Wikiversity:Sandbox

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      <comment>Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/~2026-38096-63|~2026-38096-63]] ([[User_talk:~2026-38096-63|talk]]) to last version by [[User:Unitfreak|Unitfreak]] using [[Wikiversity:Rollback|rollback]]</comment>
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{{{{TALKPAGENAME}}/Header}}  {{TOCright}}

== Your feedback is welcome at [[User talk:Username142857]] ==

Dear my mentor, I believe we have already seen [[User:Username142857]] making too many non-Wikiversity questions at [[Wikiversity:Candidates for Custodianship/MathXplore]] and [[Wikiversity talk:Custodianship/Archive 6]]. In the beginning, I answered them one by one as part of demonstrating my competency to answer questions as a custodian candidate (and they were somewhat related to my global contributions) and courtesy to discussion participants. However, by facing [[special:diff/2631774]] and [[special:diff/2618170]] (editing discussion archives, re-opening closed discussions), I started to believe that we should bring an end to their excessive non-Wikiversity usage of Wikiversity (talk) namespaces. According to [[:w:User talk:Username142857]] (especially [[:w:special:diff/1073391896]]), [[User:Username142857]] is evaluated as {{tq|the other editors are tired to waste their time to read and answer your non-useful edits.}} and I think they are doing the similar thing at Wikiversity. Our community may have limited tolerance for such behavior. If you had any experience of handling such issues in the past, your feedback may be helpful to allow [[User:Username142857]] to improve their behavior. Thank you for your attention and mentoring. [[User:MathXplore|MathXplore]] ([[User talk:MathXplore|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/MathXplore|contribs]]) 03:21, 9 June 2024 (UTC)
: {{ping|MathXplore}} Thanks for the heads up. Sorry for slow response. I'm recovering from COVID, but on way back. Thankyou for your very patient, clear, and supportive feedback on Username142857's talk page which, along with Mikeu, seems to have communicated the concerns and hopefully lead to a change/improvement in behaviour. What a great example of handling challenging behaviour courteously. Fingers crossed. Keep well. Sincerely, James -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 00:39, 22 June 2024 (UTC)

== [[:b:Motivation and emotion/Book/2024/Free will and neuroscience]] ==

Hello, can this be related to your project? Should this be imported here? [[User:MathXplore|MathXplore]] ([[User talk:MathXplore|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/MathXplore|contribs]]) 12:10, 30 July 2024 (UTC)
: Sorry, the page has been deleted, should we request temporary restoration for import, or should we just ask the author to resubmit to Wikiversity? [[User:MathXplore|MathXplore]] ([[User talk:MathXplore|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/MathXplore|contribs]]) 12:29, 30 July 2024 (UTC)
::Thank-you for pointing this out. Yes, it does look like one of my students' editing. It is a little puzzling how the user ended up on Wikibooks. It is OK that that the wikibooks page has been deleted because the user also appears to be underway here: [[Motivation and emotion/Book/2024/Free will and neuroscience]]. -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 21:53, 30 July 2024 (UTC)

== [[Template:Subst:ME/BCS]] ==

Hello, should this template be kept for your project? [[User:MathXplore|MathXplore]] ([[User talk:MathXplore|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/MathXplore|contribs]]) 11:42, 31 July 2024 (UTC)

:Yes, please - but it could be moved from Template into a subpage of [[Motivation and emotion]]. Note that we are actively using the template at the moment to help build out the [[Motivation and emotion/Book/2024]] pages. -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 02:43, 1 August 2024 (UTC)

== [[:File:Rejection sensitivity chart.webp]] ==

One of your students uploaded this image to Commons as part of [[Motivation and emotion/Book/2024/Rejection sensitivity]]. Unfortunately, it's meaningless AI-generated sludge. Can this image be removed from the chapter to allow it to be deleted from Commons?

(You may want to have a word with your students about AI-generated content; I think some of the text in this chapter was generated by ChatGPT as well.) [[User:Omphalographer|Omphalographer]] ([[User talk:Omphalographer|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Omphalographer|contribs]]) 02:52, 6 August 2024 (UTC)
: {{ping|Omphalographer}} Great, thanks for picking this up and letting me know. Yes please, delete. I've given the student a heads-up here: [[User talk:Yonis Yousufzai]]. We're covering genAI in classes this week {{smile}}. Sincerely, James -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 03:25, 6 August 2024 (UTC)

== [[Wikiversity:Bots/Status#Leaderbot]] ==

Hi, is there a chance you can approve this bot request (or otherwise let me know if there are any issues)? Thanks in advance. [[User:Leaderboard|Leaderboard]] ([[User talk:Leaderboard|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Leaderboard|contribs]]) 15:03, 15 September 2024 (UTC)

== VDT - U3126684 chapter ==

Hi James ! I saw you added the hanging indent which is amazing, thank you so much! However, I had a few references missing and I tried to add them in but they didn't keep the required APA formatting. I deleted the template and reused the hanging indent template but it won't keep any formatting. Can you please help me fix it? 
[[Motivation and emotion/Book/2024/Vulnerable dark triad, motivation, and emotion|Motivation and emotion/Book/2024/Vulnerable dark triad, motivation, and emotion - Wikiversity]] [[User:U3126684|U3126684]] ([[User talk:U3126684|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/U3126684|contribs]]) 11:16, 3 October 2024 (UTC)

:James, I figured it out! I was just missing the &quot;}}&quot; at the end of the text... all solved! [[User:U3126684|U3126684]] ([[User talk:U3126684|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/U3126684|contribs]]) 11:31, 3 October 2024 (UTC)

== Your feedback may be needed at [[User talk:Tule-hog]] ==

Hello, user:Dan Polansky is currently communicating with a participant on this talk page. As Dan's mentor, I thought you may want to provide feedback so I came here for a notice. ({{ping|Guy vandegrift}} Your feedback is also welcome). [[User:MathXplore|MathXplore]] ([[User talk:MathXplore|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/MathXplore|contribs]]) 06:20, 7 October 2024 (UTC)

:Thanks for bringing this to my attention.  I will keep up with further developments. [[User:Guy vandegrift|Guy vandegrift]] ([[User talk:Guy vandegrift|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Guy vandegrift|contribs]]) 00:07, 8 October 2024 (UTC)

== [[General health and well-being]] ==
This page was in the proposed-deletion state for over 3 months, with no opposition. Should I feel free to delete the page? I guess it seemed to be a good idea back in 2011 (at least as a stub to get things started), but no one expanded it into anything really useful during all these years. --[[User:Dan Polansky|Dan Polansky]] ([[User talk:Dan Polansky|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Dan Polansky|contribs]]) 11:24, 11 October 2024 (UTC)

:Hi Dan - thanks for checking - yes, it can go - I've removed the one incoming link to this page. -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 21:39, 11 October 2024 (UTC)

== Enquiry about Correct Setup of Wikiversity? ==
Hi James, 
I just had a few questions regarding my Setup on Wikiversity:

1. We are asked to enable the Visual Editor. Have I done this correctly? Or how do I do it if I have not?

2. Have I chosen a book chapter and inserted my name correctly?

3. There isn’t a discussion forum page on our UCLearn for me to comment on, for the assessment, so where should I comment?

Thank you, I look forward to hearing back from you.
[[User:Hcoad|Hcoad]] ([[User talk:Hcoad|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Hcoad|contribs]]) 14:27, 2 August 2025 (UTC)

:@[[User:Hcoad|Hcoad]]:
:# To access the Visual Editor, use &quot;Create&quot; for the first edit on a page, or &quot;Edit&quot; thereafter
:# Sign-up looks good
:# You can create a new discussion thread on UCLearn about a topic of interest or respond to existing threads such as &quot;What do you really want to learn about?&quot;
:-- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 22:34, 2 August 2025 (UTC)

== Problem with curator ==

Reading above, may i address you as James? If so, hello James, i have a problem with a curator and would ask if you are a contact to talk about it. If not, sorry to bother you. Kind regards, [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 21:19, 10 October 2025 (UTC)

:Hi Harold,
:Thanks for getting in touch.
:Sorry about the teething issues in getting underway with your contributions to Wikiversity.
:Let's hopefully have a constructive discussion here, which you've initiated: [[Wikiversity:Request custodian action#Contest removal of article]]
:Sincerely,
:James -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 22:38, 11 October 2025 (UTC)
::@[[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] Hi James, 
::Thank you very much for sending me the article text, I really appriciate that. If not to much to ask, could you also send me the template? Template:Condensed matter physics see: User:Harold Foppele/Quantum A Matter Of Size.
::Did you read the disucussion with Dan Polansky? I think its rather weird. I answered all his questions truthfully, since i have nothing to hide. (see my user page) And than he started some trivia about the double slit expiriment, went on without listening. Like the article was a sort of explosive that must be removed ASAP. That is not the way a curator should behave (my opinion). 
::I could acctually use a mentor physics to avoid mistakes in the future.
::I know both my articles have flaws but i can fix that in time.
::Do you maybe have suggestions?
::Last but not least, thanks again for the time you took to help me !!! Cheers [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 09:14, 12 October 2025 (UTC)
: @James: To reduce or eliminate further risk that I am abusing my curator priviledges in relation to suspected copyright violation (I don't think I am, but my point of view can be skewed), I can start tagging material for copyright violation using a template (does not require curator privileges). That should address concerns? --[[User:Dan Polansky|Dan Polansky]] ([[User talk:Dan Polansky|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Dan Polansky|contribs]]) 08:01, 13 October 2025 (UTC)
::@[[User:Dan Polansky|Dan Polansky]] As long as you remove the insulting (in my opinion) remarks on both articles and remove the tag -since it does not violate '''[[creativecommons:by-sa/3.0/|CC-BY-SA 4.0]] license'''- i will be satisfied. As i explained, Wikipedia use a free-to-use policy. Also could you please clarify this code: &lt;nowiki&gt;{{subst:&lt;/nowiki&gt;[[Template:No thanks|no thanks]]|pg=User:Harold Foppele/Quantum A Matter Of Size|url=&lt;nowiki&gt;{{{url}}}&lt;/nowiki&gt;}} [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • . After this is resolved i'm willing to consider this complaint closed. Maybe we can start over with a new and different conversation, since I strongly believe in AGF.  You have a way much longer experience on Wikiversity than I do, so perhaps you could help me in a friendly and constructive way? It seems we have a lot in common and I shall gladly listen to any comments.
::CC @[[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] Cheers [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 09:16, 13 October 2025 (UTC)
::: The page [[User:Harold Foppele/Quantum A Matter Of Size]] currently features multiple sentences from a CC-BY-SA source without using quotation marks. My determination is that the page shows copyright violation (failure to ''attribute'') of CC-BY-SA and should therefore be deleted.
::: If you, James, remove the copyright violation tagging, I will understand it as you taking responsibility for a possible copyright violation and I will probably disengage (or do I have a duty to take more pains and try to override your assessment?) --[[User:Dan Polansky|Dan Polansky]] ([[User talk:Dan Polansky|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Dan Polansky|contribs]]) 09:31, 13 October 2025 (UTC)
::: As for &quot;As i explained, Wikipedia use a free-to-use policy&quot;: that seems to be a misunderstanding or too vague understanding; Wikipedia uses CC-BY-SA copyright license, which requires proper ''attribution'' of authorship, which could have been done in the edit summary that created the article, but was not done. --[[User:Dan Polansky|Dan Polansky]] ([[User talk:Dan Polansky|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Dan Polansky|contribs]]) 09:35, 13 October 2025 (UTC)
::::@[[User:Dan Polansky|Dan Polansky]] It has already been added, as you would have seen upon checking. I would still appreciate a response to the other points I mentioned earlier, if you are willing to continue the discussion. If not, your choise. CC:@[[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] Cheers[[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 10:08, 13 October 2025 (UTC)
: James, as my mentor in my role of a custodian, if you want me to do something, or if you have a recommendation for me, please let me know on my talk page. I am struggling to figure out how to navigate these waters. You can also use email if it seems better from some perspective. --[[User:Dan Polansky|Dan Polansky]] ([[User talk:Dan Polansky|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Dan Polansky|contribs]]) 10:21, 13 October 2025 (UTC)
::@[[User:Dan Polansky|Dan Polansky]] Why not take a step back? I offered you a solution and a possibility to cooperate instead of continuing a conflict. I still believe that working together is more productive than arguing over small details. Cheers [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 10:26, 13 October 2025 (UTC)
:::The discussion at this talk page ended not very fruitfully.
:::Pitty, i really tried to make piece.
:::Yet I am not the only one complainting about Dan’s behaviour.
::: 
:::Anything I can do (or you) ?
:::Am I free to remove remarks and/or tags?
:::I dont want to end up in an editwar.
::: 
:::Sorry to have asked so much of your time [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 15:54, 13 October 2025 (UTC)

Thanks, both. May I suggest:
* {{ping|Harold Foppele}}: Any text you don't write yourself needs appropriate attribution or removal, otherwise it runs the risk of copyright violation. For example, this message appears on each edit source screen underneath the edit summary box: &quot;Do not copy text from other websites without permission. It will be deleted.&quot; If text is copied from Wikipedia it needs to be acknowledged as such because it is licensed under CC-by-SA which allows re-use but requires acknowledgement. Such acknowledgement could be made in the edit summary when the contribution is first made. If not, then the next best could be to put quotation marks around copied text and a link to the source(s) of the text.
* {{ping|Dan Polansky}}: Appreciate your administrative work. Let's try to AGF and work constructively with new users who are learning how to contribute. Wikiversity is a learning environment.
-- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 20:42, 13 October 2025 (UTC)

:@[[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] Thank you very much. I hope it will work out since Dan does not respond, to me that is. Could you find time to look at the revised [[User:Harold Foppele/Quantum A Matter Of Size]] i made additions to it, but since it is a mix of WP, other sources and OR, it is alomost impossible to keep quoting. So i made a general intro. Is that enough? Also 99% of the [[]] refer directly to WP since WV does not have most of the words/pages. I also recreated the template so that it shows all original text/items. The new section ==Tunneling== is not cited yet, but it wiil be when I have time. Can I remove the tags myself? Thanks again [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 21:21, 13 October 2025 (UTC)
::Looks like a solid chunk is copied from Wikipedia: https://www.copyscape.com/view.php?o=4829&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FMesoscopic_physics&amp;t=1760433515&amp;s=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikiversity.org%2Fwiki%2FUser%3AHarold_Foppele%2FQuantum_A_Matter_Of_Size&amp;w=66&amp;i=1&amp;r=10
::without appropriate acknowledgement.
::Some ways to deal with this appropriately include:
::# Acknowledge the source in the edit summary when content is added to the page
::# Using quotation marks and citations to indicate the source of any content which you haven't authored yourself
::-- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 10:02, 14 October 2025 (UTC)
:::The &quot;chunk&quot; is correct :) I took that since it fits perfect to the article. At the top of the page I quoted:
:::{Wikipedia [[wikipedia:Mesoscopic_physics|Mesoscopic physics]]&lt;nowiki&gt;}}&lt;/nowiki&gt;
:::[[creativecommons:by-sa/4.0/|License CC-BY-SA 4.0]]
:::In Edit summary: The first section of this article is copied from Wikipedia &quot;Mesoscopic physics&quot;
:::Is that sufficient ?
:::I did cite almost everything what is not so much requested in Wikiversity as far as i found out, but is a first requirement in Wikipedia.
:::Is it OK if I remove the tags ? Thanks [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 10:51, 14 October 2025 (UTC)
::::I think it would be more transparent and demonstrate greater academic integrity to use quotation marks for text which is copied from elsewhere, especially because there was no appropriate edit summary when the text was added to the page.
::::[https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?title=User%3AHarold_Foppele%2FQuantum_A_Matter_Of_Size&amp;diff=2760582&amp;oldid=2760574 Example of how this might be done].
::::I don't suggest removing the copyright tag until copied text is more clearly quoted and cited and there is consensus that it [[wikt:pass muster|passes muster]]. -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 11:52, 14 October 2025 (UTC)
:::::Thank you SO MUCH !!  I had no idea that a &lt;blockquote existed nor what it does. This is the first time i used a Wikipedia copy into Wikiversity. So a simple explanation, as you gave me now, would have prevented all this. :) I changed the layout a bit to make it view nicer. Is this required also for my own publications on Wikipedia? Thanks again!! and a goodnight to you [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 12:28, 14 October 2025 (UTC)
::::::I decided to re-write the copyrighted text in my own words. It feels better this way, what do you think? [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 13:07, 14 October 2025 (UTC)
:::::::Great, I think that makes a big difference to rewrite in your own words. I've removed the copyright tag.
:::::::Let me know if I can do anything else as you go along. -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 04:03, 15 October 2025 (UTC)
:::::::: The page still contains copyright violation. I am starting to track problems at [[User:Dan Polansky/Problem reports (about Wikiversity problems)]]. I will disengage from Harold Foppele; this is not being productive and can lead to my harm and thereby harm to the English Wikiversity. I have seen this kind of people elsewhere: I explained a class/type of a problem to the person and pointed to an example for clarity and the person corrected just the single item I gave as an example. --[[User:Dan Polansky|Dan Polansky]] ([[User talk:Dan Polansky|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Dan Polansky|contribs]]) 04:17, 15 October 2025 (UTC)
:::::::::@[[User:Dan Polansky|Dan Polansky]] Since you want to take this personally instead of having a civilized conversation, I will not engage in a mud-throwing contest or labeling people as “this kind of people&quot;. I saw your problem report and I seriously question your objectivity as a science debater. You took ONE paragraph from an article—a paragraph that had been modified (as your question mark even shows)—plus a scientific debate over a previously accepted article on Wikipedia. You completely ignored the accepted contributions I have made to Wikipedia. Yet this alone is enough for you to request that a contributor be blocked.
:::::::::What do I gain from spending hours and hours doing research for a new article? Hours and hours searching for proper references? Hours writing and rewriting the text? How much do I get paid? Nothing. How much honor or credit do I receive? None. So what &quot;kind of people&quot; am I? [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 08:21, 15 October 2025 (UTC)
:::::::::: DFX. --[[User:Dan Polansky|Dan Polansky]] ([[User talk:Dan Polansky|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Dan Polansky|contribs]]) 08:26, 15 October 2025 (UTC)
:::::::::::Exactly my point. [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 09:19, 15 October 2025 (UTC)
:Thanks [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold]] and [[User:Dan Polansky|Dan]] — I appreciate your considerations and communications. -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 04:51, 15 October 2025 (UTC)

== Peer review ==

@[[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] Hello James, I hope you are doing well. The 2 articles I wrote are now ready to be published. Is there some kind of peer review possible? I tried to find some help at [[Portal:Particle physics]] but all data there is very old. How can we move forward from this? Cheers [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 09:52, 16 October 2025 (UTC)

:Perhaps try [[Wikiversity:Colloquium]] - that's the general way to communicate with English Wikiversity users/editors. -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 00:08, 17 October 2025 (UTC)

== Hello James, I need your help. ==

Could join the discussion with us in [[Wikiversity:Colloquium#Concern regarding curator conduct User:Dan Polansky]]

We would like to solicit your input on this matter.  [[User:Tomlovesfar|Tomlovesfar]] ([[User talk:Tomlovesfar|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Tomlovesfar|contribs]]) 03:54, 17 October 2025 (UTC)

== Quantum ==

Hello James, If you have time could you lease look at [[Quantum]]. An essay like page with simple information, that might attract students. I Know its not your field, but maybe it appeals to you. Thanks, [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 23:39, 18 October 2025 (UTC)

== ShakespeareFan00 ==

Goodevening, please, if you have time, take a look at the edits made by this user. A few hundred in 2 days ! Cheers [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 20:35, 31 October 2025 (UTC)

== When is a quote or blockquote needed? ==

Hi James, I hope you are doing well. I did wrote some articles and parts off them at Wikipedia. If i want to use parts of it at Wikiversity do i still need to quote that parts? Cheers [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 11:19, 2 November 2025 (UTC)

:Basically, if you didn't author text which is being added, then the genesis of the text needs to be made clear (e.g, edit summary, quotation etc.) It is also possible to import pages (e.g., from Wikipedia) which brings in the full edit history. -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 01:38, 3 November 2025 (UTC)

== Publishing transcripts ==

Hi James, Is it allowed to publish a transcript in Wikiversity as per my example at [[User:Harold Foppele/sandbox-2]]. If not, then I remove the page ofcourse. I think it could be nice if I edit it to make it easy accessible in various Wikipages.
But again, if its not allowed, i remove it. Cheers [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 11:28, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

== User:Dan Polansky ==

@Jtneill , Hi James, You are a curator/bureaucrat, if i'm not mistaken. Please look at: [[User:Dan Polansky/Problem reports (about Wikiversity problems)]] I feel outright insulted and ask you (if you can) to put an end to it. Thanks [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 17:59, 6 November 2025 (UTC)
: I wrote: &quot;The user account created articles in the subject of quantum mechanics that use wiki-voice and do not state the author. Since it is very likely that he does not understand quantum mechanics as per evidence in the revision history of his user talk page, it is also likely that they contain countless errors. The articles are presented to the reader as valid referenced content, not as one person's exercise in who-knows-what. Preventing the user account from creating new pages and moving all his articles to user space would address the issue.&quot;
: I think it is accurate. By now, we have enough evidence I think that the user account is a troll account, an intentional disruptor. There are multiple behavioral signs, both in Wikipedia and in Wikiversity.
: I propose an indef block of the user account. An alternative is not to feed into this troll account. --[[User:Dan Polansky|Dan Polansky]] ([[User talk:Dan Polansky|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Dan Polansky|contribs]]) 18:03, 6 November 2025 (UTC)
::Well well here we go again [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 18:18, 6 November 2025 (UTC)
::: I opened [[Wikiversity:Request custodian action#Indefinite block for Harold_Foppele]]. I fear it will be in vain. --[[User:Dan Polansky|Dan Polansky]] ([[User talk:Dan Polansky|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Dan Polansky|contribs]]) 18:26, 6 November 2025 (UTC)
::::You are allowed to hope [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 18:42, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

== Moving to personal namespace ==

What are the policies or customs on Wikiversity for moving pages to personal userspace? Isn't there a risk that Wikiversity will turn into a blogging platform where many users will cultivate pages in their userspace and the outside world will not benefit from it?

I see moving to ns user as a frequent suggestion in Requests for deletion (RFD). I would understand moving to ns Draft, which is clearly defined and there is a chance that the resource will then get into the main ns, thus serving the community. I would understand the suggestion to move to another wikiproject, where the text will serve the community. But I don't really understand the frequent moves to personal ns. Since it's in the RFD, it should either be kept or deleted. If someone contributes to Wikiversity, they automatically agree to its policies and also to the fact that they don't own the pages and someone can put them up for deletion. [[User:Juandev|Juandev]] ([[User talk:Juandev|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Juandev|contribs]]) 09:36, 22 November 2025 (UTC)

I personally don't need a free website to host my pages. How would I get rid of the unfinished [[Pomology]] meta course if it was moved to my NS? ([https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Wikiversity:Requests_for_Deletion#c-Dan_Polansky-20251121091100-Juandev-20251120220900 Moving it to my own NS is suggested in RFD]). I'm putting it in the Request for deletion because, even though I started it, it looks like other editors had significant input there. Will I have the right to request speedy deletion if the pages are moved to my user ns?

I think this tactic of moving to personal space is poorly thought out, but it has become the norm.

Is there any guideline or discussion from before? If something appears in a deletion request, the majority decides that it should be moved to user ns, how can the person in question defend themselves that they don't want it in their own ns? It seems the community is pressuring the original author to agree to deletion. It seems that the user ns is an untouchable territory into which the community has the right to throw whatever it thinks from the main ns. So why aren't those pages deleted when the community decides that they don't belong in the main ns? --[[User:Juandev|Juandev]] ([[User talk:Juandev|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Juandev|contribs]]) 10:30, 22 November 2025 (UTC)

{{ping|Juandev}} I replied on your talk page. But here's another version: Personally, in general, I try to keep my notes etc. in user space. Then if I have something more developed to share and collaborate on, then main space. Draft could be helpful to keep main space tidy, but is very quiet/unused, so in reality most drafts are in main space. But if the content is dubious, underdeveloped, lacking citation/peer review etc. then delete, or user space if it could still be developed. That's roughly how I see it. But everyone has a slightly different view/preference, so discuss to develop consensus. -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 12:48, 22 November 2025 (UTC)

== Ninefold Resonance Theory ==
Dear Jtneill, I noticed that when you deleted [[Ninefold Resonance Theory]], you accidentally deleted the article in my own user space as well. However, I got the impression that most users felt that it should be allowed to exist in my own user space. I thought long and hard about my theory and I'm disappointed that it's gone now... Could you move the article back to my own user space, so not in the main space? I look forward to hearing from you! Kind regards, [[User:S. Perquin|S. Perquin]] ([[User talk:S. Perquin|overleg]] • [[Special:Contributions/S. Perquin|bijdragen]]) 06:22, 28 November 2025 (UTC)

:Nevermind. I will move all my ideas to everybodywiki.com. 😄 Kind regards, [[User:S. Perquin|S. Perquin]] ([[User talk:S. Perquin|overleg]] • [[Special:Contributions/S. Perquin|bijdragen]]) 06:36, 28 November 2025 (UTC)
::Could you please e-mail me the source code of the deleted page? Kind regards, [[User:S. Perquin|S. Perquin]] ([[User talk:S. Perquin|overleg]] • [[Special:Contributions/S. Perquin|bijdragen]]) 06:42, 28 November 2025 (UTC)
:[[User:S. Perquin|S. Perquin]]: Apologies, the user page version was accidentally deleted. It has now been restored. -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 03:25, 29 November 2025 (UTC)
::Thank you! ☺️ Kind regards, [[User:S. Perquin|S. Perquin]] ([[User talk:S. Perquin|overleg]] • [[Special:Contributions/S. Perquin|bijdragen]]) 06:58, 29 November 2025 (UTC)
:::All pages in my user space have been moved to EverybodyWiki. Could you perhaps delete all the pages with the {{tl|speedy}} template on it? Kind regards, [[User:S. Perquin|S. Perquin]] ([[User talk:S. Perquin|overleg]] • [[Special:Contributions/S. Perquin|bijdragen]]) 07:08, 29 November 2025 (UTC)
::::[[User:S. Perquin|S. Perquin]]: The main space redirects and all your user sub-pages have been deleted. -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 03:25, 1 December 2025 (UTC)
:::::Thank you! Kind regards, [[User:S. Perquin|S. Perquin]] ([[User talk:S. Perquin|overleg]] • [[Special:Contributions/S. Perquin|bijdragen]]) 08:24, 1 December 2025 (UTC)

== Vandalism ==

{{ping|Jtneill}} May I draw your attantion to this!
==== 6 December 2025 ====

* cur[https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?title=Chaos_Theory_Extended&amp;diff=prev&amp;oldid=2778412 prev] &lt;bdi&gt;[https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?title=Chaos_Theory_Extended&amp;oldid=2778412 13:15, 6 December 2025]&lt;/bdi&gt; [[User:Revolving Doormat|&lt;bdi&gt;Revolving Doormat&lt;/bdi&gt;]] [[User talk:Revolving Doormat|discuss]] [[Special:Contributions/Revolving Doormat|contribs]]  75,351 bytes +279  request speedy delete under CSD1 [https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?title=Chaos_Theory_Extended&amp;action=edit&amp;undoafter=2777042&amp;undo=2778412 undo][[Special:Thanks/2778412|thank]] [[Special:Tags|Tag]]: [[Wikiversity:VisualEditor|Visual edit: Switched]]

[[User:Revolving Doormat|&lt;bdi&gt;Revolving Doormat&lt;/bdi&gt;]] account created today 
at the same time as = &lt;bdi&gt;~2025-38873-79&lt;/bdi&gt; =

So I assume they are all the same.
Am I allowed to remove the delete template by myself?
Greetings [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 16:41, 6 December 2025 (UTC)

:We are not the same person. I came here from an AfD on Wikipedia and your page creation ban here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard/Incidents#c-Ldm1954-20251205133800-Requesting_page_creation_block_of_User:Harold_Foppele
:The temp user already identified that I notified WP about the same activity on WV, and that brought them here. [[User:Revolving Doormat|Revolving Doormat]] ([[User talk:Revolving Doormat|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Revolving Doormat|contribs]]) 17:08, 6 December 2025 (UTC)
::Its so coincidental that you all share the same IP range isn't it? Using an empty account? [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 17:19, 6 December 2025 (UTC)
:::The user already identified their WP account and my WP user id is the same one I have here. I don't believe you have access to our IP addresses, but but based on their WP biography, that would also be impossible. I will not be engaging with you further. [[User:Revolving Doormat|Revolving Doormat]] ([[User talk:Revolving Doormat|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Revolving Doormat|contribs]]) 17:25, 6 December 2025 (UTC)
::::What you believe or not is up to you [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 17:41, 6 December 2025 (UTC)

== User Dan Polansky ==

I want to draw your attention to the edits (mainly copy/paste) by [[user:Dan Polansky|Dan Polansky]] today. Still trying to act as curator? They continue their previous harassment. Cheers [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 17:07, 12 December 2025 (UTC)

== Happy New Year, Jtneill! ==
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[[File:Everlasting Fireworks looped.gif|left|x173px]][[File:Happy new year 01.svg|x173px|right]]
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{{Center|{{resize|179%|'''''[[New Year|Happy New Year]]!'''''}}}}
'''Jtneill''',&lt;br /&gt;Have a prosperous, productive and enjoyable [[New Year]], and thanks for your contributions to Wikiversity.
&lt;br /&gt;[[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 17:10, 2 January 2026 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;''{{resize|88%|Send New Year cheer by adding {{tls|Happy New Year fireworks}} to user talk pages.}}''
{{clear}}&lt;!-- From template:Happy New Year fireworks --&gt;

== Please delete [[MediaWiki:Gadget-WikiSign.js]] ==

Reason: This is a request by the author (major contributor). Custodians don't have interface admin rights, so custodians cannot delete this page. Bureaucrats can delete this page by temporarily adding themselves to the interface admin user group ([[User_talk:Jtneill/Archive/2024#Please_delete_MediaWiki:Wikidebate.js]]). Thank you for your attention. [[User:MathXplore|MathXplore]] ([[User talk:MathXplore|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/MathXplore|contribs]]) 09:11, 11 February 2026 (UTC)

== DELETE request ==

Please DELETE [[Creating Media Literacy and You/Fox, the Great Depression, the Great Recession, and our future]] to [[Media Literacy and You/Fox, the Great Depression, the Great Recession, and our future]]. I created the article with an erroneous name. I will recreate it with the name I want. Thanks, [[User:DavidMCEddy|DavidMCEddy]] ([[User talk:DavidMCEddy|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/DavidMCEddy|contribs]]) 20:15, 11 February 2026 (UTC)
: {{Done}} [[User:MathXplore|MathXplore]] ([[User talk:MathXplore|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/MathXplore|contribs]]) 13:12, 13 February 2026 (UTC)

== Archiving ==

Hi and hello @[[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] I did some archiving from Colloquium and RCA. If you have time that I'm on the right track? It where only a few, so if I did wrong, its easily undone, otherwise I continue as per request. Thanks [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 19:21, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

:@[[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] Please remember to user &lt;nowiki&gt;{{archive|Wikiversity:Colloquium}}&lt;/nowiki&gt; instead of &lt;nowiki&gt;{{archive}}&lt;/nowiki&gt; so that people who find themselves in the archives know where to go if they are unsure of anything. [[User:PieWriter|PieWriter]] ([[User talk:PieWriter|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/PieWriter|contribs]]) 07:12, 13 February 2026 (UTC)
::@[[User:PieWriter|PieWriter]] I have literally no idea what you are talking about. So elaborate please. [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 08:53, 13 February 2026 (UTC)
:::Ahhh I see what you mean. Strange that you comment on MY edits only. NONE of the archive templates at WC archive have that. Did you overlook that?[[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 09:13, 13 February 2026 (UTC)
::::That’s why the discussion parameter is red linked, I am working on that. [[User:PieWriter|PieWriter]] ([[User talk:PieWriter|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/PieWriter|contribs]]) 09:22, 13 February 2026 (UTC)
:::::Well, you could have said that instead. I think it's a bit overdone, since the page title is reads already Archive. [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 09:26, 13 February 2026 (UTC)
::::::New users will click on the red linked, which brings them to create the talk page, which is not watched so they won’t receive a response to their question. [[User:PieWriter|PieWriter]] ([[User talk:PieWriter|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/PieWriter|contribs]]) 12:15, 13 February 2026 (UTC)
:::::::That is true [[User:Harold Foppele|Harold Foppele]] ([[User talk:Harold Foppele|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Harold Foppele|contribs]]) 12:58, 13 February 2026 (UTC)

== Email ==

I sent you an email about a private abuse filter, feel free to take a look. [[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]] ([[User talk:Codename Noreste|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Codename Noreste|contribs]]) 00:39, 15 April 2026 (UTC)

== AI slop, ownership, and wikilawyering. ==

Using AI images is worse than no images. Your constant reverting of reasonable edits removing images you prompted on pages you wrote would be considered [[w:wp:OWN]]ership on Wikipedia; even if there is no general guideline on Wikiversity the spirit of not having the final say because just you made the page is applicable to all Wikimedia wikis. Reverting a reasonable edit because it lacks an image seems like [[w:wp:WIKILAWYER]]ing— I don’t know if edit summaries are ''required'' here, but I doubt it, and on most wikis they are simply recommended. Not having one doesn’t invalidate the edit. [[User:Dronebogus|Dronebogus]] ([[User talk:Dronebogus|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Dronebogus|contribs]]) 05:27, 26 April 2026 (UTC)

:I understand that you don't like many AI images because you consider them slop. My view is that some of these AI images can be useful for educational purposes.
:I understand that you think an alternative or no image is better than some AI images. My view is that some AI images are better than no image and are either useful in addition to alternative images or more useful than some alternatives.
:May I suggest deciding first on Commons whether to keep an image, rather than removing from Wikiversity and then nominating for deletion on Commons because of no use.
:I have no interest in edit warring. I'll invite [[WV:RCA]] to review your recent edits. -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 11:20, 26 April 2026 (UTC)

== You may be an eligible candidate for the U4C election ==

&lt;div lang=&quot;en&quot; dir=&quot;ltr&quot; class=&quot;mw-content-ltr&quot;&gt;
Greetings,

The [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/Coordinating_Committee|Universal Code of Conduct Coordinating Committee (U4C)]] seeks candidates for the 2026 election. The U4C is the global committee responsible for overseeing enforcement of the [[foundation:Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Universal Code of Conduct|Universal Code of Conduct]]. Elections are held annually, if elected a committee member serves for two years.

This year the U4C requires candidates to hold administrator rights on at least one wiki, which is why you are being contacted as you appear to hold this right. There are other requirements, such as candidates must be at least 18 years old and may not be employed by the Wikimedia Foundation or other related chapters and affiliates. You can find more information in the [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/Coordinating_Committee/Election/2026#Call_for_Candidates|call for candidates on Meta-wiki]]. Additionally, the committee's working language is English; some ability to communicate in English is required.

The election opens on 18 May, if you are eligible and interested you have until 10 May to submit your candidacy. There will week between for candidates to answer questions from the community. Voting takes place privately in [[m:Special:MyLanguage/SecurePoll|SecurePoll]], successful candidates must receive at least 60% support. More information is available on [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/Coordinating_Committee/Election/2026|the 2026 Elections page]], including timelines and other candidacy information. If you read over the material and consider yourself qualified, please consider submitting your name to run for the committee. If you think someone else in your community might be interested and qualified, please encourage them to run.

In partnership with the U4C -- [[m:User:Keegan (WMF)|Keegan (WMF)]] ([[m:User_talk:Keegan (WMF)|talk]]) 18:32, 28 April 2026 (UTC) &lt;/div&gt;
&lt;!-- Message sent by User:Keegan (WMF)@metawiki using the list at https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Keegan_(WMF)/test&amp;oldid=30471751 --&gt;

== Thoughts about Wikinews closure ==

I think Wikiversity could bring in Wikinews users possibly. Thoughts? @[[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] [[User:BigKrow|BigKrow]] ([[User talk:BigKrow|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/BigKrow|contribs]]) 23:05, 13 May 2026 (UTC)

:Welcome. Sorry for the loss of Wikinews. I hope WN editors can find their way into contributing to WMF sister projects most aligned with their interests and skills, including Wikiversity. For me, the key here is alignment with [[Wikiversity:Mission]]. It may take some time to work out what's possible. As @[[User:Koavf|koavf]] suggests, a good place to start could be building on [[:Category:Journalism]]. -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 23:22, 13 May 2026 (UTC)
::Thanks. [[User:BigKrow|BigKrow]] ([[User talk:BigKrow|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/BigKrow|contribs]]) 23:23, 13 May 2026 (UTC)

== Hi. Would it be ok to post on your talk page using &quot;AI&quot;/LLMs? ==

Hello! Would it be ok if I posted some future messages that were generated by an &quot;AI&quot;/AI/LLM? If yes, would you prefer the generated message to be ie. max 100 words, less words or the talk message to include both original and generated message? Any other preferences/requirements? So far, 1 user has responded to this type of inquiry. They prefer 100 words max of generated talk page message. Best wishes [[User:ThinkingScience|ThinkingScience]] ([[User talk:ThinkingScience|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/ThinkingScience|contribs]]) 21:04, 22 June 2026 (UTC)
: You are welcome to post directly to my talk page if you think that is a good place for a conversation. Personally, I don't much care whether or not content is AI-generated, but note the principles suggested by [[Wikiversity:Artificial intelligence|Wikiversity's artificial intelligence policy]]. -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 02:09, 23 June 2026 (UTC)

== Resources suitable for the main namespace ==

I noticed that we have a Draft namespace on Wikiversity and that there were discussions about moving pages to Draft. Some colleagues also hold the opinion that pages should be moved to the user ns. However, I did not understand what the criteria are for such transfers, in other words, what page deserves to be on Wikiversity, but cannot be in the main ns.

Now that I have [[:cs:Wikiverzita:Diskusní prostor#Ukončení činnosti na projektuh Wikiversity|finally left the Czech Wikiversity]], I am wondering if it is worth cloning my resources to the English one, or continuing on a personal wiki. For example, due to the resistance against AI-generated files on Commons, which has also spilled over to en.wv, I decided that I would not continue with [[Audio-visual German language materials]], because I wanted to generate the missing recordings and files in AI. This means that I will finish this course on my PC, rather than falling into eternal conjectures about why the AI ​​illustration of cherries is bad or good.

And I have a similar concern with my other creations, where there was already pressure about a year ago to move them to a personal ns. What I have been creating in recent years has been education/learning through research. A person interested in a given topic asks a question and then researches the literature, or experiments and writes down the answer. Another person interested does the same, or as part of the training, looks for answers to other people's questions. The system may resemble Stack Overflow and the like, but the goal is not to create full texts together, but to go through the process of searching for information and learning from that. Of course, if the page is then too long, it can be turned into full-text study material and, for example, a new page of a similar nature can be founded.

An example of such a project is needed [[Sweet Home 3D|here]] or [[User:Juandev/R/Compression stocking|here]], but there was an arumentation, they are underdeveloped and they should be moved to user ns. So that's why I'm asking what the evaluation criteria are, so that it doesn't end up in a way that the pages are moved away from the main ns and I end up finding out that I have to move it to my own wiki anyway. [[User:Juandev|Juandev]] ([[User talk:Juandev|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Juandev|contribs]]) 06:37, 3 July 2026 (UTC)
: Oh, sorry to hear that you are finished with Czech Wikiversity, but maybe that is good for en.wv.
: I guess we'll never really have any guarantees about anything placed on a publicly editable wiki because practices and users can change.
: I share your concerns about actual, or threats of, rather blunt approaches to educational use of AI. Of course, AI can be educational useful, and of course we are capable of finding nuanced, reasonable ways to include and use it. But as we see e.g., on Commons, there is a strong, simplistic anti-AI sentiment within the Wikimedia community.
: I don't recall much discussion about, or use of the Draft ns on en.wv. I think it was probably created very early on, to replicate Wikipedia, where a draft article makes sense before being moved to main space. I think the Draft or User space is welcome to be used for almost anything within scope, without much tension or debate. Then there is the issue around what some users consider acceptable or not for the main space on en.wv. Personally, I'm quite open. en.wv is still in early days of experimentation and trying things is needed, so I'm included to be inclusive and accepting, rather than shunting projects into Draft ns.
: I don't use Draft:, but I do use User: subpages and of course main space. I haven't had any issues with others asking me to justify main space content or proposals to move content to Draft or User.
: I'm sorry this doesn't provide any guarantees, except I guess to say I feel good about using en.wv as a working environment.
: Sincerely,&lt;br&gt; James
: -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 07:25, 3 July 2026 (UTC)

== LLM-generated content: Talk post about my neurodiversity draft ==

Hello Jtneill — does the topic I’ve brought up interest you? If so, would you be willing to spend about 5 minutes skimming through my “idea” on Wikiversity (“[[Draft:The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea]]”)? No need to overthink it, and I’m not expecting a reply soon—tomorrow, in a month, or even later would all be welcome. Thank you.

Metadata: Since edit summaries are not present on talk pages like this one, I'll link to the LLM interaction history that I saved in my Wikiversity user space here: [[User:ThinkingScience/All_General_AI_Prompt_History_Archive#Goal:_Interact_with_User:Jtneill_at_July_5,_2026]] so that I follow [[Wikiversity:Artificial intelligence]]. [[User:ThinkingScience|ThinkingScience]] ([[User talk:ThinkingScience|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/ThinkingScience|contribs]]) 04:38, 5 July 2026 (UTC)</text>
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      <comment>Reverted edit by [[Special:Contributions/~2026-38246-82|~2026-38246-82]] ([[User_talk:~2026-38246-82|talk]]) to last version by [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] using [[Wikiversity:Rollback|rollback]]</comment>
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Learn about the [[w:Wikimedia Foundation|Wikimedia Foundation]] and its [[w:Wikipedia:Wikimedia sister projects|sister projects]] by clicking on the icons above.

The mission of the [http://wikimediafoundation.org Wikimedia Foundation] is to help [[Wikimedia|projects]] like [[Main page|Wikiversity]] collect and develop free and openly licensed educational content.

