The Home Beautiful: The Golden Jubilee of King George III Cover, 1810

Bed Cover
Made for the 1810 Golden Jubilee
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This quilted patchwork bedcover of printed cottons was made in 1810 for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria’s grandfather, King George III. At the center of the bed cover is a printed basket of flowers which includes lilies, carnations and daffodil buds. This basket is flanked by the rose and thistle, with a cluster of shamrocks beneath –the symbols of the Empire.

The panel is inscribed “G 50 R.” We should note that the floral border is a later addition. The cover has been created with both appliqué and piecing techniques to create the patchwork design.

An X-ray of the bedcover reveals that this was built upon an earlier quilt at the center which has been used for the padding. This earlier, eighteenth century quilt shows an all-over design of chevrons. 

Antique Image of the Day: The Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria, 1887

The Victoria & Albert Museum

This color-lithographed invitation card was designed for celebrations for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. The main image depicts Windsor Castle set in landscape, top right. Images of peoples of the Empire fill the lower left corner set against a backdrop of coconut palm-tree. In two roundels, top left and lower right, are portraits of Queen Victoria at the time of her accession in 1837 and in 1887, respectively.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: A Lace Program from Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, 1887

Program for Victoria's Golden Jubilee
English, 1887
The Victoria & Albert Museum

I’m always looking for these unusual pieces of history that were made with no intention of permanence. To me, these objects speak volumes about the moment they were made and give us a little window into a particular era.

Here we see a program from an 1887 Golden Jubilee soiree in honor of Queen Victoria’s fifty years on the throne. The program is of blue plate-printed silk satin edged with bobbin lace. The central cartouche of oak leaves depicts Queen Victoria as Queen of Great Britain and Empress of India. The design also includes six flags, a lion, tiger, kangaroo and beaver. The animals represent Africa, India, Australia and Canada. The back of the program shows depicts Windsor Castle. It is inscribed with “Wanstead Young Men's Association” and “Jubilee Soiree.”

The inside of two pages lists the entertainment for the evening in two parts with piano, violin and vocal turns and recitations to be performed by a number of individuals, both male and female. Prizes, apparently, were to be awarded for the best recitation.

The Wanstead Young Men's Association was just one of a number of local Victorian working class organizations with a strong interest in the performing arts. Such groups allowed young people to enjoy some artistic freedom and they were very much supported by the Queen.

Gifts of Grandeur: The Golden Jubilee of King George III Cover, 1810

Bed Cover
Made for the 1810 Golden Jubilee
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This quilted patchwork bedcover of printed cottons was made in 1810 for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria’s grandfather, King George III. At the center of the bed cover is a printed basket of flowers which includes lilies, carnations and daffodil buds. This basket is flanked by the rose and thistle, with a cluster of shamrocks beneath –the symbols of the Empire.

The panel is inscribed “G 50 R.” We should note that the floral border is a later addition. The cover has been created with both appliqué and piecing techniques to create the patchwork design.

An X-ray of the bedcover reveals that this was built upon an earlier quilt at the center which has been used for the padding. This earlier, eighteenth century quilt shows an all-over design of chevrons. 

Print of the Day: Song Sheet Cover for 'Oh! The Jubilee,' c. 1887

Oh!  The Jubilee
Sheet Music Cover
H.G. Banks, Artist
for Francis Bros., and Day
The Harry Beard Collection
The Victoria & Albert Museum

You must be patient with me today. My Internet connection is being ornery. I don't know if it's from the warm weather, the rain that's bearing down on this area or just the fact that the world is trying to make me batty. Nevertheless, as updates are able to roll out today, they will. But rest assured, I've got the usual fun in store for you and then some.

So, let's push on. Shall we?

Written and composed by James Tighe in the late 1880s for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria, “Oh! The Jubilee,” was published by Francis Bros. and Day. We see the cover for the song, depicting performer Charles Coborn surrounded by comic items suggesting “Jubilee” such as the “Jubilee Frying Pan,” “Jubilee Pills,” etc. Published by Francis Bros & Day.

