Object of the Day: Queen Mary's Needlework Guild Medal

As a young Princess, Mary of Teck spent most of her pre-married life playing assistant to her strange, rotund, but wildly popular and involved mother Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge (the Duchess of Teck). A teenaged Princess May spent her days organizing her mother’s massive amounts of correspondence and helping out with her mother’s many, many charities. One of these charities was the London Needlework Guild which had been started in 1882 by Lady Wolverton as the London Guild. Originally, the Guild was designed to provide clothing to orphans. By the way, we know Lady Wolverton—sort of. Regular readers of this blog have seen a bunch of her jewelry.


In 1897, when Princess Mary Adelaide passed away, Mary of Teck (by then, married and known as The Duchess of York), took over the patronage of the guild and by 1914, it had been renamed “Queen Mary’s Needlework Guild” since, by that point, Mary and her husband had ascended the throne.

Queen Mary’s Needlework Guild was dedicated to supplying clean linens to the boys fighting in World War I. Queen Mary involved herself with the Guild for the rest of her life. In fact, in 1953, she called a meeting of the Guild’s leaders at her home at Marlborough House. She was feeling rather poor and didn’t attend the meeting. She died the next day.

The Guild was renamed Queen Mary’s Clothing Guild in 1986. After the death of Queen Mary in 1953, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother took over as patron. In 2010, in her honor, the Guild was renamed the Queen Mother’s Clothing Guild.

Now, Queen Mary, until her death, was very proud of her clothing guild. And, she was especially proud of the Society ladies who dedicated their time and effort to the cause. As a reward for their efforts, Queen Mary would award a special medal to those ladies who worked with her. The medals of gilt brass and enamel were designed as a Tudor Rose suspended from a bar-pin adorned with the initials “QMNG.”

Here’s one. I recently acquired this for my collection of Royal Memorabilia. I’m not sure to whom it belonged, but it dates to the First World War and it’s in remarkably good condition. I’m particularly thrilled with it because I like to think that Queen Mary herself touched this when she awarded it to its recipient. I don’t know if she really did or not. But, I’m going to continue to think so. 

Painting of the Day: Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, c. 1850

Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge
Samuel Cousins, 1850-1870
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection 
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Thought to be painted by Samuel Cousins (1801-1887) between 1850 and 1870, this watercolor on ivory miniature is mounted on card. While the piece is unsigned, it closely matches the style of a miniature of Alexandra Zicaliotti by Cousins which can be found in the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Cousin’s work is defined by small brushstrokes, jewel-like colors, dense painting and visual focus on the sitter’s eyes. Primarily an engraver, Cousins wrote in his 1887 private memoir that he had been commissioned to paint some miniatures for special patrons—including Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, the Duchess of Teck—pictured at the top of this post. Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge (mother of Queen Mary) was the second daughter of Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, youngest surviving son of King George III, and of Augusta, daughter of Frederick, Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel. It is possible that this painting dates to before Princess Mary Adelaide’s 1866 marriage to Prince Francis, 1st Duke of Teck, only son of Alexander, Duke of Württemberg. 

Princess Mary Adelaide, by the way, was known to enjoy a good meal.  And, speaking of good meals...tomorrow, we'll be featuring this week's "Treat of the Week."  It's the annual "Easter Edition," so you won't want to miss it.  Lots of good stuff to see!

Mastery of Design: Bracelet with a Miniature of Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, 1836

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

A masterpiece of filigreed gold mounted with turquoise, this bracelet from 1836 boasts a watercolor on ivory miniature of Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge. The bracelet was given as a gift to Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge, the mother of Princess Mary Adelaide and grandmother of Queen Mary (1867-1953). When the Duchess of Cambridge died, the bracelet, among many other jewels, was bequeathed to Queen Mary. 

The moulded gold bracelet is pierced with foliage and Greek key borders. The domed openwork cover is set with turquoise and contains the oval miniature of Princess Mary of Cambridge at about two years of age. She is wearing a white dress with blue sash and blue ribbons at the shoulders.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection

Antique Image of the Day: A Photo of Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck

Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, Duchess of Teck
England, 1890
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection 
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

This photograph by an unknown person dates to about 1890 and shows Princess Mary Adelaide, the Duchess of Teck (1833-1897).

The mother of the future Queen Mary has been posed, facing three-quarters, with a lace shawl draped over her head. Princess Mary Adelaide wears a pearl earring and a sumptuous diamond necklace comprised of crescent shapes.