[[Category:Wikimedia studies]]
[[Category:Anthropology]]</text>
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      <comment>Reverted edit by [[Special:Contributions/~2026-38096-63|~2026-38096-63]] ([[User_talk:~2026-38096-63|talk]]) to last version by [[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]] using [[Wikiversity:Rollback|rollback]]</comment>
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==Review changes to [[Special:AbuseFilter/4]]==
{{ping|Codename Noreste}} Could you review changes I made to this filter to help prevent profanity spam using obfuscated spellings? -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 03:44, 25 May 2026 (UTC)
: I've adjusted the filter to prevent any potential false positives, see its conditions. [[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]] ([[User talk:Codename Noreste|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Codename Noreste|contribs]]) 18:10, 26 May 2026 (UTC)</text>
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  <page>
    <title>Understanding Arithmetic Circuits</title>
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      <comment>/* Adder */</comment>
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== Adder ==

* Binary Adder Architecture Exploration ( [[Media:Adder.20131113.pdf|pdf]]  )
 
{| class=&quot;wikitable&quot;
|-
!  Adder type      !! Overview !! Analysis !! VHDL Level Design  !! CMOS Level Design  
|-
| '''1. Ripple Carry Adder'''
|| [[Media:VLSI.Arith.1A.RCA.20250522.pdf|A]]||
|| [[Media:Adder.rca.20140313.pdf|pdf]]
|| [[Media:VLSI.Arith.1D.RCA.CMOS.20211108.pdf|pdf]]
|-
| '''2. Carry Lookahead Adder'''
|| [[Media:VLSI.Arith.2A.CLA.20260704.pdf|A]], [[Media:VLSI.Arith.2B.CLA.20260704.pdf|B]] ||
|| [[Media:Adder.cla.20140313.pdf|pdf]]||
|-
| '''3. Carry Save Adder''' 
|| [[Media:VLSI.Arith.1.A.CSave.20151209.pdf|A]]||
|| ||
|-
|| '''4. Carry Select Adder''' 
|| [[Media:VLSI.Arith.1.A.CSelA.20191002.pdf|A]]||
|| || 
|-
|| '''5. Carry Skip Adder'''
|| [[Media:VLSI.Arith.5A.CSkip.20250405.pdf|A]]||
|| 
|| [[Media:VLSI.Arith.5D.CSkip.CMOS.20211108.pdf|pdf]]
|- 
|| '''6. Carry Chain Adder'''
|| [[Media:VLSI.Arith.6A.CCA.20211109.pdf|A]]||
|| [[Media:VLSI.Arith.6C.CCA.VHDL.20211109.pdf|pdf]],  [[Media:Adder.cca.20140313.pdf|pdf]]
|| [[Media:VLSI.Arith.6D.CCA.CMOS.20211109.pdf|pdf]]
|- 
|| '''7. Kogge-Stone Adder'''
|| [[Media:VLSI.Arith.1.A.KSA.20140315.pdf|A]]||
|| [[Media:Adder.ksa.20140409.pdf|pdf]]||
|-
|| '''8. Prefix Adder'''
|| [[Media:VLSI.Arith.1.A.PFA.20140314.pdf|A]]||
|| || 
|-
|| '''9.1 Variable Block Adder'''
|| [[Media:VLSI.Arith.1A.VBA.20221110.pdf|A]], [[Media:VLSI.Arith.1B.VBA.20230911.pdf|B]], [[Media:VLSI.Arith.1C.VBA.20240622.pdf|C]], [[Media:VLSI.Arith.1C.VBA.20250218.pdf|D]]||
|| || 
|-
|| '''9.2 Multi-Level Variable Block Adder'''
|| [[Media:VLSI.Arith.1.A.VBA-Multi.20221031.pdf|A]]||
|| || 
|}
&lt;/br&gt;
 
=== Adder Architectures Suitable for FPGA === 
* FPGA Carry-Chain Adder ([[Media:VLSI.Arith.1.A.FPGA-CCA.20210421.pdf|pdf]])
* FPGA Carry Select Adder ([[Media:VLSI.Arith.1.B.FPGA-CarrySelect.20210522.pdf|pdf]])
* FPGA Variable Block Adder ([[Media:VLSI.Arith.1.C.FPGA-VariableBlock.20220125.pdf|pdf]])
* FPGA Carry Lookahead Adder ([[Media:VLSI.Arith.1.D.FPGA-CLookahead.20210304.pdf|pdf]])
* Carry-Skip Adder
&lt;/br&gt;

== Barrel Shifter ==
* Barrel Shifter Architecture Exploration ([[Media:Bshift.20131105.pdf|bshfit.vhdl]], [[Media:Bshift.makefile.20131109.pdf|bshfit.makefile]])
&lt;/br&gt;

'''Mux Based Barrel Shifter'''
* Analysis  ([[Media:Arith.BShfiter.20151207.pdf|pdf]]) 
* Implementation 
&lt;/br&gt;

== Multiplier == 
=== Array Multipliers ===
* Analysis  ([[Media:VLSI.Arith.1.A.Mult.20151209.pdf|pdf]])
&lt;/br&gt;

=== Tree Mulltipliers ===
* Lattice Multiplication  ([[Media:VLSI.Arith.LatticeMult.20170204.pdf|pdf]])
* Wallace Tree  ([[Media:VLSI.Arith.WallaceTree.20170204.pdf|pdf]])
* Dadda Tree  ([[Media:VLSI.Arith.DaddaTree.20170701.pdf|pdf]])
&lt;/br&gt;

=== Booth Multipliers ===
* [[Media:RNS4.BoothEncode.20161005.pdf|Booth Encoding Note]]
* Booth Multiplier Note ([[Media:BoothMult.20160929.pdf|H1.pdf]])
&lt;/br&gt;

== Divider == 
* Binary Divider ([[Media:VLSI.Arith.1.A.Divider.20131217.pdf|pdf]])&lt;/br&gt;

&lt;/br&gt;
&lt;/br&gt; 
go to [ [[Electrical_%26_Computer_Engineering_Studies]] ]

[[Category:Digital Circuit Design]]
[[Category:FPGA]]</text>
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    <title>Complex analysis in plain view</title>
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      <comment>/* Geometric Series Examples */</comment>
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      <text bytes="5296" sha1="709m6nu5cypw0nuudkc6kbbvu14ej7f" xml:space="preserve">Many of the functions that arise naturally in mathematics and real world applications can be extended to and regarded as complex functions, meaning the input, as well as the output, can be complex numbers &lt;math&gt;x+iy&lt;/math&gt;, where &lt;math&gt;i=\sqrt{-1}&lt;/math&gt;, in such a way that it is a more natural object to study. '''Complex analysis''', which used to be known as '''function theory''' or '''theory of functions of a single complex variable''', is a sub-field of analysis that studies such functions (more specifically, '''holomorphic''' functions) on the complex plane, or part (domain) or extension (Riemann surface) thereof. It notably has great importance in number theory, e.g. the [[Riemann zeta function]] (for the distribution of primes) and other &lt;math&gt;L&lt;/math&gt;-functions, modular forms, elliptic functions, etc. &lt;blockquote&gt;The shortest path between two truths in the real domain passes through the complex domain.  — [[wikipedia:Jacques_Hadamard|Jacques Hadamard]]&lt;/blockquote&gt;In a certain sense, the essence of complex functions is captured by the principle of [[analytic continuation]].{{mathematics}}

==''' Complex Functions '''== 
* Complex Functions ([[Media:CAnal.1.A.CFunction.20140222.Basic.pdf|1.A.pdf]], [[Media:CAnal.1.B.CFunction.20140111.Octave.pdf|1.B.pdf]], [[Media:CAnal.1.C.CFunction.20140111.Extend.pdf|1.C.pdf]])

* Complex Exponential and Logarithm ([[Media:CAnal.5.A.CLog.20131017.pdf|5.A.pdf]], [[Media:CAnal.5.A.Octave.pdf|5.B.pdf]])

* Complex Trigonometric and Hyperbolic ([[Media:CAnal.7.A.CTrigHyper..pdf|7.A.pdf]], [[Media:CAnal.7.A.Octave..pdf|7.B.pdf]])

'''Complex Function Note'''
: 1. Exp and Log Function Note ([[Media:ComplexExp.29160721.pdf|H1.pdf]])

: 2. Trig and TrigH Function Note ([[Media:CAnal.Trig-H.29160901.pdf|H1.pdf]])

: 3. Inverse Trig and TrigH Functions Note ([[Media:CAnal.Hyper.29160829.pdf|H1.pdf]])

==''' Complex Integrals '''== 
* Complex Integrals ([[Media:CAnal.2.A.CIntegral.20140224.Basic.pdf|2.A.pdf]], [[Media:CAnal.2.B.CIntegral.20140117.Octave.pdf|2.B.pdf]], [[Media:CAnal.2.C.CIntegral.20140117.Extend.pdf|2.C.pdf]])

==''' Complex Series '''== 
* Complex Series ([[Media:CPX.Series.20150226.2.Basic.pdf|3.A.pdf]], [[Media:CAnal.3.B.CSeries.20140121.Octave.pdf|3.B.pdf]], [[Media:CAnal.3.C.CSeries.20140303.Extend.pdf|3.C.pdf]])

==''' Residue Integrals '''==
* Residue Integrals ([[Media:CAnal.4.A.Residue.20140227.Basic.pdf|4.A.pdf]], [[Media:CAnal.4.B.pdf|4.B.pdf]], [[Media:CAnal.4.C.Residue.20140423.Extend.pdf|4.C.pdf]]) 

==='''Residue Integrals Note'''===
* Laurent Series with the Residue Theorem Note ([[Media:Laurent.1.Residue.20170713.pdf|H1.pdf]])
* Laurent Series with Applications Note ([[Media:Laurent.2.Applications.20170327.pdf|H1.pdf]])
* Laurent Series and the z-Transform Note ([[Media:Laurent.3.z-Trans.20170831.pdf|H1.pdf]])
* Laurent Series as a Geometric Series Note ([[Media:Laurent.4.GSeries.20170802.pdf|H1.pdf]])

=== Laurent Series and the z-Transform Example Note === 
* Overview ([[Media:Laurent.4.z-Example.20170926.pdf|H1.pdf]])

====Geometric Series Examples====

* Causality ([[Media:Laurent.5.Causality.1.A.20191026n.pdf|A.pdf]], [[Media:Laurent.5.Causality.1.B.20191026.pdf|B.pdf]]) 

* Time Shift ([[Media:Laurent.5.TimeShift.2.A.20191028.pdf|A.pdf]], [[Media:Laurent.5.TimeShift.2.B.20191029.pdf|B.pdf]]) 

* Reciprocity ([[Media:Laurent.5.Reciprocity.3A.20191030.pdf|A.pdf]], [[Media:Laurent.5.Reciprocity.3B.20191031.pdf|B.pdf]]) 

* Combinations ([[Media:Laurent.5.Combination.4A.20200702.pdf|A.pdf]], [[Media:Laurent.5.Combination.4B.20201002.pdf|B.pdf]]) 

* Properties ([[Media:Laurent.5.Property.5A.20220105.pdf|A.pdf]], [[Media:Laurent.5.Property.5B.20220126.pdf|B.pdf]]) 

* Permutations ([[Media:Laurent.6.Permutation.6A.20230711.pdf|A.pdf]], [[Media:Laurent.5.Permutation.6B.20251225.pdf|B.pdf]], [[Media:Laurent.5.Permutation.6C.20260704.pdf|C.pdf]], [[Media:Laurent.5.Permutation.6C.20240528.pdf|D.pdf]]) 

* Applications ([[Media:Laurent.5.Application.6B.20220723.pdf|A.pdf]]) 

* Double Pole Case

:- Examples ([[Media:Laurent.5.DPoleEx.7A.20220722.pdf|A.pdf]], [[Media:Laurent.5.DPoleEx.7B.20220720.pdf|B.pdf]]) 

:- Properties ([[Media:Laurent.5.DPoleProp.5A.20190226.pdf|A.pdf]], [[Media:Laurent.5.DPoleProp.5B.20190228.pdf|B.pdf]])

====The Case Examples====
* Example Overview : ([[Media:Laurent.4.Example.0.A.20171208.pdf|0A.pdf]], [[Media:Laurent.6.CaseExample.0.B.20180205.pdf|0B.pdf]])
* Example Case 1 : ([[Media:Laurent.4.Example.1.A.20171107.pdf|1A.pdf]], [[Media:Laurent.4.Example.1.B.20171227.pdf|1B.pdf]])
* Example Case 2 : ([[Media:Laurent.4.Example.2.A.20171107.pdf|2A.pdf]], [[Media:Laurent.4.Example.2.B.20171227.pdf|2B.pdf]])
* Example Case 3 : ([[Media:Laurent.4.Example.3.A.20171017.pdf|3A.pdf]], [[Media:Laurent.4.Example.3.B.20171226.pdf|3B.pdf]])
* Example Case 4 : ([[Media:Laurent.4.Example.4.A.20171017.pdf|4A.pdf]], [[Media:Laurent.4.Example.4.B.20171228.pdf|4B.pdf]])
* Example Summary : ([[Media:Laurent.4.Example.5.A.20171212.pdf|5A.pdf]], [[Media:Laurent.4.Example.5.B.20171230.pdf|5B.pdf]])

==''' Conformal Mapping '''== 
* Conformal Mapping ([[Media:CAnal.6.A.Conformal.20131224.pdf|6.A.pdf]], [[Media:CAnal.6.A.Octave..pdf|6.B.pdf]])

go to [ [[Electrical_%26_Computer_Engineering_Studies]] ]

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    <title>Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria</title>
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      <text bytes="234969" sha1="ivw1c3vpryntil8yyf0ga0mil1dkdhu" xml:space="preserve">== Overview ==
According to the Museum of London, Queen Victoria was 4'8&quot; by the end of her life.&lt;ref&gt;Austin, Emily. &quot;Mounting Queen Victoria's mourning dress.&quot; 13 August 2020 ''London Museum''. [https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/blog/mounting-queen-victorias-mourning-dress/#:~:text=Comprising%20a%20bodice%20and%20skirt,a%20certain%20stage%20of%20mourning. https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/blog/mounting-queen-victorias-mourning-dress/#:~:text=Comprising%20a%20bodice%20and%20skirt,a%20certain%20stage%20of%20mourning.] Retrieved 2026-03-09.&lt;/ref&gt; Most people say she was about 5 feet tall at her tallest, although sometimes some will say 5'2&quot;.

Lytton Strachey describes the shrinking of Queen Victoria's power over the course of her reign, attributing it to her inability to think clearly about the constitution or constitutional monarchy:&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria’s comprehension of the spirit of her age has been constantly asserted. It was for long the custom for courtly historians and polite politicians to compliment the Queen upon the correctness of her attitude towards the Constitution. But such praises seem hardly to be justified by the facts. ... The complex and delicate principles of the Constitution cannot be said to have come within the compass of her mental faculties; and in the actual developments which it underwent during her reign she [472–473] played a passive part. From 1840 to 1861 the power of the Crown steadily increased in England; from 1861 to 1901 it steadily declined. The first process was due to the influence of the Prince Consort, the second to that of a series of great Ministers. During the first Victoria was in effect a mere accessory; during the second the threads of power, which Albert had so laboriously collected, inevitably fell from her hands into the vigorous grasp of Mr. Gladstone, Lord Beaconsfield, and Lord Salisbury. Perhaps, absorbed as she was in routine, and difficult as she found it to distinguish at all clearly between the trivial and the essential, she was only dimly aware of what was happening. Yet, at the end of her reign, the Crown was weaker than at any other time in English history. Paradoxically enough, Victoria received the highest eulogiums for assenting to a political evolution, which, had she completely realised its import, would have filled her with supreme displeasure.

Nevertheless it must not be supposed that she was a second George III. Her desire to impose her will, vehement as it was, and unlimited by [473–474] any principle, was yet checked by a certain shrewdness.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot;&gt;Strachey, Lytton. ''Queen Victoria''. Standard Ebooks, 2025 (2020). [http://standardebooks.org/ebooks/lytton-strachey/queen-victoria standardebooks.org/ebooks/lytton-strachey/queen-victoria]. Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/queen-victoria/id6444770015.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|472–474 of 555}}
&lt;/blockquote&gt;

The American writer Henry James on Queen Victoria's death:&lt;blockquote&gt;the ensuing mood [was] &quot;strange and indescribable&quot;: people spoke in whispers, as though scared of something. He was surprised at the reaction, because her death was not sudden or unusual: it was &quot;a simple running down of the old used up watch,&quot; the death of an old widow who had thrown &quot;her good fat weight into the scales of general decency.&quot; Yet in the following days, the American-born writer felt unexpectedly distressed. He, like so many, mourned the &quot;safe and motherly old middle-class Queen, who held the nation warm under the fold of her big, hideous Scotch-plaid shawl.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|846 of 1203}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

According to A. N. Wilson, Queen Victoria's reputation for prudishness is not quite deserved. The &quot;raffishness&quot; of George IV, for example, or most of the other children of George III, was distasteful, but&lt;blockquote&gt;Having been brought up by a [324–325] widow was different from being brought up, as Albert was, in a home broken by adultery; so her distaste for raffishness, though she would loyally echo her husband’s strong moral line, lacked the pathological edge which it possessed in his case.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|324–325 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

And Wilson says of her enduring liking for the &quot;poor relation&quot; cousin George Cambridge, 2nd Duke of Cambridge,&lt;blockquote&gt;Although all her biographers stress Victoria’s need, in marrying the virtuous Prince Albert, to escape the dissipations and clumsiness of her ‘wicked uncles’, there was always a distinctly Hanoverian side to her. George Cambridge was a throwback to the world of William IV and George IV, to a lack of stiffness and a lack of side which was always part of Victoria’s character also.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|879 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

Wilson says of the distance between the actual woman and the external perception of her,&lt;blockquote&gt;Arthur C. Benson and the 1st Viscount Esher, both homosexual men of a certain limited outlook determined by their class and disposition, were the pair entrusted with the task of editing the earliest published letters. It is a magnificent achievement, but they chose to concentrate on Victoria’s public life, omitting the thousands of letters she wrote relating to health, to children, to sex and marriage, to feelings and the ‘inner woman’. It perhaps comforted them, and others who revered the memory of the Victorian era, to place a posthumous gag on Victoria’s emotions. The extreme paradox arose that one of the most passionate, expressive, humorous and unconventional women who ever lived was paraded before the public as a [39–40] stiff, pompous little person, the ‘figurehead’ to an all-male imperial enterprise.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|39–40 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

Besides what some say was a German accent, Queen Victoria spoke in what A. N. Wilson calls&lt;blockquote&gt;an unreformed Regency English. In Osborne, on Christmas Day 1891, she asked Sir Henry Ponsonby, 'Why the blazes don't Mr Macdonnell telegraph hear the results of the election? He used to do so and now he don’t.' ... If William IV had lived in the age of the telegraph, it is just the sort of question, with 'don't' for 'doesn't', and the blunt 'why the blazes' which he would have asked. One sees here [857–858] how much she had in common with her cousin the Duke of Cambridge, who likewise appeared in many ways to be a pre-Victorian. During a drought, he went to church and the parson prayed for rain. The duke involuntarily exclaimed, 'Oh God! My dear man, how can you expect rain with wind in the east?' When the chaplain, later in the service, said, 'Let us pray,' the duke replied, 'By all means.'&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|857–858 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Also Known As ==
*Victoria Regina
*Family name: Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
*Nickname, as a child: Drina
*Alexandrina Victoria

== Family ==
*Victoria — Alexandrina Victoria (24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901)&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;
*Albert, Prince Consort — Franz August Karl Albert Emanuel (26 August 1819 – 14 December 1861)&lt;ref name=&quot;:2&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-04|title=Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prince_Albert_of_Saxe-Coburg_and_Gotha&amp;oldid=1315065374|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa, &quot;Vicky,&quot; German Empress, Empress Frederick (21 November 1840 – 5 August 1901)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-08|title=Victoria, Princess Royal|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Victoria,_Princess_Royal&amp;oldid=1315724049|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Albert Edward, Prince of Wales | Albert Edward, &quot;Teddy,&quot; King Edward VII]] (4 November 1841 – 6 May 1910)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-23|title=Edward VII|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edward_VII&amp;oldid=1318322588|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Princess Alice | Alice Maud Mary, Princess Alice]], Grand Duchess of Hesse (25 April 1843 – 14 December 1878)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-02|title=Princess Alice of the United Kingdom|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Alice_of_the_United_Kingdom&amp;oldid=1314683419|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Alfred of Edinburgh | Alfred Ernest Albert, &quot;Affie&quot;]]: Duke of Edinburgh — (6 August 1844 – 30 July 1900),&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-20|title=Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alfred,_Duke_of_Saxe-Coburg_and_Gotha&amp;oldid=1317824547|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Duke of Saxe-Coburg (24 May 1866 – 30 July 1900) and Gotha (2 August 1893 – 30 July 1900)
#[[Social Victorians/People/Christian of Schleswig-Holstein | Helena Augusta Victoria, &quot;Lenchen,&quot;]] Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (25 May 1846 – 9 June 1923)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-26|title=Princess Helena of the United Kingdom|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Helena_of_the_United_Kingdom&amp;oldid=1318943746|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Princess Louise | Louise Caroline Alberta, Princess Louise]], Marchioness of Lorne, [[Social Victorians/People/Argyll | Duchess of Argyle]] (18 March 1848 – 3 December 1939)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-09-25|title=Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Louise,_Duchess_of_Argyll&amp;oldid=1313272998|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Connaught | Arthur William Patrick Albert]], Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (1 May 1850 – 16 January 1942)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-03|title=Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prince_Arthur,_Duke_of_Connaught_and_Strathearn&amp;oldid=1314802923|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Leopold | Leopold George Duncan Albert]], Duke of Albany (7 April 1853 – 28 March 1884)&lt;ref name=&quot;:1&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-19|title=Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prince_Leopold,_Duke_of_Albany&amp;oldid=1317724959|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#Beatrice Mary Victoria Feodore, Princess Henry of Battenberg (14 April 1857 – 26 October 1944)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-21|title=Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Beatrice_of_the_United_Kingdom&amp;oldid=1318045123|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

=== &quot;Adopted&quot; Godchildren ===

# Victoria Gouramma, of Coorg (c. 1841–), brought to London in 1852 at 11, QV stood as godmother 1 July 1852.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (346 of 1204)
# Maharajah Duleep Singh, the Lion of the Punjab, presented to QV in July 1854.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (350 of 1204)

=== Relations ===

== Acquaintances, Friends and Enemies ==
=== Acquaintances ===
=== Friends ===

* Lord Melbourne — Henry William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (15 March 1779 – 24 November 1848)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-09-25|title=William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Lamb,_2nd_Viscount_Melbourne&amp;oldid=1313293647|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-09|title=Benjamin Disraeli|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Benjamin_Disraeli&amp;oldid=1315865798|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* Harriet, Duchess of Sutherland, [[Social Victorians/Victoria/Queen's Household#Mistress of the Robes|Mistress of the Robes]] 1837 and 1861, very close friend.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-03-13|title=Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harriet_Sutherland-Leveson-Gower,_Duchess_of_Sutherland&amp;oldid=1343226719|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; The Duchess of Sutherland was an abolitionist, personally criticized by Karl Marx for her mother's clearing of the Sutherland lands for sheep grazing.
* Anne Murray, Duchess of Atholl, [[Social Victorians/Victoria/Queen's Household#Mistress of the Robes|Mistress of the Robes]] 1852–1853 and then Lady of the Bedchamber until 1892, when she and the Duchess of Roxburghe shared the duties of the Mistress of the Robes, among her closest of friends&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-25|title=Anne Murray, Duchess of Atholl|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anne_Murray,_Duchess_of_Atholl&amp;oldid=1334678470|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* [[Social Victorians/People/Sophie of Wurttemberg|Sophie of Württemberg, Queen of the Netherlands]] (17 June 1818 – 3 June 1877)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-02|title=Sophie of Württemberg|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sophie_of_W%C3%BCrttemberg&amp;oldid=1325386567|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

*[[Social Victorians/People/Mary Todd Lincoln|Mary Todd Lincoln]] (December 13, 1818 – July 16, 1882)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-08|title=Mary Todd Lincoln|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Todd_Lincoln&amp;oldid=1331838569|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
*[[Social Victorians/People/Eugenie of France|Empress Eugénie of France]] (5 May 1826 – 11 July 1920)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-11-18|title=Eugénie de Montijo|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eug%C3%A9nie_de_Montijo&amp;oldid=1322973534|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* [[Social Victorians/People/Elisabeth of Austria|Empress Elisabeth of Austria]] (24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-09|title=Empress Elisabeth of Austria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Empress_Elisabeth_of_Austria&amp;oldid=1332040784|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* &quot;Lady Augusta Bruce, lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria’s mother, and already [by 1853] a great friend of the Queen’s, attended [Eugénie and Napoleon's] wedding at Notre-Dame&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot;&gt;Wilson, A. N. ''Victoria: A Life''. Penguin, 2014. Apple Books:  https://books.apple.com/us/book/victoria/id828766078.&lt;/ref&gt; (325 of 1204)

=== Enemies ===

== Organizations ==
[[Social Victorians/Victoria/Queen's Household|Queen's Household]]

== Pastimes ==
* [[Social Victorians/Royals Amateur Theatricals | Amateur Theatricals with the Royal Family]], often at Balmoral or Osborne

== Timeline ==
This Timeline includes both a list of signal events in Queen Victoria's social life and a separate [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Her Dresses|chronological list of the dresses]] as they appear in her painted and photographed portraits. Information about what she wore at particular events might be in both places.

'''1835''', Rosie Harte in ''The Royal Wardrobe'' says,&lt;blockquote&gt;In 1835, Victoria first met the French Princess Louise, who had recently married her uncle Leopold and whose continental wardrobe fascinated the young Princess. Victoria’s addiction to French wares began with little gifts and accessories, before eventually Louise was supplying her with full outfits of pastel-toned silk dresses and matching bonnets, which Victoria swooned over in her diary: ‘They are quite lovely. They are so well made and so very elegant.’&lt;sup&gt;18&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;sup&gt;&quot;18 RA VIC/MAIN/QVJ (W) 17 September 1836.&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;ref&gt;Harte, Rosie. ''The Royal Wardrobe: Peek into the Wardrobes of History's Most Fashionable Royals''. &lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|270 of 595}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1836 May 18''', Victoria and Albert met for the first time. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;On this particular day that Albert first set eyes upon her, there’s also cause to suspect that we can identify the very gown Victoria was wearing. The reason is that she was a great hoarder of the clothes worn on significant occasions, and the Royal Collection today still contains a high-waisted, dark-coloured, tartan velvet dress. With short puffed sleeves worn just off the shoulder, its style dates it to exactly the right period.&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;21 Staniland (1997) p. 92&quot;}} [new paragraph] The tartan was important, for despite the fact she had never been there Victoria had fallen passionately in love with the country of [129–130] Scotland. This had happened four months previously when she’d devoured Sir Walter Scott’s ''The Bride of Lammermoor''. In it, a fearsome Scottish lord feasts upon the human flesh of his tenants, shocking observers when he throws back ‘the tartan plaid with which he had screened his grim and ferocious visage’.&lt;sup&gt;22&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;22 Scott (1819; 1858 edition) p. 368&quot;}} ‘Oh!’ Victoria panted in her journal, ‘Walter Scott is my beau ideal of a Poet; I do so admire him both in Poetry and Prose!’&lt;sup&gt;23&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;23 RA QVJ/1836: 1 November&quot;}} ‘Grim and ferocious’ does not sound like a particularly winsome look. Yet Victoria, at odds with the authority figures in her life, wanted to demonstrate independence and maturity through her dark, tartan gown. Casting aside the white or pink muslin dresses that had previously dominated her wardrobe, she was going through a phase and adopting a look that in our own times we might call goth.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot;&gt;Worsley, Lucy. ''Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life''. St. Martin's Press, Hodder &amp; Stoughton, 2018.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|129–130 of 786; nn. 21, 22, 23, p. 653}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1837 June 20''', Victoria acceded to the throne.&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-09-28|title=Queen Victoria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Queen_Victoria&amp;oldid=1313837777|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; She put on a white dressing gown to hear the news, and then she changed to a black dress, because she was in mourning for the death of William IV, to begin her work. Worsley says that in spite of contemporary reports, Victoria did not cry:&lt;blockquote&gt;'The Queen was not overwhelmed,’ Victoria [later] claimed, and was ‘rather full of courage, she may say. She took things as they came, as she knew they must be.’&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;28 Theodore Martin, Queen Victoria as I Knew Her, London (1901) p. 65&quot;}} [new paragraph] Even her grief for her uncle had to be kept measured. ‘Poor old man,’ she thought, ‘I feel sorry for him, he was always personally kind to me.’&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;29 RA VIC/MAIN/QVLB/19 June 1837&quot;}} Yet there was no time to mourn. Victoria quickly returned to her maid’s room to be dressed. She already had a black mourning gown just waiting to be put on. Still remaining at Kensington Palace to this day, this dress is a tiny garment, with an extraordinarily small waist and cuffs. With it, she wore a white collar and, as usual, ‘her light hair’ was ‘simply parted over the forehead’.&lt;sup&gt;30&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;30 Anon., The Annual Register and Chronicle for the Year 1837, London (1838) p. 65&quot;}} Her girlish appearance explains quite a lot of the indulgence and romance with which her reign was greeted. It also meant that she would consistently be underestimated.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|148 of 786; nn. 28, 29, 30, p. 656}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1838 June 28, Victoria's Coronation'''. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;For her journey to Westminster Abbey, Victoria was wearing red robes over a stiff white satin dress with gold embroidery. She had a ‘circlet of splendid diamonds’ on her head. Her long crimson velvet cloak, with its gold lace and ermine, flowed out so far behind her little figure that it became a ‘very ponderous appendage’.&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;2 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 82&quot;}} Harriet, the beautiful and statuesque Duchess of Sutherland, Mistress of the Robes, was responsible for Victoria’s appearance. This ‘ponderous’ mantle must have made her anxious, and indeed it would get in the way and cause kerfuffle all day long. The stately duchess rather dwarfed the queen when they stood side by side, and Victoria was slightly jealous of Harriet’s habit of flirting with Melbourne. But she did trust her surer dress sense. Onto [160–161] Victoria’s little feet went flat white satin slippers fastened with ribbons.&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;3 Staniland (1997) p. 114&quot;}}&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|160–161; nn. 2, 3, p. 659}}

Victoria gasped at the sight that met her within. Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, one of the young ladies carrying the queen’s train, noticed that ‘the colour mounted to her cheeks, brow and even neck, and her breath came quickly.’&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;29 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 82&quot;}} ‘Splendid’, Victoria thought the congregation, many of them, like herself, swathed in red velvet, ‘the bank of Peeresses quite beautiful, all in their robes’.&lt;sup&gt;30&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;30 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}} Among a host of impressive outfits, that of the Austrian ambassador was particularly noteworthy. Even the heels of his boots were bejewelled. One lady thought that he looked like he’d ‘been caught out in a rain of diamonds, and had come in dripping!’&lt;sup&gt;31&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;31 Grace Greenwood, ''Queen Victoria, Her Girlhood and Womanhood'', London (1883) p. 117&quot;}}

Victoria was accompanied not only by the young ladies who were to carry her train, but also by the Duchess of Sutherland as Mistress of the Robes, who ‘walked, or rather stalked up the Abbey like Juno; she was full of her situation.’&lt;sup&gt;32&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;32 Ralph Disraeli, ed., ''Lord Beaconsfield’s Correspondence with His Sister'', London (1886 edition) p. 109&quot;}} Throughout the whole ceremony the Bishop of Durham stood near to the queen, supposedly to guide her through the ritual. But he proved to be hopelessly unreliable. The unfortunate bishop ‘never could tell me’, Victoria recorded later, [169–170] what was to take place’. At one point, he was supposed to hand her the orb, but when he noticed that she had already got it, he was left, once again, ‘so confused and puzzled’.&lt;sup&gt;33&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;33 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}}

Another hindrance came in the form of the trainbearers’ dresses. Their ‘little trains were serious annoyances’, wrote one of their number, ‘for it was impossible to avoid treading upon them … there certainly should have been some previous rehearsing, for we carried the Queen’s train very jerkily and badly, never keeping step properly’.&lt;sup&gt;34&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;34 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 82&quot;}} It was the Duchess of Richmond, not the stylish Sutherland, who had signed off the design of the bearers’ dresses, and she found herself ‘much condemned by some of the young ladies for it’. But the Duchess of Richmond had decreed that she would ‘have no discussion with their Mammas’ about what they were to wear. An executive decision was the only way to get the design agreed.&lt;sup&gt;35&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;35 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|169–170 of 786; nn. 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, p. 660–661}}

[After the peers swore homage] it was now time for a change of dress, to mark the beginning of Victoria’s transformation from girl to sovereign. Retreating to a special robing room, she took off her crimson cloak and put on ‘a singular sort of little gown of linen trimmed with lace’. This white dress represented her purified, prepared state.

When she re-entered the abbey, she did so bare-headed. ... Then at last came the very moment of ‘the Crown being placed on my head – which was, I must own, a most beautiful impressive moment; all the Peers and Peeresses put on their Coronets at the same instant.’&lt;sup&gt;41&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;41 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}} The sound of this moment of the lifting of the coronets had been heard at coronations going back to the Middle Ages, and was once exquisitely described as ‘a sort of feathered, silken thunder’.&lt;sup&gt;42&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;42 Benjamin Robert Haydon, ''The Diary of Benjamin Robert Haydon'', Cambridge, MA (1960) p. 350&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|172 of 786; nn. 41, 42, p. 661}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

Her coronation robes were &quot;specially woven in the Spitalfields silk-weaving area of London,&quot; like her wedding dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot;&gt;Goldthorpe, Caroline. ''From Queen to Empress: Victorian Dress 1837–1877''. An Exhibition at The Costume Institute 15 December 1988 – 16 April 1989. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1988. ''Google Books'': https://www.google.com/books/edition/From_Queen_to_Empress/UJLxwwrVEyoC.&lt;/ref&gt; (15)

'''1840 February 10''', Victoria and Albert married at the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-07-11|title=Wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wedding_of_Queen_Victoria_and_Prince_Albert&amp;oldid=1300012890|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;She had her hair dressed in loops upon her cheeks, and a ‘wreath of orange flowers put on.’ Her dress was ‘a white satin gown, with a very deep flounce of Honiton lace, imitation of old’.&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|1=&quot;21 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February [QVJ = Queen Victoria's Journals]&quot;}}

This simple cream gown of Victoria’s was a dress that launched a million subsequent white weddings. She broke with monarchical [238–239] convention by rejecting royal robes in favour of a plain dress, with just a little train from the waist at the back to make it appropriate for court wear.&lt;sup&gt;22&lt;/sup&gt; &quot;22 Staniland (1997) p. 118&quot; It was a signal that on this day she wasn’t Her Majesty the Queen, but an ordinary woman. She wore imitation orange blossom [sic] in her hair in place of the expected circlet of diamonds. She’d had the lace for the dress created by her mother’s favoured lacemakers of Honiton, in Devon, as opposed to the better-known artisans of Brussels. A royal commission like this was a welcome boost – then as now – to British industry.&lt;sup&gt;23&lt;/sup&gt; &quot;{{rp|23 Ibid., p. 120&quot;}} This piece of lace would become totemic for Victoria. She would preserve it, treasure it and indeed wear it until the end of her life.

Victoria had personally designed the dresses of her bridesmaids, giving a sketch to her Mistress of the Robes, still Harriet, Duchess of Sutherland.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|238–239 of 786; nn. 21, 22, 23, p. 674}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;The Royal Collection has that sketch.&lt;blockquote&gt;The bridesmaids wore white roses around their heads, with further blooms pinned to the tulle overskirts of their dresses. Victoria’s opinion was that they ‘had a beautiful effect’, but others disagreed.&lt;sup&gt;36&lt;/sup&gt; [36 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February] Used to seeing golden tassels, velvet robes and colourful jewels at royal ceremonies, onlookers thought that the trainbearers ‘looked like village girls’.&lt;sup&gt;37&lt;/sup&gt; &quot;37 Wyndham, ed. (1912) p. 297&quot; &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|243–244 of 786; nn. 36, 37, p. 674}}

At the coronation her train had been too long to handle, but now there was the opposite problem. The long back part of Victoria’s white satin skirt, trimmed with orange blossom, was ‘rather too short for the number of young ladies who carried it’ and they ended up ‘kicking each other’s heels and treading on each other’s gowns’.&lt;sup&gt;50&lt;/sup&gt; [50 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 112]&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|246 of 786; n. 50, p. 675}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;Then [after the ceremony] she went to change, putting on ‘a white [249–250] silk gown trimmed with swansdown’, and a going-away bonnet trimmed with false orange flowers that still survives to this day at Kensington Palace.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|249–250 of 786}} [c. 1855 photograph of QV's 1840 going-away bonnet: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/58/collection/2905582/bonnet-worn-by-queen-victoria-at-her-marriage]

The gown that Victoria wore that evening was possibly the plainer, and very slender, cream silk one surviving in the Royal Collection with a traditional association with her wedding evening. If she did wear it for that first dinner together, then she could hardly have eaten a thing. It laced even tighter than her wedding dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|251 of 786}}

But there would be no ritual undoing by the groom of his bride’s ethereal gown. That, as always, had to be done by Victoria’s dressers. ‘At ½ p.10 I went and undressed and was very sick,’ she says. These women, the bedrock of her life, ever present, ever watchful, must have been with her as she finished retching and went into the bedchamber, where ‘we both went to bed; (of course in one bed), to lie by his side, and in his arms, and on his dear bosom’.&lt;sup&gt;72&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;72 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|252 of 786; n. 72, p. 676}}


The separation between how finely QV was dressed and what it looked like to people, including both the effect of physical distance and the effect of the distance between what people expected a queen to wear and what QV wore. Also, QV's appeal &quot;to the respectable slice of opinion at society’s upper middle&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;'I saw the Queen’s dress at the palace,’ wrote one eager letter-writer, ‘the lace was beautiful, as fine as a cobweb.’ She wore no jewels at all, this person’s account continues, ‘only a bracelet with Prince Albert’s picture’.&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;28 Mundy, ed. (1885) p. 413}} This was in fact [240–241] completely incorrect. Albert had given her a huge sapphire brooch, which she wore along with her ‘Turkish diamond necklace and earrings’.&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;29 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February}} '''It was the beginning of a lifetime trend for Victoria’s clothes to be reported as simpler, plainer, less ostentatious than they really were. The reality was that they were not quite as ostentatious as people expected for a queen.''' This is really what they meant by their descriptions of her clothes as austere, and pleasingly middle-class. In other countries, members of the middle classes would join the working classes on streets and at barricades and bring monarchies tumbling down. '''But in Britain, part of the reason this did not happen is that Victoria, her values and her low-key style appealed with peculiar power to the respectable slice of opinion at society’s upper middle.''' And so, dressed but not overdressed, the unqueenly looking queen was ready for her wedding day to begin.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|240–241; nn. 28, 29; p. 674}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;Her wedding dress was &quot;specially woven in the Spitalfields silk-weaving area of London,&quot; like her coronation robes.&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt;{{rp|15}}

'''1840''', QV's first pregnancy, with Vicky, and a relic petticoat with blood from her first birth:&lt;blockquote&gt;She had left off wearing stays, becoming ‘more like a barrel than anything else’.&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;21 Stratfield Saye MS, quoted in Longford (1966) p. 76&quot;}} Victoria herself, although she felt well, ‘unhappily’ had to admit that she was ‘a great size’.&lt;sup&gt;22&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;22 RA VIC/MAIN/QVLB/10 November 1840&quot;}} '''A fine cotton lawn petticoat from this early married period''', which once had the same dimensions as her wedding dress, shows evidence of having been let out around its high empire waist, quite possibly to accommodate this pregnancy.&lt;sup&gt;23&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;23 In the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection, Historic Royal Palaces.&quot;}} The work was done with tiny stitches as if by the needle of a fairy. There were many hands available in Victoria’s wardrobe department, and indeed no shortage of clothes either. '''This particular petticoat survives because it was given away after becoming soiled with blood.''' She also had an expandable dressing gown for pregnancy, of thin white cotton, with ‘gauging tapes’ to widen the waist as pregnancy progressed.&lt;sup&gt;24&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;Staniland (1997) p. 126&quot;}}&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|262 of 786; nn. 21, 22, 23, 24, p. 678}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1840 November 21''', Victoria went into labor with Vicky.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|255 of 786}} Her dress:&lt;blockquote&gt;Early on in labour, Victoria would have been given a dose of castor oil to empty her bowels, to avoid ‘exceedingly disagreeable’ consequences later. She would have worn her loose dressing gown over a chemise and bedgown ‘folded up smoothly to the waist’ and beneath that, ‘a petticoat’. Stays were absent, despite the common belief among women that wearing them during labour would ‘assist’, by ‘affording support’. The latest medical advice was that this was ‘improper’.&lt;sup&gt;36&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;36 Bull (1837) pp. 130–2&quot;}} The chemise that Victoria was wearing would acquire special lucky significance for her. Nine childbirths later, she’d still insist upon donning the exact same one.&lt;sup&gt;37&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;37 Dennison (2007) p. 2&quot;}}&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|265 of 7886; nn. 36, 37, p. 679}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1843, around''', Albert &quot;cut [Victoria's] dress expenditure down from £5,000 to £2,000 a year&quot; in order to put money away for later.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|299 of 786}}

'''1843 May 19''', QV wrote in her journal that she dressed &quot;all in white and had my wedding veil on, as a shawl,&quot; for Vicky's christening.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|270 of 786; n. 63, p. 681 of 786}}

'''1849''', Duleep Singh &quot;surrendered&quot; the Koh-i-nûr necklace to England.&lt;ref name=&quot;:17&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/406698/queen-victoria-1819-1901|title=Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-73) - Queen Victoria (1819-1901)|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-03-06}}&lt;/ref&gt;

'''1854''', Queen &quot;Victoria's spending on her wardrobe had crept up again, to roughly £6,000 annually, or six times a very good annual income for a professional gentleman.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|311 of 786}}

'''1854''', when QV met Duleep Singh, &quot;the woman the Maharaja saw before him still looked younger than her [310–311] thirty-five years. In the photograph, at least, her hair shines, she hardly looks like a mother of eight and her white dress is demure and girlish.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|310–311}}

'''1855 April 16–''', Empress Eugénie and Napoleon III of France began a 5-day visit to the U.K.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot;&gt;Goldstone, Nancy. ''The Rebel Empresses: Elisabeth of Austria and Eugénie of France, Power and Glamour in the Struggle for Europe''. Little, Brown, 2025.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|276}}

'''1855 August 18–28 or so''', Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, Princess Royal Vicky and Prince of Wales Bertie visited Paris and the Exposition Universelle.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt;{{rp|287}} Caroline Goldthorpe says,&lt;blockquote&gt;For the state entry of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert into Paris in 1855, the Queen wore a dress of white Spitalfields silk, its design representing an English flower garden (figure 2). While in Paris, however, she attended a ball at the Hôtel de Ville, wearing &quot;my diamond diadem with the Koh-i-noor in it, a white net dress, embroidered with gold and (as were all my dresses) very full. It was very much admired by the Emperor and the ladies. The Emperor asked if it was English; I said No, it had been made on purpose in Paris.&quot; In addition / to the ball gown, made in France as a diplomatic gesture, she evidently wore both English and French silks for less public occasions.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (15, 17) [The English-made Spitalfields-silk dress is at tthe Museum of London.]&lt;/blockquote&gt;A. N. Wilson suggests that the sense that Victoria was dowdy is down in part to &quot;the exacting standards of Parisian journalists&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;They went to the opera and displayed the difference between a true-born queen and a parvenue empress. When the national anthems had been played, the Empress looked behind her to make sure that her chair was in place. The Queen of England, confident that the chair would be there, sat down without turning. Mary Bulteel, her Maid of Honour who noticed this detail, was also able to reassure Eugénie’s baffled entourage that the Queen was always ‘badly dressed’. It did not prevent Victoria from being unaffectedly enraptured by Eugénie’s range of gorgeous outfits. Victoria adored the Empress and it was a friendship which lasted for life. ‘Altogether,’ she told her diary, ‘I am delighted to see how much my Albert likes and admires her, as it is so seldom I see him do so with any woman.’&lt;sup&gt;27&lt;/sup&gt; (&quot;27 Quoted Edith Saunders, ''A Distant Summer'', p. 49.&quot;) Perhaps it was so, or perhaps he was being polite. The Queen’s dowdiness and (by the exacting standards of Parisian journalists) poor dress sense were more than outshone by the splendour of her jewels.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (365 of 1204)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1857 August 6–''', Eugénie and Napoleon visit QV again. QV describes how Eugénie is dressed. Wilson says of the admiring precision of QV's descriptions of Eugénie's dresses,
&lt;blockquote&gt;The wistfulness with which Victoria described Eugénie’s outfits whenever the two met is touching. She was the Queen of England and could have afforded the finest couturier; but she was tiny, increasingly rotund, much of the time depressed or petulant. Her homely dress sense reflected a growing dissatisfaction with her appearance: clothes were for swathing a body which was by any ordinary standards a very peculiar shape, not for adorning it or drawing it to people’s attention.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (389 of 1204)&lt;/blockquote&gt;
And maybe she just wasn't very good at style. Evidence from later suggests she had an appreciation for fine fabrics and laces.

'''1858, June''', when Victoria began wearing a crinoline cage. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;She had attended reviews of her troops increasingly often as they came shipping back from Crimea. For the purpose, she often wore the superbly tailored outdoor wear that suited her much better than frou-frou evening gowns. Her self-adopted ‘uniform’ was a scarlet, made-to-measure military-style jacket combined with the skirt of a riding habit. Albert had a matching outfit too, its chest padded out to simulate the muscles that his sedentary lifestyle had failed to give him. [361–362] [new paragraph] Today, though, as she was travelling by carriage, Victoria wore a dark cloak over her now-customary daywear of the crinolined skirt. She’d held out until the end of the 1850s before adopting this novel steel structure to puff out the skirt, which was widely thought to be an ‘indelicate, expensive, hideous and dangerous article’.&lt;sup&gt;19&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;19 ''Punch, Or the London Charivari'' (8 August 1863) p. 59&quot;}} A crinoline, or ‘cage’, could swing the skirts out so unexpectedly that they caught fire, or got stuck in carriage wheels. But the stylish Empress Eugénie, whom Victoria much admired, is said to have popularised the crinoline during an 1855 visit to England. ‘Carter’s Crinoline Saloon’ opened soon afterwards, offering London ladies not only the crinoline but also the new ‘elastic stays … as worn by the Empress of the French’.&lt;sup&gt;20&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;20 “Adburgham (1964) p. 93&quot;}} Victoria nevertheless resisted the fashion until a heatwave three years later made her feel that her customary stiff muslin petticoats were ‘unbearable’. ‘Imagine!’ she wrote, to her married daughter in Germany, ‘since 6 weeks I wear a “Cage”!!! What do you say?’&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;21 RA VIC/ADDU/32, p. 178 (21 July 1858)&quot;}} Having realised how convenient it was, she now only took her crinoline off to go sailing.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|361–362, nn. 19, 20, 21, p. 696}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1861 December 14''', Prince Albert, Prince Consort died.&lt;ref name=&quot;:2&quot; /&gt; According to Julia Baird&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria decreed that the entire court would mourn for an unprecedented official period of two years. (When this ended, her ladies and daughters could discard the black and wear half mourning, which was gray, white, or light purple shades.) Many of her subjects decided to join them in mourning. Her ladies were draped in jet jewelry and crêpe, a thick black rustling material made of silk, crimped to make it look dull.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot;&gt;Baird, Julia. ''Victoria the Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire''. Random House, 2016. Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/victoria-the-queen/id953835024.&lt;/ref&gt; (585 of 1203)&lt;/blockquote&gt;After Albert's death Queen &quot;Victoria never attended or held another public ball.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (592 of 1203)

'''1863 March 10''', Bertie (Albert Edward, Prince of Wales) and Alix (Alexandra) married in St. George's Chapel, Windsor. QV, who sat high up and out of the way, wore widow's weeds,  &quot;the blue sash and star of the Order of the Garter&quot; and (according to Lord Clarendon) &quot;a cap ‘more hideous than any I have yet seen.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|495 of 1204}}

'''1865 April 15''', Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Eugénie's was among the first letters of condolence from a head of state that Mary Todd Lincoln got; Victoria's was dated the day after Eugénie's.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt;{{rp|555 of 909}}

'''1866–1871''', [[Social Victorians/People/Princess Louise | Princess Louise]] was Victoria's private secretary.

'''1866 February''', QV opened Parliament for the first time since Albert's death.&lt;blockquote&gt;She wore plain evening dress, with a small diamond and sapphire coronet on top of her widow’s cap. The wind whipped her veil as she rode silently in an open carriage past curious crowds, many of whom had not glimpsed her for years.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (609 of 1203)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1866 February 6''', Princess Helena's wedding to Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. QV wrote in her journal that it &quot;was 'an ''execution''&lt;nowiki/&gt;' to which she was 'dragged in ''deep mourning''.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot;&gt;Longford, Elizabeth. ''Queen Victoria''. The History Press, 2011 (1999). Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/queen-victoria-essential-biographies/id1142259733.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|118 of 223}} Instead of a crown she wore a black widow's cap. 