Object of the Day: An Embroidered Piece of Silk Honoring Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee

 

In 1887, as Her Majesty Queen Victoria emerged from her self-imposed, mournful seclusion to celebrate fifty years on the throne, a variety of souvenirs were manufactured and marketed to the public who sought to honor their reclusive, but mostly beloved Queen.  This bit of silk was one of those items.

Beautifully woven and embroidered, the silk depicts a portrait of Victoria with her blue sash and orders and the wee diamond crown which she favored.  Beneath her, the Royal Standard and Union Jack flank a shielf emblazoned with the words “For Valour.”

Above her is embroidered:

1837 JUBILEE 1887

VICTORIA

QUEEN

OF

AN EMPIRE ON

WHICH THE

SUN NEVER SETS

So, what was this?  Was it a bookmark?  Perhaps.  But, I don’t think so.  I think, when first made, it was the ribbon attached to the bottom of a badge or medal.  We’ll never really know.  However, I’m so glad to have it, and so happy that it has survived all this time.

I do apologize for the glare on the photos and wish I had taken pictures before I framed it.

Unusual Artifacts: A Souvenir of Victoria's Golden Jubilee, 1887

The Victoria & Albert Museum

Here’s a mug that I don’t have.  Now, I have to find one.  This Queen Victoria Jubilee mug is crafted of cream-colored earthenware with brown transfer-printed bust-length portraits in medallions of Queen Victoria at the time of her accession and at the time of her Jubilee.  These appear under a crown with a ribbon inscribed “1837 VRI 1887.”   A laurel-wreath adorns the rim. 

The mug was made in Lambeth by Royal Doulton  and is marked "DOULTON BURSLEM” surrounding four interlaced D's within a shaped medallion on the bottom.

Painting of the Day: A Portrait of Queen Victoria, 1887

The Victoria & Albert Museum

Painted in 1887 for her Golden Jubilee, this unusually casual portrait of Queen Victoria is the work of Heinrich Anton von Angeli. The painting, which is on loan to the Victoria & Albert Museum from HRH Prince Michael of Kent since 1984 is considered one of the finest works of the Austrian portraitist (1840-1925) and was greatly favored by Queen Victoria and her family.


Victoria loved the portrait so much that it assumed the place of honor at Windsor Castle which had previously been occupied by the famous portrait by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, another favorite of the Queen.

This painting is actually the second of two identical portraits painted by Von Angeli. The painting was so favored that Queen Victoria asked the artist to create a close copy for her Jubilee in 1887. The original portrait was created in 1875.

During the sittings with Von Angeli in 1875, the Queen described the portrait in a letter to her daughter : “It is quite ‘en face;’ hands crossed before me as I generally stand; my usual Evng. Cap - & a black satin dress cut square as I wear them in the winter.” Queen Victoria further described the painting with delight, saying, that it is “absurdly like” and “a marvellous likeness - as if I looked at myself in the glass.”

Antique Image of the Day: The Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria, 1887

The Victoria & Albert Museum

This color-lithographed invitation card was designed for celebrations for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. The main image depicts Windsor Castle set in landscape, top right. Images of peoples of the Empire fill the lower left corner set against a backdrop of coconut palm-tree. In two roundels, top left and lower right, are portraits of Queen Victoria at the time of her accession in 1837 and in 1887, respectively.

Masterpiece of the Week: Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee Wallpaper, 1887

The Victoria & Albert Museum

This is fun. I’d like this for my powder room. Here, we see a portion of wallpaper with a design commemorating Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee of 1887 which incorporates portraits of the Queen with vignettes illustrating the people and the wildlife in the outposts of the British Empire on four continents: Australia, Canada, Cape Colony (later South Africa), and India. The paper is a color print from engraved rollers.


Wallpapers commemorating important historical events and royal anniversaries were frequently produced in the second half of the Nineteenth century. This wallpaper, like other such commemorative papers, is a “sanitary” paper--printed with oil-based colors that were not soluble in water, allowing the surface to be washable. These kinds of papers were made for inns and public spaces more so than the average home. Still, that wouldn’t stop me—even if it would have raised a few eyebrows in the 1890s.