The photo once belonged to Queen Mary, and now, is part of the personal collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. 

Object of the Day: A Magic Lantern Slide of Mary of Teck and Princess Mary Adelaide

Queen Mary

Regular readers know my deep affection for the late Queen Mary. I have long admired Her Majesty’s dedication to the history of Britain, her adoration of art and jewelry, and her steadfast loyalty to not only the Royal Family but to her people.

Queen Mary’s interest in the history of the Royal Family was quite natural considering that she, herself, was the daughter of Her Serene Highness, Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, one of the few remaining granddaughters of King George III.

Queen Mary had a particular fascination with George III and his wife Queen Charlotte whom Mary thought she resembled (she did, in fact, look quite a lot like Queen Charlotte). Princess May—as she was known before her marriage to the future King George V—learned a bit about the history of her family at her mother’s knee and, on her own, researched as much as she could about her lineage.

Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge,
The Duchess of Teck

Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge was a peculiar figure in history. She was wildly popular with the people of Britain. Known as “Fat Mary” due to her girth, she was also known for her equally large personality and generous spirit. The princess was the patron of many a charity and was, more often than not, engaged in helping others in some way. Queen Victoria was terribly fond of her cousin, but also found Mary Adelaide to be problematic. She was loud and opinionated, scatter-brained and dramatic. Queen Victoria often lamented about Mary Adelaide’s inability to answer a simple letter in a timely fashion. But, worst of all, Mary Adelaide could not control her spending. She spent, and spent, and spent some more—jewels, art, carriages, clothes and the best food. She was a singular drain on the Royal Family, and, Victoria feared, totally unmarriageable.

Queen Victoria—while quite strict about other things—was not quite the stickler about rank that others were. As Queen, she herself had to marry someone of a lesser rank (Prince Albert of Saxe, Coburg and Gotha)—after all, there weren’t any unmarried Kings to be her mate. Still this marriage was quite a success, and, therefore, Victoria saw no reason for a woman of higher birth to not marry a man of slightly lower rank. The clear choice for Princess Mary Adelaide was the rather excitable Duke of Teck. Though Princess Mary Adelaide's marriage to the German Duke of Teck was morganatic (meaning that he was, technically, not her equal being simply a Duke while she was a Princess, albeit a Serene Highness and not a Royal Highness), Mary of Teck, as an adult, took Queen Victoria’s point of view and didn’t let these minor differences distract her from realizing the importance of her father’s family history as well.

Mary Adelaide relied heavily on her daughter. Before Mary of Teck’s two engagements—one to Prince Albert Victor (Known as “Eddy”) which ended upon his unexpected death, and the second to his brother and, then, heir presumptive, Prince George—Mary Adelaide enjoyed her daughter’s orderly mind and steady manner to keep her correspondence current and monitor her spending. The two, in fact, were inseparable.

Click above image to enlarge

This magic lantern slide which I recently acquired features a photograph of Mary of Teck and her mother, Princess Mary Adelaide seated together (with a beagle) at their private suite of rooms at Kensington Palace. The photo and the slide both date to early 1893 and were published to mark the occasion of the engagement of “Princess May” to the future King George V.

I looked for a non-lantern version of this photo and gave up since most of the results directed me back to my own web site.  So, I'm sorry to have only the slide to show you.  This is as clear a scan as I can get.

If you’re as much of a fan of Queen Mary as I, you might enjoy our line of “Teck Support” products—available only at our online store.

Mastery of Design: Bracelet with a Miniature of Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, 1836

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

A masterpiece of filigreed gold mounted with turquoise, this bracelet from 1836 boasts a watercolor on ivory miniature of Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge. The bracelet was given as a gift to Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge, the mother of Princess Mary Adelaide and grandmother of Queen Mary (1867-1953). When the Duchess of Cambridge died, the bracelet, among many other jewels, was bequeathed to Queen Mary. 