'''1867 Spring''', annual exhibition at the Royal Academy, which included a large canvas by Sir Edwin Landseer that QV had commissioned as &quot;Shadow&quot; to show her grief. It was called ''Her Majesty at Osborne, 1866''. The center of this painting is dominated by black.&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In it, the queen [sits] sidesaddle on a sleek dark horse, dressed in her customary black. She [is] reading a letter from the dispatch box on the ground, next to her dogs. Opposite [is] a tall figure in a black kilt and jacket solemnly holding [634–635] the horse’s bridle. ...&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;It caused a scandal. The ''Saturday Review'' art critic wrote: &quot;If anyone will stand by this picture for a quarter of an hour and listen to the comments of visitors he will learn how great an imprudence has been committed.&quot; It was not long before the gossip became crude: Were the queen and Mr. Brown lovers? Was she pregnant with his child? Had they secretly married? In 1868, an American visitor said he was gobsmacked by constant, crass jokes about the queen commonly referred to as &quot;Mrs. Brown.&quot; &quot;I have been told,&quot; he wrote, &quot;that the Queen was insane, and John Brown was her keeper; the Queen was a spiritualist, and John Brown was her medium.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Victoria adored the painting and ordered an engraving.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (634–635 of 1203)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1871 March 21''', Princess Louise and John Campbell, Marquis of Lorne, were married.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Supplement.&quot; ''The London Gazette'' 24 March 1871 (23720) Friday: 1587 https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/23720/page/1587.&lt;/ref&gt; QV wore rubies as well as diamonds.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|644 of 1203}}

'''1871, end of, around the time of Bertie's illness with typhoid, by this time''', according to Lucy Worseley, QV had decided never to wear color again (a decision she had made after the first year of full mourning Albert's death?) and had developed her &quot;brand.&quot; She had not made many personal appearances, but because of her photographs, the carte-de-visite with Albert, and her memoirs about the Highlands, she was known to her subjects:&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria was extraordinary in her dedication to black. If wearing mourning was a [413–414] demand for greater-than-usual understanding, it’s certainly true that she felt entitled to it for the rest of her life. Mourning was turned into a sort of disguise for her. It indicated that she was a victim, bereaved, which was a way of pre-empting criticism. And within the conventions of black, Victoria insisted that her clothes be cut in a way that she found comfortable and convenient: a bodice with only light boning, a skirt with capacious pockets. She no longer followed fashion; she had created a fashion all her own. [new paragraph] Victoria’s black clothing also had terrific ‘brand value’ in creating a recognisable royal image. Although she rarely appeared in person, Victoria’s physical appearance was more widely known than ever before. In 1860, she and Albert had taken the decision to allow photographs of themselves to be published on cartes de visite, highly collectible little rectangles of illustrated cardboard. Within two years, between three and four million of these cards depicting the queen had been sold. &lt;sup&gt;27&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|27 Plunkett (2003) p. 156.&quot;}} The people who bought them understood that they were in possession of something more potent than a lithograph or an engraving. The effect, in terms of making the queen’s subjects feel they ‘knew’ her, has been compared by the Royal Collection’s photography curator to the sensational 1969 television [414–415] documentary series, Royal Family.&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;28 Dimond and Taylor (1987) p. 20&quot;}} So even if Victoria had been bodily absent from public life for the last decade, in paper form she had been more present than ever.&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;29 ''The Photographic News'' (28 February 1862) quoted in Dimond and Taylor (1987) p. 22&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|413–414, nn. 27, 28. 29, p. 707}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1872 February 27''', thanksgiving service for Bertie's survival in St. Paul's Cathedral:&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria was bored in the church, and found St. Paul’s &quot;cold, dreary and dingy,&quot; but the roars of millions who stood outside in the cold under a lead-colored sky made her triumphant, and she pressed Bertie’s hand in a dramatic flourish. It was &quot;a great holy day&quot; for the people of London, ''The Times'' declared gravely. They wished to show the queen she was as beloved as ever. Their delight at seeing her in person was as much a cause for celebration as Bertie’s recovery.

This moment revealed something that Bertie would quickly grasp though his mother had not: the British public requires ceremony and pageantry, and the chance to glimpse a sovereign in finery. It was not a republic her subjects were hankering for, but a visible queen. As Lord Halifax said, people wanted their queen to look like a queen, with a crown and scepter: &quot;They want the gilding for their money.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|655 of 1203}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1878 December 14''', Princess Alice died.

'''1879 June 1''',&lt;ref name=&quot;:32&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-11-29|title=Louis-Napoléon, Prince Imperial|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Louis-Napol%C3%A9on,_Prince_Imperial&amp;oldid=1324821881|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Louis Napoleon, son of Eugénie, &quot;to whom Victoria ... had become devotedly attached, was killed in the Zulu War.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt;{{rp|432 of 555}}

'''1880 February 5''', Queen Victoria attended the state opening of Parliament. She wrote in her journal&lt;blockquote&gt;I wore the same dress, black velvet, trimmed with minniver, my small diamond crown &amp; long veil. Got in, at the Great Entrance, &amp; went in the new state coach which is very handsome with much gilding, a crown at the top, &amp; a great deal of glass, which enables the people to see me. ... Beatrice stood to my right, Leopold to my left. Bertie, Affie &amp; Arthur were all there.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (707 of 1204)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1881 April 19''', Benjamin Disraeli, Lord Beaconsfield died.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|title=Benjamin Disraeli|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Benjamin_Disraeli&amp;oldid=1335428395|journal=Wikipedia|date=2026-01-29|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

'''1882 March 2''',&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt; (152 of 223) the 7th and last assassination attempt on QV, by Roderick Maclean, another adolescent male possibly not intent on killer her, although his pistol was loaded.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt;{{rp|433 of 555}}

'''1882 April 27''', Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and Princess Helen of Waldeck married. &quot;The Queen celebrated by wearing white over her black dress for the first time since Albert’s death – it was her own white wedding veil.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|154 of 223}}

'''1883 March 17''', QV fell down stairs in Windsor, probably some marble stairs. She was &quot;lame until July.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;

'''1883 March 27''', QV's Scots servant John Brown died.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|title=John Brown (servant)|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Brown_(servant)&amp;oldid=1312942175|journal=Wikipedia|date=2025-09-23|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

'''1884 March 28''', Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany died.&lt;ref name=&quot;:1&quot; /&gt;

'''1886''', the general election of 1886, according to Lytton Strachey, &quot;the majority of the nation&quot; voted down Home Rule and Gladstone&lt;blockquote&gt;and placing Lord Salisbury in power. Victoria’s satisfaction was profound. A flood of new unwonted hopefulness swept over her, stimulating her vital spirits with a surprising force. Her habit of life was suddenly altered; abandoning the long seclusion which Disraeli’s persuasions had only momentarily interrupted, she threw herself vigorously into a multitude of public activities. She appeared at drawing-rooms, at concerts, at reviews; she laid foundation-stones; she went to Liverpool to open an international exhibition, driving through the streets in her open carriage in heavy rain amid vast applauding crowds. Delighted by the welcome which met her everywhere, she warmed to her work.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt;{{rp|439–440 of 555}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1887''', the Golden Jubilee. Strachey says that QV had begun wearing the color violet in her bonnet by now:&lt;blockquote&gt;Little by little it was noticed that the outward vestiges of Albert’s posthumous domination grew less complete. At Court the stringency of mourning was relaxed. As the Queen drove through the Park in her open carriage with her [444–445] Highlanders behind her, nursery-maids canvassed eagerly the growing patch of violet velvet in the bonnet with its jet appurtenances on the small bowing head.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (444–445 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;

QV wore a bonnet rather than a crown or widow's cap.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (822 of 1204) At dinner on the day of the procession, QV wore a dress, as she says, with &quot;the rose, thistle &amp; shamrock embroidered in silver on it, &amp; my large diamonds.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (824 of 1204)

'''1888 June 15''', Vicky's husband Emperor Frederick (Fritz) died.

'''1890 July 15''', Garden Party at Marlborough House with QV as the most important guest, with some description of QV's dress, more details in the descriptions of the dresses of some of the other women:&lt;blockquote&gt;But if not favoured with model &quot;Queen's weather,&quot; a good imitation set in as the Life Guards struck up &quot;God Save the Queen,&quot; and her Majesty descended the flight of steps on the Prince of Wales's arm, and slowly passed through the eager ranks of her assembled subjects. Her Majesty was conducted to a canopy at the lower end of the garden, and was soon surrounded by children and grandchildren; she walked with the aid of a stick, but did not appear to be troubled by rheumatism, and moved without difficulty. The Queen's dress was of black striped [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Broché|broché]], a lace shawl, and black bonnet, trimmed with white roses. She talked to people to right and left, and looked smiling and happy. ...

AN ACCOUNT OF SOME OF THE DRESSES.

Her Majesty was attired completely in black, with the slight relief of white flowers in her black bonnet.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;From One Who Was There.&quot; &quot;The Marlborough House Garden Party.&quot; ''Pall Mall Gazette'' 15 July 1890 (Tuesday): p. 5, Col. 1. ''British Newspaper Archive'' http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000098/18900715/016/0006 (Accessed April 2015).&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1891 January 14''', Albert Victor (Eddy), Bertie's and Alex's son, died of pneumonia.&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|190 of 223}}

'''1893 February 28, Tuesday, 3:00 p.m''', QV hosted a Queen's drawing-room at Buckingham Palace:&lt;blockquote&gt;Her Majesty wore a dress and train of rich black silk, trimmed with crape and chenille. Headdress and coronet of diamonds and pearls. Ornaments — Pearls. Her Majesty wore the Star and Ribbon of the Garter, the Orders of Victoria and Albert, the Crown of India, the Prussian Order, the Spanish and Portuguese Orders, the Russian Order of St. Catherine, and the Hessian and Bulgarian Orders.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;The Queen's Drawing Room.&quot; ''Morning Post'' 1 March 1893, Wednesday: 7 [of 12], Col. 6a–7c [of 7]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000174/18930301/072/0007. Same print title and p.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1895 December 14''', George and May's 2nd son, who would become Elizabeth II's father, was born. Thinking of the anniversary of Albert's and Alice's deaths, QV &quot;said that the child might be a gift of God.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|191 of 223}}

'''1896 September 26''', QV wrote in her journal, &quot;Today is the day on which I have reigned longer, by a day, than any English sovereign.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|191 of 223}}

'''1897 April 4''', QV vacations in Nice, as she did almost every year, and a little on her &quot;uniform&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;The pattern of her hotel days in Cimiez, an upmarket suburb on a hill behind Nice, was undemanding. She was dressed by the servants who were almost a second family. One of her wardrobe maids spent the night on call in the dressing room just next door to her bedroom.&lt;sup&gt;12&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;12 Stoney and Weltzien, eds. (1994) pp. 11–12&quot;}} At half past seven, the maid on the next shift would come into Victoria’s bedroom to open the green silk blinds and shutters. Her silver hairbrush, hot water, folded towels and sponges were all laid out by these wardrobe maids. Her pharmacist’s account book records the purchase of beauty products such as ‘lavender water’, ‘Mr Saunders’ Tooth Tincture’ and ‘cakes of soap for bath’.&lt;sup&gt;13&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;13 Royal Pharmaceutical Society, account book for ‘The Queen’ (1861–1869)&quot;}} [new paragraph] Victoria’s clothes were handled by the dressers, who were better paid than the maids. Their duties, ran Victoria’s instructions, included ‘scrupulous tidiness and exactness in looking over everything that Her Majesty takes [510–511] off … to think over well everything that is wanted or may be wanted’.&lt;sup&gt;14&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;14 Staniland (1997) p. 186&quot;}} Her black silk stockings with white soles had for decades been woven by one John Meakin, while Anne Birkin embroidered the garments with ‘VR’.&lt;sup&gt;15&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;15 Quoted in King (2007) p. 100&quot;}} Victoria grew fond of faithful servants like Anne, and even had Birkin’s portrait among her collection of photographs. Despite their sombre aspect, even her mourning gowns were finely made. She had settled into a series of very minor variations upon a square-necked bodice and skirt, customised with quirky little pockets for keys and seals, all cut pretty much the same to save her the trouble of fittings. On her head went a white cap, with streamers of lace, and round her neck a locket containing miniatures of two of her children: Alice, now lost to diphtheria, and Leopold, to haemophilia.&lt;sup&gt;16&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;16 Princess Marie Louise (1956) p. 141&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; {{rp|510–511; nn. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, p. 722}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
[[File:Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Service, 22 June 1897.jpg|alt=Old painting of very large crowd and an old woman dressed in black in a carriage in the center|thumb|Diamond Jubilee Thanksgiving Service on the Steps of St. Paul's]]

==== Diamond Jubilee ====
'''1897 June 22, Diamond Jubilee''', with Thanksgiving service on the steps of St. Paul's, painted in 1899 by Andrew Carrick Gow (right; better image at https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/queen-victorias-diamond-jubilee-service-22-june-1897-51041). QV stayed in the carriage for the service.

Worsley says, QV's dress had &quot;decorative 'panels of grey satin veiled with black net &amp; steel embroideries, &amp; some black lace'&quot;&lt;blockquote&gt;Rising from her bed, Victoria dressed, as always, in black. The crowds who saw her today would consider her ‘dress of black silk’ to be [532–533] modest and widowly, almost dingy. Her taste in clothing had become ever more subdued. Departing from Windsor Castle to travel to Buckingham Palace for these few days of the Jubilee, she’d been worried about the stains the sooty train to Paddington might leave on her outfit. ‘I could have cried,’ said the woman who ran the draper’s shop in Windsor, ‘to see Her Majesty start for the Jubilee in her second-best “mantle” – after all the beautiful things I had sent her.’7{{rp|7 Weintraub (1987) p. 581}}

If you’d had the chance to examine the queen’s outfit closely, though, you’d’ve seen that it was in fact sombrely splendid, her black cape embroidered with swirling silver sequins, huge pearls hanging from each ear and upon the gown itself decorative 'panels of grey satin veiled with black net &amp; steel embroideries, &amp; some black lace'.

Round her neck now went a ‘lovely diamond chain’, a Jubilee present from her younger children, while her ‘bonnet was trimmed with creamy white flowers &amp; white aigrette’.&lt;sup&gt;8&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|8 RA QVJ/1897: 22 June}} This bonnet, worn with resolution, had caused some upset. Her government had asked its queen to appear more … queenly. ‘The symbol that unites this vast Empire is a Crown not a bonnet,’ complained Lord Rosebery. But Victoria stoutly refused, and ‘the bonnet triumphed’. She would [533–534] wear it today, just as she’d worn it at her Golden Jubilee a decade before.&lt;sup&gt;9&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;9 Ponsonby (1942) p. 79&quot;}} The queen looked just like a ‘wee little old lady’. The only touch of colour about her black-clad figure was her ‘wonderful, blue, childlike eyes’.&lt;sup&gt;10&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|10 Smyth (1921) p. 99}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|532–534 of 786; nn. 7, 8, 9, 10, p. 727}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

One source somewhere, however, says there was some purple in her bonnet.

She carried &quot;a black chiffon parasol. It was a gift from the House of Commons, presented to her two days earlier by its oldest member, who was ninety-five.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|539 of 786}}

According to A. N. Wilson, QV was &quot;dressed in grey and black&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;In the case of Queen Victoria, the intensity of crowd reaction was especially strong, because she made public parade of herself so seldom. The emotional atmosphere was overpowering on that hot, sunny day. The Queen, dressed in grey and black, but smiling and bowing, held a parasol above her and bowed her smiling head to left and right as the landau passed through the streets of London – Constitution Hill, to Hyde Park Corner; then along [976–977] Piccadilly, down St James's Street to Pall Mall, past all the clubs, into Trafalgar Square, up the Strand and into Ludgate Hill to St Paul’s.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|976–977 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

The bonnet QV wore for the Diamond Jubilee Procession was decorated with diamonds according the ''Lady's Pictorial'':&lt;blockquote&gt;I HEAR on reliable authority that, although the fact has hitherto escaped the notice of all the describers of the Diamond Jubilee Procession, the bonnet worn by the Queen on that occasion was liberally adorned with diamonds. It is a tiny bit of flotsam, but worth rescuing, as every detail of the historic pageant will one day be of even greater interest than it is now.&lt;ref name=&quot;:14&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;At least 3 official photographs show QV and made available as cabinet cards (2 anyhow) for this Jubilee:

# One was made in 1893 at the time of George and Mary's wedding. It was made by W. &amp; D. Downey and is in the Royal Collection (https://www.rct.uk/collection/2912658/queen-victoria-1819-1901-diamond-jubilee-portrait)
# One was made in July 1896 by Gunn &amp; Stuart and published as a cabinet card by  Lea, Mohrstadt &amp; Co. (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom_(by_Gunn_%26_Stuart,_1897).jpg&lt;nowiki/&gt;)
# One was made 5 days after the Jubilee Procession (so, on 27 June 1897).
# One was made by Mullen (according to the Royal Trust [#4]

'''1897 June 27, Sunday''' (or 5 days after the Jubilee procession), QV's official Jubilee photograph.&lt;blockquote&gt;at Osborne, Victoria had an official Jubilee photograph taken, wearing her Jubilee dress and, of course, her wedding lace.&lt;sup&gt;71:&quot;71 RA QVJ/1885: 27 July&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; The whole royal family was becoming familiar with manipulating its photographic image. In 1863, ''The Times'' reported that Vicky and Alice had themselves retouched their brother Bertie’s [551–552] wedding photos.&lt;sup&gt;72&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;:&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;sup&gt;&quot;72The Times, London (9 April 1863) p. 7, quoted in Plunkett (2003) p. 189&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; (The princesses really preferred sitting to an old-fashioned artist, like a sculptor, who excelled in ‘making them look like ladies, while the Photographs are common indeed’.&lt;sup&gt;73&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;: &quot;73 “RA VIC/ADDX/2/211, p. 29&quot;&lt;/sup&gt;) After each new photographic sitting, Victoria ‘carefully criticised’ the results.&lt;sup&gt;74&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;: &quot;74 “Private Life (1897; 1901 edition) p. 69&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; In her later photographs, like this Diamond Jubilee portrait, she was heavily retouched, a double chin removed, inches shaved off her waist. The Photographic News criticised a photo from her Golden Jubilee for making her look as if she had ‘oedematous disease’, a condition where the body bloats up with excess fluid. Her skin had been smoothed to the extent that she looked like a waxwork.&lt;sup&gt;75&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;: &quot;75 “Plunkett (2003) p. 192&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; &lt;sup&gt;fn 771, 72, 73, 74, 75, p. 731&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1897 June 28, Monday''', the Jubilee Garden Party at Buckingham Palace took place, with good weather and about 6,000 attendees.

The ''Lady's Pictorial'' gives detai about QV's dress:&lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen, whom every one delighted to see looking well and bright, evidently not at all the worse for the great doings of last week, was attired in black silk. The front of her dress was veiled with white chiffon, over which was a single tissue of black silken embroidered muslin, the embroidery in a small floral design, with inserted bands of openwork lace. The bodice was of black grenadine with tucks at either side, bordering a front of white chiffon veiled with black embroidered muslin, and the basque finished with a frill of pleated black chiffon. Round the hem were two frills of black chiffon festooned on, and each headed by a tiny puffing. Her Majesty’s cape was of black chiffon over white silk, fitting in slightly at the back to the figure, and finished in front with fichu ends. Round the cape were frills of white silk with over frills of black chiffon. The Queen’s bonnet was black relieved with white, and her Majesty had the sunshade presented to her by her oldest Parliamentary member, Mr. C. Villiers. It was of black satin draped with very fine real Chantilly lace, and with a frill of the same all round. It was lined with soft white silk, and the ebony handle terminated in a gun metal ball, on which was a crown and &quot;V. R. I.&quot; in diamonds.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;The Queen's Garden Party.&quot; ''Lady's Pictorial'' 3 July 1897, Saturday: 55 [of 76], Col. 2a [of 3]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005980/18970703/126/0055. Same print title, p. 27.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

The ''Globe'' described her with perhaps slightly less detail than the other women:&lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen appeared about half-past five in a carriage drawn by two cream-coloured ponies, and '''attended one''' outrider. The Princess of Wales was seated beside the Queen, and the Earl of Lathom walked beside the carriage. Her Majesty drove very slowly twice round the lawn, frequently stopping to speak to one or other of the guests.

The Queen was in black, with a good deal of jet on her mantle, and wore a white lace bonnet, and carried a black parasol, almost covered with white lace. The Princess of Wales was in white silk veiled in mousseline soie, worked over in silver and lace applique, and a mauve tulle toque with flowers to match. After driving round, the Queen entered the Royal tent, where refreshments were served by the Indian attendants. Her Majesty had on her right hand the Grand Duchess of Hesse, dressed in white, with black velvet and ribbons, and a large Tuscan hat, with black and white plumes; on her left the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, in mauve satin, and white aigrette in her bonnet. The Empress Frederick’s black broché gown had a collar of white lace, and her black bonnet was relieved by white flowers, and tied with white tulle strings.&lt;ref name=&quot;:22&quot;&gt;“The Queen’s Garden Party. Brilliant Scene at Buckingham Palace.” ''Globe'' 29 June 1897, Tuesday: 6 [of 8], Col. 3a–c [of 5]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001652/18970629/050/0006. Print p. 6.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|Col. 3b–c}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;From the ''North British Daily Mail'', &lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen was evidently in excellent health, and there was no trace whatever of the fatigues which she has recently undergone. Indeed she walked with greater ease than usual, and really had no need of the proffered help of her attendants. ... The Queen and her daughter were dressed in black, but the former had upon her bonnet a little trimming of delicate white lace, which somewhat toned down the sombre effect of the mourning. Two Highland attendants having taken their places in the rumble, one of them handed to the Queen a black and white parasol, and then the signal to start was given.&lt;ref name=&quot;:02&quot;&gt;&quot;Jubilee Festivities. The Queen Again in London. Interesting Functions. A Visit to Kensington. The Garden Party.&quot; ''North British Daily Mail'' 29 June 1897, Tuesday: 5 [of 8], Col. 3a–7b [of 9]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002683/18970629/083/0005. Print p. 5.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|Col. 3c}} ...

The Queen wore a black gauze gown over white, and a white lace bonnet.

The Princess of Wales wore white muslin over silk embroidered in silver and lace.

The Empress Frederick wore a black silk dress with a good deal of white lace about the bodice, and a black bonnet with white plumes.&lt;ref name=&quot;:02&quot; /&gt;{{rp|Col. 5c}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1897 June 30, Wednesday''', Royal Banquet at Buckingham Palace, with the Queen in a very ornate dress, with gold and jewels as well as the colors brought by the orders and ribbon of the Garter:&lt;blockquote&gt;over eighty Royal guests. The Queen herself was magnificent!y attired in black renaiscance moiré antique (it is a curious fact that her Majesty never wears satin or velvet, having an antipathy to touching these materials). The whole of the front of the dress was embroidered in a magnificent design with real gold thread. There was a waved band of gold in the pattern, enclosing suns and stars, all of gold, raised from the surlace of the silk; the suns had centres of jewels, and the whole design was richly jewelled, and was bordered at either side by coquillés of real lace. This embroidery was all wrought at Agra. The bodice was finished with a pointed stomacher of the gold and jewelled work, and across it her Majesty wore the blue riband of the Garter and many magnificent Orders.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Court &amp; Society Notes.&quot; ''Lady's Pictorial'' 3 July 1897, Saturday: 56 [of 76], Col. 2c [of 3]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005980/18970703/282/0056. Print title same, p. 28.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;The assertion that she never wore satin or velvet doesn't seem right (e.g., see Bassano 1882 dress).

'''1899''', Susan B. Anthony attended a reception at Windsor Castle and met QV: to look at &quot;her wonderful face&quot; was a &quot;thrill.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|852 of 1203}}

=== Her Dresses ===
#'''1822''': Wikipedia page #2, painting (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria), Victoria and her mother, Duchess of Kent, by William Beechey. Victoire is in mourning, Victoria is holding a portrait of her father. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/407169/victoria-duchess-of-kent-1786-1861-with-princess-victoria-1819-1901.
##&quot;After William Beechey.&quot; Wikimedia Commons, possibly a contemporary copy of the painting: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sir_William_Beechey_(1753-1839)_-_Victoria,_Duchess_of_Kent,_(1786-1861)_with_Princess_Victoria,_(1819-1901)_-_RCIN_407169_-_Royal_Collection.jpg
#'''1827''', an engraving of a bust of Victoria (from a 1908 book) by Plant, after Stewart's painted miniature: she is wearing family honors on the left shoulder of her dress; she is about 6 years old in this image; she looks like a princess. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Letters_Of_Queen_Victoria,_vol_1_-_H.R.H._The_Princess_Victoria,_1827.png
#'''1835 August 10 [maybe 1837?]''': print portrait of a teenaged QV published in Chapter 2 of Millicent Garrett Fawcett's 1895 ''Life of Her Majesty Queen Victoria'' (but possibly published in 1835 in a magazine?). QV's dress is in the off-the-shoulder romantic style with a high, Empire waist. She is wearing a 4-strand necklace, probably pearls, and large dangling earrings, with a 4-strand pearl bracelet on her right arm. She has a glove on her left hand, not elbow length but definitely longer than wrist length, and she is wearing a wire net-like headdress on the top of her head that contracted to contain and shape her hair. A very similar image was published in ''The Graphic'' on 26 January 1901 claiming that QV was 17; the image is not identical, but must have been made from the same sitting (the 1901 image is full length and her left hand is empty). The caption for the image from ''The Graphic'' — &quot;The Queen at the Age of Seventeen&quot; — says that it came from a painting by George Hayter.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://viewer.library.wales/5254866#?xywh=-3550,-523,12266,7776|title=The Life of Queen Victoria ... National Library of Wales Viewer|website=viewer.library.wales|language=en|access-date=2026-03-18}}&lt;/ref&gt; Wikimedia Commons 1895 image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Life_of_Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_-_Victoria_Aug_10th_1835.png. 1901 ''Graphic'' image, National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/5254866#?xywh=-3550%2C-523%2C12266%2C7776. Wikimedia Commons ''Graphic'' 1901 image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_life_of_Queen_Victoria_Claremont,_where_the_Queen_spent_the_happiest_days_of_her_childhood_-_the_South_side,_the_view_from_the_ballroom_;_the_Queen_at_the_age_of_seventeen_(from_the_painting_by_Sir_George_Hayter)_(5254866).jpg.
#'''1836''': print of Winterhalter portrait, QV surrounded by books, empire dress and jewelry. Very stylish and up-to-date fashion, off the shoulder, with some frou-frou, but not contrasting colors for the frou-frou. The skirt is divided into 2 parts at about the knees by a wide band of trim. This design with the divided skirt and non-contrasting frou-frou lasted her entire life (maybe with a break when Albert was alive?). She did it a lot but not exclusively, but enough for it to be characteristic. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Princess_Victoria_in_1836.png
#'''1837''': print of watercolor portrait&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2024-09-04|title=John Deffett Francis|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Deffett_Francis&amp;oldid=1244015737|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; by John Deffett Francis of Victoria, who was not queen yet: print &quot;to William 4th &amp; Leopold, King of Belgium&quot;; V is wearing a cap with a lacy edge around her face, with a wide-brimmed bonnet, trimmed with ribbon and a veil; no jewelry, dress is off the shoulder, fabric appears to be silk, with gathers, with a dark shawl trimmed with dark lace; she is holding a folding fan; dark slippers. Dash romping at her feet. Unostentatious outfit but appears to be exquisitely made with quality materials. Not loaded up with frou-frou, simply made but high-quality. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674631#?xywh=-1346%2C976%2C7852%2C4710; Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Most_Gracious_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(4674631).jpg
#'''1837 Summer''', probably: print by Richard James Lane of a watercolor by Alfred Edward Chalon. Idealized portrait of QV between the accession and the coronation. The portrait has her features but is not a good likeness. The British Museum description says, &quot;seated to left looking to right; wearing a lace collar, ruffled cape and black satin apron said to have been embroidered by herself, holding letter and handkerchief; on terrace with view of St George’s chapel, Windsor.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Her Majesty the Queen.&quot; O'Donoghue 1908-25 / Catalogue of Engraved British Portraits preserved in the Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum (108). Object: 1912,1012.76. 

