"Queen Victoria and Prince Albert at the Bal Costumé of 12 May 1842" by Sir Edwin Landseer, RA 1802-1873

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Queen Victoria and Prince Albert at the Bal Costumé of 12 May 1842

Sir Edwin Landseer (1802-73), painter

1842-46

Oil on canvas

143.0 x 111.6 cm (support, canvas/panel/str external)

The Royal Collection Trust, RCIN 404540

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Detail of page boys on left

On this festive occasion, Landseer was commissioned to paint Prince Albert, dressed as Edward II, and the Queen, dressed as his consort, Queen Philippa of Hainault, welcoming their many guests in the Throne Room. As the Queen wrote in her journal at Buckingham Place later, the Throne Room looked "really quite beautiful, the alcove & throne, all hung with dark blue cloth with gold crown & Garter printed all over the hangings," and here the couple stood in state:

Many Ladies, with powered coiffures were very handsome, 2, in particular, Miss Bolland, & Mme Lionel de Rothschild. — The procession walking up, slowly, 2 by 2, hand in hand, & bowing at the foot of the Throne, had a very fine effect. After this, our "Cortège" was formed, which had (I hear since) a beautiful effect, as also the "Coup d'Oeuil" of our group. We then went into the other room, where some of the Quadrilles were danced, returning afterwards to the Throne Room & the Throne.... [12 May 1842]

The Victorians loved dressing in costume, and the royal couple were no exception, though, as the Royal Collection's description points out, "Queen Victoria's silhouette, created through tightly laced stays and multiple petticoats, betrays the fashions of her own era. Equally anachronistically, Prince Albert is shown wearing the jewelled Sword of Offering (Blair 1998, vol. II, no. 6), made by Rundells for George IV's coronation in 1821." Another sign of the times, we are told, was the use of Spitalfields silk, to help the industry which was then in decline.

If the couple look rather wooden, that is no surprise, since their costumes were modelled on the earlier royal couples' effigies. There would be two more such balls, one in early Georgian attire, and the other in Restoration style. — Jacqueline Banerjee.

Bibliography

Queen Victoria. Journal Entry: Thursday 12th May 1842. Queen Victoria's Journals (http://www.queenvictoriasjournals.org/home.do). Web. 13 April 2022.

The Royal Collection Trust. Web. 13 April 2022.

Last modified 26 September 2016