The moulded gold bracelet is pierced with foliage and Greek key borders. The domed openwork cover is set with turquoise and contains the oval miniature of Princess Mary of Cambridge at about two years of age. She is wearing a white dress with blue sash and blue ribbons at the shoulders.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection

Painting of the Day: Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, c. 1850

Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge
Samuel Cousins, 1850-1870
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection 
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Thought to be painted by Samuel Cousins (1801-1887) between 1850 and 1870, this watercolor on ivory miniature is mounted on card. While the piece is unsigned, it closely matches the style of a miniature of Alexandra Zicaliotti by Cousins which can be found in the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Cousin’s work is defined by small brushstrokes, jewel-like colors, dense painting and visual focus on the sitter’s eyes. Primarily an engraver, Cousins wrote in his 1887 private memoir that he had been commissioned to paint some miniatures for special patrons—including Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, the Duchess of Teck—pictured at the top of this post. Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge (mother of Queen Mary) was the second daughter of Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, youngest surviving son of King George III, and of Augusta, daughter of Frederick, Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel. It is possible that this painting dates to before Princess Mary Adelaide’s 1866 marriage to Prince Francis, 1st Duke of Teck, only son of Alexander, Duke of Württemberg. 

Sculpture of the Day: A Bust of the Duchess of Teck, c. 1857

Bust of Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, Duchess of Teck
Baron Carlo Marochetti, 1857
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection 
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Sculpted in 1857 by the Baron Carlo Marochetti (1805-1868), this marble bust depicts Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, the Duchess of Teck (1833-97).

The bust was commissioned as a gift from the Duchess of Teck to her friend Lady Marian Alford. As was often the case with objects related to the Royal Family, many decades later, Queen Mary managed to get the Alford family to return the bust to the Royal Collection. Her Majesty wrote of the bust thusly when entering it into her catalog: 

Marble bust of the Duchess of Teck, as a young woman with roses in her hair and double string of pearls around her neck.  She looks to her right.

The catalog also contains a notation copied from the memoirs of the Duchess of Teck wherein Princess Mary Adelaide describes her delight at her visits to Marochetti’s studio in June of 1857 to sit for the bust. Queen Mary, after being introduced to the sculptor by her mother, had long been an admirer of Marochetti who had been one of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s favorite sculptors and from whom they commissioned fifteen works.

Years after this bust was created and, then, returned to the Royal Family, when Marochetti’s grandson visited Buckingham Palace, Queen Mary took delight in showing off this bust—her favorite—to the young man, making sure that he knew how much his grandfather’s work was appreciated and that the bust was one of the highlights of her monumental collection. 

Unusual Artifacts: A Telegram Announcing the Engagement of Mary of Teck and George, Duke of York, 1893

Telegram
From Princess Mary Adelaide to
Prince Adolphus of Teck
May 4, 1893
The Royal Collection

As we can see  this history, the engagement of Prince George and Princess May was not the original plan, but an excellent solution to a national problem. It was also, ultimately, a genuinely happy event.

In his diary for May 3, 1893, the Duke of York (Prince George of Wales, later King George V) wrote that after he proposed to “Princess May” in the garden of East Sheen Lodge “the darling girl consented to be my wife.”

Mary was happy, George was happy, the Duke of Teck was happy, Queen Victoria was happy, but no one was quite as thrilled as the bride-to-be’s mother, Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck. The minute that “Fat Mary” heard of the engagement, she, set about telegraphing everyone she could think of. She sent this telegram to her son Prince Adolphus (later the Marquis of Cambridge).

It says: 7 Last Night. East Sheen. Mary engaged to George. They send best. Love, Mummy.

Gifts of Grandeur: The Duchess of Teck’s Earrings

Diamond and Pearl Earrings
Nineteenth Century
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Made in the early Nineteenth Century, these earrings originally belonged to Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester (1776-1857), and were bequeathed to her niece Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck and by her to her daughter, the future Queen Mary, in 1897.

Queen Mary wrote at length in her journal about these earrings and always cherished them. She presented the pair to her granddaughter Princess Elizabeth on 31 January 1947. As a tribute to her grandmother, and much to Queen Mary’s delight, Princess Elizabeth wore them at her wedding in 1947.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: Queen Mary While Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, 1873

Queen Mary
as Princess Victoria Mary of Teck
Dixon, 1873
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

This watercolor on ivory miniature of HSH Princess Victoria Mary of Teck was painted in 1873 by Annie Dixon. The miniature was most likely painted for Queen Victoria who enjoyed collecting miniature paintings of her family. Whether or not the miniature ever made into the hands of Queen Victoria is debatable since the piece was not in the Royal Collection at the time it was discovered by the sitter herself, then Queen Mary, who quickly acquired this lost portrait from her past.