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1912-1012-76&lt;/ref&gt; The bodice has huge sleeves, narrow at the wrist but puffing out over the elbows. The fabric of the dress looks like moiré. The black apron on her lap, though she may have embroidered it, seems odd, like why would the new queen wear an apron, even a decorative one? The plain hairstyle, the apron and what may be a bonnet on the tile floor to her left do not present her as regal but as simple and girly, perhaps as a contrast to the excesses of the prior courts. British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1912-1012-76. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Her_Majesty_the_Queen_(BM_1912,1012.76).jpg.
#'''1837 November''': portrait of QV standing in the royal box at the Drury Lane Theatre by Edmund Thomas Parris (this image is a contemporary copy of Parris's painting). Not a very strong likeness and so highly idealized that her clothing isn't readable. Also, the color may not be true; this copy may be too red. She has decorative gauntlets on her gloves, a transparent black lace shawl, the ribbon of the Order of the Garter, some tiara or diadem that could be the Fringe Tiara except that the metal is wrong, complicated lace things with dags at the turned-back cuffs. She is holding a few flowers in a bouquet holder and a lace-trimmed handkerchief; on the ledge in front of her are the program, with a bookmark, a folded fan and a folded material that might be supposed to be ermine? can't tell. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_at_the_theatre.jpg. This image was published in the 21 May 1887 ''Supplement to Pen and Pencil'': https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_in_1837_(BM_1902,1011.8639).jpg.
#'''1838''': etching of QV riding side saddle, caption says, &quot;Her Majesty the Queen on Her Favourite Charger '''Thxxx'''&quot;; published in 1840, after a painting by Ed. Curcould; etching by Fredk A. Heath; riding habit and top hat with veil, falling collar, tie may be 4-in-hand (Wikimedia Commons copy, from L. Strachey's 1921 biog: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Queen_Victoria_in_1838.png). British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/image/1454391001
#'''1838''', stipple engraving of a waist-up portrait of QV by James Thomson, yet another idealized coronation portrait not drawn from life. Filet in her hair with pendant pearl at the center part, pearl earrings and necklace we've never seen before. Neck length is highly flattering. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Majesty_the_Queen_Victoria_(4674629).jpg
#'''1838''': stipple engraving of a flattering portrait of QV by Frederick Christian Lewis, probably not drawn from life. She is wearing a bonnet with a large brim over a cap with lace ruffles, the brim is covered with gathered fabric, sort of a halo effect. The off-the-shoulder style of the dress was fashionable, as are the sloped shoulders. Dark shawl over a light dress. She is wearing light gloves. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674631#?xywh=2044%2C1782%2C928%2C588. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Most_Gracious_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(4674631).jpg
#'''1838''': 2 George Hayter portraits of QV, plus a painting of the coronation: 
##Portrait of QV with her hand on a Bible and light shining on her upturned face, wearing the white dress worn after the peers swore allegiance and before the crown is placed on her head. The St. Edward's crown is on 2 pillows with the scepter. She is wearing an enormous elaborate robe over a sheer, lacy white dress, but the complexity of the layers and perhaps the artistic license make it impossible to really describe how the garments were constructed. The gold brocade robe with fringed edges is spectacular but does not match Worsley's description of the robe QV wore as she entered the Abbey. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_taking_the_Coronation_Oath_by_George_Hayter_1838.jpg 
##in Wikimedia Commons called ''Queen Victoria Enthroned in the House of Lords''. It may not have been drawn from life; Hayter's painting of the wedding cannot really be seen as a historical record of what occurred, and so this may not have been what she wore at the coronation. QV seated on the lion's head chair or throne, with the St. Edward's crown on a table to her right. She is wearing the Diamond Diadem and the coronation necklace and earrings. She is wearing an ermine-lined red velvet robe tied together at the waist with a tasseled gold cord. A jeweled &quot;collar&quot; falls from her right shoulder to her waist and then goes back up to her left shoulder. Her dress is not the dress she wore to the coronation, white satin with gold embroidery. This one appears to be a silver and gold brocade with a deep gold fringe at the bottom. She is traditionally corseted. She has a white glove on her left hand, which rests on the other glove. The gloves are decorated with a double row of gathered lace. The heavily jeweled bodice is off the shoulder. The point of one satin slipper peeks out from under her skirt on the low footrest. Art UK: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/queen-victoria-18191901-enthroned-in-the-house-of-lords-50933. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_Throne.png.
##''The Coronation of Queen Victoria in Westminster Abbey, 28 June 1838,'' Hayter's large painting of the coronation, completed 1840.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/405409/the-coronation-of-queen-victoria-in-westminster-abbey-28-june-1838|title=Sir George Hayter (1792-1871) - The Coronation of Queen Victoria in Westminster Abbey, 28 June 1838|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-04-22}}&lt;/ref&gt; Hayter made drawings during the coronation ceremony and then recreated Westminster Abbey as he preferred, rather than painting what the Abbey actually looked like. QV is wearing the Imperial Crown of State, but this is the moment after the coronation when the peers put on their coronets. The painting has 64 individual portraits painted in their gowns and robes by Hayter later. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/405409/the-coronation-of-queen-victoria-in-westminster-abbey-28-june-1838; Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coronation_of_Queen_Victoria_28_June_1838_by_Sir_George_Hayter.jpg.
#'''1838''': Thomas Sully portrait of QV
##'''1838 May 15''': study for the full-length portrait by Thomas Sully, bust, bare shoulders, no clothing for analysis, but romantic and sensual, crown, possibly coronation necklace. &quot;This oil sketch was painted '''from during''' several sittings in the spring of 1838, just before the coronation, in preparation for a full-length portrait. Victoria, who wears a diamond diadem, earrings, and necklace, is said to have considered this a nice picture.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (11) Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/12702. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_MET_DT5422.jpg
##Full-length portrait, which QV sat for and which Sully finished after having returned to the US. Not sure which crown this is, neither of the coronation crowns. Very flattering of Victoria, who is in her state robe with a white dress. Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/14826. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Thomas_Sully_in_the_Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art.jpg.
##Copy from the Sully full-length portrait of head and bust by W. Warman, though not a faithful copy, as if he was copying the painting without having it in front of him. National Portrait Gallery: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw06507/Queen-Victoria. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_by_W._Warman_after_Thomas_Sully.jpg.
#'''1838''': engraved mezzotint print from a painting by Agostino Aglio the Elder (https://www.lelandlittle.com/items/384935/antique-portrait-of-a-young-queen-victoria/), which cannot have been painted from life. QV is dressed as if for her coronation, with the St. Edward's crown and the throne in the background. The face does not look like Victoria's, the dress with its ermine hem is not a representation of any dresses we're aware of, and the robe with its transparent falling sleeves is not the official coronation robe. The mezzotint by James Scott shows detail more clearly than the painting does, which is dark. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Queen_of_the_United_Kingdom.jpg
#'''1838 August 5''': engraving of QV, published in ''The News'' on this date, may not have been taken from life. She may be wearing the white satin with gold embroidery dress she wore to Westminster Abbey; the crown on her head is not the Imperial State Crown; she is wearing long earrings (which we've never seen before) and no necklace. The cape has a shorter layer on top, trimmed in bands of gold, it looks like, which we've also never seen before. Her right hand is wearing a glove, probably silk, pushed down to 3/4 length. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674621#?xywh=-2124%2C-568%2C8542%2C7730. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_(4674621).jpg  
#'''1839''': engraving of Edwin Landseer portrait of QV in a very flattering and fashionable riding habit, less masculine than some, ribbon and badge of the Order of the Garter, top hat with veil, corseted, with the jacket fitted, large sleeves to the elbow, fitted below the elbow; a peplum may be part of the jacket, can't tell; she may be riding side-saddle with the newly invented horn to stabilize the rider. It's a good likeness of Victoria. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Majesty_the_Queen-_1839_(4672716).jpg.  
#1840 February 10: QV's Wedding
##QV's wedding dress on a mannequin. Royal Collection Trust, 3 photos: https://www.rct.uk/collection/71975. Mary Bettans, QV's &quot;longest serving dressmaker,&quot; probably made this wedding dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/71975|title=Mary Bettans - Queen Victoria's wedding dress|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-15}}&lt;/ref&gt; The [https://thedreamstress.com/2011/04/queen-victorias-wedding-dress-the-one-that-started-it-all/ Dreamstress blog posting on QV's wedding dress] has clear photos of her shoes. The Royal Collection description says, in part, &quot;Wedding dress ensemble of cream silk satin; comprising pointed boned bodice lined with silk, elbow length gathered sleeves; deep lace flounces at neck and sleeves and plain untrimmed skirt en suite, gathered into waist with unpressed pleats.&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot; /&gt; The color of the dress is definitely not white now, but the RCT description doesn't suggest that the color has changed. The materials are &quot;Cream silk satin with Honiton lace&quot; and &quot;silk (textile), satin, flowers, lace.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot; /&gt; The &quot;flowers&quot; perhaps explains the wreath of artificial orange blossoms that the mannequin is wearing; the description doesn't say whether the headdress was the one worn by QV at the wedding.
##QV's watercolor sketch of her design for the bridesmaids' dresses: &quot;a white dress trimmed with sprays of roses on the bodice and skirt. A matching spray of roses is shown in her hair. She is wearing white gloves and holding a handkerchief in one hand.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/13/collection/980021-o/design-for-queen-victorias-bridesmaids-dresses|title=Explore the Royal Collection online|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-20}}&lt;/ref&gt; Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/13/collection/980021-o/design-for-queen-victorias-bridesmaids-dresses.
#1840–1842: George Hayter's painting of the moment in the wedding when QV and Albert clasp hands
##1840 February 10 – 1842: George Hayter's wedding portrait at the moment they clasped hands (what was commissioned), sketched at the time, portraits and background filled in later, not an actual depiction of what the chapel looked like, the environment sketched in before the ceremony and the people during the ceremony, followed by people sitting for their individual portrait within the larger painting. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/407165/the-marriage-of-queen-victoria-10-february-1840. Wikimedia Commons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Marriage_of_Queen_Victoria#/media/File:Sir_George_Hayter_(1792-1871)_-_The_Marriage_of_Queen_Victoria,_10_February_1840_-_RCIN_407165_-_Royal_Collection.jpg. Along with almost everybody else, both QV and Albert posed later for the portraits in the painting, QV in March 1840 in, as she says, &quot; Bridal dress, veil, wreath &amp; all.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/407165/the-marriage-of-queen-victoria-10-february-1840|title=Sir George Hayter (1792-1871) - The Marriage of Queen Victoria, 10 February 1840|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-19}}&lt;/ref&gt;
##A number of reproductions of all or part of Hayter's painting were made. Engraving after Hayter's wedding portrait: amazingly tight outfit on Albert, QV has long train with ladies holding it; QV's dress off the shoulder, very lacy: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marriage_of_Queen_Victoria_MET_MM78359.jpg
#'''1840 c.''': miniature of QV by Franz Winterhalter, very idealized; QV is wearing a large pendant on a gold-bead necklace with matching earrings and jeweled fillet, strands of diamonds wrapped around the coiled hair high on the back of her head. Her off-the-shoulder dress is white lace with yellow bows, very girly with an unusual amount of frou-frou. She is wearing a blue sash across her chest from left to right, perhaps the ribbon of the Order of the Garter? Something puffy and pink — perhaps a shawl? — is over the dress. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_La_reine_Victoria.jpg
#'''1840 c.''': mezzotint print of QV by T. W. Huffam, may not have been drawn from life, and not perfectly realistic. QV is wearing a cap on the back of her head and perhaps a double row of what might be pearls across the top of her head, with pearl drop earrings. Off-the-shoulders cream-colored dress with pleating around the neckline and from the waist down. Broach at the center of the neckline, ring on her left hand; possible heavy chain bracelet on her left wrist. Colorful red-and-blue patterned shawl; what may be the Ribbon of the Order of the Garter, but on the wrong shoulder (and color is too dark, but the color may not be true); probably an odd wadded-up handkerchief in her right hand, with a lacy edge. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674795#?xywh=935%2C2586%2C2207%2C1324. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Gracious_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(4674795).jpg
#'''1840''': QV and Albert return from the wedding at St. James's Palace
##1840 February 10: engraving by S. Reynolds (after F. Lock). May not have been made from life, the dress QV is wearing does not match the descriptions of any of the dresses she wore that day. Albert is dressed more or less the way he was for the wedding. This is an image of how she was imagined by the artist or perceived by the public, not how she looked. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wedding_of_Queen_Victoria_and_Prince_Albert.jpg
##F. Lock
#'''1840''': not very realistic illustration of Edward Oxford's assassination attempt on QV (illustration by Ebenezer Landells; lithograph by J. R. Jobbins). We see QV in white, with a yellow bonnet and something white streaming, veil or shawl, protected by heroic male figure, Albert? or the driver? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edward_Oxford_tries_to_shoot_Queen_Victoria_in_1840_by_JR_Jobbins.jpg
#'''1840''': 2 versions of what looks like the same portrait of QV by John Partridge, one painting in Dublin Castle and another in the Royal Collection Trust, both apparently made by Partridge with sittings in September and October 1840.&lt;ref name=&quot;:16&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/403022/queen-victoria-1819-1901|title=John Partridge (1790-1872) - Queen Victoria (1819-1901)|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-02-27}}&lt;/ref&gt; QV is in black formal dress with red background and objects associating her with Albert. The RCT description: &quot;The Queen, in a black evening dress with a black and silver head-dress, wears the ribbon and star of the Garter and the Garter round her left arm. She stands with her hand resting on a letter on the table. The gilt metal inkstand set with semi-precious stones was a present from Prince Albert to the Queen on her birthday, 24 May 1840. The bracelet on her right arm is set with a miniature portrait of Prince Albert by Sir William Ross for which the Prince had sat in February and March 1840 and the locket round her neck was given to her by Prince Albert.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:16&quot; /&gt; QV's modest, black velvet, off-the-shoulder dress is very Romantic. The puffed sleeves have a separate, fine lace ruffle that is shorter over the front of the arm and longer in back. She is holding a large white lace handkerchief and a folding fan.
##The Royal Collection Trust painting may have been restored or conserved differently because it is lighter and the background is much brighter red. Besides the interesting black headdress with a silver fringe on two levels, attached possibly to a bun on the back of her head, she is wearing a [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Ferronnière|ferronnière]] with a large brooch-like jewel piece in the center front. This version of the painting was probably a gift to Albert for Christmas 1840.&lt;ref name=&quot;:16&quot; /&gt; https://www.rct.uk/collection/403022/queen-victoria-1819-1901. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Partridge_1840.jpg.
##The painting in Dublin Castle is much darker and QV's necklace and headdress are different. In this case, she is wearing the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#The Diamond Diadem|Diamond Diadem]] rather than the less-official ferronnière. Dublin Castle: https://dublincastle.ie/the-state-apartments/queen-victoria/. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Dublin_Castle.jpg.
#'''1841''': print of drawing of QV, stylish and romantic look, braids loops around her ears, off the shoulders, corseted, wearing honors, elbow-length lace-edged sleeves, full skirts, holding folding fan and lacy handkerchief in her left hand, very stylish pointed waist: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_victoria_by_DESMAISONS,_PIERRE_EMILIEN_-_GMII.jpg
#'''1841''': watercolor miniature by George Freeman of a pretty good likeness of QV for Mrs Andrew Stevenson, the wife of the American ambassador. QV is in white evening dress, red shawl with orange trim, ribbon of the Order of the Garter, tiara on the back of her head, miniature of Albert on her right wrist, wedding ring, hair in braided loops in front of the ears, very lacy at the elbows and top of bodice but otherwise no frou-frou. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/421456/queen-victoria-1819-1901. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Miniature_portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_(1819-1901),_1841.jpg.
#'''1841 March 21''': mezzotint print of QV and Vicky as a baby (Ellen Cole made the original art, G. H. Phillips made the messotint, printmaker Henry Graves &amp; Co.)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://wellcomecollection.org/works/wthk5hpy|title=Queen Victoria with the infant Princess Victoria on her lap. Mezzotint by G.H. Phillips after E. Cole, 1841.|website=Wellcome Collection|language=en|access-date=2025-10-15}}&lt;/ref&gt;, unclear what kind of dress QV is wearing, could be morning dress or even negligé, although she is wearing jewelry and a cap, appears to be wearing a corset, but the fabric of this loose and flowing dress is very likely silk, some sheer, very feminine, limp lace ruffles, unstiffened silk; could be a christening outfit?, Vicky is also wearing sheer flowing fabric, has a cap with stiffened ruffle, around the neck, unstiffened ruffle: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_the_infant_Princess_Victoria_Adelaide_Wellcome_V0048381.jpg
#1842: portrait by Winterhalter of QV in her wedding dress. This pose is a recreation; the lower half of the skirt is lace covered. QV is facing left, holding a length of lace and a small bouquet of flowers. Tiara on the back of her head, pendant on a gold chain around her neck, perhaps the sapphire brooch, and rings. QV sat for the painting &quot;in June and July 1842. The Queen wears a dress of heavy ivory satin, enhanced by a bertha and a deep flounce of lace like those on her wedding dress (see Figure 39). Her jewelry includes a diadem of sapphires and diamonds, the huge sapphire-and-diamond brooch given to her by Prince Albert on their wedding day, and the Order of the Garter insignia.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (15) &quot;The portrait was completed in August and set into the wall of the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle. Winterhalter was immediately commissioned to paint at least three copies, and a number of others exist, including enamel miniatures that the Queen had made up into bracelets for her friends.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (15)
#'''1843''': portrait by Winterhalter, bust of QV, bare shoulders, hair has fallen down, simple jewelry, sensual, sexual, romantic: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter_(1805-73)_-_Queen_Victoria_(1819-1901)_-_RCIN_406010_-_Royal_Collection.jpg.
#'''1843''': flattering, fashion-illustration-style portrait by Winterhalter, QV is wearing the Diamond Diadem created for George IV and standing with the Imperial State Crown near her right hand, which means it's not a coronation recreation. She is wearing the mantle of the Garter with its jeweled chain-like collar and St. George hanging from it with the Garter on her left arm. Winterhalter did a companion portrait of Albert at the same time, and they are hanging in the Garter Throne Room in Windsor Castle.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/404388/queen-victoria-1819-1901-0|title=Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-73) - Queen Victoria (1819-1901)|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-02-06}}&lt;/ref&gt; Queen Victoria is wearing the Turkish diamonds necklace and earrings. She has bare shoulders and arms, suggestive of court or evening dress; besides the mantle of the Garter, she is wearing a white dress with a complex overdress that is open at the waist. The skirt of the white dress has gold threads (that might be brocade) with 7 horizontal graduated rows of a soutache-like trim around the bottom 2/3. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/404388/queen-victoria-1819-1901-0. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_1843.jpg.
#'''1843''': line and stipple engraving (by Skelton and Hopwood) of a painting by Eugène Modeste Edmond Lepoittevin. QV visiting Helene, Duchesse d'Orléans at the Château d'Eu (Eu, Normandy, France). Two of the Duchesse d'Orléans' sons are with her in the portrait; she appears to be in mourning with a lot of frou-frou and touches of white. QV is wearing a stylish, romantic (off the shoulder) dress with a small white ruffle at the neck, lacy cuffs at the wrist; the sleeves are divided by 2 rows above the elbow of some kind of 3-dimensional trim; below the elbow the sleeves are fitted. The skirt is very full; her hair is simple, pulled in front of her ears into a bun in the back, with no headdress; she is wearing little or no jewelry. National Portrait Gallery: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw145636/Visit-of-Queen-Victoria-to-the-Duchesse-DOrlans?LinkID=mp93326&amp;role=sit&amp;rNo=0. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Visit_of_Queen_Victoria_to_the_Duchess_of_Orleans.jpg.
#'''1845''': photograph of QV and Vicky, earliest photograph of them, Description from Royal Collection Trust: &quot;They are shown in three quarter view, facing left. The queen is wearing a dark coloured silk gown, with a white lace fichu, adorned with a brooch. The Princess Royal looks directly at the viewer and leans against her mother, nestled under her right arm. She is wearing a dark coloured silk dress, trimmed with white lace. She is wearing a pendant on a black ribbon around her neck, and is holding a doll in her arms.&quot; White v-shaped bodice front connected to the rest of the bodice. Copy from the Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/-/collection/2931317-c (Wikimedia Commons copy: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_the_Princess_Royal_Victoria_c1844-5.png)
#'''1846''': Winterhalter portrait of QV with Bertie, one of a pair of portraits by Winterhalter of QV and Prince Albert. QV is wearing an unusual, off-the-shoulder outfit, no crown but a headdress that is black lace, sheer, ruffled, attached above her ears, with a rose on the left side, no necklace but bracelets and rings and the Order of the Garter ribbon and star. The top of this dress may be a bustier rather than a bodice, resting on rather than attached to the skirt; it is boned and very smooth and comes to a deep point in front, emphasizing her small waist. The skirt may be in two layers, pink satin (to match the bustier or bodice) covered by a sheer black lace-and-tulle overskirt. Bertie is in long pants and a belted &quot;loose Russian blouse&quot; that falls to his knees.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/406945/queen-victoria-with-the-prince-of-wales|title=Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-73) - Queen Victoria with the Prince of Wales|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-03-26}}&lt;/ref&gt; The portrait was a gift to Sir Robert Peel and shows QV in evening dress and Bertie (and Prince Albert in his separate portrait) as a family in nonregal clothing, what Peel called &quot;private society.&quot; Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/406945/queen-victoria-with-the-prince-of-wales. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_the_Prince_of_Wales.jpg.
#'''1846 October – 1847 January''', sittings for Winterhalter family portrait of QV and Albert and 5 children (Vicky, Bertie, Alice, Affie, Helena as a baby). QV is wearing a very ornate white dress with a smooth bodice, with a corset beneath: a lot of lace in her lap, either a large shawl coming around from the back or the top layer of her skirt (?), which is a series of 4 lacy ruffles starting at her knees and going down; gathers over her bust, sleeves are gathered; whole dress is a lot of frou-frou, very white, feminine, soft and flowing. She is wearing an emerald and diamond diadem, part of a parure of other emerald jewelry as well as a locket around her neck. (Albert designed the diadem in 1845, made by Joseph Kitching). Painting was exhibited in 1847 in St. James's Palace and released as an engraving in 1850. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/405413/the-royal-family-in-1846. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter_Family_of_Queen_Victoria.jpg. Engraving: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Queen_Victoria,_Prince_Albert_and_the_Royal_Family.png
#'''1847 February 24''': Winterhalter portrait of QV in a version of her at her wedding, wearing her wedding veil and wreath of orange blossoms in her hair and the sapphire brooch that &quot;Albert gave her on their wedding day and the ear-rings and necklace made from the Turkish diamonds given to her by the Sultan Mahmúd II in 1838.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/20/collection/400885/queen-victoria-1819-1901|title=Winterhalter Portrait of Queen Victoria, 1846|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-31}}&lt;/ref&gt; This portrait is dated 1847, so it is not a portrait of her at her wedding but an anniversary gift for Albert of her dressed as for her wedding. RCT: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/20/collection/400885/queen-victoria-1819-1901 Wikimedia: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1847.jpg
#'''1851 August 30''', line drawing of QV, Albert and Bertie visiting the opening (?) of a train station, published in the ILL. QV's clothing is approximate, but she is wearing a bonnet; we don't know if the artist drew her from life or from his expectation of what she would have looked like, stylish but not haute couture, she looks more middle class? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_visiting_the_GNR.jpg
#'''1854''', portrait Stephen Catterson Smith the Elder. QV in Order of St. Patrick, wearing crown, next to throne; white or cream-colored dress, which looks unironed? horizontal section of the skirt??, off the shoulder, lacy ruffles on top, not much frou-frou, not a cage. Bracelet on her right arm of Albert?, coronation necklace? Standing by the chair with lion's head on the armrest. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_the_sash_of_the_Order_of_St_Patrick,_1854.png
##'''1854''', engraving that is a copy of the Smith portrait. Royal Trust: https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/565054. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_victoria_indian_circlet.jpg. '''Indian circlet'''?
#'''1854''', photograph of QV, Albert, Duchess of Kent and 7 children, boys in kilts, women in what looks like cages, but probably petticoats: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_family.jpg
#'''1854''', photograph by Roger Fenton, QV seated, facing our right, holding a portrait of Albert, light very lacy dress, cap on the back of her head, can't see much detail of the dress: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_1854.jpg
#'''1854 May 11''': Roger Fenton photographs from a session showing either QV and Albert in court dress or one of the recreations of their wedding:
##QV standing, looking to her left, wearing a very floral, lacy light-colored dress that has been called her wedding dress, but the Royal Collection Trust says it's a court dress with a train.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Queen Victoria in court dress 1854.jpg.&quot; ''Wikimedia Commons''. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_in_court_dress_1854.jpg (retrieved March 2026).&lt;/ref&gt; She is wearing the ribbon of the Order of the Garter, a cap perched on top of her head above a wreath or crown of flowers, veil, romantic off-the-shoulder neckline with short puffy sleeves, something fluffy and translucent on the front of her dress (like an apron?), a white glove on her left hand, a bouquet of flowers, and it looks like actual flowers attached to the dress itself. More frou-frou than we've seen on her. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_in_court_dress_1854.jpg.
##Low-resolution photo of QV and Albert facing each other, bouquet on plinth, expensive long lace veil, shawl or big white lace collar?, dress has a lot of frou-frou (including flowers) and texture to break up the solid whiteness: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_victoria_and_Prince_Albert.jpg
#'''1854 May 22''': Roger Fenton photograph of QV, Albert and 7 children, one in a wagon, at Buckingham Palace. Albert is wearing a top hat although they seem to be indoors. QV wearing a bonnet tied under her chin with a big bow, a plaid skirt, thigh-length jacket. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Prince_Albert_%26_royal_children_at_Buckingham_Palace,_1854.jpg
#'''1854 June 30''', photograph by Roger Fenton, QV profile facing our left; very light-colored dress, embroidered (or stamped??) floral pattern on skirt, bodice and sleeves with additional 3-dimensional trim, and apron?, with a wide sash, translucent maybe linen fabric with very fine lace at the edge, very girly; at least one gathered flounce; brimless bonnet on the back of her head, lacy, ribbon, flowers?: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Roger_Fenton.jpg
#'''1855''', Winterhalter portrait: petticoats, lace and satin, a tiara, on the back of her head around the bun, not a symbol of of sovereignty, instead a beautiful decorative piece of jewelry that probably matched her eyes: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter.jpg. Rosie Harte says she is wearing the Sapphire Tiara designed for QV as a wedding present by Albert.
#'''1855 March 10''': Illustrated London News wood engraving showing QV and her entourage visiting wounded soldiers in a hospital. It shows how QV was perceived, not so much what she actually wore. She's shown wearing a bonnet, a thigh-length jacket; her tiered skirt has 3 large ruffles that we can see, dividing it horizontally. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_entourage_visiting_invalided_soldier_Wellcome_V0015776.jpg
#'''1855 April 19''', James Roberts painting of QV, Napoleon III, Eugénie and Albert at Covent Garden, from the perspective of the stage, or at least behind the orchestra. They are dressed formally; QV's white, off the shoulder young-person image, big jewelry; Eugénie looks like she's wearing a cage. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/46/collection/920055/the-queen-visiting-covent-garden-with-the-emperor-and-empress-of-the-french-19. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Napoleon_III_at_the_Royal_Opera_House_19_April_1855.jpg
#'''1856 May 10''', oval half-length portrait of QV by Winterhalter, finished after sittings on 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8 May.&lt;ref name=&quot;:17&quot; /&gt; QV, who thought the portrait was &quot;very like,&quot; is wearing a distinctive off-the-shoulder red velvet dress with burnt-velvet (?) ruffle, the Koh-i-nûr diamond set in a brooch, a necklace with large diamonds (the Coronation necklace? '''Queen Adelaide's necklace'''?) and the ribbon of the Order of the Garter. She is wearing a corset under the dress (the bodice is so smooth and it comes to a point below the waist), with lace at the décolletage and shoulder and possibly a shawl that matches the ruffle. '''The crown is not the Diamond State Diadem but another crown'''. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/406698/queen-victoria-1819-1901. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter_Queen_Victoria.jpg.
#'''1856 December 16''' (lithograph made in 1859), color lithograph of a William Simpson painting showing QV on board a ship being returned to the Brits by Americans. Full-length, winter dress with fur muff, bonnet, matching fur-trimmed coat over dark rich purple and green dress. Albert and some of their children are with her. Library of Congress: https://loc.gov/pictures/resource/pga.03087/. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Simpson_-_George_Zobel_-_England_and_America._The_visit_of_her_majesty_Queen_Victoria_to_the_Arctic_ship_Resolute_-_December_16th,_1856.jpg
#'''1857''': photo of QV and Vicky, Princess Royal, in dark dresses but not mourning, QV has very voluminous ruffled skirt, probably not a cage, wearing a cap: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_daughter_Victoria,_Princess_Royal.jpg
#'''1857''': large painting by George Housman Thomas of QV distributing the first Victoria Crosses in Hyde Park, 26 June 1857, shows large military display in a large field, QV giving out VCs to a long line of soldiers. Related to the 1859 Thomas painting, as QV is wearing another scarlet military jacket, waist is cinched, etc. (see the 1859 painting). If the awarding of the VCs occurred in 1857, this painting would have been later? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_presenting_VC_in_Hyde_Park_on_26_June_1857.jpg
#'''1858 Summer – 14 December 1861, between''', photograph by Southwell, &quot;photographist to the Queen,&quot; of QV wearing a light-colored plaid skirt over a cage and a large dark shawl, reading a piece of paper. (We dated this image between the time she first wore a cage and when Albert died.) She has a cap with a gathered edge under her light-colored bonnet, which has a wide band tied in a bow under her chin with long streamers that hang past her waist. The photograph has been damaged, so patterns on the fabric are impossible to see. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:England_Queen_Victoria.JPG
#'''1859''': Winterhalter portrait, 2 crowns, the one behind her is the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Imperial State Crown|Imperial State Crown]], &quot;coronation necklace and earrings?,&quot; a vast quantity of ermine, diamonds and gold, parliament in the distance. ArtUK: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/queen-victoria-18191901-187983. Wikimedia: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Winterhalter_1859.jpg, on Wikipedia page for &quot;Victorian Era&quot;: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_era. The off-the-shoulder look she wore when she was young, short sleeves, gold lace ruffles on the skirt. Another example of elaborate but not crowded frou-frou. Georg Koberwein made a copy of this painting in 1862.
#'''1859 June''': group photograph that includes QV, Albert, Bertie and Princess Alice (who is wearing a cage) as well as Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders; Infante Luís, Duke of Porto, later King Luís I of Portugal;  and King Leopold I of Belgium. Photograph attributed to Dudley FitzGerald-de Ros, 23rd Baron de Ros. QV is seated, facing her right, wearing a cape (can't tell if it has wide sleeves), a feathered hat that ties under her chin with a wide ribbon down the back, a 3-flounce skirt with dark stripes, wider at the bottom, probably over a cage, the 2 top flounces have gathered lace edging; white lace in her lap and over her right shoulder; holding an umbrella. Royal Collection Trust: https://albert.rct.uk/collections/photographs-collection/childrens-albums/group-portrait-with-prince-albert-leopold-i-and-queen-victoria-0?_ga=2.71530067.1155757026.1769614443-1044324474.1768234449. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Group_photograph_of_Queen_Victoria,_Prince_Albert,_Albert_Edward,_Prince_of_Wales,_Count_of_Flanders,_Princess_Alice,_Duke_of_Oporto,_and_King_Leopold_I_of_the_Belgians,_1859.jpg.
#'''1859 July 9''': 1859–1864 painting by George Housman Thomas of QV, Albert and attendants on horses at Aldershot, QV in military-style, with red jacket with trim at the cuffs collar (though technically the jacket is collarless), wearing sash, honors, white blouse with back necktie, white sleeves gathered at the wrist, sitting side saddle, hat with wide brim, low crown, feminized version of the helmet the men are wearing, complete with red and white feathers. Royal Collection Trust says she is wearing a &quot;scarlet military riding jacket with a General's sash and a General's plume in her riding hat&quot; link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/405295/queen-victoria-and-the-prince-consort-at-aldershot-9-july-1859. Wikimedia link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_the_Prince_Consort_at_Aldershot,_9_July_1859.jpg
#'''1860 May 15''': full-length photograph of QV by John Jabez Edwin Paisley Mayall. Dark dress, white ruffled cap and collar, ornate patchworky shawl with fringe and lace. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_JJE_Mayall,_1860.png
#'''Circa 1861''', photograph of QV, Albert and 9 children by John Jabez Edwin Mayall. Another portrait where Albert is really the center. The women and girls appear to be wearing hoops.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prince_Albert_of_Saxe-Coburg-Gotha,_Queen_Victoria_and_their_children_by_John_Jabez_Edwin_Mayall_(n%C3%A9e_Jabez_Meal).jpg
#'''1861''', full-length photograph of QV by C. Clifford of Madrid; QV is standing mostly profile facing her right, with her head turned slightly to us; state occasion, formal dress with crown and jewelry; short sleeves with light-colored, ornate trim above the elbows; the neckline is at the corner of the shoulder with lace inside, making it be less off-the-shoulder than it looks; cage under the full skirt, train attached at the waist, in the front the train is cut away, towards the back; very clearly a silk, shiny fabric that reflected a lot of light; color is unknown; which crown is this? Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/ppgcfuck/images?id=zbrn4cjm; Wiki Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HM_Queen_Victoria._Photograph_by_C._Clifford_of_Madrid,_1861_Wellcome_V0027547.jpg
#'''1861 March 1''', looks like a session with photographer John Jabez Edwin Paisley Mayall and QV, from while Albert was still alive, dark but not mourning dress, with what may be a large [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Moiré|moiré]] pattern in the fabric. Lots of frou-frou. 2 images from this session:
##Full-length photograph of QV by Mayall. Shiny dark satiny fabric, cage, large white-lace shawl, white collar, white cap on the back of her head, book in front of her on plinth: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria.jpg
##Full-length photograph of QV by Mayall. Shiny dark satiny dress fabric, cage but not the half-sphere, skirt is fuller than the cage, defined waist, more fullness in back, same white collar and cap, sleeve of jacket gets wider at the wrist, showing how full the lacy/ruffly sleeve of the blouse is, large black lace shawl. Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/yuuj2gdr/images?id=fpxwnbzg. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HM_Queen_Victoria,_Empress_of_India._Photograph._Wellcome_V0028492.jpg
#'''Circa 1862''', photo of QV seated with Prince Leopold standing next to her, QV is wearing a heavy cloak with a hood, which is up and covering what she's wearing on her head, which has a white and what may be a ruffled edge. The cloak has a wide band of what might be brocade stitched to the bottom of the cloak; the fabric of the cloak and hood and the skirt beneath may have a nap; she is not wearing a cage. Leopold is wearing short pants and gloves and carries a walking stick; his face may show bruises (or the photo is damaged): (Royal Trust link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2900563/queen-victoria-and-prince-leopold; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Leopold_of_Albany.jpg).
#'''1862''', drawing from a newspaper showing QV and Beatrice of how she was perceived, not how she was: highly idealized image of mother and child, clothing not presented realistically, QV's dress is plain and her identity is that of the loving mother. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Princess_Beatrice_as_baby.jpg
#'''1863''', photograph of QV seated, skirt is full, though she's not wearing hoops; white on head, collar and at wrists. She may not be wearing a corset (per Worsley), but the top is boned. 
##QV is facing our left, 3/4. The top part of her skirt and her sleeves are made of a fabric perhaps with a satin weave, though the bottom half of her skirt is still matte. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Queen_Victoria_in_1863.png.
##Same session, another pose, body still 3/4, but now she is facing the camera. The edges of the matte sections of her skirt and jacket are trimmed with rows of tiny ball fringe, oddly unobtrusive, especially from a distance. She is wearing a white blouse with puffed sleeves under the jacket. George Eastman Collection: https://www.flickr.com/photos/george_eastman_house/3333247605/. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_(3333247605).jpg.
#'''1863''', QV on horse with John Brown holding the bridle
##'''1863''', unattributed photograph of QV at Osborne seated on a horse, with Princess Louise and John Brown nearby. QV is seated side-saddle, has a cap with a hood over it; cap has white ruffled edge; white ruffles at her wrists. Louise is handing QV her whip? and wearing a cage; her skirt is short, ankle-length, several inches above the ground; she wears a thigh-length full jacket. Brown's back is to us, he wears a kilt. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Princess_Louise_and_John_Brown.jpg
##'''1863''', carte-de-visite photograph by George Washington Wilson, QV on Fyvie side-saddle; wearing a cap with a hood over it, cap has white ruffled edge; dark gloves; wide sleeves on the jacket. The black riding habit has a simple surface with little decoration.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_photographed_by_George_Washington_Wilson_(1863).jpg; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_on_%27Fyvie%27_with_John_Brown_at_Balmoral.jpg
#'''1864''', QV seated, holding the future Kaiser Wilhelm (Vicky's eldest), her 1st grandchild
##Willie looking at us, QV right arm around his shoulder, an early version of what became her uniform dress, this one is a winter outfit, and she's bundled up, wearing a white ruffled cap, black bonnet and veil, which may be tied under her chin; gloves; a thigh-length loose jacket with wide sleeves, a deep band of a different fabric for the bottom of her skirt; she may be wearing a brocade vest under the jacket that is not snug against her torso; it looks like she's wearing a corset (the edge near the top button of her vest). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_holding_her_eldest_grandchild_Willy.png
##Willie facing QV, very clear view of her bonnet with scarfy veil; jacket is thigh-length, sleeves widening toward the cuff, may be a blouse underneath, also with full, loose sleeves, edged in white; top part of the full skirt is shiny, deep band of fabric at the bottom is wooly looking, narrow trim between the two parts of the skirt, could be petticoats under the skirt.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_eldest_grandchild_Willy.png
#'''1865–1867''': Edwin Landseer painting of QV on horseback at Osborne, reading letters and dispatches, with John Brown, dressed formally in a kilt, holding the horse's head. (Aquatint print made in c. 1870 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_and_John_Brown_at_Osborne_House_(4674627).jpg&lt;nowiki/&gt;.) See &quot;1867 Spring&quot; in the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Timeline|Timeline]] for a discussion of the painting itself. Princesses Louise and Helena are seated on a park bench in the background. QV is wearing a bonnet tied under her chin with a large bow and a short hood-like veil. This does not look like a fitted riding habit, although the skirt is a riding skirt. The jacket is shorter than her usual thigh-length and has full sleeves that widen toward the wrist. The fitted cuffs of the sleeves of her white blouse extend beyond the jacket sleeve. She has white at her cuffs and on the cap under her bonnet. Except for a ring on her left hand, no jewelry shows. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/403580/queen-victoria-at-osborne. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sir_Edwin_Landseer_(1803-73)_-_Queen_Victoria_at_Osborne_-_RCIN_403580_-_Royal_Collection.jpg
#'''1867''': QV seated with Empress Victoria, both in mourning, but not full mourning, wearing a cage, some frou-frou, probably a cap on her head, because there's no brim, with a short dark veil over it. QV is wearing a [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Paletot|paletot]] with an overskirt with the same fabric and matching trim; the sleeves are not fitted but also not as wide at the wrists as some of her paletots. The bottom of the underskirt has a pleated ruffle. QV has quite a bit of light-colored fabric at her neck that falls down the front of her bodice, although she is not wearing the white shawl. The photograph was overexposed, so we have clarity in the black but the detail for the white parts is obliterated. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Empress_Victoria_Augusta.jpg
#'''1867''', photograph of QV seated, with her back towards us, and the Queen of Prussia (or the Empress Augusta of Germany?), both in mourning, with light-colored umbrella: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Queen_of_England_and_The_Queen_of_Prussia.jpg. Darker image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Empress_Augusta.jpg
#'''1867''', stylized drawing/painting by Takahashi Yūkei, doctor of the Japanese Embassy to Europe in 1862, so may have been drawn from life; black dress may have faded to this purple, honors sash draping is not understandable but it is beautiful; military (?) style hat with aigrette: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Japanese_doctor_Takahashi_Y%C5%ABkei_1862.png
#'''1867''', photograph of QV with border collie Sharp, outdoors, on rugs?. QV is wearing a bonnet with a veil-like scarf that ties under her chin with streamers down the front; the full, thigh-length jacket has long, full sleeves, and the jacket has no trim on it, apparently, at all. The skirt is held out smoothly by a cage, made in 2 fabrics, one satiny and the other wool or something not shiny, with 3-dimensional trim with faceted jet (?) in 3 rows. Shiny black leather gloves, with white ruffled cuffs. She looks heavier-set than she was, perhaps our sense that she was always big comes because she wasn't trying to look thin? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_dog_%22Sharp%22.jpg
#'''1868''', photograph of QV and John Brown by W. &amp; D. Downey. QV is wearing a riding habit and a hat tied under the chin, perhaps with a small plume, the jacket has some decoration. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_mounted_and_John_Brown_by_W._and_D._Downey.png
#'''1869–1879''', QV was in her 60s: &quot;At state occasions in her sixties, Victoria appeared in a black dress, black velvet train, pearls and a small diamond crown.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (480 of 786)
#'''c. 1870''', photograph by Andre-Adolphe-Eugene Disderi (probably not retouched) with QV seated, facing her left, 3/4 profile: that white cap pointed towards the forehead, covering the center part nearly completely, white flat-band collar, whites ruffles at cuffs, heavily trimmed black jacket with short peplum, including ball fringe and braid; the plain-from-a-distance, rich-up-close look: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_c.1870._(7936242480).jpg
#'''1871 September 10''', photograph of QV standing, almost full length, facing our right, with head turned our way, some books on the small table in front of her. The usual dark dress with white blouse with knife pleats and a cap covered with double ruffled lace and with veil down the back; heavy voluminous black shawl, looks like it's wool; it's probably a dress not a suit, with different textures, which are subtle Up close, the black ball-fringe (or bead fringe?) trim is 3-dimensional and different fabrics add another dimension. Skirt has wide band at the bottom, with ball fringe at the top. Wellcome Institute: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/x4hug3jt; Wiki Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria._Photograph._Wellcome_V0018085.jpg.
#'''1874–?''': photograph of QV and Princess Beatrice ice skating on a lake at Eastwell Park, home of Prince Alfred (who got the property in 1874). Can't tell, but QV might be in the sledge chair and Beatrice in the center standing on skates. That woman standing on skates in the center is wearing a cage, which holds her dress out and above the ground. 1874 is late for cages, but the British court was not fashion forward: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_skating_-_Eastwell_Park.jpg
#'''1875''': watercolor copy by Lady Julia Abercromby made in 1883 of an oil painting by Heinrich von Angeli showing QV before adopting the title Empress of India. This is a good example of a slightly formal version of her uniform. She is wearing the usual white cap and veil, clearly lace gathered into double ruffles; square-neck black bodice, sleeves are very wide at the wrists, black with complicated decorative angles layered over white, ruffly. The skirt has a horizontal division with satiny ribbon and wide ruffle (maybe pleated?) and then a border at the bottom that may be brocade; there is a train. Lots of jewelry, including double strand necklace of very large pearls, ribbon and badge of the Order of the Garter and the badge of the Order of Victoria and Albert, pearl brooch, bracelets and rings, holding a large white handkerchief. NPG: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw06517. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Julia_Abercromby.jpg.
#'''1876 May 1''': QV is declared Empress of India. Lytton Strachey says, &quot;On the day of the Delhi Proclamation, the new Earl of Beaconsfield went to Windsor to dine with the new Empress of India. That night the Faery, usually so homely in her attire, appeared in a glittering panoply of enormous uncut jewels, which had been presented to her by the reigning Princes of her Raj.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (414 of 555)
#'''1877 May''': photograph of QV, Princess Beatrice and the Duchess of Edinburgh (probably Maria Alexandrovna Romanova, Affie's wife) by Charles Bergamasco. Impossible to tell how the dress is layered, but it has a lot of frou-frou, but not a lot of lace except for the shawl and the cuffs of her blouse. QV's dress might have 2 different fabrics, like the Duchess's dress; it may have a jacket or vest or both. Her bodice looks like it is boned (assuming she's not wearing a corset). The frou-frou on the skirt are controlled pleated ruffles with tassels, which are more controlled than fringe. Visually very complex outfit, but from a distance, all that complexity would disappear. It would look textured, depending on the distance, at most. All 3 women have high-contrast lapels; 2 fabrics, matte and shiny; big buttons down the front; the 2 younger women have a row of ruffled lace at the neck; all wearing dark fabric, perhaps black. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_The_Duchess_of_Edinburg_and_Prince_Beatrice.jpg
#'''1879''', painting by Tito Conti of QV and Vicky at &quot;Napoleon's boudoir&quot;; Vicky is in mourning, having lost an 11-year-old child in March 1879; the two women are dressed in v different styles: Vicky is stylish, interest at the back of her dress, long train, narrow skirt, haute couture; QV is in her uniform, a hat? perched high on her head, a light-colored fichu? at her neck, black shawl; shorter train and fuller skirt, the shawl hiding how fitted the dress is. The point is the contrast between the 2 styles. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_eldest_daughter_Vicky,_German_Crown_Princess.jpg.
#'''1879 February''', QV seated with Hesse family (Alice's family, two months after her death and that of Marie, the youngest), everyone in full mourning. QV is wearing her &quot;uniform&quot; but no white anywhere; black cap with streamers? with what might be feathers down the back; heavy wool fringed shawl; jacket is lined and warm, possibly padded, may be long (thigh-length?); she may be wearing a corset or boning in her bodice here bc of the way the bodice drapes (there's an edge?); full skirt with deep tucked bands at the bottom: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_Ludwig_IV_240-011.jpg. Darker image from what looks like the same sitting by William &amp; Daniel (W. &amp; D.) Downey, without the father: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Hessian_children_with_their_grandmother,_Queen_Victoria.jpg
#'''1881''': Cabinet photograph by Arthur J. Melhuish of QV and Princess Beatrice, neither is in full mourning. QV is smiling and wearing her white widow's cap, at least 2 necklaces and perhaps one brooch, a black lace shawl. Beatrice is holding an umbrella over their heads.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_and_Princess_Beatrice.jpg
#'''1881 September 3''': woodcut engraving from the ''Illustrated London News'' of QV visiting the new Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh. Clear impression of QV's &quot;uniform,&quot; black dress with thigh-length jacket, edged with fur or velvet; skirt is divided horizontally with zigzag trim about knee level and a ruffle at the hem of the skirt. Unusual pillbox-like hat tied under her chin, trimmed with something light colored. Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/ev7tepmd/images?id=h8aq62mn. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_visiting_the_Royal_Infirmary_Edinburgh._Wellcome_L0000896.jpg
#'''1882 April 27''': 3 photographs of QV dressed for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Albany, probably from one session with Alexander Bassano. These photographs look like they have been retouched to smooth QV's skin and remove a double chin. The black satin-weave dress is complex, but cut as her &quot;uniform&quot; usually was. What makes this outfit different is how much white lace covers the skirt and train as well as how big a piece of lace the veil is and the unusual-for-QV berthe. Under the black jacket sleeve are two white (may or may not be a separate blouse, can't tell). QV is wearing her classic thigh-length jacket with 3/4-length sleeves, buttoned down the front, smoothly fitted to her shape but not tight fitting; she seems to be wearing a white lacy top under everything, a bodice that buttons and looks like it has a rows of fleur-de-lys diamonds operating somewhat like a stomacher comes down below her waist; over the bodice is a thigh-length jacket with thick fluffy fringe (chenille?) trimming the sleeves and bottom of the jacket and down the front on both sides. Those distinctive black jacket sleeves are cut very full at the bottom edge; they are short under her arm and have a long point below her elbow on the outside of her arm. The train is visible in 2 of the photographs and pulled around to QV's left, over some of the skirt. The skirt and train have a narrow box-pleated ruffle at the bottom. The full skirt and train are covered by a lace overskirt. QV is not wearing her wedding veil, but the veil looks like Honiton lace, as do the trim on the bodice, sleeves and skirt. The wide light-colored or white lace [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Berthe|berthe]] is slightly gathered and stitched to the neck of the bodice. A lacy white edge shows under the black jacket sleeve (may or may not be a separate blouse, can't tell), plus another white layer under that lacy sleeve edge. What looks like a chemise shows at the neckline; a row of diamonds separates the berthe from the chemise. She is holding a lacy handkerchief and a folding fan. She is wearing the Small Diamond Crown on top of the veil and a lot of diamond jewelry, including the Koh-I-Nor diamond as a brooch, the Coronation necklace and earrings, two wide diamond bracelets and rings as well as Family Honors and the ribbon of the Order of the Garter.
##'''1882''' Bassano photograph, official state portrait, reused in 1887 for Golden Jubilee as a postcard; close-up cropped bust. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Bassano_(3x4_close_cropped).jpg. Wikipedia page #1 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1887_postcard_of_Queen_Victoria.jpg. Different pose, same sitting, worse resolution: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_bw.jpg.
##'''1882''' Bassano photograph, same sitting, different pose, best image for analysis because it shows her whole body. This is not the lion-head chair, but we can see a lot of this throne-like chair. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/-/collection/2105818/portrait-photograph-of-queen-victoria-1819-1901-dressed-for-the-wedding-of-the; National Portrait Gallery cabinet card: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw119710; Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_1887.jpg. 
##'''1882 April 27''', photograph of QV and page Arthur Ponsonby, same dress as 1882, she is standing next to Ponsonby, who is holding some article of dress that seems to have more diamond fleurs-de-lys, perhaps to match the bodice. Royal Trust Collection: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2105757/queen-victoria-and-her-page-arthur-ponsonby; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_page,_Arthur_Ponsonby.jpg.
#'''1882 May''', Bassanno photograph of QV, same session, the first photograph (from a [[Social Victorians/Victorian Things#Cabinet Card|cabinet card]]) is a great deal easier to read because, even though the white is overexposed, the patterns in the black fabrics and fabric treatments are unusually easy to see, although the layers are still impossible to distinguish.
##QV is sitting on a chair and Princess Beatrice is sitting perhaps on the arm of the chair to QV's left. QV is wearing that fuzzy white widow's cap with veil edged with gathered tulle. The 3 main areas of white — the cap, neckline and the fan and cuffs — are so overexposed that the detail is obliterated. QV is wearing a ribbon necklace with a pendant that might be a cameo, painted portrait or a locket, a brooch on the center front of the neckline, small earrings (likely diamonds) and at least one bracelet and ring. She is holding a partially unfolded fan, and the front of the bodice shows either something like a pocket-watch chain attached to the 3rd button from the bottom, perhaps, or a flaw in the surface of the photograph. She is wearing a very large lace shawl over her shoulders and lap. The bodice/jacket garment buttons down the center, has QV's usual wide sleeves and may be built using a princess line. This garment is similar at the neckline and bottom of the sleeves and the overdress or jacket — it is trimmed with 2 rows of tightly pleated ruffles edged with an elaborate, 3-dimensional design that includes braid with reflective bits, perhaps jet, and gathered ruffles. Princess Beatrice is wearing a restrained, less-decorated style, with a narrow, pleated skirt, made of a moiré silk whose pattern provides visual interest (without the frou-frou associated with haute couture) and tight, tailored, princess-line jacket trimmed with the moiré silk. The jacket includes the unpatterned draped fabric that is pulled toward the back for a bustle. National Portrait Gallery: [https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw123930/Queen-Victoria-Princess-Beatrice-of-Battenberg#:~:text=The%20series%20gets%20its%20name%20from%20a,home%20match%20to%20Australia%20at%20the%20Oval. https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw123930/Queen-Victoria-Princess-Beatrice-of-Battenberg#:~:text=The%20series%20gets%20its%20name%20from%20a,home%20match%20to%20Australia%20at%20the%20Oval.] Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_Beatrice_Bassano.jpg.
##QV is holding granddaughter Margaret, Crown Princess of Sweden, eldest daughter of Prince Arthur (QV's 3rd son) and great-granddaughter Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia, who was born 15 January 1882.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-26|title=Princess Margaret of Connaught|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Margaret_of_Connaught&amp;oldid=1329585710|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; QV does not appear to be wearing a corset, buttoned bodice is not tight, dark shawl, that fuzzy white cap with veil/streamers, maybe ruffled lace. Black ribbon around her neck, white at collar and cuffs, wide sleeves on the jacket. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bassano_Victoria_and_Margaret.jpg 
#'''1883''': W. &amp;. D. Downey photograph of QV seated with baby great-grandson William (Vicky's grandson, Kaiser Wilhelm's son) on her knees. The usual black dress, with 3-dimensional, almost geometric trim, ruffled but not lacy. A very dramatic shawl with cording in 3 parallel lines at the edges, looks like the same fabric as dress. QV's face is kind looking at the baby. Black hat with white cap beneath it, shaped like the white one she often wore. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_great-grandson_Prince_William.jpg
#'''1884 May 2''', QV, Vicky, her daughter Charlotte and her daughter Princess Feodore of Saxe-Meiningen, 4 generations. QV not wearing bustle, the usual black on black for trim, black jacket, black shawl, black cap with black hangy-downy thing down the back: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VICTORIA_Queen_of_England_by_Carl_Backofen_of_Darmstadt.jpg
#'''1885 or so''': portrait published in the 1901 biography of QV by John, Duke of Argyll, probably from a photograph. That odd cap we've seen before with a point down to her hairline in front, this version with trimmed lappets (?) down the front: it's impossible to tell the layers, how things are attached and what the trim on this cap is made of, feathers or ruffles. White collar on bodice, white cuffs, black lace shawl around her shoulders, jacket or coat over a blouse; the frou-frou is the same color as what it trims, making it visually recede, but up close ppl would have been able to see how sophisticated and finely made it was: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:V._R._I._-_Queen_Victoria,_her_life_and_empire_(1901)_(14766746965).jpg
#1885: screen print bust from book ''Daughters of Genius'' by James Parson, showing unusually realistic face and detailed trim on the black; the usual white cap and a collar, locket on ribbon around her neck, small earrings. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Daughters_of_Genius_-_Queen_Victoria.png
#'''1885 May 16''', reproduction of a wood engraving showing QV visiting a soldier wounded in Sudan. Flattering drawing of QV, dress looks plain, unprepossessing, unostentatious Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/nhhej66v. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_visiting_a_wounded_soldier._Reproduction_of_a_Wellcome_V0015340.jpg
#'''1886''', Bassano photograph of QV, full-length, seated, holding the infant Alexander, Marquess of Carisbrooke, Beatrice's son. QV's uniform, ornate square-neck black dress, white blouse with ironed pleats shows at the neck; ruffles and 3-dimensional trim with jet beads on both sides of the front, with trim at the bottom as well, black ironed pleats; black lace shawl, white frothy cap that we've seen many times, with white veil. Royal Trust Collection link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2507501/queen-victoria-with-alexander-marquess-of-carisbrooke-as-a-baby; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Alexander,_Marquess_of_Carisbrooke.jpg. Elements of the Victorian frou-frou without looking over-trimmed or crowded.
#'''1888''', trading card from American tobacco company advertising cigarettes, QV in colorized image, white headdress with small crown; wearing Order of the Garter (?) sash and family honors, Link to MET collection: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/711888; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_of_England,_from_the_Rulers,_Flags,_and_Coats_of_Arms_series_(N126-1)_issued_by_W._Duke,_Sons_%26_Co._MET_DPB873774.jpg
#'''1889''', photographs by Byrne &amp; Co. from apparently the same session of QV and Vicky, both in mourning dress because Frederick III had died June 1888, but not full mourning. QV seated in the lion's-head chair and Vicky on her right. QV is wearing a black and frothy widow's cap that is made of '''something''' transparent, tightly gathered, that comes to a point over her forehead and that she wears on the back of her head. She has a black lace shawl over her shoulder, ornate under-bodice (with lots of jet?) with lacy sleeves and a lacy ruffle at the bottom, the under bodice longer than the outer bodice (or jacket) and outside the skirt, not tucked in; the outer bodice (or jacket) is tailored but not tightly fitted to the body or restrictive, skirt is not fussy; very fashionable suit, but the silhouette is not high fashion. Vicky's widow's cap has an obvious point halfway down her forehead, seems to be made of velvet with something piled on top. She also is wearing a transparent black veil, which may have 2 layers. 
##Vicky standing, hand on back of lion’s head chair, QV turned a little to her right, looking up at Vicky: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Empress_Frederick_with_her_mother_Queen_Victoria.jpg
##Vicky with hand on chair, slightly different angle, QV’s face more visible, facing our left. Royal Collection: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2904703/victoria-empress-frederick-of-germany-and-queen-victoria-1889-in-portraits-of. Wikimedia Commmons copy: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria,_Empress_Frederick_of_Germany,_and_Queen_Victoria,_1889.jpg
##QV w photo of Frederick III, looking to her right, Vicky seated (or kneeling?) and looking at the photo: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2105953/queen-victoria-with-victoria-princess-royal-when-empress-frederick-1889
##Vicky seated (?) looking at photo, QV into the distance to our right (Photo filename says 1888, but the photo is lower res and less clear): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Princess_Royal_1888.jpg
#'''1889 November''', photograph of QV and Beatrice and her family; QV is seated, wearing her uniform and that ubiquitous white fluffy cap; you can see the edge of the boning (in the bodice?), white lacy collar, white ruffle at the wrist, layers, lacy shawl, lace trim at the bottom of the skirt, bunched places on the skirt with black lace trim. Beatrice's sleeves are fitted with puffy shoulders, but QV's are not. Royal Trust link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2904837/queen-victoria-with-prince-and-princess-henry-of-battenberg-and-their-children; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Prince_and_Princess_Henry_of_Battenberg_and_their_children,_1889.jpg.
#'''1890''': Britannica #1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria. Photograph mid-thigh up, very lacy: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Victoria-queen-of-United-Kingdom. Different small crown.
#'''1890''': b/w photo, from the knees up, may be seated. Her hair is dark, so 1890 looks too late a date for this. White frill on her cap, has attached veil down the back, double ruffle at the neck, a few button, plain to another bit of trim around the skirt at knee level; jewelry looks personal, not ostentatious; white cuffs, lacy black shawl, square neck on dress, wrinkles in the bodice suggest she's not wearing a corset and the bodice is not heavily boned: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Queen_Victoria_in_1890.jpg
#'''c1890 (see 1882 Bassano portraits)''': Color portrait in official dress, with small crown with arch, a lot of white lace over and under sheer black, coronation parure, 1890s portrait in 1870s style: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_Portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_(1819-1901).JPG
#'''1892''': not-very-clear photograph of QV sitting, her arm on the lion's-head chair, black cap and veil; lots of jewelry, faceted jet or diamonds or something metal at her neck and wrists. She is wearing a black lace shawl over her shoulders and arms. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom,_c._1890.jpg
#'''1893''': watercolor portrait of QV by Josefine Swoboda, who had been made court painter in 1890.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2024-12-03|title=Josefine Swoboda|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Josefine_Swoboda&amp;oldid=1260867558|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Not unrealistic or unduly flattering, QV not in full mourning, wearing a white widow's cap and white jewelry. All we can see of what she is wearing is the shawl and a little bit of neck treatment. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Josefine_Swoboda_-_Queen_Victoria_1893.jpg
#'''1893''': VQ with &quot;Indian servant,&quot; seated working behind table, blanket or rug over her knees and feet, wearing a cloak and hat: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_an_Indian_servant.jpg
#'''1893, issued for the 1897 Diamond Jubilee''': Photograph by W. &amp; D. Downey taken for the wedding of George V and Mary. QV seated, facing our left, 3/4 front. Very large and ornate veil coming over her shoulder, possibly a lace overskirt? X claims that the white lace veil is QV's Honiton lace wedding veil and what looks like an apron or overskirt may be the 4x3/4 yards Honiton &quot;flounce&quot; on her wedding dress (ftnyc). A lot of light color on this for her, coronation parure? large light folding fan open on lap, small crown. Royal Trust Collection: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2912658/queen-victoria-1819-1901-diamond-jubilee-portrait. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_60._crownjubilee.jpg. Another copy: https://apollo-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/gm_342139EX2.jpg
#'''1893 August 12''': formal photograph of QV w George, Duke of York and Mary, Dss of York, who are very 1893 stylish; QV seated, profile, facing our left, holding a rose, black dress, bodice not heavily boned, no corset; white ruffle at cuffs and at the neck; black lacy shawl; white very fluffy brimless cap, may be her own style; from a distance very plain dress, but up close very rich, with tiny unostentatious details; moved on from all the frou-frou, but not in the haute couture way: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_the_Duchess_and_Duke_of_York.jpg
#'''1894''': QV with Beatrice, George and Mary at Balmoral, in a carriage, the women wearing stylish hats (Royal Collection Trust link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/2/collection/2300501/queen-victoria-princess-beatricenbspthe-duke-and-duchess-of-york-at-balmora) (Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Princess_Beatrice,_the_Duke_and_Duchess_of_York.jpg)
#'''1894 April 21''': QV in 30-person photograph &quot;following the wedding of Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Grand Duke Ernest of Hesse,&quot; QV seated, in shawl, all bundled up, &lt;ins&gt;from a distance, dress looks very plain, the richness is visible only up close;&lt;/ins&gt; white mohawk on head??: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_surrounded_by_her_family_-_Coburg,_1894_(1_of_2).jpg; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_surrounded_by_her_family_-_Coburg,_1894_(2_of_2).jpg
#'''1894 June 23, before,''' looks like a winter photograph, they're bundled up
##'''1894 June 23''', published in the ''Illustrated London News'', photograph of QV and Bertie, dressed warmly. Lots of beautiful, complex layers, as always; maybe skirt, vest, jacket, shawl, boa, hat and gloves, cane in her right hand and a handkerchief in her left?; the hat may be one of the &quot;timeless&quot; elements, shaped like one she wore a lot over the years but not locatable to a particular year or style. QV seated, Bertie standing behind her, both bundled up, she is wearing gloves, a shawl, a jacket and perhaps a vest; cap with white feathers and white poufs or flowers (?), cap is mostly black, comes down to cover her ears, tied in a lacy bow under her chin, black feather boa, wrapped closely around her neck like a scarf and falling down the front to the ground; cane in her right hand; brocade shawl, looks woolen: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_funeral_procession_of_Queen_Victoria_(5254840).jpg. Perhaps used again in later publications? Page says, &quot;By our Special Photographer, Mr. Russell of Baker Street London.&quot; Photo taken outdoors, on steps with rugs and a bearskin. Sword under Bertie's coat.
##Same session, slightly different pose; looks like a carte-de-visite, with &quot;Gunn &amp; Stuart, Richmond, Surrey,&quot; printed in logo form at the bottom. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_And_Prince_of_Wales_Edward.jpg
#'''1895''': photograph of QV published in Millicent Fawcett's ''Life of Her Majesty Queen Victoria'' in 1895, so the portrait predates it, though not by much. The white is overexposed, but the black is legible. QV is wearing her white widow's cap with a white veil made of tulle that is not transparent or even very translucent. The black shawl is very lacy and 3-dimensional, possibly made by crochet or knitting or bobbin lacemaking. The jacket with wide, kimono sleeves has a wide decorative cuff with a lacy edge and a 3-dimensional pattern. Between the cuff and the sleeve is a row of what may be faceted jet in some kind of ivy-like design. She is wearing a single strand of pearls and small round earrings that may be a gold ball with a small sparkly. This photo does not look retouched: the skin on her face and hands is wrinkled, and her hair is light; normal for a woman around 70. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Life_of_Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_-_Frontispiece.jpg.
#'''1895 May 21''': photograph by Mary Steen of QV and Princess Beatrice; QV appears to be making lace (either knitted or crocheted), Beatrice reading the newspaper, possibly to her; the Queen's Sitting Room at Windsor Castle. QV is wearing the white cap with the fluffy streamers, lacy white collar, white cuffs, black lace shawl, possibly a pattern at the bottom of her skirt. NPG: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw233741/Princess-Beatrice-of-Battenberg-Queen-Victoria?_gl=1*ii2xmh*_up*MQ..*_ga*NjAzODY0NTUyLjE3Njc2MjcxMDk.*_ga_3D53N72CHJ*czE3Njc2MjcxMDgkbzEkZzEkdDE3Njc2MjcxMTMkajU1JGwwJGgw. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Princess_Beatrice_of_Battenberg_and_Queen_Victoria.jpg.
#'''September 1895''': unusually clear photograph of QV with some family in Balmoral, QV is seated in a very well-made suit with rich trim and a loose, open jacket (rather than the fitted jackets worn by the younger women with big sleeves up by the shoulders), perhaps pelisse-adjacent, full at the bottoms of the sleeves, with a shawl-like collar, long lacy sleeves under the jacket's sleeves, coming down over her hand (perhaps held there by a loop?), stylish hat; her style is individualized with very stylish elements, so we know she's conscious of 1890s haute couture; but it also has a more timeless quality, the modified or updated pelisse, for example, not a memorializing of her early days, though that did sometimes happen, but an echo of styles she liked from the past? So her style is a fusing of up-to-date stylish and other elements that were more comfortable and practical but always well made of very high-quality materials. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_family_members.jpg
#'''1896 July''': QV photograph by Gunn &amp; Stuart and published as a cabinet card by Lea, Mohrstadt &amp; Co., Ltd., and used as an official image of her as sovereign for the 1897 Diamond Jubilee. Retouched at some point, her face is very smooth, no double chin, etc. Bracelet on right arm, with portrait of Albert (?) and a 4-diamond wide rivière band. Multiple bracelets on left arm, one may be a charm bracelet. Rings. Pointed small crown or tiara that is not the Small Diamond Crown, a veil (that is not her wedding veil but is likely Honiton lace) is pulled to the front over her left shoulder and appears to be coming out of the crown or tiara, many diamonds, some in brooches, coronation necklace and earrings, lots of diamonds. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom_(by_Gunn_%26_Stuart,_1897).jpg
#'''1897''': QV with Princess Victoria Eugénie of Battenburg, who is kneeling next to QV, who is seated, facing (her) right, unrelieved black except for white linen (?) veil; the solid and plain dress has some lace, but the veil is not; black lacy shawl, rings; something very frou-frou at the back of her skirt: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Princess_Victoria_Eug%C3%A9nie_of_Battenberg,_1897.jpg. Empress Eugénie was Princess Victoria Eugénie of Battenburg's godmother.
#'''1897''': painting onto ivory of QV in that white cap by M. H. Carlisle, profile, facing right, still can't tell what the fringy, feathery, lacy edge is: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/45/collection/421112/queen-victoria-1819-1901
#'''1897''': QV Elliott and Fry photograph: that cap, the meandering ruffles on the veil and lappets (?): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_(Elliott_%26_Fry).png
#'''1897''': realistic engraving or print of QV in a state occasion, receiving the address from the House of Lords, realistic enough that we can recognize faces. QV is seated, wearing a white cap with a veil, large lacy white collar, big cuffs, and a large panel of trim at the bottom of her skirt that looks similar to the pattern on her collar; ribbon of the Order of the Garter; no recognizable crown even though this is a state occasion. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_pictured_at_Buckingham_Palace_as_the_Lord_Chancellor_presents_the_adress_of_the_House_of_Lords.jpg
#'''1897 January 1''', unflattering political cartoon of QV in the context of India? (the language is Marathi according to Google Translate). Her face has an unpleasant expression, perhaps disapproval or skepticism? She is wearing a small state crown and the coronation jewels. [[commons:File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpg|https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpghttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpg]]
#1897 June 17, painting published in Vanity Fair of QV riding in a small open carriage with a canopy. QV is wearing a black dress with a ruffle and also black lace at the bottom edge (of the back of the skirt?) and a light-colored cape with black trim. The bow at her neck could be from the cape or her hat, which has a small brim, a large black decoration in front, small floral things along the side, and perhaps a veil around the brim to the back. This image was reproduced after QV's death as a monochrome print. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_Vanity_Fair_17_June_1897.jpg.
#'''1897 July 27''', photograph from a distance of QV in a carriage on the Isle of Wight. This is what she looked like from a distance on a not state occasion, you can't see any embellishments at all. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Princess_Beatrice,_Princess_Helena_Victoria_of_Schleswig-Holstein,_Cowes,_Isle_of_Wight.jpg
#'''1897 October 16''', photograph with Abdul Karim, in the Garden Cottage at Balmoral; white or light-colored mantle or cloak; stylish 1890s hat with feathers, etc.: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Abdul_Karim.jpg
#'''1898''': photograph by Robert Milne of QV and 3 great-grandchildren (the 3 eldest children of George and Mary), at Balmoral. QV is the Widow of Windsor with plain skirt and possibly a jacket with a pattern on the bodice and at the large cuffs. The usual white cap and veil. ('''find RCT copy''')https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Prince_Edward,_Prince_Albert_and_Princess_Mary_of_York,_Balmoral.jpg
#'''1898 January 16''': French political cartoon by Henri Meyer unflatteringly showing QV, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Czar Nicolas II, Chinese statesman Li Hongzhang, France and a Japanese samurai carving up China. Neither France nor Li Hongzhang have knives, but the rest of the figures do. QV is dressed for a state occasion, heavily jeweled and in her signature lacy veil and small crown. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:China_imperialism_cartoon.jpg
#'''1899''': Heinrich von Angeli portrait, copied in 1900 by (Angeli's student) Bertha Müller. QV portrait, with a lot of black, which makes it difficult to discern the layers and structure of what she is wearing. The top layer may have a stiffened, pleated chiffon layer that covers the arm of the chair and that she holds a bit of in her right hand. QV is wearing the ribbon and the Order of the Garter, the white widow's cap and generally pearl jewelry. The white at her neck and wrists frames her face and hands, which are slightly idealized and less wrinkly than one might expect. National Portrait Gallery: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw06522. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_after_Heinrich_von_Angeli.jpg
#'''c. 1899-1900''': photograph of QV with 3 children — Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (1887–1969), Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine (1895–1903) and Prince Maurice of Battenberg (1891–1914). The 2 older women are Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein (1870–1948) and Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1876–1936), possibly with Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, in the light-colored hat, on the right. QV is in an ornate version of her uniform: jacket, possibly a vest and a skirt, with lace and ruffles, and a hat (possibly a straw hat with something dark as trim on the edge of the brim) topped with a pile of light-colored flowers and probably an aigret or short feather. Royal Collection Trust: . Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VictoriaBattenbergsHessians.jpg.
#'''c. 1900''': QV photograph (reprinted from book), not or less retouched than the 1897 Jubilee photos, with feathered (or at least fluffier than the usual slightly fluffy widow's cap) headdress, sheer veil, can't really see anything else: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_old.jpg
#'''c. 1900''': print published in book of image by François Flameng showing QV in coronation robes, with ermine, and necklace, pointing to someplace NW of India on the globe, with Bertie and George behind her, portrait of her and Albert on the table with the scepter and the Imperial State crown, Koh-I-Noor diamond, ribbon of the Order of the Garter, lots of jewelry on her arms and fingers. She is standing and her legs are longer than they were in life, ruffled lace, perhaps, at neck and cuffs with a white lace flounce on the skirt, which is divided horizontally, the lace part making up the middle third. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Fran%C3%A7ois_Flameng.jpg
#'''1900 February 9''', a very unflattering but accurate political cartoon of QV and Paul Kruger playing chess, he appears to be winning, with a map of Africa in the back, published in an Argentinian periodical. QV's clothing is captured pretty realistically, including the small crown and distinctive Coronation (?) necklace and earrings, the cap and veil, ribbon of the Order of the Garter, white lace overskirt, short-sleeved jacket over a white blouse with lacy cuffs. We can see very clearly how she looked to people. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Paul_Kruger_by_Dem%C3%B3crito_(Eduardo_Sojo).jpg
#'''1901''', dated 1901, but QV went to Ireland in 1900, possibly commemorating her death in 1901? Could this be a card from a cigarette pack? She's inside a shamrock that is outlined in a light color; the white on her cloak may be beads and sequins? Could this be a photograph from the 1897 Diamond Jubilee, the cloak with the silver &quot;swirling&quot; sequins? She is seated on a chair, and the photograph of her seated is like pasted onto the shamrock. Her headdress is a hat (not a bonnet or a cap, so this is not the headdress from the Diamond Jubilee procession), with shamrocks on the hat and black plumes, and some other decoration that is too hard to distinguish. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_(HS85-10-12024%C2%BD).jpg