Object of the Day: A Souvenir of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, 1887

Well, over the last week, you’ve seen a lot of Royal handkerchiefs from coronations and jubilees ranging from George V and Queen Mary to Queen Elizabeth II. They’ve varied in sizes and textiles. But, here’s the mother of them all! This is, by far, the largest in the collection and, certainly, the largest I’ve ever seen.


This handkerchief was produced in 1887 for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria (1837-1887) and it’s huge! It features, of course, a large portrait of Victoria as she looked in 1887, but also images of her throughout her life. Included also are portraits of her many children, and her many Prime Ministers.

I also like that it has been embroidered at some point in its life with a large red “B.” My Bertie tells me that it was in his honor—113 years before his birth.

Objects of the Day: A Royal Commemorative Coffee Service

This is, I think, the newest of all my Royal memorabilia, but it fits right in with the themes of coronations and jubilees. Here, we see a lovely china coffee service commemorating the Golden Jubilee (fifty years on the throne) of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. This is actually a portion of a larger set which included cups and saucers. I’ve got the coffee pot, creamer and sugar.


Each item is trimmed in gold with Her Majesty’s cipher and the dates 1952-2002.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: A Lace Program from Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, 1887

Program for Victoria's Golden Jubilee
English, 1887
The Victoria & Albert Museum

I’m always looking for these unusual pieces of history that were made with no intention of permanence. To me, these objects speak volumes about the moment they were made and give us a little window into a particular era.


Here we see a program from an 1887 Golden Jubilee soiree in honor of Queen Victoria’s fifty years on the throne. The program is of blue plate-printed silk satin edged with bobbin lace. The central cartouche of oak leaves depicts Queen Victoria as Queen of Great Britain and Empress of India. The design also includes six flags, a lion, tiger, kangaroo and beaver. The animals represent Africa, India, Australia and Canada. The back of the program shows depicts Windsor Castle. It is inscribed with “Wanstead Young Men's Association” and “Jubilee Soiree.”

The inside of two pages lists the entertainment for the evening in two parts with piano, violin and vocal turns and recitations to be performed by a number of individuals, both male and female. Prizes, apparently, were to be awarded for the best recitation.

The Wanstead Young Men's Association was just one of a number of local Victorian working class organizations with a strong interest in the performing arts. Such groups allowed young people to enjoy some artistic freedom and they were very much supported by the Queen.

Interior Appeal: Wallpaper for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, 1887

Wallpaper
English, 1887
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This section of Nineteenth Century wallpaper was most likely made for public display and not for actual private use. This was made to commemorate the Golden Jubilee (fifty years on the throne) of Queen Victoria in 1887.
The design includes a portrait of the Queen surrounded by representations of India, Canada, Australia, and the Cape Colony (part of what is now South Africa), showing the scope of her empire.

While this paper was produced for display, it wasn’t unusual to adorn walls—especially in pubic buildings—with papers depicting historical scenes and royal anniversaries. By the time of the Golden Jubilee, critics of the decorative arts and design reformers openly spoke against pictorial patterns such as this and decried that they were evidence of bad taste and poor design.

One of the special attributes of this wallpaper is that it is “sanitary” paper--printed with oil-based colors that were not soluble in water, allowing the surface to be washable. According to the V&A, “Sanitary wallpapers with commemorative designs would probably have been used in an inn or hotel rather than in an ordinary home.”

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: A Fenton Plate for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee

Plate
Fenton, 1887
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This Fenton plate is not in my collection of Royal souvenirs, though I have seen an example of it at a Dallas antique shop recently. This particular plate is housed in the Victoria & Albert Museum. Made—among a huge array of other souvenir items—for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887, the plate shows portraits of the Queen and Prince of Wales (the Heir Apparent at the time, the future King Edward VII) amongst symbols of the Empire, its imports and exports and a map of the world showing the depth of the British Commonwealth.