At the time that this miniature was painted, Princess Victoria Mary of Teck (known as Princess May) never imagined that she’d ever be anything more than Her Serene Highness. Her much beloved, but rather domineering mother, Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, had plans for her only daughter—wishing for May to act as her Lady-in-Waiting and assist her with her many charities. While Princess May was a girl, Queen Victoria was impressed with the child’s intellect, but find her height and large features to be rather off-putting. It wasn’t until May had grown into a lovely teenager that Queen Victoria realized that her cousin, Princess Mary Adelaide’s, daughter was quite exceptional. At that point Victoria began to realize that “May” was a natural choice as the future bride to the heir presumptive to the throne—Prince Eddie. When Eddie died, Mary became engaged to his brother, Prince George who would become King George V.

I find this portrait fascinating since it shows Mary as the beautiful fair-haired girl that she was, but especially hints at her keen intellect and curiosity. I’m not surprised that Her Majesty acquired this miniature when finding it. She had a passion for returning lost items ot the Royal Collection, but also had a secret interest in chronicling her own life. This dedication to recording her personal history proved most helpful when, at the time of the coronation of her granddaughter, Princess Elizabeth, Mary was one of the few people left living who could remember the days of Victoria and the traditions of the Royal Court which she held so dear.

Mastery of Design: Bracelet with a Miniature of Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, 1836

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

A masterpiece of filigreed gold mounted with turquoise, this bracelet from 1836 boasts a watercolor on ivory miniature of Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge. The bracelet was given as a gift to Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge, the mother of Princess Mary Adelaide and grandmother of Queen Mary (1867-1953). When the Duchess of Cambridge died, the bracelet, among many other jewels, was bequeathed to Queen Mary. 

The moulded gold bracelet is pierced with foliage and Greek key borders. The domed openwork cover is set with turquoise and contains the oval miniature of Princess Mary of Cambridge at about two years of age. She is wearing a white dress with blue sash and blue ribbons at the shoulders.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection

Sculpture of the Day: A Bust of the Duchess of Teck, c. 1857

Bust of Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, Duchess of Teck
Baron Carlo Marochetti, 1857
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Sculpted in 1857 by the Baron Carlo Marochetti (1805-1868), this marble bust depicts Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, the Duchess of Teck (1833-97).

The bust was commissioned as a gift from the Duchess of Teck to her friend Lady Marian Alford. As was often the case with objects related to the Royal Family, many decades later, Queen Mary managed to get the Alford family to return the bust to the Royal Collection. Her Majesty wrote of the bust thusly when entering it into her catalog:

Marble bust of the Duchess of Teck, as a young woman with roses in her hair and double string of pearls around her neck.  She looks to her right.

The catalog also contains a notation copied from the memoirs of the Duchess of Teck wherein Princess Mary Adelaide describes her delight at her visits to Marochetti’s studio in June of 1857 to sit for the bust. Queen Mary, after being introduced to the sculptor by her mother, had long been an admirer of Marochetti who had been one of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s favorite sculptors and from whom they commissioned fifteen works.

Years after this bust was created and, then, returned to the Royal Family, when Marochetti’s grandson visited Buckingham Palace, Queen Mary took delight in showing off this bust—her favorite—to the young man, making sure that he knew how much his grandfather’s work was appreciated and that the bust was one of the highlights of her monumental collection. 

Antique Image of the Day: A Photo of Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck

Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, Duchess of Teck
England, 1890
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

This photograph by an unknown person dates to about 1890 and shows Princess Mary Adelaide, the Duchess of Teck (1833-1897).

The mother of the future Queen Mary has been posed, facing three-quarters, with a lace shawl draped over her head. Princess Mary Adelaide wears a pearl earring and a sumptuous diamond necklace comprised of crescent shapes.

The photo once belonged to Queen Mary, and now, is part of the personal collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. 

Painting of the Day: Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, c. 1850

Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge
Samuel Cousins, 1850-1870
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Thought to be painted by Samuel Cousins (1801-1887) between 1850 and 1870, this watercolor on ivory miniature is mounted on card. While the piece is unsigned, it closely matches the style of a miniature of Alexandra Zicaliotti by Cousins which can be found in the Victoria & Albert Museum.


Cousin’s work is defined by small brushstrokes, jewel-like colors, dense painting and visual focus on the sitter’s eyes. Primarily an engraver, Cousins wrote in his 1887 private memoir that he had been commissioned to paint some miniatures for special patrons—including Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, the Duchess of Teck—pictured at the top of this post. Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge (mother of Queen Mary) was the second daughter of Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, youngest surviving son of King George III, and of Augusta, daughter of Frederick, Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel. It is possible that this painting dates to before Princess Mary Adelaide’s 1866 marriage to Prince Francis, 1st Duke of Teck, only son of Alexander, Duke of Württemberg. 