== QV's &quot;Uniform&quot; ==
After the 1st year of mourning QV writes Vicky that she will never wear color again (not counting honors and the sashes of the orders, etc.; also, Rosie Harte says she wore the Sapphire Tiara that Albert had had made for her as a wedding present, which would have matched her eyes). Her &quot;brand&quot; (Worsley) and what we call her &quot;uniform&quot; begins to develop and solidify, the Widow-of-Windsor look friendly to the middle classes, especially the upper middle class.

Early in her mourning, her clothing was not very ornate, with little frou-frou to interrupt the unrelieved blackness. As time passed, however, the blackness was relieved by white touches on her head and at her neck and wrists, but the biggest change was in the amount and kind of frou-frou, particularly black-on-black frou-frou, including how lacy it was. The quantity and type of frou-frou increased in scale over time, like the touches of white.

By the 1870s, her look is well established: plain from a distance; up close, very fine materials and beautiful needlework with non-contrasting frou-frou. According to Lucy Worsley, she did not wear a corset but depended on light boning in her bodices. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;Despite their sombre aspect, even her mourning gowns were finely made. She had settled into a series of very minor variations upon a square-necked bodice and skirt, customised with quirky little pockets for keys and seals, all cut pretty much the same to save her the trouble of fittings. On her head went a white cap, with streamers of lace, and round her neck a locket containing miniatures of two of her children: Alice, now lost to diphtheria [14 December 1878], and Leopold, to haemophilia [28 March 1884].&lt;sup&gt;16&lt;/sup&gt;&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|511 of 786; n. 16, p. 723: &quot;Princess Marie Louise (1956) p. 141&quot;}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

This design is her usual: a black dress or suit (it might be a dress with a bodice or a skirt and vest with a blouse under the jacket). Except in cases of full mourning, she typically wore a little white at the neckline and wrists, with sophisticated black trim not really visible from a distance. The wide skirt was often divided horizontally, with a deep band of a different fabric at the bottom. The divided skirt is a characteristic feature of QV's look, not the only way she did skirts but a design she often wore from before her accession to the end of her life.

She often wore a loose-fitting thigh-length jacket with wide sleeves, which sometimes divided the skirt visually. The jackets and bodices are not constricting or tight against her torso. The fitted suit was popular at the end of the century — [[Social Victorians/People/Dressmakers and Costumiers#Redfern|Redfern's]] (in Cowes on the Isle of Wight) and Worth's versions were all around her, and she had always liked a riding habit. The thigh-length jackets were loose-fitting but not shapeless even as early as the 1860s. She seems always to have had something on her head: caps, bonnets, hats, veils. She often wears a shawl.

We can see the ruling sovereign version of her style in the photographs of her for the 1887 Golden and the 1897 Diamond Jubilees. By the 1880s, Bertie's place in the aristocracy was also well established, and he and Alex had a very different sense of style, wearing haute couture and a stylishness typical of the House of Worth. 

By the end of her life, when she couldn't move very much on her own, her body had gotten pretty large, but our sense that she was generally fat is not borne out by her clothes (Worsley talks about the small waists and the weight she lost during crises in her life) or by the photographs of her ''en famille'' in which we can see that she is probably not wearing stays and is not wearing tight-fitting, constricting clothes.

=== Shawls ===

Caroline Goldthorpe says,&lt;blockquote&gt;The importance of visible royal patronage was not lost on commercial enterprise, and in 1863 the Norwich shawl manufacturers Clabburn Sons &amp; Crisp sent to Princess Alexandra of Denmark, as a gift on the occasion of her marriage to the Prince of Wales, a magnificent silk shawl woven in the Danish royal colors (figure 3). The Queen herself already patronized Norwich shawls, for in 1849 the ''Journal of Design'' had claimed: &quot;The shawls of Norwich now equal the richest production of the looms of France. The successs which attended the exhibition of Norwich shawls ... [sic] may fairly be considered the result of Her Majesty's direct regard.&quot; Another splendid silk shawl by Clabburn Sons &amp; Crisp was displayed at the International Exhibition of 1862 (figure 4), but it was not eligible for a prize because William Clabburn himself was on the panel of judges.&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (17)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Elizabeth Jane Timmons says that QV's black was relieved only&lt;blockquote&gt;by white cuffs, scarfs, trimmings, or the ubiquitous patterned shawls which the Queen wore and which were the subject of comment by at least two of her granddaughters, Princess Louis of Battenberg and Princess Alix of Hesse, who helped her change them when they accompanied her driving out.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot;&gt;Timms, Elizabeth Jane. &quot;Queen Victoria's Widow's Cap.&quot; ''Royal Central'' 31 October 2018. https://royalcentral.co.uk/features/queen-victorias-widows-cap-111104/ (retrieved February 2026).&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Headdresses ==

=== Bonnets, Caps, Hats ===
We discuss the headdresses QV wears in each portrait in the detailed description in the &quot;[[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Her Dresses|Her Dresses]]&quot; section of the Timeline.

In some photographs, QV has a mourning hood over her bonnet and tied under her chin, worn sort of as if it were a veil on her bonnet. It looks like it would be warm in cold weather.

[[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Wedding Veil|QV's wedding veil]] is handled separately, as are the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Crowns|crowns]].

==== Bonnet ====
'''1887''', QV wore a bonnet in her public carriage ride to Westminster Abbey for her Golden Jubilee. Inside the Abbey, &quot;she sat on top of the scarlet and ermine robes draped over her coronation chair in Westminster Abbey — but, pointedly, 'in no way wore them around her person.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (760)&lt;blockquote&gt;The queen did make one concession: for the first time in twenty-five years she trimmed her bonnet with white lace and rimmed it with diamonds. Within days, fashionable women of London were wearing similar diamond-bedecked bonnets. One reporter noted this trend disapprovingly at a royal garden party at Buckingham Palace in July, the month after the Jubilee: &quot;Her Majesty and the Princesses at the Abbey wore their bonnets so trimmed in lieu of wearing coronets. It is quite a different matter for ladies to make bejeweled bonnets their wear at garden-parties.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (761)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1893 July 5''', (was there another garden party at Marlborough House between the 5th and the 15th?), from the ''Pall Mall Gazette'' by &quot;The Wares of Autolycus,&quot; possibly Alice Meynell says that QV preferred bonnets for full-dress occasions:&lt;blockquote&gt;It was noticeable at the Marlborough House garden party the other day, that many of the younger married women, and, indeed, some of the unmarried girls, wore bonnets instead of hats. This was in deference to the Queen's taste. Her Majesty is not fond of hats, except for girls in the schoolroom, and considers that bonnets are more suitable for full dress occasions.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Wares of Autolycus, The.&quot; ''Pall Mall Gazette'' 15 July 1893, Saturday: p. 5 [of 12], Col. 1a. ''British Newspaper Archive''. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000098/18930715/016/0005 (accessed April 2015).&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
'''1897 June 22, Monday''', the bonnet QV wore for the Diamond Jubilee Procession was decorated with diamonds, from the ''Lady's Pictorial'':&lt;blockquote&gt;I HEAR on reliable authority that, although the fact has hitherto escaped the notice of all the describers of the Diamond Jubilee Procession, the bonnet worn by the Queen on that occasion was liberally adorned with diamonds. It is a tiny bit of flotsam, but worth rescuing, as every detail of the historic pageant will one day be of even greater interest than it is now.&lt;ref name=&quot;:14&quot;&gt;Miranda. &quot;Boudoir Gossip.&quot; ''Lady's Pictorial'' 10 July 1897, Saturday: 24 [of 92], Col. 3c [of 3]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0005980/18970710/281/0024. Print title same, p. 40.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
[[File:Queen Victoria white mourning head-dress.JPG|alt=A museum photograph of a sheer, frilly cap with streamers|thumb|Queen Victoria's White Widow's Cap]]

==== Widow's Cap ====
The distinctive white or sometimes black cap QV wore with &quot;crinkled crape&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:9&quot;&gt;Strasdin, Kate. ''The Dress Diary: Secrets from a Victorian Woman's Wardrobe''. Pegasus, 2023.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|734 of 1124}} is a [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Widow's Cap|widow's cap]], sometimes called a mourning bonnet or mourning headdress. The now-damaged, once-white widow's cap (right) is said to have belonged to Queen Victoria. It is a cap with two streamers, like lappets, that have been decorated with meandering clumps of ruffled tulle matching the cap itself. The streamers would have been a consistent width, suggesting that the tulle background is torn.

Describing some point in time after Albert's death, Elizabeth Jane Timms says,&lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen began to be photographed in her white peaked caps, spinning; an occupation that the Queen took up, which perhaps underlined her solitary state and one which, like her painting box, enabled creativity within that solitude. Sir Joseph Boehm sketched the Queen in 1869 spinning, by which time a spinning wheel had been placed in her sitting room .... Again, Boehm shows her wearing her mourning weeds and her white cap, tantamount now to a type of widow’s uniform. She also wore the caps engaged in another solitary occupation, knitting or crochet work.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

What Princess Beatrice called ''Ma's sad caps'',&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt; Queen Victoria's white widow's caps&lt;blockquote&gt;were made of tulle, although where they were manufactured is not clear. By the late 1880s, she wore them pinned higher up than the rather sunken fashion of the 1860s, when they were worn close to the head, creating a flat impression. In later years, these ornate creations had evolved into deep, stately frills of tulle or silk with streamers and may have been supported by wires ....

Only one of the Queen’s white widow’s caps was apparently known to have survived and was preserved at the Museum of London. A fragile survivor, it is loaded with Queen Victoria’s personal symbolism and dates from around 1899. It is extremely rare and may have been discarded when it ceased to be in wearable condition.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
[[File:Four Generations (by William Quiller Orchardson) – Government Art Collection, Lancaster House.jpg|alt=Dark painting showing an old woman and 2 men dressed in black and a small boy dressed in white and holding a big bouquet of roses|left|thumb|Four Generations: Queen Victoria and Her Descendants]]
Although Timms says that only one of Queen Victoria's widow's caps has survived, at least two and possibly three can be found. One widow's cap, said to have belonged to Queen Victoria, is &quot;displayed in a glass case at Kensington Palace, listed as Historic Royal Palaces 3502037, ‘''Widow’s Cap, 1864-1899, Tulle''.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;

Sir William Quiller Orchardson was given what seems to be a different white widow's cap to use for his 1899 ''Four Generations: Queen Victoria and Her Descendants'' (left). His widow donated this cap, also said to have belonged to Queen Victoria, to the Museum of London in 1917.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt; Timms says that the cap in the Museum of London is dated about 1899, &quot;contains far more tulle frills&quot; and &quot;is considerably more fragile ... because it has been washed.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;

What may be a separate, third cap (above right), which is called a &quot;white mourning head-dress [Trauer Kopfbedeckung]&quot; belonging to Queen Victoria, is dated &quot;from 1883 [von 1883].&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Citation|title=English:  white mourning headdress of Queen Victoria from 1883Deutsch:  Trauer Kopfbedeckung Königin Victoria von 1883|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_white_mourning_head-dress.JPG|date=2015-03-22|accessdate=2026-02-20|last=Jula2812}}&lt;/ref&gt; (The only information that might be considered provenance in the description of this third cap is that the person who uploaded the image into Wikimedia Commons titled it in German.)[[File:Queen Victoria (1887).jpg|thumb|Queen Victoria wearing the Small Diamond Crown, the Coronation Necklace and Earrings and the Koh-i-Noor brooch, 1897]]

=== Crowns ===
The Royal Collection Trust has a page on [https://www.rct.uk/collection/stories/the-crown-jewels-coronation-regalia The Crown Jewels: Coronation Regalia]. Two crowns are worn for the coronation ceremony, not counting the Consort Crown&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-05-17|title=Consort crown|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Consort_crown&amp;oldid=1290790447|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;: the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#St. Edward's Crown|St. Edward's Crown]] and the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Imperial State Crown|Imperial State Crown]].

The parts of a crown: the band, fleur-de-lys, cross pattée, the cap, arch, monde (the globe on top of the arches), the cross (on top of the monde)

==== Small Crowns ====
The Small Diamond Crown, photograph by Bassano (right): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1887_postcard_of_Queen_Victoria.jpg, was made in March 1870 by Garrard and Co. to fit over QV's widow's cap and to serve as an official crown.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-03-12|title=Small Diamond Crown of Queen Victoria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Small_Diamond_Crown_of_Queen_Victoria&amp;oldid=1280094126|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; The Royal Collection Trust has 3 views of this crown (https://www.rct.uk/collection/31705/queen-victorias-small-diamond-crown). Its discussion of the Small Diamond Crown is here:&lt;blockquote&gt;The priorities in creating the design were lightness and comfort and the crown may have been based on Queen Charlotte's nuptial crown which had been returned to Hanover earlier in the reign. Queen Victoria wore this crown for the first time at the opening of Parliament on 9 February 1871, and frequently used it after that date for State occasions, and for receiving guests at formal Drawing-rooms. It was also her choice for many of the portraits of her later reign, sometimes worn without the arches. By the time of her death, the small crown had become so closely associated with the image of the Queen, that it was placed on her coffin at Osborne.&lt;ref name=&quot;:10&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/31705/queen-victorias-small-diamond-crown|title=Garrard &amp; Co - Queen Victoria's Small Diamond Crown|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-01-20}}&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;This crown was on the catafalque for her funeral procession along with the Imperial State Crown, the Orb and the Sceptre.

An 1897 political cartoon in Hindi shows QV wearing the Small Diamond Crown, veil and lappets, which might be a symbolic rather than a literal representation (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpg).

The Royal Collection Trust's technical description of the Small Diamond Crown is here: &lt;blockquote&gt;The crown comprises an openwork silver frame set with 1,187 brilliant-cut and rose-cut diamonds in open-backed collet mounts. The band is formed with a frieze of lozenges and ovals in oval apertures, between two rows of single diamonds, supporting four crosses-pattée and four fleurs-de-lis, with four half-arches above, surmounted by a monde and a further cross-pattée.&lt;ref name=&quot;:10&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
These small crowns are not part of the collection of official coronation wear, but they were part of what QV wore as sovereign or monarch. She is not wearing them in the photographs of her ''en famille''. [[File:Saint Edward's Crown.jpg|alt=Gold bejeweled crown with purple velvet and fur around the rim|thumb|St Edward's Crown, traditionally used at the moment of coronation]]

==== St. Edward's Crown ====
Putting the St. Edward's Crown on the monarch's head marks the moment of the coronation. This crown is used once in a monarch's lifetime.&lt;ref name=&quot;:7&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/stories/the-crown-jewels-coronation-regalia|title=The Crown Jewels: Coronation Regalia|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-27}}&lt;/ref&gt; The current St. Edward's Crown (right) was made in 1661, for the coronation of Charles II, and it was most recently used in the coronation of Charles III.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-29|title=St Edward's Crown|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=St_Edward%27s_Crown&amp;oldid=1330156300|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

Because of its weight, the St. Edward's Crown has not always used for coronations. In the period between the coronation of William III (William of Orange) in 1689&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-02|title=William III of England|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_III_of_England&amp;oldid=1325339468|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; and that of George V in 1911, new monarchs did not use the St. Edward's Crown but had new crowns made for the ceremony.

Lucy Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;St Edward’s Crown, traditionally used at the climax of the ceremony, had been made for Charles II, a man over 6 feet tall and well able to bear its 5-lb weight. But here [for Victoria's coronation] problems had been anticipated. A new and smaller ‘Crown of State’ had been specially made ‘according to the Model approved by the Queen’ at a cost of £1,000.45{{rp|45 TNA LC 2/67, p. 66}} ...

Her new crown weighed less than half the load of St Edward’s Crown, but it still gave Victoria a headache. She’d had it made to fit her head extra tightly, so that ‘accident or misadventure’ could not cause it to fall off.&lt;sup&gt;47:&quot;47 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) pp. 83–4&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; The jewellers Rundell, Bridge &amp; Rundell had made the new crown, and during the build-up towards the coronation it had become the focus [173–174] of an angry controversy. Mr Bridge had displayed his firm’s finished handiwork to the public in his shop on Ludgate Hill. This was much to the dismay of the touchy Mr Swifte, Keeper of the Regalia at the Tower of London. It was Mr Swifte’s privilege to display the Crown Jewels kept at the Tower to anyone who wanted to see them, for one shilling each, and he’d been counting on a lucrative flood of visitors to pay for the feeding of his numerous and sickly infants. But the new crown proved a greater attraction, and hundreds of people went to Mr Bridge’s shop, Mr Swifte complained, when they would otherwise have come to the Tower. Mr Bridges was not very sympathetic about stealing Mr Swifte’s business. ‘If we were to close our Doors,’ he claimed, ‘I fear they would be forced.’&lt;sup&gt;48&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;48 TNA LC 2/68 (22 June 1838)&quot;}}

Victoria later confessed that her firmly fitting crown had hurt her ‘a good deal’, but nevertheless she had to sit on her throne in it, while the peers came up one by one to swear loyalty and kiss her hand.&lt;sup&gt;49&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|49 RA QVJ/1838: 28}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|173–174; nn. 45, 47, 48, 49, p. 661}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
==== Imperial State Crown ====
[[File:Imperial State Crown.png|alt=Gold bejeweled crown with purple velvet and many large colorful gemmstones|thumb|The Current Imperial State Crown (digitally edited image)|left]][[File:Imperial State Crown of Queen Victoria (2).jpg|alt=Gold bejeweled crown with velvet cap and ermine rim|thumb|Drawing of the Imperial State Crown of Queen Victoria, 1838]]The new monarch wears a different crown from the St. Edward's Crown as he or she leaves Westminster Abbey after the coronation. This crown is used for very formal state occasions like appearing in public after the coronation and for the State Opening of Parliament. Used relatively frequently, it has had to be replaced in the past when it gets damaged or begins to show wear.

Victoria had the Imperial State Crown (right) made for her coronation on 28 June 1838. It was broken in a procession in 1845 (dropped by the Duke of Argyll), so it no longer exists (which is why this image is a drawing). What is now the current Imperial State Crown (left) was rebuilt after the 1845 accident, altered to accommodate the Cullinan II diamond in 1909, copied and remade in 1937 for the coronation of George IV.&lt;ref name=&quot;:7&quot; /&gt; Then it was redesigned slightly for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-08-14|title=Imperial State Crown|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Imperial_State_Crown&amp;oldid=1305824792|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;[[File:Victoria in her Coronation (cropped).jpg|alt=Old painting of a white woman very richly dressed, wearing a crown|thumb|Queen Victoria wearing the State Diadem, Winterhalter 1858]]
==== The Diamond Diadem ====
The Diamond Diadem was made for the coronation of George IV and worn by every queen — regnant or consort — since. Called the Diadem by Queen Victoria and the Diamond Diadem or the George IV State Diadem now, this crown (right, on Queen Victoria's head) is a circlet of two rows of pearls enclosing a row of diamonds.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-02|title=Diamond Diadem|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diamond_Diadem&amp;oldid=1330716296|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; On top are 4 crosses pattée and 4 bouquets of the national emblems of the thistle, the shamrock and the rose.&lt;ref&gt;{{Citation|title=The Diamond Diadem|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmDAYqKiGZM|date=2022-05-12|accessdate=2026-02-04|last=Royal Collection Trust}}&lt;/ref&gt;

Queen Victoria wore it on some official state occasions before the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Small Crowns|Small Diamond Crown]] was made in 1871.

==== Diadems, Tiaras ====
A diadem is may be simpler than a crown, or it may be a simple crown. Crowns and diadems have a band that is a full circle.

A Tiara is a semi-circular headpiece, typically a piece of jewelry, that can sit on top of the head or on the forehead. Worn by women at white tie, very formal events.

A Coronet of Rank in the UK is a kind of crown that signifies rank and whose design indicates which rank in the nobility the wearer holds. A coronet does not have the high arches that crowns have. Coronets of rank indicate non-royal rank.

Something called the State Diadem was designed by Albert in 1845? and made by Joseph Kitching.

== QV's Wedding ==
Ideas about QV's wedding dress are encrusted with misinformation: 

# QV was not the first royal (or first woman) to wear a white wedding dress.
# She did not wear white to signal her virginity and purity.
# Everybody has not worn white since then because she did.

None of this is true, and some of it is easy to set aside. It is not true that Queen Victoria invented the white wedding dress. The first record of a white wedding dress in what is now the UK is the early 15th century, and they appear to be popular both in Europe and North America among royals as well as upper middle class in the mid century.

Princess Charlotte, the last royal woman to wed (?), in 1816, wore gold cloth &quot;with three layers of machine-made lace.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/71997/princess-charlottes-wedding-dress|title=Mrs Triaud (active 1816) - Princess Charlotte's Wedding Dress|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-31}}&lt;/ref&gt; Her dress is in the Royal Collection Trust (https://www.rct.uk/collection/71997/princess-charlottes-wedding-dress).

Royals were expected to appear regal. Gold and silver cloth and adornments would not have been surprising for a monarch, so QV's choice is worth examining, regardless of the actual color. Given that churches in 1840 were lit with candles and torches and rooms were warmed by coal or wood, white would have been difficult to maintain. So it expressed status and wealth (the association between the white dress and virginity may have arisen in the mid-20th century in the context of widely available birth control and the sexual revolution). White was not uncommon, however, for dresses in the mid-19th century, particular in cotton and particularly for warmer weather.&lt;ref name=&quot;:9&quot; /&gt;

Violet Paget writing as Vernon Lee addresses the Victorian moral implications in the colors white and black in her 1895 ''Fortnightly Review'' article &quot;Beauty and Insanity.&quot; She is not talking about race, and she does not mention brides [does she talk about Victoria?]. She regards as an aesthetic cultural imposition the association between whiteness and purity, virginity and heterosexuality, and between blackness and evil.&lt;ref&gt;Renes, Liz. “Vernon Lee’s ‘Beauty and Sanity’ and 1895: Color and Cultural Response.” Academica.edu https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/41271981/LeeText-libre.pdf?1452968345=&amp;response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DVernon_Lees_Beauty_and_Sanity_and_1895_C.pdf&amp;Expires=1767736568&amp;Signature=SvA5MHz3LY7x~GCxwa6pSRVwF5scY-jOgI6QAEvRyp1j5tk4uy8MWI1pj0kdJOJDLP~XMUwXuLMIVkwPwCxFut6~uLf5PI5~CnZ3arxlKFeK-LWGL1vlF7QeIzRqTkNDnyXitYiJ83DVsidWCJ8DyIHHajtl0Dk0gGzb0L-I547s-EIM~lEmWxchyLqyCnhG4o0fmEcTZqUEaJ84uImLfmosdnphQKUAIEfNai9cEdh33~wfWWfirM29CfEgtsIkoZRvsioM7fKcO79VSVsYecYySCg7GvRikf9zJ~dtJ2NNpjvtXO0tnVmv8lvVbtRM8m1fQ7jZ-hrhgF-nUOVKaQ__&amp;Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA (retrieved January 2026).&lt;/ref&gt; 

It is true, however, that the press coverage of QV's wedding likely increased the popularity of white for weddings.

=== White Wedding Dress ===
The Royal Collection has QV's wedding dress, in 3 views. It says the dress is made of cream-colored silk satin. It doesn't say the color has yellowed. In her journals, QV describes her dress as &quot;a white satin gown, with a very deep flounce of Honiton lace, imitation of old.&quot;&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;21 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (238)

&quot;Onlookers,&quot; Worsley says, commenting on the wedding and Victoria's dress, said Victoria and her party looked like &quot;village girls, presumably rather than a monarch and her ladies in waiting.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (244 [of 786], citing Wyndham, ed. (1912) p. 297). Others saw the simplicity of the wedding dress similarly, though less negatively. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;'I saw the Queen’s dress at the palace,’ wrote one eager letter-writer, ‘the lace was beautiful, as fine as a cobweb.’ She wore no jewels at all, this person’s account continues, ‘only a bracelet with Prince Albert’s picture’.&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;28 Mundy, ed. (1885) p. 413}} This was in fact [240–241] completely incorrect. Albert had given her a huge sapphire brooch, which she wore along with her ‘Turkish diamond necklace and earrings’.&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;29 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February}} It was the beginning of a lifetime trend for Victoria’s clothes to be reported as simpler, plainer, less ostentatious than they really were. The reality was that they were not quite as ostentatious as people expected for a queen.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt; (240–241)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Is it possible that ''white'' actually was used for a range of very light colors? Certainly, not all whites are the same color, and not all viewers are precise with their language.

==== What Was White Used For? ====
The layers worn under dresses were sometimes white. Undergarments would generally have been made of cotton by the 1890s, although some wool and linen was still in use. Mechanical bleaches were available, so fabric could be made pale enough to have been called white. Kate Strasdin quotes a mid-19th-century use of &quot;snow white&quot; to distinguish it from other kinds of white.&lt;ref name=&quot;:9&quot; /&gt; 

Debutants being presented to the monarch wore white, it was court dress [confirm this], and the train added to Victoria's dress raised it into court dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (239? [22 Staniland (1997) p. 118])

Perhaps what was striking about Victoria's white dress was not just its color but its simplicity. When the &quot;onlookers&quot; at Victoria's wedding compare her bridal party to village girls, they are not suggesting that the bridal party is wearing underwear indecently or that they're in court dress. The touchstone here is class — they don't look like the ruling class or the upper class.

But Victoria's white dress was influential nonetheless. Lucy Worsley says it &quot;launched a million subsequent white weddings.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt; (238) However, other women were wearing white around the same time, including Mary Todd's sister Frances and Sophie of Württembert, Queen of the Netherlands in 1839. Mary Todd is said to have worn white at her wedding to Abraham Lincoln because they married quickly, so she just borrowed her sisters dress.

# 1839 May 21: Frances Todd's wedding dress was white; she later loaned it to her sister, Mary Todd, for her wedding.
# 1839 June 18: Sophie of Württembert, Queen of the Netherlands wore white.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-02|title=Sophie of Württemberg|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sophie_of_W%C3%BCrttemberg&amp;oldid=1325386567|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; She knew Napoleon III and QV; was progressive politically, favoring democracy; was buried in her wedding dress.
# '''1840 February 10''': QV's wedding dress was white.
# 1842 November 4: Mary Todd wore her sister Frances's white satin wedding dress.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-05|title=Mary Todd Lincoln|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Todd_Lincoln&amp;oldid=1325904504|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1853 January 30: Eugénie of France wore white.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-11-18|title=Eugénie de Montijo|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eug%C3%A9nie_de_Montijo&amp;oldid=1322973534|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1854 April 24: Empress Elisabeth of Austria wore white for her wedding.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-17|title=Empress Elisabeth of Austria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Empress_Elisabeth_of_Austria&amp;oldid=1327984118|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1858 January 25: Victoria the Princess Royal&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-22|title=Victoria, Princess Royal|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Victoria,_Princess_Royal&amp;oldid=1328868015|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1863 March 10: Alexandra of Denmark&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-14|title=Alexandra of Denmark|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alexandra_of_Denmark&amp;oldid=1327524766|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

All royal clothing is deliberately &quot;symbolic&quot; — or semiotic — to some degree. Lucy Worsley interprets the simple white dress as Victoria marrying as a woman rather than as &quot;Her Majesty the Queen.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (239) Kay Staniland and Santina M. Levey (and the [https://thedreamstress.com/2011/04/queen-victorias-wedding-dress-the-one-that-started-it-all/ Dreamstress blog]) claim that the salient article from QV's wedding dress was the Honiton lace, which the dress showcased, which they decided should be white, which is why her dress was white.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://thedreamstress.com/2011/04/queen-victorias-wedding-dress-the-one-that-started-it-all/|title=Queen Victoria's wedding dress: the one that started it all|last=Dreamstress|first=The|date=2011-04-17|website=The Dreamstress|language=en-US|access-date=2025-12-17}}&lt;/ref&gt;
[[File:Queen Victoria's Wedding Lace Veil c.1889-91 Detail.jpg|alt=Old photograph of a square of fine fabric edged with ornate white lace, with a wreath of small artificial flowers on the side|thumb|Queen Victoria's Wedding Veil, c. 1889–91]]

=== Wedding Veil ===
The late-19th-century image of QV's veil (right) makes it look a lot smaller than it is. The circlet to its right, which is a wreath of artificial flowers worn around the head over the veil, suggests its scale.

A contemporary (1855) photograph of 1840 QV's wedding veil and wreath is in the Royal Trust collection (https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/34/collection/2905584/veil-worn-by-queen-victoria-at-her-marriage), from a page in a scrapbook that includes 2 photos of paintings made after the wedding, one photo of the veil, showing its lace, and one photo of the bonnet she wore after the wedding.

The veil and [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Flounce|flounce]] on QV's wedding dress were made of Honiton lace, in Devon, partly designed &quot;by the Pre-Raphaelite artist William Dyce&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot; /&gt; and attached to a very fine netting. QV seems to have saved both the dress and the veil. She used both until the end of her life as well as other pieces of lace using the same Dyce design.

Elizabeth Abbott, in her ''A History of Marriage'', says her veil was&lt;blockquote&gt;one and half yards of diamond-studded Honiton lace draped over her shoulders and back. ... The flounce of the dress was also Honiton lace, four yards of it, specially made in the village of Beer by over two hundred lace workers, at a cost of more than £1,000.&lt;ref&gt;Abbott, Elizabeth. ''A History of Marriage''. Duckworth Overlook, 2011. Internet Archive [[iarchive:historyofmarriag0000abbo_w6u8/page/76/mode/2up|https://archive.org/details/historyofmarriag0000abbo_w6u8]].&lt;/ref&gt; (76)&lt;/blockquote&gt;

N. Hudson Moore's 1904 ''Lace Book'' describes (perhaps a touch hyperbolically) the Honiton lace used on Victoria's coronation and wedding dresses as well as her &quot;body linen&quot; and the dresses of Alexandra, Princess of Wales and the Princess Alice:&lt;blockquote&gt;
The wedding trousseau of Queen Victoria was trimmed with English laces only, and this set such a fashion for their use that the market could not be supplied, and the prices paid were fabulous. The patterns were most jealously guarded, and each village and sometimes separate families were noted for their particular designs, which could not be obtained elsewhere. Such laces as these were what were used on Queen Victoria’s body linen. Her coronation gown was of white satin with a deep flounce of Honiton lace, and with trimmings of the same lace on elbow sleeves and about the low neck. Her mantle was of cloth of gold trimmed with bullion fringe and enriched with the rose, the thistle, and other significant emblems. This cloth of gold is woven in one town in England. The present Queen’s mantle was made there also. Queen Victoria's wedding dress was composed entirely [sic] of Honiton lace, and was made in the small fishing village of Beers. It cost £1,000 ($5,000) and after the dress was made the patterns were destroyed. Royalty has done all it could to promote the use of this lace, and the wedding dresses of the Princess Alice and of Queen Alexandra were of Honiton also, the pattern of the latter showing the design of the Prince of Wales’s feathers and ferns.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/lacebook0000nhud|title=The lace book|last=N. Hudson Moore|date=1904|publisher=Frederick A. Stokes Company|others=Internet Archive}}&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|184}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
QV wore her wedding veil to all her children's christenings.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|492 of 786}} Beatrice wore that veil at her own wedding, a sign that QV had relented and agreed to Beatrice marrying. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;Beatrice could only squint at her groom-to-be through the folds of the very same Devon lace veil her mother had worn when she'd married Albert. This was hugely significant. Victoria attached great importance to clothes, and a well-informed source tells us that ‘almost without exception, her wardrobe woman can produce the gown, bonnet, or mantle she wore on any particular occasion.'&lt;sup&gt;47&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|&quot;47 Anon. 'Private Life' (1897; 1901 edition) p. 69&quot;}} The veil was one of the most precious items in the Albertian reliquary. ‘I look upon it as a holy charm,’ Victoria wrote, ‘as it was under that veil our union was blessed forever.’&lt;sup&gt;48&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;48 RA QVJ/1843: 19 May; Bartley (2016) p. 82&quot;}} Her loan of it to Beatrice was an important act of blessing.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|500 of 786; n. 47, 48, p. 721 of 786}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Sartorial Style ==
In clothing and perhaps also in jewelry but not in furnishings or architecture. When matters.
* She had her own sense of style, influenced as she may have been by her maids, dressers and modistes, over time and through events in her life. The evolution of her sense of style changed as her life changed and she aged. She was never haute couture, although before she married Albert, she wore French fashion and Brussels lace. But she never really did glamour? Early on, a lot of bare shoulders. A construction of a feminine identity in all that frou-frou, from girly to romantic to maternal to widowed to regal. She came out of her depression with a changed identity.
* She liked frills, layers and decorative trim, and some frou-frou, especially perhaps while Albert was still alive. But over her life, her general look was a simple dress made in sophisticated ways with very high-quality fabrics, laces and trim. After she developed her &quot;uniform,&quot; the frou-frou can be hard to see and impossible to see from a distance. In a way, she was beyond haute couture, her style was classic and less mutable, decorative elements were often sentimental.
** Albert's role
*** QV told people that &quot;she 'had no taste, ... used only to listen to him,'&quot; Albert. Taste here is probably art and architecture, as the context is Osborne House.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|318 of 786 [n. 26, p. 689: &quot;Quoted in Marsden, ed. (2012) p. 12&quot;]}}
*** QV &quot;and Albert — '''for Albert must approve every outfit''' — were conservative in their taste [in clothing]. A Frenchman found her frumpy, and laughed at her old-fashioned handbag 'on which was embroidered a fat poodle in gold'.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|311 of 786}} Something sentimental made by Vicky?
*** Elizabeth Jane Timms says, &quot;Prince Albert had played an essential role in the Queen’s wardrobe, on whose highly refined artistic taste the Queen relied. In her own words: ‘''He did everything – everywhere… the designing and ordering of Jewellery, the buying of a dress or a bonnet… all was done together''…’ [sic ital].&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;
*** 1861 January at Osborne after the servants' ball:&lt;blockquote&gt;As she and Albert passed the time ‘talking over the company’, Victoria also gives details of how her ‘maids would come in and begin to undress me – and he would go on talking, and would make his observations on my jewels and ornaments and give my people good advice as to how to keep them or would occasionally reprimand if anything had not been carefully attended to’.&lt;sup&gt;50&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|327 of 786; n. 50, p. 590: &quot;RA VIC/MAIN/RA/491 (January 1861)&quot;}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
* We know some things about her dressers, modistes, dressmakers, etc.
* She had a couple of &quot;uniforms&quot;: the Widow of Windsor and the riding habit with the red coat.
* She like fine, complex laces. Even when laces were typically machine made, hers were not.
* She liked tartan. Many of her clothing choices were emotional or sentimental: favorite and meaningful veils, shawls, tartan.
* Shape of skirt (see [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Hoops|Hoops]] for one photograph that shows the style of fabric moving to the back). When she visited Paris in 1855 she wasn't wearing hoops yet, though Eugénie was. The French women thought she was dowdy. Her shawl clashed with her dress.
* Alexandra, Princess of Wales had a very different sense of style and moved in very different social networks, regardless of her own official responsibilities. She wore haute couture and at one event — a [[Social Victorians/Timeline/1889#The Shah at a Covent Garden Opera Performance|performance at Covent Garden attended by the Shah]] — wore a red dress, which was reported on without moralizing comment. She wore dresses made by designers outside the UK.
* The contexts for how Victoria dressed:
** expectations for royalty and wives
** her relationships with the middle classes and the aristocracy
*** set herself up in opposition to the aristocracy and haute couture, and Bertie's side of the aristocracy.
*** The aristocracy did not look to her as fashion leader, but did the middle classes? Was she dressing more like some of them rather than them like her?
*** Middle-class perspective on aristocracy: Harriet Martineau attended QV's coronation, disapproved of how the peeresses were dressed and &quot;would have preferred 'the decent differences of dress which, according to middle-class custom, pertain to contrasting periods of life’. She particularly criticised the peers’ wives, ‘old hags, with their dyed or false hair’, their bare arms and necks so ‘wrinkled as to make one sick’.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|180 of 786}}
*** Her sense of style spoke to the middle classes and the mainstream ideas of many of her subjects.
*** Worsley says of Randall Davidson, new Dean of Windsor, later Archbishop of Canterbury, &quot;Unlike Albert, unlike even the Ponsonbys, Davidson appreciated her talent for identifying how mainstream opinion among her subjects would respond to almost any issue. Elsewhere in Europe, when revolutions succeeded, it was because middle-class people and the oppressed workers made common cause. In Britain, though, this never quite happened. Perhaps it was because the middle classes somehow believed that the middlebrow queen was ‘on their side’.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|478 of 786}}
*** Her identification with the middle class helped her monarchy survive. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette: completely identified with smaller and smaller elements only of the aristocracy; similarly Franz Josef and Elisabeth of Austria fell for similar reasons, especially his and his mother Sophia's identification with the aristocracy; Nicholas II and Alexandra of Russia; Napoleon III and Eugenie in France.
** the two main approaches to corseting, tight lacing and &quot;artistic&quot; dress (She didn't do the Worth-house style tight laced &quot;traditional&quot; look (in the 1880s Frith painting) or the &quot;aesthetic&quot; or &quot;artistic&quot; style associated with artists and socialists.)
** the practices around mourning (Kate Strasdin's ''The Dress Diary'' summarizes the mourning practices, at least for mid-century, and perhaps for the aspiring middle classes)
* Neither Eugenie of France nor Elisabeth of Austria were regarded as beautiful as children.
* Empress Eugénie's influence on fashion: &quot;when Mrs. Lincoln first arrived in Washington, she made a point of patterning her gowns after the empress’s wardrobe.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;Goldstone, Nancy. ''The Rebel Empresses: Elisabeth of Austria and Eugénie of France, Power and Glamour in the Struggle for Europe''. Little Brown, 2025.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|566, n. iii}}

*According to Lucy Worsley, QV developed some practices early to &quot;memorialise&quot; her life, including writing &quot;the millions of words eventually embodied in the journals that she would keep lifelong, ... keeping significant dresses from her wardrobe, ... the compulsive taking and collecting of photographs,&quot; even maintaining &quot;certain rooms of her palaces ... with their furniture unchanged as shrines to earlier times.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|91 of 786}} Another form of memorialization was the books she wrote or had written.
*1856: there is a &quot;surviving day dress of lilac silk ..., which has grey silk ribbons running between waist and hem inside so that the skirt can be drawn up for convenient walking,&quot; as QV might have done in Scotland, although in the 1856 trip to Scotland, she was pregnant with Beatrice.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|346 of 786; n. 45, p. 693: &quot;'''Madeleine Ginsburg, ‘The Young Queen and Her Clothes'''’, ''Costume'', vol. 3 (Sprint) (1969) p. 42&quot;}}

== Class ==
Early in their marriage, QV and Albert &quot;had a powerful and popular domestic image and were often seen at home wearing ‘ordinary’ clothes, further appealing to the middle classes.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/collections/london-stories/marriage-queen-victoria-prince-albert/|title=The marriage of Queen Victoria &amp; Prince Albert|website=London Museum|language=en-gb|access-date=2026-02-16}}&lt;/ref&gt;

After the 1870 Mordaunt divorce case, according to Lytton Strachey, speaking at first from QV's perspective,&lt;blockquote&gt;It was clear that the heir to the throne had been mixing with people of whom she did not at all approve. What was to be done? She saw that it was not only her son that was to blame﻿ — that it was the whole system of society; and so she despatched a letter to Mr. Delane, the editor of ''The Times'', asking him if he would &quot;frequently write articles pointing out the immense danger and evil of the wretched frivolity and levity of the views and lives of the Higher Classes.&quot; And five years later Mr. Delane did write an article upon that very subject.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (424 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;The upper-middle-class Florence Nightingale &quot;had developed a great fondness for Victoria, shy in 'her shabby little black silk gown'&quot; by the time of Albert's death.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (592 of 1203) She had visited Balmoral during the Crimean War and&lt;blockquote&gt;had been struck by the difference between the bored, frivolous court members and Victoria and Albert, both consumed with thoughts of war, foreign policy, and &quot;all things of importance.&quot; Even before Albert’s death, she thought Victoria conscientious &quot;but so mistrustful of herself, so afraid of not doing her best, that her spirits are lowered by it.&quot; With Albert gone, &quot;now she is even doubting whether she is right or wrong from the habit of consulting him.&quot; Nightingale found this touching, a sign that &quot;she has not been spoilt by power.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (592 of 1203)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Lucy Worsley sees this lack of self-confidence on Victoria's part as one of the effects of Albert's critical, controlling treatment of her.

