pair of wedding favor froms an 1854 union. The orange blossoms on these favors are made of cloth and feature silvered paper leaves and trimmings of cream silk satin ribbon. These items are associated with the wedding of Elizabeth Wroughton Richards to the Reverend Andrew Nugee on August 8, 1854.

Royal Icing: The Wedding Cake of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth

The Wedding Cake of the Duke
and Duchess of York
McVitie & Price, 1923
The Royal Collection

Royal weddings are historically lavish affairs. For example, let’s take a look at the principle cake from the marriage of the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI—of The King’s Speech fame—and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother).

On April 26, 1923, Albert Frederick Arthur George, the Duke of York married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at Westminster Abbey. The nation joined them in celebrating. While the guest list was as guarded as the one for Friday’s wedding, those in attendance were many in number. A variety of cakes were served to the guests, but, as is still the custom, one principle wedding cake served as the centerpiece.

The grand cake stood at three meters (almost 10 feet) tall and weighed over 350 kilograms (over 770 pounds). The four-tier cake was made by McVitie and Price with ingredients supplied by the Girl Guides of Australia. Full-faced, porcelain figures of winged putti holding rings decorated the massive confection. Two of these figurines survive in the Royal Collection.

Porcelain Putti, 1923The Royal Collection

“Bertie” (as he was known to family and friends) and Elizabeth enjoyed a long and happy marriage despite the troubles of the world around them. Their union brought about two daughter—Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose. Of course, today, Princess Elizabeth is Queen Elizabeth II.

Gifts of Grandeur: Prince Albert’s Bookmark, 1840

Book Mark of Gold and Gemstones
Given by the Duchess of Kent to Prince Albert at his 1840 Wedding to Queen Victoria
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection 
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

This handsome bookmark was made in 1840 and was given as a gift by the Duchess of Kent (Queen Victoria’s Mother) to Prince Albert on the day of his marriage to Queen Victoria—February 10.

The gold bookmark was inserted into the prayer book which Prince Albert held on his wedding day. The structure of gold hangs from green silk ribbons. It is set with eight gemstones which spell out the name, “Victoria.” Let’s take a look at it, beginning with the deep red stone at the top, center.

V – Vermillion. This deep red stone is actually a garnet. At the time, it was commonly called “Vermeil” for vermillion as a description of its color. In modern jewelry terms, this can be quite confusing since the term now refers to silver which has been plated in a metallic blend of gold and other alloys. 

I – Jargoon. Yeah, I know. That doesn’t begin with an “I.” However, in 1840, a “J” was often used in place of an “I.” 

C – Chrysolite. Wow. This one actually means what it is and starts with the right letter. 

T – Turquoise. 

O – Opal 

R – Ruby 

I – Jargoon, again. By the way, this is a reddish-amber colored natural zircon. 

A – Amethyst

Gifts of Grandeur: Queen Victoria's Engagement Bracelet, 1839

Queen Victoria's Engagement Bracelet
November, 1839
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection 
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

This gold bracelet is constructed of flat, tapering links—each engraved with tendrils and volutes. The centerpiece consists of a lovely amethyst which has been carved as a double heart. Behind this is a glass locket—now empty—which is engraved with a V monogram and the date: 23 Nov. 1939.

This attractive bauble was one of several elegant and costly engagement gifts given to Queen Victoria(1819-1901) upon the announcement to the Privy Council of her impending marriage to Prince Albert in 1839. The bracelet was given to the Queen by The Duchess of Kent, Her Majesty’s mother with whom she had, at best, a rather rocky relationship. 

Upon the Queen’s 1901 death, at her previous request, this bracelet was one of a group of jewels which was put on display in the “Albert Room” at Windsor Castle. This was the room in which Prince Albert had died in 1861. Victoria insisted that the room remain untouched and just as he left it—and, so it did until her own death. After Queen Victoria’s death, the group of jewels which she had specified be displayed in the Albert Room were to remain there and, she insisted, not passed on to her family. 

Royal Gifts: A Ruby Ring Given to Queen Victoria at her Wedding, 1840

Ruby and Diamond Ring
French, 1840
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
via The Royal Collection Trust
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Little is mentioned about Queen Victoria’s half-sister, Feodora, Princess Hohenlohe-Langenburg. Feodora was the second child of Queen Victoria’s mother, the Duchess of Kent, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and her first husband, Emich Carl, Prince of Leiningen.


