Prince Albert by William Theed (1804-1891). Unveiled 23 April (St George's Day) 1866 in front of the Governor of New South Wales, Sir John Young (1807-1876), and "the largest assemblage of citizens of of all classes ever witnessed in Sydney" ("Prince Albert"). Bronze on an Australian stone pedestal. The figure itself is 10' high. Paid for by public subscription, it was splendidly situated at first, has been relocated twice, and is now on a traffic island in front of Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney.
Two photographs of the statue in its original location, with its surrounding iron railings, from the collection of the Victoria State Library, both out of copyright. Left: Prince Consort, photographed by Charles Bayliss, c. 1880-1890, ID: 9931877073607636. Right: Photographed by Charles Potter, 1889, ID: 9916576513607636.
The Prince is shown wearing the robes of the garter, and is very different from Theed's statue of Albert for Balmoral, in which he wears Highland dress. According to the Monuments Australia site, the Sydney figure was cast at Nuremberg, "originally executed by command of her Majesty and sent as a present to Coburg, a bronze cast having been taken from it by order of the Duke of Newcastle for the people of Sydney." In the same account we are told: "Of all the numerous likenesses now extant, this was considered by her Majesty to be the best." That would be saying a great deal, because statues of the Prince proliferated after his death, both at home and throughout the British colonies of that time. Writing on this subject, and with a keen admiration for all that the Prince Consort had achieved, Jules Stewart particularly notes that the statue is inscribed "Albert the Good," and shows him carrying a scroll depicting the Crystal Palace of the Great Exhibition (216).
Links to Related Material
Lower photographs downloaded, text and formatting by Jacqueline Banerjee. [You may use these images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one. Click on the images to enlarge them.]
Bibliography
"The Albert Statue. State Library Victoria. Web. 1 March 2025.
"Prince Albert." Monument Australia. Web. 1 March 2025.
"Prince Consort." State Library Victoria. Web. 1 March 2025.
Stewart, Jules. Albert. London & New York: IB Taurus, 2011. [Review]
Created 1 March 2025