The general election of 1886, according to Lytton Strachey, &quot;the majority of the nation&quot;&lt;blockquote&gt;showed decisively that Victoria’s politics were identical with theirs by casting forth the contrivers of Home Rule﻿ — that abomination of desolation﻿ — into outer darkness, and placing Lord Salisbury in power. Victoria’s satisfaction was profound.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (439–440 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Prime Minister Salisbury believed that the queen had an uncanny ability to reflect the view of the public; he felt that when he knew [736–737] Victoria’s opinion, he &quot;knew pretty certainly what views her subjects would take, and especially the middle class of her subjects.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (736–737 of 1203)

Summing up her reign, Strachey says,&lt;blockquote&gt;The middle classes, firm in the triple brass of their respectability, rejoiced with a special joy over the most respectable of Queens. They almost claimed her, indeed, as one of themselves; but this would have been an exaggeration. For, though many of her characteristics were most often found among the middle classes, in other respects﻿ — in her manners, for instance﻿ — Victoria was decidedly aristocratic. And, in one important particular, she was neither aristocratic nor middle-class: her attitude toward herself was simply regal.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (478 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;
== Proposals ==
Queen Victoria's Sense of Style, her taste in clothes and jewelry

To talk about her sartorial style is to address both jewelry (which includes crowns, diadems and tiaras) and clothing (including accessories like shawls, veils and caps, bonnets and hats).

One of the secrets of her style was that she wore elements of Victorian frou-frou without looking over-trimmed or visually busy, mostly because it was black on black (or, before Albert's death, white on white, but also because the materials and work were so fine. What she selected of the frou-frou was very fashionable, but the trim is not high contrast, as for example what a Worth gown might have. The silhouette was not high-fashion, but elements were: she knew what was fashionable, she or her dressmakers, etc.

The close-up/far-away thing contrasts with Bertie, who understood ceremony and pageantry differently and probably better.

Periods in her sartorial styles, but made more complex by state occasions vs less formal, many of them in-family occasions:

# Before she came to the throne, she may not have been in control of her own look.
# After her accession and before her marriage, she had control as well as an experienced Mistress of the Robes and experienced maids and dressmakers. She experimented, wore for example a dark tartan dress to meet Albert and his brother and chose simple styles, like village girls, at the wedding; expectations for what a monarch would wear; she seems to have liked an off-the-shoulder look when she was young, and very formal dress later might be off the shoulder.
# Marriage to Albert: he had a lot of say, though she resisted in some ways, but her identity was tied up in his, as his wife; he attempted to constrain her clothing budget was not successful long term; influenced by styles, but not at the front edge; crinoline cage 3 years later than Eugenie and Elisabeth of Austria (Mary Todd Lincoln?). Photographs, so a medium different from the official portraits documenting empire and sovereignty, more candid, more at-home, less formal, modest, but would any of her subjects have seen them? Change as well as memorializing (Worsley). Some changes she adopted: double pommel side saddle, photography, cage (not immediately, but ...) Her friends in the monarchy, Eugénie, Elisabeth of Austria and Mary Todd Lincoln were all very fashion forward. A. N. Wilson says QV was parsimonious &quot;in such matters as heating and wardrobe.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (609 of 1204)
# The 1st year, 2 1/2 years (Strasdin), and then decade of mourning, then she decides never to wear color again (not counting honors and order), and her &quot;brand&quot; begins to develop and solidify, a look friendly to the middle classes, especially the upper middle class. The Widow of Windsor. At the beginning her black thigh-length jackets were largely untrimmed, sometimes completely; a large band at the bottom of her skirt, with trim between that and the more satiny fabric above, but otherwise very little or no other trim. White around her face, including neck and headdress, and at her cuffs, but not much and not a lot of frou-frou, perhaps a ruffle.
# In 1871, under pressure from her ministers and newspapers, she had the Small Diamond Crown made and wore it to open Parliament. So she was missing from the public for about a decade. Her grief was profound, possibly compound because of the death of her mother earlier in the same year as the death of Albert. She may have been vulnerable to depression, sometimes finding pregnancies difficult to recover from. But also, her Widow of Windsor look is not just her being &quot;gloomy&quot; or being stuck in grief, though she may have been, this is her brand, her nuance on her regal identity.
# By the 1880s, her look is well established: plain from a distance; up close, very fine materials and beautiful needlework. Her clothing has trim, but generally black on black or white on white, not contrasting on a field of one color. Not wearing a corset, depending on not-very-heavy boning in her bodices, caps, shawls, At this point, Bertie's place in the aristocracy is also well established, and he and Alex are set up with a very different sense of style, wearing haute couture, House of Worth type stylishness.
# By the Jubilees and the end of the century, &quot;Despite their sombre aspect, even her mourning gowns were finely made. She had settled into a series of very minor variations upon a square-necked bodice and skirt, customised with quirky little pockets for keys and seals, all cut pretty much the same to save her the trouble of fittings. On her head went a white cap, with streamers of lace, and round her neck a locket containing miniatures of two of her children: Alice, now lost to diphtheria, and Leopold, to haemophilia.16&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (511 of 786; n. 16, p. 723: &quot;Princess Marie Louise (1956) p. 141&quot;) One design we see a lot is the usual black with a little white at neckline and wrists, with sophisticated black trim not really visible from a distance. The wide skirt with a deep band of a different fabric at the bottom, a thigh-length jacket with wide sleeves; might be dress with a bodice or a vest and blouse under the jacket.
# Jubilees, end of life and her funeral, which she had planned in detail. 

=== CFPs ===

* Uniform Mourning
* After Prince Albert's death death in 1861, Victoria returned to her earlier project of experimenting and finding sartorial styles that served not only as self-expression but that also communicated how she expected to be treated in what role. The extreme mourning was a reflection of how she felt and her identity as a faithful, grieving widow, but it was also performative and communicative, depending on who was looking and from what distance.
* In her private sphere, in the unofficial and family-centered photographs, in her journals (including Princess Beatrice's revision of her journals) and the preserved clothing, and in the accounts in the papers written by reporters familiar with fashion and dressmaking, we see a sophisticated understanding of fashion and subtle, complex  dresses. The materials and dressmaking are rich and fine. Victoria aligned her appearance with respectable matrons of the growing middle classes, but the quality of the materials used in her clothing aligned her with those in her private sphere, including other royals and aristocrats.
* This opposition between the private and public spheres is falsely simple because, for example, Victoria &quot;memorialized&quot; herself (Worsley), preserving elements of her personal life exactly because she was monarch. The different versions of herself was a complexity present in her lifetime and useful to her.
* Also, her sense of self changed over time, especially after she acceded to the throne, after she married and after she was widowed.
* Focusing on Victoria's clothes and sense of style leads us to see some understandings of her and her reign differently: her periods of seclusion and her absences from governmental and state occasions; the loss of power for the monarchy as well as the survival of the constitutional monarchy when almost every other monarchy in Europe was falling; the ways she managed her relationships with the aristocracy, the middle classes, the press; her mood and mental health; the white wedding dress and her influence in the wedding dresses of her daughters and Alex; Albert's nature; even what we believe to be the rules and conventions around mourning dress; and the size of her body.
* To study Queen Victoria's sartorial sense of style, we look at painted and drawn portraits and at photographs of her, we read the few accounts from biographers and fashion historians, especially those who have looked at the clothing and accessories preserved by Victoria herself and now in the Royal Trust Collection, the London Museum and so on, we read her own accounts (or Princess Beatrice's construction of her mother in her revision of her journals her as well as Esher's books about her based on the journals before Beatrice revised them), and we read accounts of her public appearances in contemporary periodicals, especially newspapers that employed reporters knowledgeable about fashion and dressmaking as well as those more focused on news and, perhaps, a male readership. These sources represent different versions of Victoria and her subjects, a complexity that was already occurring in Victoria's lifetime, that looks to have been deliberate and that was, I argue, very useful to her. These different versions of Victoria and different audiences lead to different readings of her senses of style as they evolved over time and what they might be signaling. The journals and many of the photographs existed in what we might call Victoria's private sphere, by which we mean in the presence of some aristocrats (who worked in government, who attended her and who were ministers), of people who were employed as servants and of her family, which was quite extensive and whose edges were porous, especially toward the end of the century and the end of her life, as well as the small number of people she &quot;adopted&quot; like Duleep Singh and XX [African girl]. The preservation of Victoria's clothing belongs to this &quot;private sphere,&quot; although much of it was worn during public or official events like her coronation or wedding; some, though, like the chemise she wore for the birth of all of her children, was more or less but not completely private, and the &quot;memorializing&quot; (Worsley) of herself entailed in this preservation was done in her role as monarch. The paintings and newspaper accounts depict the public Victoria, and from this distance Victoria looked plain — even dowdy — and clearly unaristocratic: she looks like a middle-class or upper-middle-class widow, the Widow of Windsor. Up close, though, we see complex and sophisticated dresses and dressing. Albert had tastes and preferences for how he wanted her to look, some of which were about looking familiar to the growing middle classes, and after he died and she very deliberately turned her widow's weeds into a uniform, the bifurcation between what she looked like from a distance and to the public and what she looked like up close and to those in her private circles gets clearer. Looking at her as monarch and daughter, wife, mother and grandmother through the lens of her clothing reopens some questions that up to now have seemed settled. Focusing on Victoria's clothes and sense of style causes us to see some uncontroversial and &quot;well-understood&quot; summaries of her and her reign differently: her periods of seclusion, such as they were, and her absences from governmental and state occasions; the loss of power for the monarchy as well as the survival of the constitutional monarchy when almost every other monarchy in Europe was falling; the ways she managed her relationships with the aristocracy, the middle classes, the press; her mood and mental health (the regal, disinterested face, which isn't really gloomy the way it is usually described); the white wedding dress and her influence in the wedding dresses of her daughters and Alex; Albert's nature; the size and shape of her body.
* Many of the newspaper reports of her dress are in descriptions of events involving aristocrats and oligarchs at official social events like garden parties, state balls and, of course, processions, especially for her Golden and Diamond Jubilees. The reports in the news-reporting papers, not the ladies' papers or papers with a lot of fashion reporting, seem to have been written by reporters who did not know how to describe sophisticated clothing, fabrics, trim and techniques; they do not use the technical vocabulary required to report on fashion, or if they attempt it, they end up being confusing. Often, these news reports list only the names of those invited. Garden parties might have as many as 6000 invitées listed; the most said about the queen would list who was attending. Occasionally, we hear a very general description of what she wore and perhaps if she did or did not seem to have difficulty walking, but the reporters seem to have been at a distance and may not know the names of fabrics or dressmaking techniques.
* The reports in the newspapers vs reports written by fashion specialists in women's newspapers (and magazines?).
* Both Oscar Wilde and Jack the Ripper are understood in the context of their &quot;management&quot; (or not) of the media, but Victoria's sense of her identity as a celebrity and public person was at least as sophisticated as theirs. She &quot;memorialized&quot; herself and important moments in her life in her extremely prolific use of photographs as well as painted and drawn images; in her keeping rooms in the palaces frozen in time; in her X millions words recorded in her journals; and in her clothing, both for formal as well as more candid images (Worsley). Her awareness of her responsibility to memorialize herself had to have included the newspapers as well. Politically, her absence from politics after Alfred's death until 1871, when she wore the Small Diamond Crown to open Parliament for the first time, was notable and noted, but a carte de visite with her portrait on it sold X million copies (Worsley) and kept her present in the mind of the citizenry at the same time that she was being criticized for her political absence in the newspapers and among her ministers and the members of Parliament, some of whom questioned the value of an absent monarch. Lytton Strachey says that monarchs up to Victoria's time did not attempt to be fashionable or belong to the fashionable &quot;set,&quot; except, tellingly, George IV. But Victoria's fashion choices occurred in a content different from that of George IV, both politically and journalistically. Especially as Albert's influence waned and Bertie's own social identity developed, the direction of Victoria's sartorial gestures was to the middle classes, especially the upper middle classes, but not the aristocracy, not the fashionable world of haute couture, like, for instance, what the House of Worth might provide. In this 1881 image by Frith, in fact, we see the two main streams of fashion in the economic and cultural elite, but this is not Victoria.
* Alex and her sister Dagmar (who became the mother of Czar Nicolas II) were raised to make their own clothing (their father was not wealthy), so Alex knew a lot about building dresses, already had a wedding dress when she arrived in England but didn't wear it.
* Although she was widely criticized for her absence at state occasions in the press, Parliament and among her ministers, her widely circulated photographic portraits and her books — memoirs mostly of her family life with Albert and their children, her love of Scotland and Balmoral, and later the biographical works she asked and then helped courtiers close to her to write — she was present for the mass of her subjects who bought cartes de visite and read books.
* Worsley says some of her always wearing mourning was to arrange the world so she was treated more gently, with a dispensation; there were other benefits to the &quot;uniform&quot; she developed, but this one suggests she saw herself as marginal and weakened by grief.
* The newspapers described her clothing, but by the end of her life never the way the clothing of women (and occasionally men) wearing haute couture was described? Does the close-up/far-away thing pertain here?

==== '''MVSA: Due 5 January''' (email 4 December, from Laura Fiss) ====
The Underground: Prohibition, Abolition, Expression,  '''April 10-12, 2026''', hosted by Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio

Style and Sensibility: Victoria, Eugénie, Elisabeth and Mary Todd and Their Dressmakers (383 words)

Looking at Queen Victoria's sartorial sense of style troubles some conclusions we have reached about her, her reign, her &quot;private&quot; life and her body. Her style became strongly individuated and intentionally symbolic. The &quot;uniform&quot; worn by the Widow of Windsor — that all-black dress with the touches of white at her neckline and cuffs — made her instantly recognizable, even in a crowd and from a distance, and allied her with the middle class rather than the aristocracy. Up close (in the hundreds of personal photographs, her journals, and the clothing she saved) is a sophisticated and nuanced sense of style and self.

Putting Victoria's use of dress (and jewelry) in the context of a social network of political women that includes Empress Eugénie of France, Elisabeth of Bavaria, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, and Mary Todd Lincoln removes her from the usual social isolation scholarly scrutiny gives her, emphasizing what clothing did for her, although few biographies and histories see Victoria in this way.

These women knew each other, wrote to each other and had friends in common. They thought about what message their clothing choices sent and made those choices in the context of community, not only of who saw them but also each other and the modistes and couturiers who dressed them. Victoria patronized establishments with shops in London, Paris and New York, and a complex staff made what she wore, dressed her in it and looked after it. Both Eugénie and Elisabeth were clients of the British Frederick Worth of Paris. Lincoln's modiste was the brilliant, elegant, formerly enslaved Elizabeth Keckley, who had also — with her 20-seamstress staff — dressed Mrs. Robert E. Lee, Mrs. Stephen Douglas, Mrs. Jefferson Davis, and the daughter of General Sumner. Mary Anna Lee's dress was for a dinner in honor of the Prince of Wales in 1860. (Keckley introduced Abraham Lincoln to Sojourner Truth, but she also cut his hair and made his dressing gown.)

The class alliances these women's dress signaled had implications for their lives and their reigns. Designed to work from a distance, Queen Victoria’s identity as the Widow of Windsor in her barely relieved black was a valuable construction. Face to face and in the personal photographs, the complexities of the dresses are as fine as the eye can see.

They all wore white wedding gowns (unexpected for monarchs at this time).

Family relations and threats and instability for the monarchies in Europe kept QV in touch with fashion in Europe. Not so much underground or rebellious or revolutionary as crosswise. In some ways, QV's style of dress was '''covert''', looking subtly rich and stylish up close but plain and dowdy from a distance: the Widow of Windsor. Speaking to different groups of her subjects differently, a polyvocal style.

QV chose not to do haute courture. She adopted the cage 1858, for example, well after Eugénie and Elisabeth of Austria, and vest and suit coat in the 1890s?, but she's not wearing the vest and suit coat the way Alexandra is, it's not the up-to-the-minute silhouette, but some of the element are.

Queen Victoria helped the two European monarchs with difficult and dangerous moments, sometimes contributing to saving their lives, sometimes directly and sometimes through friends. 

Her relationships with Eugénie, Empress of France; Elisabeth of Austria, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire and Mary Todd Lincoln are based on shared understanding of themselves as public female leaders.

Mary Todd Lincoln's wedding skirt: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1314628790709593&amp;set=pcb.1314628920709580, closeup: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1314628800709592&amp;set=pcb.1314628920709580; in museum case: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1314628814042924&amp;set=pcb.1314628920709580

Turney, Thomas J. &quot;'Lincoln: A Life and Legacy' Opens at Presidential Museum in Springfield.&quot; ''The State Journal Register'' 30 September 2025 https://www.sj-r.com/picture-gallery/news/2025/09/30/new-lincoln-exhibit-opens-at-presidential-museum-in-springfield/86353769007/.

== Self-Memorializing ==
The term is really Lucy Worsley's, QV memorialising herself, but because QV deliberately saved so much, other biographers noticed it as well. A. N. Wilson says,&lt;blockquote&gt;In a recent study, Yvonne M. Ward calculated that Victoria wrote as many as 60 million words.&lt;sup&gt;6&lt;/sup&gt; (6 &quot;Yvonne M. Ward, ''Censoring Queen Victoria'', p. 9.&quot;) Giles St Aubyn, in his biography of the Queen, said that had she been a novelist, her outpouring of written words would have equalled 700 volumes.&lt;sup&gt;7&lt;/sup&gt; (7 &quot;Giles St Aubyn, ''Queen Victoria: A Portrait'', p. 601.&quot;) Her diaries were those of a compulsive recorder, and she sometimes would write as many as 2,500 words of her journal in one day.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (33 of 1204. nn. 6, 7, p. 1057)&lt;/blockquote&gt;If an average Victorian novel is 150,000 words, then Victoria's &quot;outpouring&quot; would equal about 400 volumes, not 700.
* Queen Victoria's journals
* Her personal letters
* Her official letters and memoranda
* Saved clothing and accessories
* Portraits and photographs
* Anniversaries and important dates
* Preserved rooms, including all the stuff she collected over the years and the policy of keeping it in exactly the same place, recorded by photographs and albums
* Works and memoirs, both commanded and self-written
*# 1862: Sir Arthur Helps, &quot;a collection of [Prince Albert's] speeches and addresses&quot; &lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (363 of 555), a &quot;weighty tome.&quot; (364 of 505)
*# 1866: General Grey, &quot;an account of the Prince’s early years﻿ — from his birth to his marriage; she herself laid down the design of the book, contributed a number of confidential documents, and added numerous notes.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (364 of 505)
*# 1868: QV published her ''Leaves from the Journal of Our Life in the Highlands from 1848 to 1861''.&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;
*# 1874–1880: Theodore Martin, it took him 14 years to write an Albert's biography, the 1st volume came out in 1874, the last 1880. He got a knighthood, but the books were not popular, the image of Albert was not popular, too idealized and beatified.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (364 of 505)
*# Poet Laureate
*# 1884: QV published her ''More Leaves from the Journal of Our Life in the Highlands from 1862 to 1882''.&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;

=== Preserved Rooms and Possessions ===
Strachey says,&lt;blockquote&gt;She gave orders that nothing should be thrown away﻿ — and nothing was. There, in drawer after drawer, in wardrobe after wardrobe, reposed the dresses of seventy years. But not only the dresses﻿ — the furs and the mantles and subsidiary frills and the muffs and the parasols and the bonnets﻿ — all were ranged in chronological order, dated and complete. A great cupboard was devoted to the dolls; in the china room at Windsor a special table held the mugs of her childhood, and her children’s mugs as well. Mementoes of the past surrounded her in serried accumulations. In every room the tables were powdered thick with the photographs of relatives; their portraits, revealing them at all ages, covered the walls; their figures, in solid marble, rose up from pedestals, or gleamed from brackets in the form of gold and silver statuettes. The dead, in every shape﻿ — in miniatures, in porcelain, in enormous life-size oil-paintings﻿ — were perpetually about her. John Brown stood upon her writing-table in solid [460–461] gold. Her favourite horses and dogs, endowed with a new durability, crowded round her footsteps. Sharp, in silver gilt, dominated the dinner table; Boy and Boz lay together among unfading flowers, in bronze. And it was not enough that each particle of the past should be given the stability of metal or of marble: the whole collection, in its arrangement, no less than its entity, should be immutably fixed. There might be additions, but there might never be alterations. No chintz might change, no carpet, no curtain, be replaced by another; or, if long use at last made it necessary, the stuffs and the patterns must be so identically reproduced that the keenest eye might not detect the difference. No new picture could be hung upon the walls at Windsor, for those already there had been put in their places by Albert, whose decisions were eternal. So, indeed, were Victoria’s. To ensure that they should be the aid of the camera was called in. Every single article in the Queen’s possession was photographed from several points of view. These photographs were submitted to Her Majesty, and when, after careful inspection, she [461–462] had approved of them, they were placed in a series of albums, richly bound. Then, opposite each photograph, an entry was made, indicating the number of the article, the number of the room in which it was kept, its exact position in the room and all its principal characteristics. The fate of every object which had undergone this process was henceforth irrevocably sealed. The whole multitude, once and for all, took up its steadfast station. And Victoria, with a gigantic volume or two of the endless catalogue always beside her, to look through, to ponder upon, to expatiate over, could feel, with a double contentment, that the transitoriness of this world had been arrested by the amplitude of her might.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (460–462 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Demographics ==
*Nationality: English
=== Residences ===
== Questions and Notes ==
#

== Bibliography ==

# Anon. &quot;One of Her Majesty's Servants,&quot; the Private Life of Queen Victoria. London, 1897, 1901.
# Fawcett, Millicent Garrett. ''Life of Her Majesty Queen Victoria''. Roberts Bros., 1895. WikiSource copy: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Index:Life_of_Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(IA_lifeofhermajesty01fawc).pdf.
# Homans, Margaret. &quot;'To the Queen's Private Apartments': Royal Family Portraiture and the Construction of Victoria's Sovereign Obedience.&quot; ''Victorian Studies'' vol. 37, no. 1 (1993) pp. 1–41.
# Homans, Margaret. 1998.
# Mitchell, Rebecca Nicole, editor. ''Fashioning the Victorians: A Critical Sourcebook''. Bloomsbury visual arts, 2018. OCLC # [https://search.worldcat.org/title/1085349620 1085349620] .
# Staniland, Kay. ''In Royal Fashion: The Clothes of Princess Charlotte of Wales and Queen Victoria 1796-1901''. London, 1997.
# Staniland, Kay, and Santina M. Levey. ''Queen Victoria's Wedding Dress and Lace''. Museum of London, 1983?. OCLC # [https://search.worldcat.org/title/473453762 473453762] . [Repr. from ''Costume, The Journal of the Costume Society'' (17:1983), pp. 1–32.]
# Wackerl, Luise. ''Royal Style: A History of Aristocratic Fashion Icons.'' Peribo, 2012. [T.C. Magrath Library: Quarto GT1754 .W33 2012]

== References ==
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      <text bytes="234975" sha1="p5v5ony1cy1r32hx0eimx48v28a5vsf" xml:space="preserve">== Overview ==
According to the Museum of London, Queen Victoria was 4'8&quot; by the end of her life.&lt;ref&gt;Austin, Emily. &quot;Mounting Queen Victoria's mourning dress.&quot; 13 August 2020 ''London Museum''. [https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/blog/mounting-queen-victorias-mourning-dress/#:~:text=Comprising%20a%20bodice%20and%20skirt,a%20certain%20stage%20of%20mourning. https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/blog/mounting-queen-victorias-mourning-dress/#:~:text=Comprising%20a%20bodice%20and%20skirt,a%20certain%20stage%20of%20mourning.] Retrieved 2026-03-09.&lt;/ref&gt; Most people say she was about 5 feet tall at her tallest, although sometimes some will say 5'2&quot;.

Lytton Strachey describes the shrinking of Queen Victoria's power over the course of her reign, attributing it to her inability to think clearly about the constitution or constitutional monarchy:&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria’s comprehension of the spirit of her age has been constantly asserted. It was for long the custom for courtly historians and polite politicians to compliment the Queen upon the correctness of her attitude towards the Constitution. But such praises seem hardly to be justified by the facts. ... The complex and delicate principles of the Constitution cannot be said to have come within the compass of her mental faculties; and in the actual developments which it underwent during her reign she [472–473] played a passive part. From 1840 to 1861 the power of the Crown steadily increased in England; from 1861 to 1901 it steadily declined. The first process was due to the influence of the Prince Consort, the second to that of a series of great Ministers. During the first Victoria was in effect a mere accessory; during the second the threads of power, which Albert had so laboriously collected, inevitably fell from her hands into the vigorous grasp of Mr. Gladstone, Lord Beaconsfield, and Lord Salisbury. Perhaps, absorbed as she was in routine, and difficult as she found it to distinguish at all clearly between the trivial and the essential, she was only dimly aware of what was happening. Yet, at the end of her reign, the Crown was weaker than at any other time in English history. Paradoxically enough, Victoria received the highest eulogiums for assenting to a political evolution, which, had she completely realised its import, would have filled her with supreme displeasure.

Nevertheless it must not be supposed that she was a second George III. Her desire to impose her will, vehement as it was, and unlimited by [473–474] any principle, was yet checked by a certain shrewdness.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot;&gt;Strachey, Lytton. ''Queen Victoria''. Standard Ebooks, 2025 (2020). [http://standardebooks.org/ebooks/lytton-strachey/queen-victoria standardebooks.org/ebooks/lytton-strachey/queen-victoria]. Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/queen-victoria/id6444770015.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|472–474 of 555}}
&lt;/blockquote&gt;

The American writer Henry James on Queen Victoria's death:&lt;blockquote&gt;the ensuing mood [was] &quot;strange and indescribable&quot;: people spoke in whispers, as though scared of something. He was surprised at the reaction, because her death was not sudden or unusual: it was &quot;a simple running down of the old used up watch,&quot; the death of an old widow who had thrown &quot;her good fat weight into the scales of general decency.&quot; Yet in the following days, the American-born writer felt unexpectedly distressed. He, like so many, mourned the &quot;safe and motherly old middle-class Queen, who held the nation warm under the fold of her big, hideous Scotch-plaid shawl.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|846 of 1203}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

According to A. N. Wilson, Queen Victoria's reputation for prudishness is not quite deserved. The &quot;raffishness&quot; of George IV, for example, or most of the other children of George III, was distasteful, but&lt;blockquote&gt;Having been brought up by a [324–325] widow was different from being brought up, as Albert was, in a home broken by adultery; so her distaste for raffishness, though she would loyally echo her husband’s strong moral line, lacked the pathological edge which it possessed in his case.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|324–325 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

And Wilson says of her enduring liking for the &quot;poor relation&quot; cousin George Cambridge, 2nd Duke of Cambridge,&lt;blockquote&gt;Although all her biographers stress Victoria’s need, in marrying the virtuous Prince Albert, to escape the dissipations and clumsiness of her ‘wicked uncles’, there was always a distinctly Hanoverian side to her. George Cambridge was a throwback to the world of William IV and George IV, to a lack of stiffness and a lack of side which was always part of Victoria’s character also.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|879 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

Wilson says of the distance between the actual woman and the external perception of her,&lt;blockquote&gt;Arthur C. Benson and the 1st Viscount Esher, both homosexual men of a certain limited outlook determined by their class and disposition, were the pair entrusted with the task of editing the earliest published letters. It is a magnificent achievement, but they chose to concentrate on Victoria’s public life, omitting the thousands of letters she wrote relating to health, to children, to sex and marriage, to feelings and the ‘inner woman’. It perhaps comforted them, and others who revered the memory of the Victorian era, to place a posthumous gag on Victoria’s emotions. The extreme paradox arose that one of the most passionate, expressive, humorous and unconventional women who ever lived was paraded before the public as a [39–40] stiff, pompous little person, the ‘figurehead’ to an all-male imperial enterprise.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|39–40 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

Besides what some say was a German accent, Queen Victoria spoke in what A. N. Wilson calls&lt;blockquote&gt;an unreformed Regency English. In Osborne, on Christmas Day 1891, she asked Sir Henry Ponsonby, 'Why the blazes don't Mr Macdonnell telegraph hear the results of the election? He used to do so and now he don’t.' ... If William IV had lived in the age of the telegraph, it is just the sort of question, with 'don't' for 'doesn't', and the blunt 'why the blazes' which he would have asked. One sees here [857–858] how much she had in common with her cousin the Duke of Cambridge, who likewise appeared in many ways to be a pre-Victorian. During a drought, he went to church and the parson prayed for rain. The duke involuntarily exclaimed, 'Oh God! My dear man, how can you expect rain with wind in the east?' When the chaplain, later in the service, said, 'Let us pray,' the duke replied, 'By all means.'&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|857–858 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Also Known As ==
*Victoria Regina
*Family name: Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
*Nickname, as a child: Drina
*Alexandrina Victoria

== Family ==
*Victoria — Alexandrina Victoria (24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901)&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;
*Albert, Prince Consort — Franz August Karl Albert Emanuel (26 August 1819 – 14 December 1861)&lt;ref name=&quot;:2&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-04|title=Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prince_Albert_of_Saxe-Coburg_and_Gotha&amp;oldid=1315065374|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa, &quot;Vicky,&quot; German Empress, Empress Frederick (21 November 1840 – 5 August 1901)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-08|title=Victoria, Princess Royal|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Victoria,_Princess_Royal&amp;oldid=1315724049|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Albert Edward, Prince of Wales | Albert Edward, &quot;Teddy,&quot; King Edward VII]] (4 November 1841 – 6 May 1910)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-23|title=Edward VII|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edward_VII&amp;oldid=1318322588|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Princess Alice | Alice Maud Mary, Princess Alice]], Grand Duchess of Hesse (25 April 1843 – 14 December 1878)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-02|title=Princess Alice of the United Kingdom|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Alice_of_the_United_Kingdom&amp;oldid=1314683419|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Alfred of Edinburgh | Alfred Ernest Albert, &quot;Affie&quot;]]: Duke of Edinburgh — (6 August 1844 – 30 July 1900),&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-20|title=Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alfred,_Duke_of_Saxe-Coburg_and_Gotha&amp;oldid=1317824547|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Duke of Saxe-Coburg (24 May 1866 – 30 July 1900) and Gotha (2 August 1893 – 30 July 1900)
#[[Social Victorians/People/Christian of Schleswig-Holstein | Helena Augusta Victoria, &quot;Lenchen,&quot;]] Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (25 May 1846 – 9 June 1923)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-26|title=Princess Helena of the United Kingdom|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Helena_of_the_United_Kingdom&amp;oldid=1318943746|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Princess Louise | Louise Caroline Alberta, Princess Louise]], Marchioness of Lorne, [[Social Victorians/People/Argyll | Duchess of Argyle]] (18 March 1848 – 3 December 1939)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-09-25|title=Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Louise,_Duchess_of_Argyll&amp;oldid=1313272998|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Connaught | Arthur William Patrick Albert]], Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (1 May 1850 – 16 January 1942)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-03|title=Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prince_Arthur,_Duke_of_Connaught_and_Strathearn&amp;oldid=1314802923|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Leopold | Leopold George Duncan Albert]], Duke of Albany (7 April 1853 – 28 March 1884)&lt;ref name=&quot;:1&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-19|title=Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prince_Leopold,_Duke_of_Albany&amp;oldid=1317724959|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#Beatrice Mary Victoria Feodore, Princess Henry of Battenberg (14 April 1857 – 26 October 1944)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-21|title=Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Beatrice_of_the_United_Kingdom&amp;oldid=1318045123|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

=== &quot;Adopted&quot; Godchildren ===

# Victoria Gouramma, of Coorg (c. 1841–), brought to London in 1852 at 11, QV stood as godmother 1 July 1852.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (346 of 1204)
# Maharajah Duleep Singh, the Lion of the Punjab, presented to QV in July 1854.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (350 of 1204)

=== Relations ===

== Acquaintances, Friends and Enemies ==
=== Acquaintances ===
=== Friends ===

* Lord Melbourne — Henry William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (15 March 1779 – 24 November 1848)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-09-25|title=William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Lamb,_2nd_Viscount_Melbourne&amp;oldid=1313293647|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-09|title=Benjamin Disraeli|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Benjamin_Disraeli&amp;oldid=1315865798|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* Harriet, Duchess of Sutherland, [[Social Victorians/Victoria/Queen's Household#Mistress of the Robes|Mistress of the Robes]] 1837 and 1861, very close friend.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-03-13|title=Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harriet_Sutherland-Leveson-Gower,_Duchess_of_Sutherland&amp;oldid=1343226719|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; The Duchess of Sutherland was an abolitionist, personally criticized by Karl Marx for her mother's clearing of the Sutherland lands for sheep grazing.
* Anne Murray, Duchess of Atholl, [[Social Victorians/Victoria/Queen's Household#Mistress of the Robes|Mistress of the Robes]] 1852–1853 and then Lady of the Bedchamber until 1892, when she and the Duchess of Roxburghe shared the duties of the Mistress of the Robes, among her closest of friends&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-25|title=Anne Murray, Duchess of Atholl|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anne_Murray,_Duchess_of_Atholl&amp;oldid=1334678470|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* [[Social Victorians/People/Sophie of Wurttemberg|Sophie of Württemberg, Queen of the Netherlands]] (17 June 1818 – 3 June 1877)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-02|title=Sophie of Württemberg|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sophie_of_W%C3%BCrttemberg&amp;oldid=1325386567|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

*[[Social Victorians/People/Mary Todd Lincoln|Mary Todd Lincoln]] (December 13, 1818 – July 16, 1882)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-08|title=Mary Todd Lincoln|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Todd_Lincoln&amp;oldid=1331838569|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
*[[Social Victorians/People/Eugenie of France|Empress Eugénie of France]] (5 May 1826 – 11 July 1920)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-11-18|title=Eugénie de Montijo|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eug%C3%A9nie_de_Montijo&amp;oldid=1322973534|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* [[Social Victorians/People/Elisabeth of Austria|Empress Elisabeth of Austria]] (24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-09|title=Empress Elisabeth of Austria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Empress_Elisabeth_of_Austria&amp;oldid=1332040784|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* &quot;Lady Augusta Bruce, lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria’s mother, and already [by 1853] a great friend of the Queen’s, attended [Eugénie and Napoleon's] wedding at Notre-Dame&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot;&gt;Wilson, A. N. ''Victoria: A Life''. Penguin, 2014. Apple Books:  https://books.apple.com/us/book/victoria/id828766078.&lt;/ref&gt; (325 of 1204)

=== Enemies ===

== Organizations ==
[[Social Victorians/Victoria/Queen's Household|Queen's Household]]

== Pastimes ==
* [[Social Victorians/Royals Amateur Theatricals | Amateur Theatricals with the Royal Family]], often at Balmoral or Osborne

== Timeline ==
This Timeline includes both a list of signal events in Queen Victoria's social life and a separate [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Her Dresses|chronological list of the dresses]] as they appear in her painted and photographed portraits. Information about what she wore at particular events might be in both places.

'''1835''', Rosie Harte in ''The Royal Wardrobe'' says,&lt;blockquote&gt;In 1835, Victoria first met the French Princess Louise, who had recently married her uncle Leopold and whose continental wardrobe fascinated the young Princess. Victoria’s addiction to French wares began with little gifts and accessories, before eventually Louise was supplying her with full outfits of pastel-toned silk dresses and matching bonnets, which Victoria swooned over in her diary: ‘They are quite lovely. They are so well made and so very elegant.’&lt;sup&gt;18&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;sup&gt;&quot;18 RA VIC/MAIN/QVJ (W) 17 September 1836.&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;ref&gt;Harte, Rosie. ''The Royal Wardrobe: Peek into the Wardrobes of History's Most Fashionable Royals''. &lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|270 of 595}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1836 May 18''', Victoria and Albert met for the first time. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;On this particular day that Albert first set eyes upon her, there’s also cause to suspect that we can identify the very gown Victoria was wearing. The reason is that she was a great hoarder of the clothes worn on significant occasions, and the Royal Collection today still contains a high-waisted, dark-coloured, tartan velvet dress. With short puffed sleeves worn just off the shoulder, its style dates it to exactly the right period.&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;21 Staniland (1997) p. 92&quot;}} [new paragraph] The tartan was important, for despite the fact she had never been there Victoria had fallen passionately in love with the country of [129–130] Scotland. This had happened four months previously when she’d devoured Sir Walter Scott’s ''The Bride of Lammermoor''. In it, a fearsome Scottish lord feasts upon the human flesh of his tenants, shocking observers when he throws back ‘the tartan plaid with which he had screened his grim and ferocious visage’.&lt;sup&gt;22&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;22 Scott (1819; 1858 edition) p. 368&quot;}} ‘Oh!’ Victoria panted in her journal, ‘Walter Scott is my beau ideal of a Poet; I do so admire him both in Poetry and Prose!’&lt;sup&gt;23&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;23 RA QVJ/1836: 1 November&quot;}} ‘Grim and ferocious’ does not sound like a particularly winsome look. Yet Victoria, at odds with the authority figures in her life, wanted to demonstrate independence and maturity through her dark, tartan gown. Casting aside the white or pink muslin dresses that had previously dominated her wardrobe, she was going through a phase and adopting a look that in our own times we might call goth.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot;&gt;Worsley, Lucy. ''Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life''. St. Martin's Press, Hodder &amp; Stoughton, 2018.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|129–130 of 786; nn. 21, 22, 23, p. 653}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1837 June 20''', Victoria acceded to the throne.&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-09-28|title=Queen Victoria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Queen_Victoria&amp;oldid=1313837777|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; She put on a white dressing gown to hear the news, and then she changed to a black dress, because she was in mourning for the death of William IV, to begin her work. Worsley says that in spite of contemporary reports, Victoria did not cry:&lt;blockquote&gt;'The Queen was not overwhelmed,’ Victoria [later] claimed, and was ‘rather full of courage, she may say. She took things as they came, as she knew they must be.’&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;28 Theodore Martin, Queen Victoria as I Knew Her, London (1901) p. 65&quot;}} [new paragraph] Even her grief for her uncle had to be kept measured. ‘Poor old man,’ she thought, ‘I feel sorry for him, he was always personally kind to me.’&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;29 RA VIC/MAIN/QVLB/19 June 1837&quot;}} Yet there was no time to mourn. Victoria quickly returned to her maid’s room to be dressed. She already had a black mourning gown just waiting to be put on. Still remaining at Kensington Palace to this day, this dress is a tiny garment, with an extraordinarily small waist and cuffs. With it, she wore a white collar and, as usual, ‘her light hair’ was ‘simply parted over the forehead’.&lt;sup&gt;30&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;30 Anon., The Annual Register and Chronicle for the Year 1837, London (1838) p. 65&quot;}} Her girlish appearance explains quite a lot of the indulgence and romance with which her reign was greeted. It also meant that she would consistently be underestimated.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|148 of 786; nn. 28, 29, 30, p. 656}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1838 June 28, Victoria's Coronation'''. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;For her journey to Westminster Abbey, Victoria was wearing red robes over a stiff white satin dress with gold embroidery. She had a ‘circlet of splendid diamonds’ on her head. Her long crimson velvet cloak, with its gold lace and ermine, flowed out so far behind her little figure that it became a ‘very ponderous appendage’.&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;2 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 82&quot;}} Harriet, the beautiful and statuesque Duchess of Sutherland, Mistress of the Robes, was responsible for Victoria’s appearance. This ‘ponderous’ mantle must have made her anxious, and indeed it would get in the way and cause kerfuffle all day long. The stately duchess rather dwarfed the queen when they stood side by side, and Victoria was slightly jealous of Harriet’s habit of flirting with Melbourne. But she did trust her surer dress sense. Onto [160–161] Victoria’s little feet went flat white satin slippers fastened with ribbons.&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;3 Staniland (1997) p. 114&quot;}}&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|160–161; nn. 2, 3, p. 659}}

Victoria gasped at the sight that met her within. Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, one of the young ladies carrying the queen’s train, noticed that ‘the colour mounted to her cheeks, brow and even neck, and her breath came quickly.’&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;29 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 82&quot;}} ‘Splendid’, Victoria thought the congregation, many of them, like herself, swathed in red velvet, ‘the bank of Peeresses quite beautiful, all in their robes’.&lt;sup&gt;30&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;30 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}} Among a host of impressive outfits, that of the Austrian ambassador was particularly noteworthy. Even the heels of his boots were bejewelled. One lady thought that he looked like he’d ‘been caught out in a rain of diamonds, and had come in dripping!’&lt;sup&gt;31&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;31 Grace Greenwood, ''Queen Victoria, Her Girlhood and Womanhood'', London (1883) p. 117&quot;}}

Victoria was accompanied not only by the young ladies who were to carry her train, but also by the Duchess of Sutherland as Mistress of the Robes, who ‘walked, or rather stalked up the Abbey like Juno; she was full of her situation.’&lt;sup&gt;32&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;32 Ralph Disraeli, ed., ''Lord Beaconsfield’s Correspondence with His Sister'', London (1886 edition) p. 109&quot;}} Throughout the whole ceremony the Bishop of Durham stood near to the queen, supposedly to guide her through the ritual. But he proved to be hopelessly unreliable. The unfortunate bishop ‘never could tell me’, Victoria recorded later, [169–170] what was to take place’. At one point, he was supposed to hand her the orb, but when he noticed that she had already got it, he was left, once again, ‘so confused and puzzled’.&lt;sup&gt;33&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;33 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}}

Another hindrance came in the form of the trainbearers’ dresses. Their ‘little trains were serious annoyances’, wrote one of their number, ‘for it was impossible to avoid treading upon them … there certainly should have been some previous rehearsing, for we carried the Queen’s train very jerkily and badly, never keeping step properly’.&lt;sup&gt;34&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;34 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 82&quot;}} It was the Duchess of Richmond, not the stylish Sutherland, who had signed off the design of the bearers’ dresses, and she found herself ‘much condemned by some of the young ladies for it’. But the Duchess of Richmond had decreed that she would ‘have no discussion with their Mammas’ about what they were to wear. An executive decision was the only way to get the design agreed.&lt;sup&gt;35&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;35 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|169–170 of 786; nn. 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, p. 660–661}}

[After the peers swore homage] it was now time for a change of dress, to mark the beginning of Victoria’s transformation from girl to sovereign. Retreating to a special robing room, she took off her crimson cloak and put on ‘a singular sort of little gown of linen trimmed with lace’. This white dress represented her purified, prepared state.

When she re-entered the abbey, she did so bare-headed. ... Then at last came the very moment of ‘the Crown being placed on my head – which was, I must own, a most beautiful impressive moment; all the Peers and Peeresses put on their Coronets at the same instant.’&lt;sup&gt;41&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;41 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}} The sound of this moment of the lifting of the coronets had been heard at coronations going back to the Middle Ages, and was once exquisitely described as ‘a sort of feathered, silken thunder’.&lt;sup&gt;42&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;42 Benjamin Robert Haydon, ''The Diary of Benjamin Robert Haydon'', Cambridge, MA (1960) p. 350&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|172 of 786; nn. 41, 42, p. 661}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

Her coronation robes were &quot;specially woven in the Spitalfields silk-weaving area of London,&quot; like her wedding dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot;&gt;Goldthorpe, Caroline. ''From Queen to Empress: Victorian Dress 1837–1877''. An Exhibition at The Costume Institute 15 December 1988 – 16 April 1989. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1988. ''Google Books'': https://www.google.com/books/edition/From_Queen_to_Empress/UJLxwwrVEyoC.&lt;/ref&gt; (15)

'''1840 February 10''', Victoria and Albert married at the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-07-11|title=Wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wedding_of_Queen_Victoria_and_Prince_Albert&amp;oldid=1300012890|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;She had her hair dressed in loops upon her cheeks, and a ‘wreath of orange flowers put on.’ Her dress was ‘a white satin gown, with a very deep flounce of Honiton lace, imitation of old’.&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|1=&quot;21 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February [QVJ = Queen Victoria's Journals]&quot;}}

This simple cream gown of Victoria’s was a dress that launched a million subsequent white weddings. She broke with monarchical [238–239] convention by rejecting royal robes in favour of a plain dress, with just a little train from the waist at the back to make it appropriate for court wear.&lt;sup&gt;22&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;22 Staniland (1997) p. 118&quot;}} It was a signal that on this day she wasn’t Her Majesty the Queen, but an ordinary woman. She wore imitation orange blossom [sic] in her hair in place of the expected circlet of diamonds. She’d had the lace for the dress created by her mother’s favoured lacemakers of Honiton, in Devon, as opposed to the better-known artisans of Brussels. A royal commission like this was a welcome boost – then as now – to British industry.&lt;sup&gt;23&lt;/sup&gt; &quot;{{rp|23 Ibid., p. 120&quot;}} This piece of lace would become totemic for Victoria. She would preserve it, treasure it and indeed wear it until the end of her life.