Despite the differences in their lineage, Victoria and Feodora enjoyed a very close relationship. On the eve of Victoria’s wedding to Prince Albert, Princess Feodora presented her sister with this attractive ruby and diamond ring. The gold band is inscribed with “Unis à jamais” (‘united forever.”) and features a ruby which signifies love and a diamond representing eternity.

The Queen wore the band on her right hand and was said to have cherished it until the end of her life. We can see by the wear pattern that it was a much-loved piece of jewelry. 

Gifts of Grandeur: The Ladies of Devonshire Earrings, 1893

The Ladies of Devosnhire Earrings
English, 1893
The Royal Collection

These simple and elegant earrings were purchased by the Ladies of Devonshire—a group headed by one Lady Clinton—in 1893 as a wedding present for Princess May of Teck (later Queen Mary). The earrings were designed to match a pearl and diamond necklace which was presented to the future Duchess of York/Princess of Wales/Queen by a sister group called “The Ladies of England.”

Queen Mary cherished these earrings. In 1947, she presented them as a wedding gift to her granddaughter, Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II).

History’s Runway: The Baba Beaton Wedding Dress, 1934

Wedding Dress
Charles James, 1934
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This wedding gown was worn by Miss Baba Beaton in November of 1934 when she married Mr. Alec Hambro. The gown, designed by Charles James, shows the development of the designer’s famous complex cut and simple lines.

James said of his work, “all my seams have meaning - they emphasise something about the body.”

The gown is constructed of cream, ivory, and satin. It’s cut with a high neckline and long, tight sleeves. James’ famous seaming and darting serves to sculpt the satin to fit the body. The finishing touch is a spray of wax orange blossoms at the neck. 

Royal Gifts: The Orange Blossom Parure, 1839-1846

Pieces of the Orange Blossom Parure
1839-1846
Given by Prince Albert to Queen Victoria
Gold, Enamel, Porcelain
The Royal Collection

Perhaps the most romantic of all the Royal couple, Prince Albert and Queen Victoria truly took delight in one another. They lavished each other with gifts from almost the moment they met. One of the first gifts that Prince Albert gave Victoria—well before their marriage—was a lovely little pin of enamel and gold which took the form of a sprig of orange blossoms. Orange blossoms were often associated with marriage.

In honor of this gift, the Queen wore real orange blossoms on the day of her wedding. Over the next seven years, Prince Albert gifted the Queen with several more pieces of orange blossom jewelry. Some of these pieces still remain as part of this impressive and attractive parure.

Queen Victoria wore this suite on her wedding anniversary each year, even after the early death of Prince Albert. 

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: A Slice of Queen Victoria's Wedding Cake

A slice of the wedding cake of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
10 February 1893
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Many brides will save a slice of their wedding cake and tuck it away in the freezer so that, on the first anniversary of the marriage, she and her husband can enjoy it and remember the day.  The Royal Family has long had the same tradition, however, they keep the slices, not in a freezer, but...well, I don't know where...and they keep them forever.  Forever!

On February 10, 1840, a slice of the cake made for the marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert was spirited away for posterity and kept in a wee, flat cardboard box decorated just for that purpose. 

I'm glad to say that it remains to this day.  I'm not sure if that orange mummy we're seeing in there is the cake, but if it is, I know I've finally met a piece of cake I don't want to eat.

Mastery of Design: Queen Elizabeth II's Wedding Bracelet, 1947

Diamond Bracelet
Philip Antrobus, 1947
English
The Royal Collection

For their 1947 wedding, Prince Philip (now the Duke of Edinburgh) wanted to present his bride (now Queen Elizabeth II) with a fitting token of his affection. Philip’s mother, Princess Andrew of Greece, offered her son the brilliant-cut diamonds from one of her tiaras so that they could be reset into a new piece of jewelry for the woman who would become Queen of England.


Prince Philip commissioned London jeweler Philip Antrobus (of 6 Old Bond Street) to create this magnificent bracelet in a very late-1940’s style. The diamonds are gorgeous in their platinum setting and show that despite his gruff exterior, Prince Philip might just have some of the artistic sensibility demonstrated by Prince Albert in the mid Nineteenth Century.

Gifts of Grandeur: The Edmund Ware Ring, 1912

Click on image to enlarge.
Engagement Ring
Edmund Ware
London, 1912
This and all related images from
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The work of British designer Edmund Ware (1883-1960) in 1912, this fantastic gold ring is bezel-set with a cabochon sapphire which is flanked by six brilliant-cut diamonds. Each diamond is presented in a separate, raised collet. The shoulders of the ring are adorned with tracery.