After the death of her husband, Prince Albert, Queen Victoria shunned public life and preferred to stay at Windsor, Balmoral, Sandringham and Osborne House over living in Buckingham Palace. However, at the time of her 1887 Jubilee, she reemerged to the public to greet hundreds of thousands of well-wishers. After that and until her Diamond Jubilee, her public appearances were more frequent, but still limited.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: A Medal from Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, 1887

Medal
Silver, 1887
Originally Presented for Queen Victoria's
Golden Jubilee, a bar with the date of the
Diamond Jubilee was added ten years later.
The Victoria & Albert Museum

A few weeks ago, I shared with you a medal from my own collection. That medal was made for the Silver Jubilee of King George V and Queen Mary.

Today, I’d like to show you a similar medal from the V&A—this one was made for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887. This medal was cast in silver, and was presented to Ministers of State and other dignitaries who attended Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee Celebration. Since Victoria’s reign lasted a good while longer, in 1897, for the Diamond Jubilee, a silver bar bearing the date was given to those who had received the 1887 decoration. The bar was meant to be added to the medal’s ribbon. This particular medal was awarded to John Charles Robinson (1824-1913), a curator, scholar and collector, whose work at the V&A in its earliest stages contributed greatly to the enduring success of the institution. Robinson was integral in the formation of the collections. In addition to his work at the V&A, Mr. Robinson was the Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures from 1882 to 1901.

Object of the Day: Museum Edition: A Pressed Glass Plate for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, 1887

My plate, 1897

Well, would you look at that! Several weeks ago, I shared with you a recent edition to my collection of Royal memorabilia. I’d never seen a plate like this pressed glass beauty created for Queen Victoria’s 1897 Diamond Jubilee.


It seems, there are more of them, and even some produced ten years earlier for the 1887 Golden Jubilee. Look, here’s one in the Victoria & Albert Museum! This one doesn’t have the gold backing that mine does, but perhaps that addition only came with the Diamond Jubilee Version. This particular plate is nearly identical to the one in my collection.

Made by Sowerby Ellison Glassworks in 1887, this plate was one way to meet the tremendous public demand for objects commemorating the Queen’s jubilee. I’m just so tickled to this this item in the V&A!

The Victoria & Albert Museum

The Victoria & Albert Museum

Painting of the Day: Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee Service at Westminster Abbey, 1887

Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee Service at
Westminster Abbey
William Ewart Lockart,, 1887-1900
The Royal Collection

To commemorate the first fifty years of her illustrious reign, the people of Britain gathered to watch Queen Victoria enter Westminster Abbey on June 21, 1887 as she attended a regal service in her honor.


The event was captured by photographers and painters alike. This scene from within the abbey is the work of William Ewart Lockart (1846-1900) at the request of the Queen. The painting took three years to complete, delivered to Victoria in 1890.

Object of the Day: A Souvenir of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, 1887

In 1887, all of Britain celebrated the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria and honored her fifty years on the throne with a procession that as Mark Twain described it, “stretched to the limit of sight in both directions," a lavish banquet and a service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey.


English merchants produced a variety of souvenirs marking the occasion. Images of the queen, sculptures, china and glass items were available for the public to have a lasting reminder of the historic event. Among them, pressed glass items such as this dome were produced. Long separated from its mate, it’s certainly the lid to some kind of vessel—either a candy dish or a biscuit jar. The dome is all that remains of the original object. But, after nearly a century and a quarter, it’s amazing that this even remains at all.

It reads, “The Queen’s Jubilee, 1837-1887,” with the initials of “V.R.” and decorative Maltese crosses. A similar cross forms a handle at the top.

Recently found at a North Texas antique store, looking quite lonely, it came home with me. While it’s bottom half is no longer with us, it now sits atop a crystal compote and catches the colored light from the hallway window quite beautifully. When I walk by it, I am reminded of Queen Victoria, and, so, after all these years, it once again serves its purpose.