Victoria had personally designed the dresses of her bridesmaids, giving a sketch to her Mistress of the Robes, still Harriet, Duchess of Sutherland.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|238–239 of 786; nn. 21, 22, 23, p. 674}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;The Royal Collection has that sketch.&lt;blockquote&gt;The bridesmaids wore white roses around their heads, with further blooms pinned to the tulle overskirts of their dresses. Victoria’s opinion was that they ‘had a beautiful effect’, but others disagreed.&lt;sup&gt;36&lt;/sup&gt; [36 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February] Used to seeing golden tassels, velvet robes and colourful jewels at royal ceremonies, onlookers thought that the trainbearers ‘looked like village girls’.&lt;sup&gt;37&lt;/sup&gt; &quot;37 Wyndham, ed. (1912) p. 297&quot; &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|243–244 of 786; nn. 36, 37, p. 674}}

At the coronation her train had been too long to handle, but now there was the opposite problem. The long back part of Victoria’s white satin skirt, trimmed with orange blossom, was ‘rather too short for the number of young ladies who carried it’ and they ended up ‘kicking each other’s heels and treading on each other’s gowns’.&lt;sup&gt;50&lt;/sup&gt; [50 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 112]&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|246 of 786; n. 50, p. 675}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;Then [after the ceremony] she went to change, putting on ‘a white [249–250] silk gown trimmed with swansdown’, and a going-away bonnet trimmed with false orange flowers that still survives to this day at Kensington Palace.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|249–250 of 786}} [c. 1855 photograph of QV's 1840 going-away bonnet: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/58/collection/2905582/bonnet-worn-by-queen-victoria-at-her-marriage]

The gown that Victoria wore that evening was possibly the plainer, and very slender, cream silk one surviving in the Royal Collection with a traditional association with her wedding evening. If she did wear it for that first dinner together, then she could hardly have eaten a thing. It laced even tighter than her wedding dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|251 of 786}}

But there would be no ritual undoing by the groom of his bride’s ethereal gown. That, as always, had to be done by Victoria’s dressers. ‘At ½ p.10 I went and undressed and was very sick,’ she says. These women, the bedrock of her life, ever present, ever watchful, must have been with her as she finished retching and went into the bedchamber, where ‘we both went to bed; (of course in one bed), to lie by his side, and in his arms, and on his dear bosom’.&lt;sup&gt;72&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;72 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|252 of 786; n. 72, p. 676}}


The separation between how finely QV was dressed and what it looked like to people, including both the effect of physical distance and the effect of the distance between what people expected a queen to wear and what QV wore. Also, QV's appeal &quot;to the respectable slice of opinion at society’s upper middle&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;'I saw the Queen’s dress at the palace,’ wrote one eager letter-writer, ‘the lace was beautiful, as fine as a cobweb.’ She wore no jewels at all, this person’s account continues, ‘only a bracelet with Prince Albert’s picture’.&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;28 Mundy, ed. (1885) p. 413}} This was in fact [240–241] completely incorrect. Albert had given her a huge sapphire brooch, which she wore along with her ‘Turkish diamond necklace and earrings’.&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;29 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February}} '''It was the beginning of a lifetime trend for Victoria’s clothes to be reported as simpler, plainer, less ostentatious than they really were. The reality was that they were not quite as ostentatious as people expected for a queen.''' This is really what they meant by their descriptions of her clothes as austere, and pleasingly middle-class. In other countries, members of the middle classes would join the working classes on streets and at barricades and bring monarchies tumbling down. '''But in Britain, part of the reason this did not happen is that Victoria, her values and her low-key style appealed with peculiar power to the respectable slice of opinion at society’s upper middle.''' And so, dressed but not overdressed, the unqueenly looking queen was ready for her wedding day to begin.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|240–241; nn. 28, 29; p. 674}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;Her wedding dress was &quot;specially woven in the Spitalfields silk-weaving area of London,&quot; like her coronation robes.&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt;{{rp|15}}

'''1840''', QV's first pregnancy, with Vicky, and a relic petticoat with blood from her first birth:&lt;blockquote&gt;She had left off wearing stays, becoming ‘more like a barrel than anything else’.&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;21 Stratfield Saye MS, quoted in Longford (1966) p. 76&quot;}} Victoria herself, although she felt well, ‘unhappily’ had to admit that she was ‘a great size’.&lt;sup&gt;22&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;22 RA VIC/MAIN/QVLB/10 November 1840&quot;}} '''A fine cotton lawn petticoat from this early married period''', which once had the same dimensions as her wedding dress, shows evidence of having been let out around its high empire waist, quite possibly to accommodate this pregnancy.&lt;sup&gt;23&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;23 In the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection, Historic Royal Palaces.&quot;}} The work was done with tiny stitches as if by the needle of a fairy. There were many hands available in Victoria’s wardrobe department, and indeed no shortage of clothes either. '''This particular petticoat survives because it was given away after becoming soiled with blood.''' She also had an expandable dressing gown for pregnancy, of thin white cotton, with ‘gauging tapes’ to widen the waist as pregnancy progressed.&lt;sup&gt;24&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;Staniland (1997) p. 126&quot;}}&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|262 of 786; nn. 21, 22, 23, 24, p. 678}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1840 November 21''', Victoria went into labor with Vicky.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|255 of 786}} Her dress:&lt;blockquote&gt;Early on in labour, Victoria would have been given a dose of castor oil to empty her bowels, to avoid ‘exceedingly disagreeable’ consequences later. She would have worn her loose dressing gown over a chemise and bedgown ‘folded up smoothly to the waist’ and beneath that, ‘a petticoat’. Stays were absent, despite the common belief among women that wearing them during labour would ‘assist’, by ‘affording support’. The latest medical advice was that this was ‘improper’.&lt;sup&gt;36&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;36 Bull (1837) pp. 130–2&quot;}} The chemise that Victoria was wearing would acquire special lucky significance for her. Nine childbirths later, she’d still insist upon donning the exact same one.&lt;sup&gt;37&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;37 Dennison (2007) p. 2&quot;}}&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|265 of 7886; nn. 36, 37, p. 679}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1843, around''', Albert &quot;cut [Victoria's] dress expenditure down from £5,000 to £2,000 a year&quot; in order to put money away for later.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|299 of 786}}

'''1843 May 19''', QV wrote in her journal that she dressed &quot;all in white and had my wedding veil on, as a shawl,&quot; for Vicky's christening.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|270 of 786; n. 63, p. 681 of 786}}

'''1849''', Duleep Singh &quot;surrendered&quot; the Koh-i-nûr necklace to England.&lt;ref name=&quot;:17&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/406698/queen-victoria-1819-1901|title=Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-73) - Queen Victoria (1819-1901)|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-03-06}}&lt;/ref&gt;

'''1854''', Queen &quot;Victoria's spending on her wardrobe had crept up again, to roughly £6,000 annually, or six times a very good annual income for a professional gentleman.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|311 of 786}}

'''1854''', when QV met Duleep Singh, &quot;the woman the Maharaja saw before him still looked younger than her [310–311] thirty-five years. In the photograph, at least, her hair shines, she hardly looks like a mother of eight and her white dress is demure and girlish.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|310–311}}

'''1855 April 16–''', Empress Eugénie and Napoleon III of France began a 5-day visit to the U.K.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot;&gt;Goldstone, Nancy. ''The Rebel Empresses: Elisabeth of Austria and Eugénie of France, Power and Glamour in the Struggle for Europe''. Little, Brown, 2025.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|276}}

'''1855 August 18–28 or so''', Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, Princess Royal Vicky and Prince of Wales Bertie visited Paris and the Exposition Universelle.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt;{{rp|287}} Caroline Goldthorpe says,&lt;blockquote&gt;For the state entry of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert into Paris in 1855, the Queen wore a dress of white Spitalfields silk, its design representing an English flower garden (figure 2). While in Paris, however, she attended a ball at the Hôtel de Ville, wearing &quot;my diamond diadem with the Koh-i-noor in it, a white net dress, embroidered with gold and (as were all my dresses) very full. It was very much admired by the Emperor and the ladies. The Emperor asked if it was English; I said No, it had been made on purpose in Paris.&quot; In addition / to the ball gown, made in France as a diplomatic gesture, she evidently wore both English and French silks for less public occasions.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (15, 17) [The English-made Spitalfields-silk dress is at tthe Museum of London.]&lt;/blockquote&gt;A. N. Wilson suggests that the sense that Victoria was dowdy is down in part to &quot;the exacting standards of Parisian journalists&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;They went to the opera and displayed the difference between a true-born queen and a parvenue empress. When the national anthems had been played, the Empress looked behind her to make sure that her chair was in place. The Queen of England, confident that the chair would be there, sat down without turning. Mary Bulteel, her Maid of Honour who noticed this detail, was also able to reassure Eugénie’s baffled entourage that the Queen was always ‘badly dressed’. It did not prevent Victoria from being unaffectedly enraptured by Eugénie’s range of gorgeous outfits. Victoria adored the Empress and it was a friendship which lasted for life. ‘Altogether,’ she told her diary, ‘I am delighted to see how much my Albert likes and admires her, as it is so seldom I see him do so with any woman.’&lt;sup&gt;27&lt;/sup&gt; (&quot;27 Quoted Edith Saunders, ''A Distant Summer'', p. 49.&quot;) Perhaps it was so, or perhaps he was being polite. The Queen’s dowdiness and (by the exacting standards of Parisian journalists) poor dress sense were more than outshone by the splendour of her jewels.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (365 of 1204)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1857 August 6–''', Eugénie and Napoleon visit QV again. QV describes how Eugénie is dressed. Wilson says of the admiring precision of QV's descriptions of Eugénie's dresses,
&lt;blockquote&gt;The wistfulness with which Victoria described Eugénie’s outfits whenever the two met is touching. She was the Queen of England and could have afforded the finest couturier; but she was tiny, increasingly rotund, much of the time depressed or petulant. Her homely dress sense reflected a growing dissatisfaction with her appearance: clothes were for swathing a body which was by any ordinary standards a very peculiar shape, not for adorning it or drawing it to people’s attention.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (389 of 1204)&lt;/blockquote&gt;
And maybe she just wasn't very good at style. Evidence from later suggests she had an appreciation for fine fabrics and laces.

'''1858, June''', when Victoria began wearing a crinoline cage. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;She had attended reviews of her troops increasingly often as they came shipping back from Crimea. For the purpose, she often wore the superbly tailored outdoor wear that suited her much better than frou-frou evening gowns. Her self-adopted ‘uniform’ was a scarlet, made-to-measure military-style jacket combined with the skirt of a riding habit. Albert had a matching outfit too, its chest padded out to simulate the muscles that his sedentary lifestyle had failed to give him. [361–362] [new paragraph] Today, though, as she was travelling by carriage, Victoria wore a dark cloak over her now-customary daywear of the crinolined skirt. She’d held out until the end of the 1850s before adopting this novel steel structure to puff out the skirt, which was widely thought to be an ‘indelicate, expensive, hideous and dangerous article’.&lt;sup&gt;19&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;19 ''Punch, Or the London Charivari'' (8 August 1863) p. 59&quot;}} A crinoline, or ‘cage’, could swing the skirts out so unexpectedly that they caught fire, or got stuck in carriage wheels. But the stylish Empress Eugénie, whom Victoria much admired, is said to have popularised the crinoline during an 1855 visit to England. ‘Carter’s Crinoline Saloon’ opened soon afterwards, offering London ladies not only the crinoline but also the new ‘elastic stays … as worn by the Empress of the French’.&lt;sup&gt;20&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;20 “Adburgham (1964) p. 93&quot;}} Victoria nevertheless resisted the fashion until a heatwave three years later made her feel that her customary stiff muslin petticoats were ‘unbearable’. ‘Imagine!’ she wrote, to her married daughter in Germany, ‘since 6 weeks I wear a “Cage”!!! What do you say?’&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;21 RA VIC/ADDU/32, p. 178 (21 July 1858)&quot;}} Having realised how convenient it was, she now only took her crinoline off to go sailing.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|361–362, nn. 19, 20, 21, p. 696}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1861 December 14''', Prince Albert, Prince Consort died.&lt;ref name=&quot;:2&quot; /&gt; According to Julia Baird&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria decreed that the entire court would mourn for an unprecedented official period of two years. (When this ended, her ladies and daughters could discard the black and wear half mourning, which was gray, white, or light purple shades.) Many of her subjects decided to join them in mourning. Her ladies were draped in jet jewelry and crêpe, a thick black rustling material made of silk, crimped to make it look dull.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot;&gt;Baird, Julia. ''Victoria the Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire''. Random House, 2016. Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/victoria-the-queen/id953835024.&lt;/ref&gt; (585 of 1203)&lt;/blockquote&gt;After Albert's death Queen &quot;Victoria never attended or held another public ball.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (592 of 1203)

'''1863 March 10''', Bertie (Albert Edward, Prince of Wales) and Alix (Alexandra) married in St. George's Chapel, Windsor. QV, who sat high up and out of the way, wore widow's weeds,  &quot;the blue sash and star of the Order of the Garter&quot; and (according to Lord Clarendon) &quot;a cap ‘more hideous than any I have yet seen.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|495 of 1204}}

'''1865 April 15''', Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Eugénie's was among the first letters of condolence from a head of state that Mary Todd Lincoln got; Victoria's was dated the day after Eugénie's.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt;{{rp|555 of 909}}

'''1866–1871''', [[Social Victorians/People/Princess Louise | Princess Louise]] was Victoria's private secretary.

'''1866 February''', QV opened Parliament for the first time since Albert's death.&lt;blockquote&gt;She wore plain evening dress, with a small diamond and sapphire coronet on top of her widow’s cap. The wind whipped her veil as she rode silently in an open carriage past curious crowds, many of whom had not glimpsed her for years.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (609 of 1203)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1866 February 6''', Princess Helena's wedding to Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. QV wrote in her journal that it &quot;was 'an ''execution''&lt;nowiki/&gt;' to which she was 'dragged in ''deep mourning''.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot;&gt;Longford, Elizabeth. ''Queen Victoria''. The History Press, 2011 (1999). Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/queen-victoria-essential-biographies/id1142259733.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|118 of 223}} Instead of a crown she wore a black widow's cap. 

'''1867 Spring''', annual exhibition at the Royal Academy, which included a large canvas by Sir Edwin Landseer that QV had commissioned as &quot;Shadow&quot; to show her grief. It was called ''Her Majesty at Osborne, 1866''. The center of this painting is dominated by black.&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In it, the queen [sits] sidesaddle on a sleek dark horse, dressed in her customary black. She [is] reading a letter from the dispatch box on the ground, next to her dogs. Opposite [is] a tall figure in a black kilt and jacket solemnly holding [634–635] the horse’s bridle. ...&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;It caused a scandal. The ''Saturday Review'' art critic wrote: &quot;If anyone will stand by this picture for a quarter of an hour and listen to the comments of visitors he will learn how great an imprudence has been committed.&quot; It was not long before the gossip became crude: Were the queen and Mr. Brown lovers? Was she pregnant with his child? Had they secretly married? In 1868, an American visitor said he was gobsmacked by constant, crass jokes about the queen commonly referred to as &quot;Mrs. Brown.&quot; &quot;I have been told,&quot; he wrote, &quot;that the Queen was insane, and John Brown was her keeper; the Queen was a spiritualist, and John Brown was her medium.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Victoria adored the painting and ordered an engraving.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (634–635 of 1203)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1871 March 21''', Princess Louise and John Campbell, Marquis of Lorne, were married.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Supplement.&quot; ''The London Gazette'' 24 March 1871 (23720) Friday: 1587 https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/23720/page/1587.&lt;/ref&gt; QV wore rubies as well as diamonds.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|644 of 1203}}

'''1871, end of, around the time of Bertie's illness with typhoid, by this time''', according to Lucy Worseley, QV had decided never to wear color again (a decision she had made after the first year of full mourning Albert's death?) and had developed her &quot;brand.&quot; She had not made many personal appearances, but because of her photographs, the carte-de-visite with Albert, and her memoirs about the Highlands, she was known to her subjects:&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria was extraordinary in her dedication to black. If wearing mourning was a [413–414] demand for greater-than-usual understanding, it’s certainly true that she felt entitled to it for the rest of her life. Mourning was turned into a sort of disguise for her. It indicated that she was a victim, bereaved, which was a way of pre-empting criticism. And within the conventions of black, Victoria insisted that her clothes be cut in a way that she found comfortable and convenient: a bodice with only light boning, a skirt with capacious pockets. She no longer followed fashion; she had created a fashion all her own. [new paragraph] Victoria’s black clothing also had terrific ‘brand value’ in creating a recognisable royal image. Although she rarely appeared in person, Victoria’s physical appearance was more widely known than ever before. In 1860, she and Albert had taken the decision to allow photographs of themselves to be published on cartes de visite, highly collectible little rectangles of illustrated cardboard. Within two years, between three and four million of these cards depicting the queen had been sold. &lt;sup&gt;27&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|27 Plunkett (2003) p. 156.&quot;}} The people who bought them understood that they were in possession of something more potent than a lithograph or an engraving. The effect, in terms of making the queen’s subjects feel they ‘knew’ her, has been compared by the Royal Collection’s photography curator to the sensational 1969 television [414–415] documentary series, Royal Family.&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;28 Dimond and Taylor (1987) p. 20&quot;}} So even if Victoria had been bodily absent from public life for the last decade, in paper form she had been more present than ever.&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;29 ''The Photographic News'' (28 February 1862) quoted in Dimond and Taylor (1987) p. 22&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|413–414, nn. 27, 28. 29, p. 707}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1872 February 27''', thanksgiving service for Bertie's survival in St. Paul's Cathedral:&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria was bored in the church, and found St. Paul’s &quot;cold, dreary and dingy,&quot; but the roars of millions who stood outside in the cold under a lead-colored sky made her triumphant, and she pressed Bertie’s hand in a dramatic flourish. It was &quot;a great holy day&quot; for the people of London, ''The Times'' declared gravely. They wished to show the queen she was as beloved as ever. Their delight at seeing her in person was as much a cause for celebration as Bertie’s recovery.

This moment revealed something that Bertie would quickly grasp though his mother had not: the British public requires ceremony and pageantry, and the chance to glimpse a sovereign in finery. It was not a republic her subjects were hankering for, but a visible queen. As Lord Halifax said, people wanted their queen to look like a queen, with a crown and scepter: &quot;They want the gilding for their money.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|655 of 1203}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1878 December 14''', Princess Alice died.

'''1879 June 1''',&lt;ref name=&quot;:32&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-11-29|title=Louis-Napoléon, Prince Imperial|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Louis-Napol%C3%A9on,_Prince_Imperial&amp;oldid=1324821881|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Louis Napoleon, son of Eugénie, &quot;to whom Victoria ... had become devotedly attached, was killed in the Zulu War.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt;{{rp|432 of 555}}

'''1880 February 5''', Queen Victoria attended the state opening of Parliament. She wrote in her journal&lt;blockquote&gt;I wore the same dress, black velvet, trimmed with minniver, my small diamond crown &amp; long veil. Got in, at the Great Entrance, &amp; went in the new state coach which is very handsome with much gilding, a crown at the top, &amp; a great deal of glass, which enables the people to see me. ... Beatrice stood to my right, Leopold to my left. Bertie, Affie &amp; Arthur were all there.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (707 of 1204)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1881 April 19''', Benjamin Disraeli, Lord Beaconsfield died.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|title=Benjamin Disraeli|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Benjamin_Disraeli&amp;oldid=1335428395|journal=Wikipedia|date=2026-01-29|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

'''1882 March 2''',&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt; (152 of 223) the 7th and last assassination attempt on QV, by Roderick Maclean, another adolescent male possibly not intent on killer her, although his pistol was loaded.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt;{{rp|433 of 555}}

'''1882 April 27''', Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and Princess Helen of Waldeck married. &quot;The Queen celebrated by wearing white over her black dress for the first time since Albert’s death – it was her own white wedding veil.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|154 of 223}}

'''1883 March 17''', QV fell down stairs in Windsor, probably some marble stairs. She was &quot;lame until July.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;

'''1883 March 27''', QV's Scots servant John Brown died.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|title=John Brown (servant)|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Brown_(servant)&amp;oldid=1312942175|journal=Wikipedia|date=2025-09-23|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

'''1884 March 28''', Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany died.&lt;ref name=&quot;:1&quot; /&gt;

'''1886''', the general election of 1886, according to Lytton Strachey, &quot;the majority of the nation&quot; voted down Home Rule and Gladstone&lt;blockquote&gt;and placing Lord Salisbury in power. Victoria’s satisfaction was profound. A flood of new unwonted hopefulness swept over her, stimulating her vital spirits with a surprising force. Her habit of life was suddenly altered; abandoning the long seclusion which Disraeli’s persuasions had only momentarily interrupted, she threw herself vigorously into a multitude of public activities. She appeared at drawing-rooms, at concerts, at reviews; she laid foundation-stones; she went to Liverpool to open an international exhibition, driving through the streets in her open carriage in heavy rain amid vast applauding crowds. Delighted by the welcome which met her everywhere, she warmed to her work.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt;{{rp|439–440 of 555}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1887''', the Golden Jubilee. Strachey says that QV had begun wearing the color violet in her bonnet by now:&lt;blockquote&gt;Little by little it was noticed that the outward vestiges of Albert’s posthumous domination grew less complete. At Court the stringency of mourning was relaxed. As the Queen drove through the Park in her open carriage with her [444–445] Highlanders behind her, nursery-maids canvassed eagerly the growing patch of violet velvet in the bonnet with its jet appurtenances on the small bowing head.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (444–445 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;

QV wore a bonnet rather than a crown or widow's cap.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (822 of 1204) At dinner on the day of the procession, QV wore a dress, as she says, with &quot;the rose, thistle &amp; shamrock embroidered in silver on it, &amp; my large diamonds.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (824 of 1204)

'''1888 June 15''', Vicky's husband Emperor Frederick (Fritz) died.

'''1890 July 15''', Garden Party at Marlborough House with QV as the most important guest, with some description of QV's dress, more details in the descriptions of the dresses of some of the other women:&lt;blockquote&gt;But if not favoured with model &quot;Queen's weather,&quot; a good imitation set in as the Life Guards struck up &quot;God Save the Queen,&quot; and her Majesty descended the flight of steps on the Prince of Wales's arm, and slowly passed through the eager ranks of her assembled subjects. Her Majesty was conducted to a canopy at the lower end of the garden, and was soon surrounded by children and grandchildren; she walked with the aid of a stick, but did not appear to be troubled by rheumatism, and moved without difficulty. The Queen's dress was of black striped [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Broché|broché]], a lace shawl, and black bonnet, trimmed with white roses. She talked to people to right and left, and looked smiling and happy. ...

AN ACCOUNT OF SOME OF THE DRESSES.

Her Majesty was attired completely in black, with the slight relief of white flowers in her black bonnet.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;From One Who Was There.&quot; &quot;The Marlborough House Garden Party.&quot; ''Pall Mall Gazette'' 15 July 1890 (Tuesday): p. 5, Col. 1. ''British Newspaper Archive'' http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000098/18900715/016/0006 (Accessed April 2015).&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1891 January 14''', Albert Victor (Eddy), Bertie's and Alex's son, died of pneumonia.&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|190 of 223}}

'''1893 February 28, Tuesday, 3:00 p.m''', QV hosted a Queen's drawing-room at Buckingham Palace:&lt;blockquote&gt;Her Majesty wore a dress and train of rich black silk, trimmed with crape and chenille. Headdress and coronet of diamonds and pearls. Ornaments — Pearls. Her Majesty wore the Star and Ribbon of the Garter, the Orders of Victoria and Albert, the Crown of India, the Prussian Order, the Spanish and Portuguese Orders, the Russian Order of St. Catherine, and the Hessian and Bulgarian Orders.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;The Queen's Drawing Room.&quot; ''Morning Post'' 1 March 1893, Wednesday: 7 [of 12], Col. 6a–7c [of 7]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000174/18930301/072/0007. Same print title and p.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1895 December 14''', George and May's 2nd son, who would become Elizabeth II's father, was born. Thinking of the anniversary of Albert's and Alice's deaths, QV &quot;said that the child might be a gift of God.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|191 of 223}}

'''1896 September 26''', QV wrote in her journal, &quot;Today is the day on which I have reigned longer, by a day, than any English sovereign.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|191 of 223}}

'''1897 April 4''', QV vacations in Nice, as she did almost every year, and a little on her &quot;uniform&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;The pattern of her hotel days in Cimiez, an upmarket suburb on a hill behind Nice, was undemanding. She was dressed by the servants who were almost a second family. One of her wardrobe maids spent the night on call in the dressing room just next door to her bedroom.&lt;sup&gt;12&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;12 Stoney and Weltzien, eds. (1994) pp. 11–12&quot;}} At half past seven, the maid on the next shift would come into Victoria’s bedroom to open the green silk blinds and shutters. Her silver hairbrush, hot water, folded towels and sponges were all laid out by these wardrobe maids. Her pharmacist’s account book records the purchase of beauty products such as ‘lavender water’, ‘Mr Saunders’ Tooth Tincture’ and ‘cakes of soap for bath’.&lt;sup&gt;13&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;13 Royal Pharmaceutical Society, account book for ‘The Queen’ (1861–1869)&quot;}} [new paragraph] Victoria’s clothes were handled by the dressers, who were better paid than the maids. Their duties, ran Victoria’s instructions, included ‘scrupulous tidiness and exactness in looking over everything that Her Majesty takes [510–511] off … to think over well everything that is wanted or may be wanted’.&lt;sup&gt;14&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;14 Staniland (1997) p. 186&quot;}} Her black silk stockings with white soles had for decades been woven by one John Meakin, while Anne Birkin embroidered the garments with ‘VR’.&lt;sup&gt;15&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;15 Quoted in King (2007) p. 100&quot;}} Victoria grew fond of faithful servants like Anne, and even had Birkin’s portrait among her collection of photographs. Despite their sombre aspect, even her mourning gowns were finely made. She had settled into a series of very minor variations upon a square-necked bodice and skirt, customised with quirky little pockets for keys and seals, all cut pretty much the same to save her the trouble of fittings. On her head went a white cap, with streamers of lace, and round her neck a locket containing miniatures of two of her children: Alice, now lost to diphtheria, and Leopold, to haemophilia.&lt;sup&gt;16&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;16 Princess Marie Louise (1956) p. 141&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; {{rp|510–511; nn. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, p. 722}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
[[File:Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Service, 22 June 1897.jpg|alt=Old painting of very large crowd and an old woman dressed in black in a carriage in the center|thumb|Diamond Jubilee Thanksgiving Service on the Steps of St. Paul's]]

==== Diamond Jubilee ====
'''1897 June 22, Diamond Jubilee''', with Thanksgiving service on the steps of St. Paul's, painted in 1899 by Andrew Carrick Gow (right; better image at https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/queen-victorias-diamond-jubilee-service-22-june-1897-51041). QV stayed in the carriage for the service.

Worsley says, QV's dress had &quot;decorative 'panels of grey satin veiled with black net &amp; steel embroideries, &amp; some black lace'&quot;&lt;blockquote&gt;Rising from her bed, Victoria dressed, as always, in black. The crowds who saw her today would consider her ‘dress of black silk’ to be [532–533] modest and widowly, almost dingy. Her taste in clothing had become ever more subdued. Departing from Windsor Castle to travel to Buckingham Palace for these few days of the Jubilee, she’d been worried about the stains the sooty train to Paddington might leave on her outfit. ‘I could have cried,’ said the woman who ran the draper’s shop in Windsor, ‘to see Her Majesty start for the Jubilee in her second-best “mantle” – after all the beautiful things I had sent her.’7{{rp|7 Weintraub (1987) p. 581}}

If you’d had the chance to examine the queen’s outfit closely, though, you’d’ve seen that it was in fact sombrely splendid, her black cape embroidered with swirling silver sequins, huge pearls hanging from each ear and upon the gown itself decorative 'panels of grey satin veiled with black net &amp; steel embroideries, &amp; some black lace'.

Round her neck now went a ‘lovely diamond chain’, a Jubilee present from her younger children, while her ‘bonnet was trimmed with creamy white flowers &amp; white aigrette’.&lt;sup&gt;8&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|8 RA QVJ/1897: 22 June}} This bonnet, worn with resolution, had caused some upset. Her government had asked its queen to appear more … queenly. ‘The symbol that unites this vast Empire is a Crown not a bonnet,’ complained Lord Rosebery. But Victoria stoutly refused, and ‘the bonnet triumphed’. She would [533–534] wear it today, just as she’d worn it at her Golden Jubilee a decade before.&lt;sup&gt;9&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;9 Ponsonby (1942) p. 79&quot;}} The queen looked just like a ‘wee little old lady’. The only touch of colour about her black-clad figure was her ‘wonderful, blue, childlike eyes’.&lt;sup&gt;10&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|10 Smyth (1921) p. 99}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|532–534 of 786; nn. 7, 8, 9, 10, p. 727}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

One source somewhere, however, says there was some purple in her bonnet.

She carried &quot;a black chiffon parasol. It was a gift from the House of Commons, presented to her two days earlier by its oldest member, who was ninety-five.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|539 of 786}}

According to A. N. Wilson, QV was &quot;dressed in grey and black&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;In the case of Queen Victoria, the intensity of crowd reaction was especially strong, because she made public parade of herself so seldom. The emotional atmosphere was overpowering on that hot, sunny day. The Queen, dressed in grey and black, but smiling and bowing, held a parasol above her and bowed her smiling head to left and right as the landau passed through the streets of London – Constitution Hill, to Hyde Park Corner; then along [976–977] Piccadilly, down St James's Street to Pall Mall, past all the clubs, into Trafalgar Square, up the Strand and into Ludgate Hill to St Paul’s.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|976–977 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

The bonnet QV wore for the Diamond Jubilee Procession was decorated with diamonds according the ''Lady's Pictorial'':&lt;blockquote&gt;I HEAR on reliable authority that, although the fact has hitherto escaped the notice of all the describers of the Diamond Jubilee Procession, the bonnet worn by the Queen on that occasion was liberally adorned with diamonds. It is a tiny bit of flotsam, but worth rescuing, as every detail of the historic pageant will one day be of even greater interest than it is now.&lt;ref name=&quot;:14&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;At least 3 official photographs show QV and made available as cabinet cards (2 anyhow) for this Jubilee:

# One was made in 1893 at the time of George and Mary's wedding. It was made by W. &amp; D. Downey and is in the Royal Collection (https://www.rct.uk/collection/2912658/queen-victoria-1819-1901-diamond-jubilee-portrait)
# One was made in July 1896 by Gunn &amp; Stuart and published as a cabinet card by  Lea, Mohrstadt &amp; Co. (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom_(by_Gunn_%26_Stuart,_1897).jpg&lt;nowiki/&gt;)
# One was made 5 days after the Jubilee Procession (so, on 27 June 1897).
# One was made by Mullen (according to the Royal Trust [#4]

'''1897 June 27, Sunday''' (or 5 days after the Jubilee procession), QV's official Jubilee photograph.&lt;blockquote&gt;at Osborne, Victoria had an official Jubilee photograph taken, wearing her Jubilee dress and, of course, her wedding lace.&lt;sup&gt;71:&quot;71 RA QVJ/1885: 27 July&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; The whole royal family was becoming familiar with manipulating its photographic image. In 1863, ''The Times'' reported that Vicky and Alice had themselves retouched their brother Bertie’s [551–552] wedding photos.&lt;sup&gt;72&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;:&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;sup&gt;&quot;72The Times, London (9 April 1863) p. 7, quoted in Plunkett (2003) p. 189&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; (The princesses really preferred sitting to an old-fashioned artist, like a sculptor, who excelled in ‘making them look like ladies, while the Photographs are common indeed’.&lt;sup&gt;73&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;: &quot;73 “RA VIC/ADDX/2/211, p. 29&quot;&lt;/sup&gt;) After each new photographic sitting, Victoria ‘carefully criticised’ the results.&lt;sup&gt;74&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;: &quot;74 “Private Life (1897; 1901 edition) p. 69&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; In her later photographs, like this Diamond Jubilee portrait, she was heavily retouched, a double chin removed, inches shaved off her waist. The Photographic News criticised a photo from her Golden Jubilee for making her look as if she had ‘oedematous disease’, a condition where the body bloats up with excess fluid. Her skin had been smoothed to the extent that she looked like a waxwork.&lt;sup&gt;75&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;: &quot;75 “Plunkett (2003) p. 192&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; &lt;sup&gt;fn 771, 72, 73, 74, 75, p. 731&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1897 June 28, Monday''', the Jubilee Garden Party at Buckingham Palace took place, with good weather and about 6,000 attendees.

The ''Lady's Pictorial'' gives detai about QV's dress:&lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen, whom every one delighted to see looking well and bright, evidently not at all the worse for the great doings of last week, was attired in black silk. The front of her dress was veiled with white chiffon, over which was a single tissue of black silken embroidered muslin, the embroidery in a small floral design, with inserted bands of openwork lace. The bodice was of black grenadine with tucks at either side, bordering a front of white chiffon veiled with black embroidered muslin, and the basque finished with a frill of pleated black chiffon. Round the hem were two frills of black chiffon festooned on, and each headed by a tiny puffing. Her Majesty’s cape was of black chiffon over white silk, fitting in slightly at the back to the figure, and finished in front with fichu ends. Round the cape were frills of white silk with over frills of black chiffon. The Queen’s bonnet was black relieved with white, and her Majesty had the sunshade presented to her by her oldest Parliamentary member, Mr. C. Villiers. It was of black satin draped with very fine real Chantilly lace, and with a frill of the same all round. It was lined with soft white silk, and the ebony handle terminated in a gun metal ball, on which was a crown and &quot;V. R. I.&quot; in diamonds.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;The Queen's Garden Party.&quot; ''Lady's Pictorial'' 3 July 1897, Saturday: 55 [of 76], Col. 2a [of 3]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005980/18970703/126/0055. Same print title, p. 27.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

The ''Globe'' described her with perhaps slightly less detail than the other women:&lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen appeared about half-past five in a carriage drawn by two cream-coloured ponies, and '''attended one''' outrider. The Princess of Wales was seated beside the Queen, and the Earl of Lathom walked beside the carriage. Her Majesty drove very slowly twice round the lawn, frequently stopping to speak to one or other of the guests.

The Queen was in black, with a good deal of jet on her mantle, and wore a white lace bonnet, and carried a black parasol, almost covered with white lace. The Princess of Wales was in white silk veiled in mousseline soie, worked over in silver and lace applique, and a mauve tulle toque with flowers to match. After driving round, the Queen entered the Royal tent, where refreshments were served by the Indian attendants. Her Majesty had on her right hand the Grand Duchess of Hesse, dressed in white, with black velvet and ribbons, and a large Tuscan hat, with black and white plumes; on her left the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, in mauve satin, and white aigrette in her bonnet. The Empress Frederick’s black broché gown had a collar of white lace, and her black bonnet was relieved by white flowers, and tied with white tulle strings.&lt;ref name=&quot;:22&quot;&gt;“The Queen’s Garden Party. Brilliant Scene at Buckingham Palace.” ''Globe'' 29 June 1897, Tuesday: 6 [of 8], Col. 3a–c [of 5]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001652/18970629/050/0006. Print p. 6.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|Col. 3b–c}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;From the ''North British Daily Mail'', &lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen was evidently in excellent health, and there was no trace whatever of the fatigues which she has recently undergone. Indeed she walked with greater ease than usual, and really had no need of the proffered help of her attendants. ... The Queen and her daughter were dressed in black, but the former had upon her bonnet a little trimming of delicate white lace, which somewhat toned down the sombre effect of the mourning. Two Highland attendants having taken their places in the rumble, one of them handed to the Queen a black and white parasol, and then the signal to start was given.&lt;ref name=&quot;:02&quot;&gt;&quot;Jubilee Festivities. The Queen Again in London. Interesting Functions. A Visit to Kensington. The Garden Party.&quot; ''North British Daily Mail'' 29 June 1897, Tuesday: 5 [of 8], Col. 3a–7b [of 9]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002683/18970629/083/0005. Print p. 5.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|Col. 3c}} ...

The Queen wore a black gauze gown over white, and a white lace bonnet.

The Princess of Wales wore white muslin over silk embroidered in silver and lace.

The Empress Frederick wore a black silk dress with a good deal of white lace about the bodice, and a black bonnet with white plumes.&lt;ref name=&quot;:02&quot; /&gt;{{rp|Col. 5c}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1897 June 30, Wednesday''', Royal Banquet at Buckingham Palace, with the Queen in a very ornate dress, with gold and jewels as well as the colors brought by the orders and ribbon of the Garter:&lt;blockquote&gt;over eighty Royal guests. The Queen herself was magnificent!y attired in black renaiscance moiré antique (it is a curious fact that her Majesty never wears satin or velvet, having an antipathy to touching these materials). The whole of the front of the dress was embroidered in a magnificent design with real gold thread. There was a waved band of gold in the pattern, enclosing suns and stars, all of gold, raised from the surlace of the silk; the suns had centres of jewels, and the whole design was richly jewelled, and was bordered at either side by coquillés of real lace. This embroidery was all wrought at Agra. The bodice was finished with a pointed stomacher of the gold and jewelled work, and across it her Majesty wore the blue riband of the Garter and many magnificent Orders.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Court &amp; Society Notes.&quot; ''Lady's Pictorial'' 3 July 1897, Saturday: 56 [of 76], Col. 2c [of 3]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005980/18970703/282/0056. Print title same, p. 28.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;The assertion that she never wore satin or velvet doesn't seem right (e.g., see Bassano 1882 dress).

'''1899''', Susan B. Anthony attended a reception at Windsor Castle and met QV: to look at &quot;her wonderful face&quot; was a &quot;thrill.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|852 of 1203}}

=== Her Dresses ===
#'''1822''': Wikipedia page #2, painting (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria), Victoria and her mother, Duchess of Kent, by William Beechey. Victoire is in mourning, Victoria is holding a portrait of her father. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/407169/victoria-duchess-of-kent-1786-1861-with-princess-victoria-1819-1901.
##&quot;After William Beechey.&quot; Wikimedia Commons, possibly a contemporary copy of the painting: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sir_William_Beechey_(1753-1839)_-_Victoria,_Duchess_of_Kent,_(1786-1861)_with_Princess_Victoria,_(1819-1901)_-_RCIN_407169_-_Royal_Collection.jpg
#'''1827''', an engraving of a bust of Victoria (from a 1908 book) by Plant, after Stewart's painted miniature: she is wearing family honors on the left shoulder of her dress; she is about 6 years old in this image; she looks like a princess. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Letters_Of_Queen_Victoria,_vol_1_-_H.R.H._The_Princess_Victoria,_1827.png
#'''1835 August 10 [maybe 1837?]''': print portrait of a teenaged QV published in Chapter 2 of Millicent Garrett Fawcett's 1895 ''Life of Her Majesty Queen Victoria'' (but possibly published in 1835 in a magazine?). QV's dress is in the off-the-shoulder romantic style with a high, Empire waist. She is wearing a 4-strand necklace, probably pearls, and large dangling earrings, with a 4-strand pearl bracelet on her right arm. She has a glove on her left hand, not elbow length but definitely longer than wrist length, and she is wearing a wire net-like headdress on the top of her head that contracted to contain and shape her hair. A very similar image was published in ''The Graphic'' on 26 January 1901 claiming that QV was 17; the image is not identical, but must have been made from the same sitting (the 1901 image is full length and her left hand is empty). The caption for the image from ''The Graphic'' — &quot;The Queen at the Age of Seventeen&quot; — says that it came from a painting by George Hayter.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://viewer.library.wales/5254866#?xywh=-3550,-523,12266,7776|title=The Life of Queen Victoria ... National Library of Wales Viewer|website=viewer.library.wales|language=en|access-date=2026-03-18}}&lt;/ref&gt; Wikimedia Commons 1895 image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Life_of_Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_-_Victoria_Aug_10th_1835.png. 1901 ''Graphic'' image, National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/5254866#?xywh=-3550%2C-523%2C12266%2C7776. Wikimedia Commons ''Graphic'' 1901 image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_life_of_Queen_Victoria_Claremont,_where_the_Queen_spent_the_happiest_days_of_her_childhood_-_the_South_side,_the_view_from_the_ballroom_;_the_Queen_at_the_age_of_seventeen_(from_the_painting_by_Sir_George_Hayter)_(5254866).jpg.
#'''1836''': print of Winterhalter portrait, QV surrounded by books, empire dress and jewelry. Very stylish and up-to-date fashion, off the shoulder, with some frou-frou, but not contrasting colors for the frou-frou. The skirt is divided into 2 parts at about the knees by a wide band of trim. This design with the divided skirt and non-contrasting frou-frou lasted her entire life (maybe with a break when Albert was alive?). She did it a lot but not exclusively, but enough for it to be characteristic. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Princess_Victoria_in_1836.png
#'''1837''': print of watercolor portrait&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2024-09-04|title=John Deffett Francis|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Deffett_Francis&amp;oldid=1244015737|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; by John Deffett Francis of Victoria, who was not queen yet: print &quot;to William 4th &amp; Leopold, King of Belgium&quot;; V is wearing a cap with a lacy edge around her face, with a wide-brimmed bonnet, trimmed with ribbon and a veil; no jewelry, dress is off the shoulder, fabric appears to be silk, with gathers, with a dark shawl trimmed with dark lace; she is holding a folding fan; dark slippers. Dash romping at her feet. Unostentatious outfit but appears to be exquisitely made with quality materials. Not loaded up with frou-frou, simply made but high-quality. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674631#?xywh=-1346%2C976%2C7852%2C4710; Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Most_Gracious_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(4674631).jpg
#'''1837 Summer''', probably: print by Richard James Lane of a watercolor by Alfred Edward Chalon. Idealized portrait of QV between the accession and the coronation. The portrait has her features but is not a good likeness. The British Museum description says, &quot;seated to left looking to right; wearing a lace collar, ruffled cape and black satin apron said to have been embroidered by herself, holding letter and handkerchief; on terrace with view of St George’s chapel, Windsor.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Her Majesty the Queen.&quot; O'Donoghue 1908-25 / Catalogue of Engraved British Portraits preserved in the Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum (108). Object: 1912,1012.76. 