Aside from being an exceptional piece of jewelry and indicative of Ware’s designs, this ring has special significance, especially for Ware himself. Ware designed the ring as an engagement present for his future bride. There are no records which note her reaction to the gift, but I’d bet she was quite happy with it.

Mastery of Design: The Duke of York Ring, 1791

Ring
British, 1791
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This ring is a souvenir of the marriage in Berlin on September 29, 1791 of Frederick Augustus, Duke of York and Earl of Ulster (1763-1827). Frederick was the second son of King George III, and Princess Frederica of Prussia. Traditionally, the second son of the Regent is created the Duke of York. Only Queen Victoria strayed from this practice.


The enameled gold ring was presented by the bridegroom to John Marling, a guest at the wedding. The swelling hoop of the ring is inscribed with interlaced Y’s (for York) and the hoop is inscribed “SOYEZ HEUREUX” meaning “Be Happy” in French.

Painting of the Day: The Wedding of the Duke and Duchess of York, a Symbolic Representation, 1923

The Wedding of the Duke and Duchess of York:
A Symbolic Representation
April, 1923
Ricciardo Meacci
The Royal Collection

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, was a lifelong fan of Florentine painting after being introduced to the work of the Italian masters as a young girl. The woman responsible for teaching young Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon about art was her mother’s unmarried sister, Violet Cavendish-Bentinck.


It was Cavendish-Bentinck who presented The Duke and Duchess of York (the future King George V I and Queen Elizabeth) with this symbolic painting on their wedding day in April of 1923.

The Duke and Duchess of York on their
wedding day in 1923.  Elizabeth is not holding her
bouquet.  In a touching, unrehearsed moment,
she paused to place her flowers on the
Tomb of the Unknown Solider upon entering
Westminster Abbey.

The painting is styled as a Renaissance altarpiece and is the work of Italian painter Ricciardo Meacci who was celebrated for his miniature watercolor allegorical paintings. Meacci often created miniature works in the style of Renaissance altarpieces and his work quickly found an audience with the elite of London.

This was one of two wedding gifts that were created by Meacci. The other was a painted headboard in a similar style.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: Cover for “The Queen & Prince Albert Polka,” 1840

The Queen & Prince Albert Polka
1840
Color Lithograph
After John Brandard, Artist
M. & N. Hanhart, Lithographer
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Two things were quite popular in Britain in 1840: the marriage of their Queen to Prince Albert and the polka. Well, okay, there were other things going on, too, but they don’t factor into this object. This printed page combined the wedding and the polka into one very charming graphic.

Here, we see the cover from the sheet music for a popular song written in time for the wedding—“The Queen & Prince Albert Polka.” The cover depicts Queen Victoria in a white gown wearing the sash of the Order of the Garter, as one does when one polkas, and Prince Albert in a very handsome red military jacket with epaulettes. They look out to the viewer as if to entreat them to join in the festivities. A border of gold, scrolled foliage surrounds the image and title.

It’s very cute. I want it.

Royal Gifts: The Orange Blossom Parure, 1839-1846

Pieces of the Orange Blossom Parure
1839-1846
Given by Prince Albert to Queen Victoria
Gold, Enamel, Porcelain
The Royal Collection

Perhaps the most romantic of all the Royal couples, Prince Albert and Queen Victoria truly took delight in one another. They lavished each other with gifts from almost the moment they met. One of the first gifts that Prince Albert gave Victoria—well before their marriage—was a lovely little pin of enamel and gold which took the form of a sprig of orange blossoms. Orange blossoms were often associated with marriage.

In honor of this gift, the Queen wore real orange blossoms on the day of her wedding. Over the next seven years, Prince Albert gifted the Queen with several more pieces of orange blossom jewelry. Some of these pieces still remain as part of this impressive and attractive parure.

Queen Victoria wore this suite on her wedding anniversary each year, even after the early death of Prince Albert. 

Painting of the Day: A Preliminary Sketch For Queen Elizabeth's Hat and Gown for the Royal Wedding, 1947

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

I was very thrilled to find this rare preliminary sketch for Queen Elizabeth’s (The Queen Mother’s) gown and hat for the marriage of her daughter, Princess Elizabeth (now Queen Elizabeth II) to the Duke of Edinburgh. The sketch was made in the spring of 1947 by Sir Norman Hartnell. 