Object of the Day: A Magic Lantern Slide of Mary of Teck and Princess Mary Adelaide

Queen Mary

Regular readers know my deep affection for the late Queen Mary. I have long admired Her Majesty’s dedication to the history of Britain, her adoration of art and jewelry, and her steadfast loyalty to not only the Royal Family but to her people.

Queen Mary’s interest in the history of the Royal Family was quite natural considering that she, herself, was the daughter of Her Serene Highness, Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, one of the few remaining granddaughters of King George III.

Queen Mary had a particular fascination with George III and his wife Queen Charlotte whom Mary thought she resembled (she did, in fact, look quite a lot like Queen Charlotte). Princess May—as she was known before her marriage to the future King George V—learned a bit about the history of her family at her mother’s knee and, on her own, researched as much as she could about her lineage.

Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge,
The Duchess of Teck

Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge was a peculiar figure in history. She was wildly popular with the people of Britain. Known as “Fat Mary” due to her girth, she was also known for her equally large personality and generous spirit. The princess was the patron of many a charity and was, more often than not, engaged in helping others in some way. Queen Victoria was terribly fond of her cousin, but also found Mary Adelaide to be problematic. She was loud and opinionated, scatter-brained and dramatic. Queen Victoria often lamented about Mary Adelaide’s inability to answer a simple letter in a timely fashion. But, worst of all, Mary Adelaide could not control her spending. She spent, and spent, and spent some more—jewels, art, carriages, clothes and the best food. She was a singular drain on the Royal Family, and, Victoria feared, totally unmarriageable.

Queen Victoria—while quite strict about other things—was not quite the stickler about rank that others were. As Queen, she herself had to marry someone of a lesser rank (Prince Albert of Saxe, Coburg and Gotha)—after all, there weren’t any unmarried Kings to be her mate. Still this marriage was quite a success, and, therefore, Victoria saw no reason for a woman of higher birth to not marry a man of slightly lower rank. The clear choice for Princess Mary Adelaide was the rather excitable Duke of Teck. Though Princess Mary Adelaide's marriage to the German Duke of Teck was morganatic (meaning that he was, technically, not her equal being simply a Duke while she was a Princess, albeit a Serene Highness and not a Royal Highness), Mary of Teck, as an adult, took Queen Victoria’s point of view and didn’t let these minor differences distract her from realizing the importance of her father’s family history as well.

Mary Adelaide relied heavily on her daughter. Before Mary of Teck’s two engagements—one to Prince Albert Victor (Known as “Eddy”) which ended upon his unexpected death, and the second to his brother and, then, heir presumptive, Prince George—Mary Adelaide enjoyed her daughter’s orderly mind and steady manner to keep her correspondence current and monitor her spending. The two, in fact, were inseparable.

Click above image to enlarge

This magic lantern slide which I recently acquired features a photograph of Mary of Teck and her mother, Princess Mary Adelaide seated together (with a beagle) at their private suite of rooms at Kensington Palace. The photo and the slide both date to early 1893 and were published to mark the occasion of the engagement of “Princess May” to the future King George V.

I looked for a non-lantern version of this photo and gave up since most of the results directed me back to my own web site.  So, I'm sorry to have only the slide to show you.  This is as clear a scan as I can get.

If you’re as much of a fan of Queen Mary as I, you might enjoy our line of “Teck Support” products—available only at our online store.

Object of the Day: Queen Mary's Needlework Guild Medal

As a young Princess, Mary of Teck spent most of her pre-married life playing assistant to her strange, rotund, but wildly popular and involved mother Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge (the Duchess of Teck). A teenaged Princess May spent her days organizing her mother’s massive amounts of correspondence and helping out with her mother’s many, many charities. One of these charities was the London Needlework Guild which had been started in 1882 by Lady Wolverton as the London Guild. Originally, the Guild was designed to provide clothing to orphans. By the way, we know Lady Wolverton—sort of. Regular readers of this blog have seen a bunch of her jewelry.


In 1897, when Princess Mary Adelaide passed away, Mary of Teck (by then, married and known as The Duchess of York), took over the patronage of the guild and by 1914, it had been renamed “Queen Mary’s Needlework Guild” since, by that point, Mary and her husband had ascended the throne.

Queen Mary’s Needlework Guild was dedicated to supplying clean linens to the boys fighting in World War I. Queen Mary involved herself with the Guild for the rest of her life. In fact, in 1953, she called a meeting of the Guild’s leaders at her home at Marlborough House. She was feeling rather poor and didn’t attend the meeting. She died the next day.

The Guild was renamed Queen Mary’s Clothing Guild in 1986. After the death of Queen Mary in 1953, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother took over as patron. In 2010, in her honor, the Guild was renamed the Queen Mother’s Clothing Guild.

Now, Queen Mary, until her death, was very proud of her clothing guild. And, she was especially proud of the Society ladies who dedicated their time and effort to the cause. As a reward for their efforts, Queen Mary would award a special medal to those ladies who worked with her. The medals of gilt brass and enamel were designed as a Tudor Rose suspended from a bar-pin adorned with the initials “QMNG.”

Here’s one. I recently acquired this for my collection of Royal Memorabilia. I’m not sure to whom it belonged, but it dates to the First World War and it’s in remarkably good condition. I’m particularly thrilled with it because I like to think that Queen Mary herself touched this when she awarded it to its recipient. I don’t know if she really did or not. But, I’m going to continue to think so.

Gifts of Grandeur: The Duchess of Teck’s Earrings

The Royal Collection

Made in the early Nineteenth Century, these earrings originally belonged to Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester (1776-1857), and were bequeathed to her niece Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck and by her to her daughter, the future Queen Mary, in 1897.


Queen Mary wrote at length in her journal about these earrings and always cherished them. She presented the pair to her granddaughter Princess Elizabeth on 31 January 1947. As a tribute to her grandmother, and much to Queen Mary’s delight, Princess Elizabeth wore them at her wedding in 1947.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: Queen Mary While Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, 1873

Queen Mary
as Princess Victoria Mary of Teck
Dixon, 1873
The Royal Collection

This watercolor on ivory miniature of HSH Princess Victoria Mary of Teck was painted in 1873 by Annie Dixon. The miniature was most likely painted for Queen Victoria who enjoyed collecting miniature paintings of her family. Whether or not the miniature ever made into the hands of Queen Victoria is debatable since the piece was not in the Royal Collection at the time it was discovered by the sitter herself, then Queen Mary, who quickly acquired this lost portrait from her past.

At the time that this miniature was painted, Princess Victoria Mary of Teck (known as Princess May) never imagined that she’d ever be anything more than Her Serene Highness. Her much beloved, but rather domineering mother, Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, had plans for her only daughter—wishing for May to act as her Lady-in-Waiting and assist her with her many charities. While Princess May was a girl, Queen Victoria was impressed with the child’s intellect, but find her height and large features to be rather off-putting. It wasn’t until May had grown into a lovely teenager that Queen Victoria realized that her cousin, Princess Mary Adelaide’s, daughter was quite exceptional. At that point Victoria began to realize that “May” was a natural choice as the future bride to the heir presumptive to the throne—Prince Eddie. When Eddie died, Mary became engaged to his brother, Prince George who would become King George V.

I find this portrait fascinating since it shows Mary as the beautiful fair-haired girl that she was, but especially hints at her keen intellect and curiosity. I’m not surprised that Her Majesty acquired this miniature when finding it. She had a passion for returning lost items ot the Royal Collection, but also had a secret interest in chronicling her own life. This dedication to recording her personal history proved most helpful when, at the time of the coronation of her granddaughter, Princess Elizabeth, Mary was one of the few people left living who could remember the days of Victoria and the traditions of the Royal Court which she held so dear.

Unusual Artifacts: A Telegram Announcing the Engagement of Mary of Teck and George, Duke of York, 1893

Telegram
From Princess Mary Adelaide to
Prince Adolphus of Teck
May 4, 1893
The Royal Collection

As we can see from the history below, the engagement of Prince George and Princess May was not the original plan, but an excellent solution to a national problem. It was also, ultimately, a genuinely happy event.

In his diary for May 3, 1893, the Duke of York (Prince George of Wales, later King George V) wrote that after he proposed to “Princess May” in the garden of East Sheen Lodge “the darling girl consented to be my wife.”

Mary was happy, George was happy, the Duke of Teck was happy, Queen Victoria was happy, but no one was quite as thrilled as the bride-to-be’s mother, Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck. The minute that “Fat Mary” heard of the engagement, she, set about telegraphing everyone she could think of. She sent this telegram to her son Prince Adolphus (later the Marquis of Cambridge).

It says: 7 Last Night. East Sheen. Mary engaged to George. They send best. Love, Mummy.