Mastery of Design: Keep it in the Family, A Royal Wedding Tiara

The Girls of Great Britain Tiara
Silver, Diamonds, 1893
The Royal Collection

We all have wonderful valuable items in our families which may have more sentimental value than monetary value. Regardless of the financial importance of these pieces, they should be kept within families for future generations to enjoy and learn from.


Of course, the British Royal Family has more nifty stuff than most of us. Their collection of art and jewels is unrivaled.

Take for instance, this beautiful tiara which was given to Princess Victoria Mary of Teck (later Queen Mary) upon her marriage to the future King George V. This tiara of diamonds and silver was presented to Mary in 1893. Known as The “Girls of Great Britain” Tiara, it was a gift from the “Girls of Great Britain and Ireland,” and bought with money raised by a committee chaired by Lady Eve Greville. Mary wasn’t thrilled with the original pearl finials on the tiara and had them replaced with the large diamonds we see today.

Queen Mary gave this stunning piece of jewelry to Princess Elizabeth (now Queen Elizabeth II) on the day of her wedding in 1947. This tiara can also be inverted and worn as a necklace.

Gifts of Grandeur: A Delicious Souvenir of the Wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

Silver Box Containing a Piece of
Queen Victoria abd Prince Albert's Wedding Cake
1840
Silver, Fruit cake
The Royal Collection

Tomorrow, we're going to have a theme day based around this week's treat of the week.

So, in its spot, let's keep up with our "Royal Wedding" theme with a special historical treat.

Keeping a piece of the wedding cake in the freezer to enjoy on one’s first anniversary is a common practice. Keeping a piece of the wedding cake forever is a little more unusual these days, but if you’re the Queen and Prince Consort of the British Empire, then, it’s certainly a charming idea.


A square of the wedding cake from the Wedding Breakfast of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert has been preserved in this simple silver box upon which the date of the wedding, February 10, 1840 has been engraved.

The wedding breakfast was not technically a breakfast, nor was it even a brunch. It was more of a late lunch than anything. Following the wedding ceremony at 2:00 in the afternoon, members of the wedding party and special guests were invited to the lavish “breakfast” at Buckingham Palace. 

Unusual Artifacts: Wedding Favors, 1854

Click image to enlarge.
Wedding Favors
England, c. 1854
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The tradition of handing out wedding favors, especially to those who participated in the wedding party, goes back centuries. The origin of this custom is difficult to trace as it is not unique to any one culture.

Some of the most famous wedding favors are those which were presented at the 1840 marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. “The Times” reported that white favors were given out at the lavish nuptials:

Every lady exhibited a white favour, some of which were admirable specimens of refined taste. They were of all sizes, many of white satin riband, tied up into bows and mixed with layers of rich silver lace. Others merely of riband intermixed with sprigs of orange flower blossom.

While the custom of orange blossoms at a wedding pre-dates Victoria’s wedding considerably and actually arose in Asia, the interest in the blooms was rejuvenated after that Royal wedding. After witnessing the gorgeous orange blossoms at Queen Victoria’s wedding, many brides wished to have similar favors and turned to more permanent imitation blossoms.

Take, for example, this pair of wedding favor froms an 1854 union. The orange blossoms on these favors are made of cloth and feature silvered paper leaves and trimmings of cream silk satin ribbon. These items are associated with the wedding of Elizabeth Wroughton Richards to the Reverend Andrew Nugee on August 8, 1854.

Royal Icing: The Wedding Cake of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth

The Wedding Cake of the Duke
and Duchess of York
McVitie & Price, 1923
The Royal Collection

Royal weddings are historically lavish affairs. For example, let’s take a look at the principle cake from the marriage of the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI—of The King’s Speech fame—and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother).

On April 26, 1923, Albert Frederick Arthur George, the Duke of York married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at Westminster Abbey. The nation joined them in celebrating. While the guest list was as guarded as the one for Friday’s wedding, those in attendance were many in number. A variety of cakes were served to the guests, but, as is still the custom, one principle wedding cake served as the centerpiece.

The grand cake stood at three meters (almost 10 feet) tall and weighed over 350 kilograms (over 770 pounds). The four-tier cake was made by McVitie and Price with ingredients supplied by the Girl Guides of Australia. Full-faced, porcelain figures of winged putti holding rings decorated the massive confection. Two of these figurines survive in the Royal Collection.

Porcelain Putti, 1923
The Royal Collection

“Bertie” (as he was known to family and friends) and Elizabeth enjoyed a long and happy marriage despite the troubles of the world around them. Their union brought about two daughter—Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose. Of course, today, Princess Elizabeth is Queen Elizabeth II.