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1912-1012-76&lt;/ref&gt; The bodice has huge sleeves, narrow at the wrist but puffing out over the elbows. The fabric of the dress looks like moiré. The black apron on her lap, though she may have embroidered it, seems odd, like why would the new queen wear an apron, even a decorative one? The plain hairstyle, the apron and what may be a bonnet on the tile floor to her left do not present her as regal but as simple and girly, perhaps as a contrast to the excesses of the prior courts. British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1912-1012-76. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Her_Majesty_the_Queen_(BM_1912,1012.76).jpg.
#'''1837 November''': portrait of QV standing in the royal box at the Drury Lane Theatre by Edmund Thomas Parris (this image is a contemporary copy of Parris's painting). Not a very strong likeness and so highly idealized that her clothing isn't readable. Also, the color may not be true; this copy may be too red. She has decorative gauntlets on her gloves, a transparent black lace shawl, the ribbon of the Order of the Garter, some tiara or diadem that could be the Fringe Tiara except that the metal is wrong, complicated lace things with dags at the turned-back cuffs. She is holding a few flowers in a bouquet holder and a lace-trimmed handkerchief; on the ledge in front of her are the program, with a bookmark, a folded fan and a folded material that might be supposed to be ermine? can't tell. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_at_the_theatre.jpg. This image was published in the 21 May 1887 ''Supplement to Pen and Pencil'': https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_in_1837_(BM_1902,1011.8639).jpg.
#'''1838''': etching of QV riding side saddle, caption says, &quot;Her Majesty the Queen on Her Favourite Charger '''Thxxx'''&quot;; published in 1840, after a painting by Ed. Curcould; etching by Fredk A. Heath; riding habit and top hat with veil, falling collar, tie may be 4-in-hand (Wikimedia Commons copy, from L. Strachey's 1921 biog: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Queen_Victoria_in_1838.png). British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/image/1454391001
#'''1838''', stipple engraving of a waist-up portrait of QV by James Thomson, yet another idealized coronation portrait not drawn from life. Filet in her hair with pendant pearl at the center part, pearl earrings and necklace we've never seen before. Neck length is highly flattering. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Majesty_the_Queen_Victoria_(4674629).jpg
#'''1838''': stipple engraving of a flattering portrait of QV by Frederick Christian Lewis, probably not drawn from life. She is wearing a bonnet with a large brim over a cap with lace ruffles, the brim is covered with gathered fabric, sort of a halo effect. The off-the-shoulder style of the dress was fashionable, as are the sloped shoulders. Dark shawl over a light dress. She is wearing light gloves. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674631#?xywh=2044%2C1782%2C928%2C588. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Most_Gracious_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(4674631).jpg
#'''1838''': 2 George Hayter portraits of QV, plus a painting of the coronation: 
##Portrait of QV with her hand on a Bible and light shining on her upturned face, wearing the white dress worn after the peers swore allegiance and before the crown is placed on her head. The St. Edward's crown is on 2 pillows with the scepter. She is wearing an enormous elaborate robe over a sheer, lacy white dress, but the complexity of the layers and perhaps the artistic license make it impossible to really describe how the garments were constructed. The gold brocade robe with fringed edges is spectacular but does not match Worsley's description of the robe QV wore as she entered the Abbey. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_taking_the_Coronation_Oath_by_George_Hayter_1838.jpg 
##in Wikimedia Commons called ''Queen Victoria Enthroned in the House of Lords''. It may not have been drawn from life; Hayter's painting of the wedding cannot really be seen as a historical record of what occurred, and so this may not have been what she wore at the coronation. QV seated on the lion's head chair or throne, with the St. Edward's crown on a table to her right. She is wearing the Diamond Diadem and the coronation necklace and earrings. She is wearing an ermine-lined red velvet robe tied together at the waist with a tasseled gold cord. A jeweled &quot;collar&quot; falls from her right shoulder to her waist and then goes back up to her left shoulder. Her dress is not the dress she wore to the coronation, white satin with gold embroidery. This one appears to be a silver and gold brocade with a deep gold fringe at the bottom. She is traditionally corseted. She has a white glove on her left hand, which rests on the other glove. The gloves are decorated with a double row of gathered lace. The heavily jeweled bodice is off the shoulder. The point of one satin slipper peeks out from under her skirt on the low footrest. Art UK: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/queen-victoria-18191901-enthroned-in-the-house-of-lords-50933. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_Throne.png.
##''The Coronation of Queen Victoria in Westminster Abbey, 28 June 1838,'' Hayter's large painting of the coronation, completed 1840.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/405409/the-coronation-of-queen-victoria-in-westminster-abbey-28-june-1838|title=Sir George Hayter (1792-1871) - The Coronation of Queen Victoria in Westminster Abbey, 28 June 1838|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-04-22}}&lt;/ref&gt; Hayter made drawings during the coronation ceremony and then recreated Westminster Abbey as he preferred, rather than painting what the Abbey actually looked like. QV is wearing the Imperial Crown of State, but this is the moment after the coronation when the peers put on their coronets. The painting has 64 individual portraits painted in their gowns and robes by Hayter later. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/405409/the-coronation-of-queen-victoria-in-westminster-abbey-28-june-1838; Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coronation_of_Queen_Victoria_28_June_1838_by_Sir_George_Hayter.jpg.
#'''1838''': Thomas Sully portrait of QV
##'''1838 May 15''': study for the full-length portrait by Thomas Sully, bust, bare shoulders, no clothing for analysis, but romantic and sensual, crown, possibly coronation necklace. &quot;This oil sketch was painted '''from during''' several sittings in the spring of 1838, just before the coronation, in preparation for a full-length portrait. Victoria, who wears a diamond diadem, earrings, and necklace, is said to have considered this a nice picture.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (11) Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/12702. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_MET_DT5422.jpg
##Full-length portrait, which QV sat for and which Sully finished after having returned to the US. Not sure which crown this is, neither of the coronation crowns. Very flattering of Victoria, who is in her state robe with a white dress. Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/14826. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Thomas_Sully_in_the_Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art.jpg.
##Copy from the Sully full-length portrait of head and bust by W. Warman, though not a faithful copy, as if he was copying the painting without having it in front of him. National Portrait Gallery: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw06507/Queen-Victoria. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_by_W._Warman_after_Thomas_Sully.jpg.
#'''1838''': engraved mezzotint print from a painting by Agostino Aglio the Elder (https://www.lelandlittle.com/items/384935/antique-portrait-of-a-young-queen-victoria/), which cannot have been painted from life. QV is dressed as if for her coronation, with the St. Edward's crown and the throne in the background. The face does not look like Victoria's, the dress with its ermine hem is not a representation of any dresses we're aware of, and the robe with its transparent falling sleeves is not the official coronation robe. The mezzotint by James Scott shows detail more clearly than the painting does, which is dark. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Queen_of_the_United_Kingdom.jpg
#'''1838 August 5''': engraving of QV, published in ''The News'' on this date, may not have been taken from life. She may be wearing the white satin with gold embroidery dress she wore to Westminster Abbey; the crown on her head is not the Imperial State Crown; she is wearing long earrings (which we've never seen before) and no necklace. The cape has a shorter layer on top, trimmed in bands of gold, it looks like, which we've also never seen before. Her right hand is wearing a glove, probably silk, pushed down to 3/4 length. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674621#?xywh=-2124%2C-568%2C8542%2C7730. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_(4674621).jpg  
#'''1839''': engraving of Edwin Landseer portrait of QV in a very flattering and fashionable riding habit, less masculine than some, ribbon and badge of the Order of the Garter, top hat with veil, corseted, with the jacket fitted, large sleeves to the elbow, fitted below the elbow; a peplum may be part of the jacket, can't tell; she may be riding side-saddle with the newly invented horn to stabilize the rider. It's a good likeness of Victoria. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Majesty_the_Queen-_1839_(4672716).jpg.  
#1840 February 10: QV's Wedding
##QV's wedding dress on a mannequin. Royal Collection Trust, 3 photos: https://www.rct.uk/collection/71975. Mary Bettans, QV's &quot;longest serving dressmaker,&quot; probably made this wedding dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/71975|title=Mary Bettans - Queen Victoria's wedding dress|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-15}}&lt;/ref&gt; The [https://thedreamstress.com/2011/04/queen-victorias-wedding-dress-the-one-that-started-it-all/ Dreamstress blog posting on QV's wedding dress] has clear photos of her shoes. The Royal Collection description says, in part, &quot;Wedding dress ensemble of cream silk satin; comprising pointed boned bodice lined with silk, elbow length gathered sleeves; deep lace flounces at neck and sleeves and plain untrimmed skirt en suite, gathered into waist with unpressed pleats.&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot; /&gt; The color of the dress is definitely not white now, but the RCT description doesn't suggest that the color has changed. The materials are &quot;Cream silk satin with Honiton lace&quot; and &quot;silk (textile), satin, flowers, lace.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot; /&gt; The &quot;flowers&quot; perhaps explains the wreath of artificial orange blossoms that the mannequin is wearing; the description doesn't say whether the headdress was the one worn by QV at the wedding.
##QV's watercolor sketch of her design for the bridesmaids' dresses: &quot;a white dress trimmed with sprays of roses on the bodice and skirt. A matching spray of roses is shown in her hair. She is wearing white gloves and holding a handkerchief in one hand.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/13/collection/980021-o/design-for-queen-victorias-bridesmaids-dresses|title=Explore the Royal Collection online|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-20}}&lt;/ref&gt; Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/13/collection/980021-o/design-for-queen-victorias-bridesmaids-dresses.
#1840–1842: George Hayter's painting of the moment in the wedding when QV and Albert clasp hands
##1840 February 10 – 1842: George Hayter's wedding portrait at the moment they clasped hands (what was commissioned), sketched at the time, portraits and background filled in later, not an actual depiction of what the chapel looked like, the environment sketched in before the ceremony and the people during the ceremony, followed by people sitting for their individual portrait within the larger painting. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/407165/the-marriage-of-queen-victoria-10-february-1840. Wikimedia Commons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Marriage_of_Queen_Victoria#/media/File:Sir_George_Hayter_(1792-1871)_-_The_Marriage_of_Queen_Victoria,_10_February_1840_-_RCIN_407165_-_Royal_Collection.jpg. Along with almost everybody else, both QV and Albert posed later for the portraits in the painting, QV in March 1840 in, as she says, &quot; Bridal dress, veil, wreath &amp; all.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/407165/the-marriage-of-queen-victoria-10-february-1840|title=Sir George Hayter (1792-1871) - The Marriage of Queen Victoria, 10 February 1840|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-19}}&lt;/ref&gt;
##A number of reproductions of all or part of Hayter's painting were made. Engraving after Hayter's wedding portrait: amazingly tight outfit on Albert, QV has long train with ladies holding it; QV's dress off the shoulder, very lacy: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marriage_of_Queen_Victoria_MET_MM78359.jpg
#'''1840 c.''': miniature of QV by Franz Winterhalter, very idealized; QV is wearing a large pendant on a gold-bead necklace with matching earrings and jeweled fillet, strands of diamonds wrapped around the coiled hair high on the back of her head. Her off-the-shoulder dress is white lace with yellow bows, very girly with an unusual amount of frou-frou. She is wearing a blue sash across her chest from left to right, perhaps the ribbon of the Order of the Garter? Something puffy and pink — perhaps a shawl? — is over the dress. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_La_reine_Victoria.jpg
#'''1840 c.''': mezzotint print of QV by T. W. Huffam, may not have been drawn from life, and not perfectly realistic. QV is wearing a cap on the back of her head and perhaps a double row of what might be pearls across the top of her head, with pearl drop earrings. Off-the-shoulders cream-colored dress with pleating around the neckline and from the waist down. Broach at the center of the neckline, ring on her left hand; possible heavy chain bracelet on her left wrist. Colorful red-and-blue patterned shawl; what may be the Ribbon of the Order of the Garter, but on the wrong shoulder (and color is too dark, but the color may not be true); probably an odd wadded-up handkerchief in her right hand, with a lacy edge. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674795#?xywh=935%2C2586%2C2207%2C1324. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Gracious_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(4674795).jpg
#'''1840''': QV and Albert return from the wedding at St. James's Palace
##1840 February 10: engraving by S. Reynolds (after F. Lock). May not have been made from life, the dress QV is wearing does not match the descriptions of any of the dresses she wore that day. Albert is dressed more or less the way he was for the wedding. This is an image of how she was imagined by the artist or perceived by the public, not how she looked. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wedding_of_Queen_Victoria_and_Prince_Albert.jpg
##F. Lock
#'''1840''': not very realistic illustration of Edward Oxford's assassination attempt on QV (illustration by Ebenezer Landells; lithograph by J. R. Jobbins). We see QV in white, with a yellow bonnet and something white streaming, veil or shawl, protected by heroic male figure, Albert? or the driver? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edward_Oxford_tries_to_shoot_Queen_Victoria_in_1840_by_JR_Jobbins.jpg
#'''1840''': 2 versions of what looks like the same portrait of QV by John Partridge, one painting in Dublin Castle and another in the Royal Collection Trust, both apparently made by Partridge with sittings in September and October 1840.&lt;ref name=&quot;:16&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/403022/queen-victoria-1819-1901|title=John Partridge (1790-1872) - Queen Victoria (1819-1901)|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-02-27}}&lt;/ref&gt; QV is in black formal dress with red background and objects associating her with Albert. The RCT description: &quot;The Queen, in a black evening dress with a black and silver head-dress, wears the ribbon and star of the Garter and the Garter round her left arm. She stands with her hand resting on a letter on the table. The gilt metal inkstand set with semi-precious stones was a present from Prince Albert to the Queen on her birthday, 24 May 1840. The bracelet on her right arm is set with a miniature portrait of Prince Albert by Sir William Ross for which the Prince had sat in February and March 1840 and the locket round her neck was given to her by Prince Albert.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:16&quot; /&gt; QV's modest, black velvet, off-the-shoulder dress is very Romantic. The puffed sleeves have a separate, fine lace ruffle that is shorter over the front of the arm and longer in back. She is holding a large white lace handkerchief and a folding fan.
##The Royal Collection Trust painting may have been restored or conserved differently because it is lighter and the background is much brighter red. Besides the interesting black headdress with a silver fringe on two levels, attached possibly to a bun on the back of her head, she is wearing a [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Ferronnière|ferronnière]] with a large brooch-like jewel piece in the center front. This version of the painting was probably a gift to Albert for Christmas 1840.&lt;ref name=&quot;:16&quot; /&gt; https://www.rct.uk/collection/403022/queen-victoria-1819-1901. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Partridge_1840.jpg.
##The painting in Dublin Castle is much darker and QV's necklace and headdress are different. In this case, she is wearing the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#The Diamond Diadem|Diamond Diadem]] rather than the less-official ferronnière. Dublin Castle: https://dublincastle.ie/the-state-apartments/queen-victoria/. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Dublin_Castle.jpg.
#'''1841''': print of drawing of QV, stylish and romantic look, braids loops around her ears, off the shoulders, corseted, wearing honors, elbow-length lace-edged sleeves, full skirts, holding folding fan and lacy handkerchief in her left hand, very stylish pointed waist: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_victoria_by_DESMAISONS,_PIERRE_EMILIEN_-_GMII.jpg
#'''1841''': watercolor miniature by George Freeman of a pretty good likeness of QV for Mrs Andrew Stevenson, the wife of the American ambassador. QV is in white evening dress, red shawl with orange trim, ribbon of the Order of the Garter, tiara on the back of her head, miniature of Albert on her right wrist, wedding ring, hair in braided loops in front of the ears, very lacy at the elbows and top of bodice but otherwise no frou-frou. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/421456/queen-victoria-1819-1901. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Miniature_portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_(1819-1901),_1841.jpg.
#'''1841 March 21''': mezzotint print of QV and Vicky as a baby (Ellen Cole made the original art, G. H. Phillips made the messotint, printmaker Henry Graves &amp; Co.)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://wellcomecollection.org/works/wthk5hpy|title=Queen Victoria with the infant Princess Victoria on her lap. Mezzotint by G.H. Phillips after E. Cole, 1841.|website=Wellcome Collection|language=en|access-date=2025-10-15}}&lt;/ref&gt;, unclear what kind of dress QV is wearing, could be morning dress or even negligé, although she is wearing jewelry and a cap, appears to be wearing a corset, but the fabric of this loose and flowing dress is very likely silk, some sheer, very feminine, limp lace ruffles, unstiffened silk; could be a christening outfit?, Vicky is also wearing sheer flowing fabric, has a cap with stiffened ruffle, around the neck, unstiffened ruffle: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_the_infant_Princess_Victoria_Adelaide_Wellcome_V0048381.jpg
#1842: portrait by Winterhalter of QV in her wedding dress. This pose is a recreation; the lower half of the skirt is lace covered. QV is facing left, holding a length of lace and a small bouquet of flowers. Tiara on the back of her head, pendant on a gold chain around her neck, perhaps the sapphire brooch, and rings. QV sat for the painting &quot;in June and July 1842. The Queen wears a dress of heavy ivory satin, enhanced by a bertha and a deep flounce of lace like those on her wedding dress (see Figure 39). Her jewelry includes a diadem of sapphires and diamonds, the huge sapphire-and-diamond brooch given to her by Prince Albert on their wedding day, and the Order of the Garter insignia.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (15) &quot;The portrait was completed in August and set into the wall of the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle. Winterhalter was immediately commissioned to paint at least three copies, and a number of others exist, including enamel miniatures that the Queen had made up into bracelets for her friends.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (15)
#'''1843''': portrait by Winterhalter, bust of QV, bare shoulders, hair has fallen down, simple jewelry, sensual, sexual, romantic: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter_(1805-73)_-_Queen_Victoria_(1819-1901)_-_RCIN_406010_-_Royal_Collection.jpg.
#'''1843''': flattering, fashion-illustration-style portrait by Winterhalter, QV is wearing the Diamond Diadem created for George IV and standing with the Imperial State Crown near her right hand, which means it's not a coronation recreation. She is wearing the mantle of the Garter with its jeweled chain-like collar and St. George hanging from it with the Garter on her left arm. Winterhalter did a companion portrait of Albert at the same time, and they are hanging in the Garter Throne Room in Windsor Castle.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/404388/queen-victoria-1819-1901-0|title=Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-73) - Queen Victoria (1819-1901)|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-02-06}}&lt;/ref&gt; Queen Victoria is wearing the Turkish diamonds necklace and earrings. She has bare shoulders and arms, suggestive of court or evening dress; besides the mantle of the Garter, she is wearing a white dress with a complex overdress that is open at the waist. The skirt of the white dress has gold threads (that might be brocade) with 7 horizontal graduated rows of a soutache-like trim around the bottom 2/3. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/404388/queen-victoria-1819-1901-0. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_1843.jpg.
#'''1843''': line and stipple engraving (by Skelton and Hopwood) of a painting by Eugène Modeste Edmond Lepoittevin. QV visiting Helene, Duchesse d'Orléans at the Château d'Eu (Eu, Normandy, France). Two of the Duchesse d'Orléans' sons are with her in the portrait; she appears to be in mourning with a lot of frou-frou and touches of white. QV is wearing a stylish, romantic (off the shoulder) dress with a small white ruffle at the neck, lacy cuffs at the wrist; the sleeves are divided by 2 rows above the elbow of some kind of 3-dimensional trim; below the elbow the sleeves are fitted. The skirt is very full; her hair is simple, pulled in front of her ears into a bun in the back, with no headdress; she is wearing little or no jewelry. National Portrait Gallery: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw145636/Visit-of-Queen-Victoria-to-the-Duchesse-DOrlans?LinkID=mp93326&amp;role=sit&amp;rNo=0. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Visit_of_Queen_Victoria_to_the_Duchess_of_Orleans.jpg.
#'''1845''': photograph of QV and Vicky, earliest photograph of them, Description from Royal Collection Trust: &quot;They are shown in three quarter view, facing left. The queen is wearing a dark coloured silk gown, with a white lace fichu, adorned with a brooch. The Princess Royal looks directly at the viewer and leans against her mother, nestled under her right arm. She is wearing a dark coloured silk dress, trimmed with white lace. She is wearing a pendant on a black ribbon around her neck, and is holding a doll in her arms.&quot; White v-shaped bodice front connected to the rest of the bodice. Copy from the Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/-/collection/2931317-c (Wikimedia Commons copy: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_the_Princess_Royal_Victoria_c1844-5.png)
#'''1846''': Winterhalter portrait of QV with Bertie, one of a pair of portraits by Winterhalter of QV and Prince Albert. QV is wearing an unusual, off-the-shoulder outfit, no crown but a headdress that is black lace, sheer, ruffled, attached above her ears, with a rose on the left side, no necklace but bracelets and rings and the Order of the Garter ribbon and star. The top of this dress may be a bustier rather than a bodice, resting on rather than attached to the skirt; it is boned and very smooth and comes to a deep point in front, emphasizing her small waist. The skirt may be in two layers, pink satin (to match the bustier or bodice) covered by a sheer black lace-and-tulle overskirt. Bertie is in long pants and a belted &quot;loose Russian blouse&quot; that falls to his knees.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/406945/queen-victoria-with-the-prince-of-wales|title=Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-73) - Queen Victoria with the Prince of Wales|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-03-26}}&lt;/ref&gt; The portrait was a gift to Sir Robert Peel and shows QV in evening dress and Bertie (and Prince Albert in his separate portrait) as a family in nonregal clothing, what Peel called &quot;private society.&quot; Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/406945/queen-victoria-with-the-prince-of-wales. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_the_Prince_of_Wales.jpg.
#'''1846 October – 1847 January''', sittings for Winterhalter family portrait of QV and Albert and 5 children (Vicky, Bertie, Alice, Affie, Helena as a baby). QV is wearing a very ornate white dress with a smooth bodice, with a corset beneath: a lot of lace in her lap, either a large shawl coming around from the back or the top layer of her skirt (?), which is a series of 4 lacy ruffles starting at her knees and going down; gathers over her bust, sleeves are gathered; whole dress is a lot of frou-frou, very white, feminine, soft and flowing. She is wearing an emerald and diamond diadem, part of a parure of other emerald jewelry as well as a locket around her neck. (Albert designed the diadem in 1845, made by Joseph Kitching). Painting was exhibited in 1847 in St. James's Palace and released as an engraving in 1850. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/405413/the-royal-family-in-1846. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter_Family_of_Queen_Victoria.jpg. Engraving: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Queen_Victoria,_Prince_Albert_and_the_Royal_Family.png
#'''1847 February 24''': Winterhalter portrait of QV in a version of her at her wedding, wearing her wedding veil and wreath of orange blossoms in her hair and the sapphire brooch that &quot;Albert gave her on their wedding day and the ear-rings and necklace made from the Turkish diamonds given to her by the Sultan Mahmúd II in 1838.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/20/collection/400885/queen-victoria-1819-1901|title=Winterhalter Portrait of Queen Victoria, 1846|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-31}}&lt;/ref&gt; This portrait is dated 1847, so it is not a portrait of her at her wedding but an anniversary gift for Albert of her dressed as for her wedding. RCT: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/20/collection/400885/queen-victoria-1819-1901 Wikimedia: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1847.jpg
#'''1851 August 30''', line drawing of QV, Albert and Bertie visiting the opening (?) of a train station, published in the ILL. QV's clothing is approximate, but she is wearing a bonnet; we don't know if the artist drew her from life or from his expectation of what she would have looked like, stylish but not haute couture, she looks more middle class? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_visiting_the_GNR.jpg
#'''1854''', portrait Stephen Catterson Smith the Elder. QV in Order of St. Patrick, wearing crown, next to throne; white or cream-colored dress, which looks unironed? horizontal section of the skirt??, off the shoulder, lacy ruffles on top, not much frou-frou, not a cage. Bracelet on her right arm of Albert?, coronation necklace? Standing by the chair with lion's head on the armrest. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_the_sash_of_the_Order_of_St_Patrick,_1854.png
##'''1854''', engraving that is a copy of the Smith portrait. Royal Trust: https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/565054. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_victoria_indian_circlet.jpg. '''Indian circlet'''?
#'''1854''', photograph of QV, Albert, Duchess of Kent and 7 children, boys in kilts, women in what looks like cages, but probably petticoats: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_family.jpg
#'''1854''', photograph by Roger Fenton, QV seated, facing our right, holding a portrait of Albert, light very lacy dress, cap on the back of her head, can't see much detail of the dress: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_1854.jpg
#'''1854 May 11''': Roger Fenton photographs from a session showing either QV and Albert in court dress or one of the recreations of their wedding:
##QV standing, looking to her left, wearing a very floral, lacy light-colored dress that has been called her wedding dress, but the Royal Collection Trust says it's a court dress with a train.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Queen Victoria in court dress 1854.jpg.&quot; ''Wikimedia Commons''. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_in_court_dress_1854.jpg (retrieved March 2026).&lt;/ref&gt; She is wearing the ribbon of the Order of the Garter, a cap perched on top of her head above a wreath or crown of flowers, veil, romantic off-the-shoulder neckline with short puffy sleeves, something fluffy and translucent on the front of her dress (like an apron?), a white glove on her left hand, a bouquet of flowers, and it looks like actual flowers attached to the dress itself. More frou-frou than we've seen on her. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_in_court_dress_1854.jpg.
##Low-resolution photo of QV and Albert facing each other, bouquet on plinth, expensive long lace veil, shawl or big white lace collar?, dress has a lot of frou-frou (including flowers) and texture to break up the solid whiteness: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_victoria_and_Prince_Albert.jpg
#'''1854 May 22''': Roger Fenton photograph of QV, Albert and 7 children, one in a wagon, at Buckingham Palace. Albert is wearing a top hat although they seem to be indoors. QV wearing a bonnet tied under her chin with a big bow, a plaid skirt, thigh-length jacket. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Prince_Albert_%26_royal_children_at_Buckingham_Palace,_1854.jpg
#'''1854 June 30''', photograph by Roger Fenton, QV profile facing our left; very light-colored dress, embroidered (or stamped??) floral pattern on skirt, bodice and sleeves with additional 3-dimensional trim, and apron?, with a wide sash, translucent maybe linen fabric with very fine lace at the edge, very girly; at least one gathered flounce; brimless bonnet on the back of her head, lacy, ribbon, flowers?: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Roger_Fenton.jpg
#'''1855''', Winterhalter portrait: petticoats, lace and satin, a tiara, on the back of her head around the bun, not a symbol of of sovereignty, instead a beautiful decorative piece of jewelry that probably matched her eyes: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter.jpg. Rosie Harte says she is wearing the Sapphire Tiara designed for QV as a wedding present by Albert.
#'''1855 March 10''': Illustrated London News wood engraving showing QV and her entourage visiting wounded soldiers in a hospital. It shows how QV was perceived, not so much what she actually wore. She's shown wearing a bonnet, a thigh-length jacket; her tiered skirt has 3 large ruffles that we can see, dividing it horizontally. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_entourage_visiting_invalided_soldier_Wellcome_V0015776.jpg
#'''1855 April 19''', James Roberts painting of QV, Napoleon III, Eugénie and Albert at Covent Garden, from the perspective of the stage, or at least behind the orchestra. They are dressed formally; QV's white, off the shoulder young-person image, big jewelry; Eugénie looks like she's wearing a cage. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/46/collection/920055/the-queen-visiting-covent-garden-with-the-emperor-and-empress-of-the-french-19. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Napoleon_III_at_the_Royal_Opera_House_19_April_1855.jpg
#'''1856 May 10''', oval half-length portrait of QV by Winterhalter, finished after sittings on 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8 May.&lt;ref name=&quot;:17&quot; /&gt; QV, who thought the portrait was &quot;very like,&quot; is wearing a distinctive off-the-shoulder red velvet dress with burnt-velvet (?) ruffle, the Koh-i-nûr diamond set in a brooch, a necklace with large diamonds (the Coronation necklace? '''Queen Adelaide's necklace'''?) and the ribbon of the Order of the Garter. She is wearing a corset under the dress (the bodice is so smooth and it comes to a point below the waist), with lace at the décolletage and shoulder and possibly a shawl that matches the ruffle. '''The crown is not the Diamond State Diadem but another crown'''. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/406698/queen-victoria-1819-1901. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter_Queen_Victoria.jpg.
#'''1856 December 16''' (lithograph made in 1859), color lithograph of a William Simpson painting showing QV on board a ship being returned to the Brits by Americans. Full-length, winter dress with fur muff, bonnet, matching fur-trimmed coat over dark rich purple and green dress. Albert and some of their children are with her. Library of Congress: https://loc.gov/pictures/resource/pga.03087/. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Simpson_-_George_Zobel_-_England_and_America._The_visit_of_her_majesty_Queen_Victoria_to_the_Arctic_ship_Resolute_-_December_16th,_1856.jpg
#'''1857''': photo of QV and Vicky, Princess Royal, in dark dresses but not mourning, QV has very voluminous ruffled skirt, probably not a cage, wearing a cap: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_daughter_Victoria,_Princess_Royal.jpg
#'''1857''': large painting by George Housman Thomas of QV distributing the first Victoria Crosses in Hyde Park, 26 June 1857, shows large military display in a large field, QV giving out VCs to a long line of soldiers. Related to the 1859 Thomas painting, as QV is wearing another scarlet military jacket, waist is cinched, etc. (see the 1859 painting). If the awarding of the VCs occurred in 1857, this painting would have been later? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_presenting_VC_in_Hyde_Park_on_26_June_1857.jpg
#'''1858 Summer – 14 December 1861, between''', photograph by Southwell, &quot;photographist to the Queen,&quot; of QV wearing a light-colored plaid skirt over a cage and a large dark shawl, reading a piece of paper. (We dated this image between the time she first wore a cage and when Albert died.) She has a cap with a gathered edge under her light-colored bonnet, which has a wide band tied in a bow under her chin with long streamers that hang past her waist. The photograph has been damaged, so patterns on the fabric are impossible to see. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:England_Queen_Victoria.JPG
#'''1859''': Winterhalter portrait, 2 crowns, the one behind her is the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Imperial State Crown|Imperial State Crown]], &quot;coronation necklace and earrings?,&quot; a vast quantity of ermine, diamonds and gold, parliament in the distance. ArtUK: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/queen-victoria-18191901-187983. Wikimedia: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Winterhalter_1859.jpg, on Wikipedia page for &quot;Victorian Era&quot;: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_era. The off-the-shoulder look she wore when she was young, short sleeves, gold lace ruffles on the skirt. Another example of elaborate but not crowded frou-frou. Georg Koberwein made a copy of this painting in 1862.
#'''1859 June''': group photograph that includes QV, Albert, Bertie and Princess Alice (who is wearing a cage) as well as Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders; Infante Luís, Duke of Porto, later King Luís I of Portugal;  and King Leopold I of Belgium. Photograph attributed to Dudley FitzGerald-de Ros, 23rd Baron de Ros. QV is seated, facing her right, wearing a cape (can't tell if it has wide sleeves), a feathered hat that ties under her chin with a wide ribbon down the back, a 3-flounce skirt with dark stripes, wider at the bottom, probably over a cage, the 2 top flounces have gathered lace edging; white lace in her lap and over her right shoulder; holding an umbrella. Royal Collection Trust: https://albert.rct.uk/collections/photographs-collection/childrens-albums/group-portrait-with-prince-albert-leopold-i-and-queen-victoria-0?_ga=2.71530067.1155757026.1769614443-1044324474.1768234449. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Group_photograph_of_Queen_Victoria,_Prince_Albert,_Albert_Edward,_Prince_of_Wales,_Count_of_Flanders,_Princess_Alice,_Duke_of_Oporto,_and_King_Leopold_I_of_the_Belgians,_1859.jpg.
#'''1859 July 9''': 1859–1864 painting by George Housman Thomas of QV, Albert and attendants on horses at Aldershot, QV in military-style, with red jacket with trim at the cuffs collar (though technically the jacket is collarless), wearing sash, honors, white blouse with back necktie, white sleeves gathered at the wrist, sitting side saddle, hat with wide brim, low crown, feminized version of the helmet the men are wearing, complete with red and white feathers. Royal Collection Trust says she is wearing a &quot;scarlet military riding jacket with a General's sash and a General's plume in her riding hat&quot; link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/405295/queen-victoria-and-the-prince-consort-at-aldershot-9-july-1859. Wikimedia link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_the_Prince_Consort_at_Aldershot,_9_July_1859.jpg
#'''1860 May 15''': full-length photograph of QV by John Jabez Edwin Paisley Mayall. Dark dress, white ruffled cap and collar, ornate patchworky shawl with fringe and lace. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_JJE_Mayall,_1860.png
#'''Circa 1861''', photograph of QV, Albert and 9 children by John Jabez Edwin Mayall. Another portrait where Albert is really the center. The women and girls appear to be wearing hoops.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prince_Albert_of_Saxe-Coburg-Gotha,_Queen_Victoria_and_their_children_by_John_Jabez_Edwin_Mayall_(n%C3%A9e_Jabez_Meal).jpg
#'''1861''', full-length photograph of QV by C. Clifford of Madrid; QV is standing mostly profile facing her right, with her head turned slightly to us; state occasion, formal dress with crown and jewelry; short sleeves with light-colored, ornate trim above the elbows; the neckline is at the corner of the shoulder with lace inside, making it be less off-the-shoulder than it looks; cage under the full skirt, train attached at the waist, in the front the train is cut away, towards the back; very clearly a silk, shiny fabric that reflected a lot of light; color is unknown; which crown is this? Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/ppgcfuck/images?id=zbrn4cjm; Wiki Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HM_Queen_Victoria._Photograph_by_C._Clifford_of_Madrid,_1861_Wellcome_V0027547.jpg
#'''1861 March 1''', looks like a session with photographer John Jabez Edwin Paisley Mayall and QV, from while Albert was still alive, dark but not mourning dress, with what may be a large [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Moiré|moiré]] pattern in the fabric. Lots of frou-frou. 2 images from this session:
##Full-length photograph of QV by Mayall. Shiny dark satiny fabric, cage, large white-lace shawl, white collar, white cap on the back of her head, book in front of her on plinth: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria.jpg
##Full-length photograph of QV by Mayall. Shiny dark satiny dress fabric, cage but not the half-sphere, skirt is fuller than the cage, defined waist, more fullness in back, same white collar and cap, sleeve of jacket gets wider at the wrist, showing how full the lacy/ruffly sleeve of the blouse is, large black lace shawl. Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/yuuj2gdr/images?id=fpxwnbzg. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HM_Queen_Victoria,_Empress_of_India._Photograph._Wellcome_V0028492.jpg
#'''Circa 1862''', photo of QV seated with Prince Leopold standing next to her, QV is wearing a heavy cloak with a hood, which is up and covering what she's wearing on her head, which has a white and what may be a ruffled edge. The cloak has a wide band of what might be brocade stitched to the bottom of the cloak; the fabric of the cloak and hood and the skirt beneath may have a nap; she is not wearing a cage. Leopold is wearing short pants and gloves and carries a walking stick; his face may show bruises (or the photo is damaged): (Royal Trust link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2900563/queen-victoria-and-prince-leopold; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Leopold_of_Albany.jpg).
#'''1862''', drawing from a newspaper showing QV and Beatrice of how she was perceived, not how she was: highly idealized image of mother and child, clothing not presented realistically, QV's dress is plain and her identity is that of the loving mother. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Princess_Beatrice_as_baby.jpg
#'''1863''', photograph of QV seated, skirt is full, though she's not wearing hoops; white on head, collar and at wrists. She may not be wearing a corset (per Worsley), but the top is boned. 
##QV is facing our left, 3/4. The top part of her skirt and her sleeves are made of a fabric perhaps with a satin weave, though the bottom half of her skirt is still matte. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Queen_Victoria_in_1863.png.
##Same session, another pose, body still 3/4, but now she is facing the camera. The edges of the matte sections of her skirt and jacket are trimmed with rows of tiny ball fringe, oddly unobtrusive, especially from a distance. She is wearing a white blouse with puffed sleeves under the jacket. George Eastman Collection: https://www.flickr.com/photos/george_eastman_house/3333247605/. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_(3333247605).jpg.
#'''1863''', QV on horse with John Brown holding the bridle
##'''1863''', unattributed photograph of QV at Osborne seated on a horse, with Princess Louise and John Brown nearby. QV is seated side-saddle, has a cap with a hood over it; cap has white ruffled edge; white ruffles at her wrists. Louise is handing QV her whip? and wearing a cage; her skirt is short, ankle-length, several inches above the ground; she wears a thigh-length full jacket. Brown's back is to us, he wears a kilt. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Princess_Louise_and_John_Brown.jpg
##'''1863''', carte-de-visite photograph by George Washington Wilson, QV on Fyvie side-saddle; wearing a cap with a hood over it, cap has white ruffled edge; dark gloves; wide sleeves on the jacket. The black riding habit has a simple surface with little decoration.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_photographed_by_George_Washington_Wilson_(1863).jpg; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_on_%27Fyvie%27_with_John_Brown_at_Balmoral.jpg
#'''1864''', QV seated, holding the future Kaiser Wilhelm (Vicky's eldest), her 1st grandchild
##Willie looking at us, QV right arm around his shoulder, an early version of what became her uniform dress, this one is a winter outfit, and she's bundled up, wearing a white ruffled cap, black bonnet and veil, which may be tied under her chin; gloves; a thigh-length loose jacket with wide sleeves, a deep band of a different fabric for the bottom of her skirt; she may be wearing a brocade vest under the jacket that is not snug against her torso; it looks like she's wearing a corset (the edge near the top button of her vest). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_holding_her_eldest_grandchild_Willy.png
##Willie facing QV, very clear view of her bonnet with scarfy veil; jacket is thigh-length, sleeves widening toward the cuff, may be a blouse underneath, also with full, loose sleeves, edged in white; top part of the full skirt is shiny, deep band of fabric at the bottom is wooly looking, narrow trim between the two parts of the skirt, could be petticoats under the skirt.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_eldest_grandchild_Willy.png
#'''1865–1867''': Edwin Landseer painting of QV on horseback at Osborne, reading letters and dispatches, with John Brown, dressed formally in a kilt, holding the horse's head. (Aquatint print made in c. 1870 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_and_John_Brown_at_Osborne_House_(4674627).jpg&lt;nowiki/&gt;.) See &quot;1867 Spring&quot; in the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Timeline|Timeline]] for a discussion of the painting itself. Princesses Louise and Helena are seated on a park bench in the background. QV is wearing a bonnet tied under her chin with a large bow and a short hood-like veil. This does not look like a fitted riding habit, although the skirt is a riding skirt. The jacket is shorter than her usual thigh-length and has full sleeves that widen toward the wrist. The fitted cuffs of the sleeves of her white blouse extend beyond the jacket sleeve. She has white at her cuffs and on the cap under her bonnet. Except for a ring on her left hand, no jewelry shows. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/403580/queen-victoria-at-osborne. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sir_Edwin_Landseer_(1803-73)_-_Queen_Victoria_at_Osborne_-_RCIN_403580_-_Royal_Collection.jpg
#'''1867''': QV seated with Empress Victoria, both in mourning, but not full mourning, wearing a cage, some frou-frou, probably a cap on her head, because there's no brim, with a short dark veil over it. QV is wearing a [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Paletot|paletot]] with an overskirt with the same fabric and matching trim; the sleeves are not fitted but also not as wide at the wrists as some of her paletots. The bottom of the underskirt has a pleated ruffle. QV has quite a bit of light-colored fabric at her neck that falls down the front of her bodice, although she is not wearing the white shawl. The photograph was overexposed, so we have clarity in the black but the detail for the white parts is obliterated. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Empress_Victoria_Augusta.jpg
#'''1867''', photograph of QV seated, with her back towards us, and the Queen of Prussia (or the Empress Augusta of Germany?), both in mourning, with light-colored umbrella: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Queen_of_England_and_The_Queen_of_Prussia.jpg. Darker image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Empress_Augusta.jpg
#'''1867''', stylized drawing/painting by Takahashi Yūkei, doctor of the Japanese Embassy to Europe in 1862, so may have been drawn from life; black dress may have faded to this purple, honors sash draping is not understandable but it is beautiful; military (?) style hat with aigrette: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Japanese_doctor_Takahashi_Y%C5%ABkei_1862.png
#'''1867''', photograph of QV with border collie Sharp, outdoors, on rugs?. QV is wearing a bonnet with a veil-like scarf that ties under her chin with streamers down the front; the full, thigh-length jacket has long, full sleeves, and the jacket has no trim on it, apparently, at all. The skirt is held out smoothly by a cage, made in 2 fabrics, one satiny and the other wool or something not shiny, with 3-dimensional trim with faceted jet (?) in 3 rows. Shiny black leather gloves, with white ruffled cuffs. She looks heavier-set than she was, perhaps our sense that she was always big comes because she wasn't trying to look thin? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_dog_%22Sharp%22.jpg
#'''1868''', photograph of QV and John Brown by W. &amp; D. Downey. QV is wearing a riding habit and a hat tied under the chin, perhaps with a small plume, the jacket has some decoration. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_mounted_and_John_Brown_by_W._and_D._Downey.png
#'''1869–1879''', QV was in her 60s: &quot;At state occasions in her sixties, Victoria appeared in a black dress, black velvet train, pearls and a small diamond crown.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (480 of 786)
#'''c. 1870''', photograph by Andre-Adolphe-Eugene Disderi (probably not retouched) with QV seated, facing her left, 3/4 profile: that white cap pointed towards the forehead, covering the center part nearly completely, white flat-band collar, whites ruffles at cuffs, heavily trimmed black jacket with short peplum, including ball fringe and braid; the plain-from-a-distance, rich-up-close look: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_c.1870._(7936242480).jpg
#'''1871 September 10''', photograph of QV standing, almost full length, facing our right, with head turned our way, some books on the small table in front of her. The usual dark dress with white blouse with knife pleats and a cap covered with double ruffled lace and with veil down the back; heavy voluminous black shawl, looks like it's wool; it's probably a dress not a suit, with different textures, which are subtle Up close, the black ball-fringe (or bead fringe?) trim is 3-dimensional and different fabrics add another dimension. Skirt has wide band at the bottom, with ball fringe at the top. Wellcome Institute: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/x4hug3jt; Wiki Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria._Photograph._Wellcome_V0018085.jpg.
#'''1874–?''': photograph of QV and Princess Beatrice ice skating on a lake at Eastwell Park, home of Prince Alfred (who got the property in 1874). Can't tell, but QV might be in the sledge chair and Beatrice in the center standing on skates. That woman standing on skates in the center is wearing a cage, which holds her dress out and above the ground. 1874 is late for cages, but the British court was not fashion forward: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_skating_-_Eastwell_Park.jpg
#'''1875''': watercolor copy by Lady Julia Abercromby made in 1883 of an oil painting by Heinrich von Angeli showing QV before adopting the title Empress of India. This is a good example of a slightly formal version of her uniform. She is wearing the usual white cap and veil, clearly lace gathered into double ruffles; square-neck black bodice, sleeves are very wide at the wrists, black with complicated decorative angles layered over white, ruffly. The skirt has a horizontal division with satiny ribbon and wide ruffle (maybe pleated?) and then a border at the bottom that may be brocade; there is a train. Lots of jewelry, including double strand necklace of very large pearls, ribbon and badge of the Order of the Garter and the badge of the Order of Victoria and Albert, pearl brooch, bracelets and rings, holding a large white handkerchief. NPG: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw06517. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Julia_Abercromby.jpg.
#'''1876 May 1''': QV is declared Empress of India. Lytton Strachey says, &quot;On the day of the Delhi Proclamation, the new Earl of Beaconsfield went to Windsor to dine with the new Empress of India. That night the Faery, usually so homely in her attire, appeared in a glittering panoply of enormous uncut jewels, which had been presented to her by the reigning Princes of her Raj.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (414 of 555)
#'''1877 May''': photograph of QV, Princess Beatrice and the Duchess of Edinburgh (probably Maria Alexandrovna Romanova, Affie's wife) by Charles Bergamasco. Impossible to tell how the dress is layered, but it has a lot of frou-frou, but not a lot of lace except for the shawl and the cuffs of her blouse. QV's dress might have 2 different fabrics, like the Duchess's dress; it may have a jacket or vest or both. Her bodice looks like it is boned (assuming she's not wearing a corset). The frou-frou on the skirt are controlled pleated ruffles with tassels, which are more controlled than fringe. Visually very complex outfit, but from a distance, all that complexity would disappear. It would look textured, depending on the distance, at most. All 3 women have high-contrast lapels; 2 fabrics, matte and shiny; big buttons down the front; the 2 younger women have a row of ruffled lace at the neck; all wearing dark fabric, perhaps black. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_The_Duchess_of_Edinburg_and_Prince_Beatrice.jpg
#'''1879''', painting by Tito Conti of QV and Vicky at &quot;Napoleon's boudoir&quot;; Vicky is in mourning, having lost an 11-year-old child in March 1879; the two women are dressed in v different styles: Vicky is stylish, interest at the back of her dress, long train, narrow skirt, haute couture; QV is in her uniform, a hat? perched high on her head, a light-colored fichu? at her neck, black shawl; shorter train and fuller skirt, the shawl hiding how fitted the dress is. The point is the contrast between the 2 styles. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_eldest_daughter_Vicky,_German_Crown_Princess.jpg.
#'''1879 February''', QV seated with Hesse family (Alice's family, two months after her death and that of Marie, the youngest), everyone in full mourning. QV is wearing her &quot;uniform&quot; but no white anywhere; black cap with streamers? with what might be feathers down the back; heavy wool fringed shawl; jacket is lined and warm, possibly padded, may be long (thigh-length?); she may be wearing a corset or boning in her bodice here bc of the way the bodice drapes (there's an edge?); full skirt with deep tucked bands at the bottom: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_Ludwig_IV_240-011.jpg. Darker image from what looks like the same sitting by William &amp; Daniel (W. &amp; D.) Downey, without the father: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Hessian_children_with_their_grandmother,_Queen_Victoria.jpg
#'''1881''': Cabinet photograph by Arthur J. Melhuish of QV and Princess Beatrice, neither is in full mourning. QV is smiling and wearing her white widow's cap, at least 2 necklaces and perhaps one brooch, a black lace shawl. Beatrice is holding an umbrella over their heads.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_and_Princess_Beatrice.jpg
#'''1881 September 3''': woodcut engraving from the ''Illustrated London News'' of QV visiting the new Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh. Clear impression of QV's &quot;uniform,&quot; black dress with thigh-length jacket, edged with fur or velvet; skirt is divided horizontally with zigzag trim about knee level and a ruffle at the hem of the skirt. Unusual pillbox-like hat tied under her chin, trimmed with something light colored. Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/ev7tepmd/images?id=h8aq62mn. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_visiting_the_Royal_Infirmary_Edinburgh._Wellcome_L0000896.jpg
#'''1882 April 27''': 3 photographs of QV dressed for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Albany, probably from one session with Alexander Bassano. These photographs look like they have been retouched to smooth QV's skin and remove a double chin. The black satin-weave dress is complex, but cut as her &quot;uniform&quot; usually was. What makes this outfit different is how much white lace covers the skirt and train as well as how big a piece of lace the veil is and the unusual-for-QV berthe. Under the black jacket sleeve are two white (may or may not be a separate blouse, can't tell). QV is wearing her classic thigh-length jacket with 3/4-length sleeves, buttoned down the front, smoothly fitted to her shape but not tight fitting; she seems to be wearing a white lacy top under everything, a bodice that buttons and looks like it has a rows of fleur-de-lys diamonds operating somewhat like a stomacher comes down below her waist; over the bodice is a thigh-length jacket with thick fluffy fringe (chenille?) trimming the sleeves and bottom of the jacket and down the front on both sides. Those distinctive black jacket sleeves are cut very full at the bottom edge; they are short under her arm and have a long point below her elbow on the outside of her arm. The train is visible in 2 of the photographs and pulled around to QV's left, over some of the skirt. The skirt and train have a narrow box-pleated ruffle at the bottom. The full skirt and train are covered by a lace overskirt. QV is not wearing her wedding veil, but the veil looks like Honiton lace, as do the trim on the bodice, sleeves and skirt. The wide light-colored or white lace [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Berthe|berthe]] is slightly gathered and stitched to the neck of the bodice. A lacy white edge shows under the black jacket sleeve (may or may not be a separate blouse, can't tell), plus another white layer under that lacy sleeve edge. What looks like a chemise shows at the neckline; a row of diamonds separates the berthe from the chemise. She is holding a lacy handkerchief and a folding fan. She is wearing the Small Diamond Crown on top of the veil and a lot of diamond jewelry, including the Koh-I-Nor diamond as a brooch, the Coronation necklace and earrings, two wide diamond bracelets and rings as well as Family Honors and the ribbon of the Order of the Garter.
##'''1882''' Bassano photograph, official state portrait, reused in 1887 for Golden Jubilee as a postcard; close-up cropped bust. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Bassano_(3x4_close_cropped).jpg. Wikipedia page #1 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1887_postcard_of_Queen_Victoria.jpg. Different pose, same sitting, worse resolution: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_bw.jpg.
##'''1882''' Bassano photograph, same sitting, different pose, best image for analysis because it shows her whole body. This is not the lion-head chair, but we can see a lot of this throne-like chair. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/-/collection/2105818/portrait-photograph-of-queen-victoria-1819-1901-dressed-for-the-wedding-of-the; National Portrait Gallery cabinet card: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw119710; Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_1887.jpg. 
##'''1882 April 27''', photograph of QV and page Arthur Ponsonby, same dress as 1882, she is standing next to Ponsonby, who is holding some article of dress that seems to have more diamond fleurs-de-lys, perhaps to match the bodice. Royal Trust Collection: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2105757/queen-victoria-and-her-page-arthur-ponsonby; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_page,_Arthur_Ponsonby.jpg.
#'''1882 May''', Bassanno photograph of QV, same session, the first photograph (from a [[Social Victorians/Victorian Things#Cabinet Card|cabinet card]]) is a great deal easier to read because, even though the white is overexposed, the patterns in the black fabrics and fabric treatments are unusually easy to see, although the layers are still impossible to distinguish.
##QV is sitting on a chair and Princess Beatrice is sitting perhaps on the arm of the chair to QV's left. QV is wearing that fuzzy white widow's cap with veil edged with gathered tulle. The 3 main areas of white — the cap, neckline and the fan and cuffs — are so overexposed that the detail is obliterated. QV is wearing a ribbon necklace with a pendant that might be a cameo, painted portrait or a locket, a brooch on the center front of the neckline, small earrings (likely diamonds) and at least one bracelet and ring. She is holding a partially unfolded fan, and the front of the bodice shows either something like a pocket-watch chain attached to the 3rd button from the bottom, perhaps, or a flaw in the surface of the photograph. She is wearing a very large lace shawl over her shoulders and lap. The bodice/jacket garment buttons down the center, has QV's usual wide sleeves and may be built using a princess line. This garment is similar at the neckline and bottom of the sleeves and the overdress or jacket — it is trimmed with 2 rows of tightly pleated ruffles edged with an elaborate, 3-dimensional design that includes braid with reflective bits, perhaps jet, and gathered ruffles. Princess Beatrice is wearing a restrained, less-decorated style, with a narrow, pleated skirt, made of a moiré silk whose pattern provides visual interest (without the frou-frou associated with haute couture) and tight, tailored, princess-line jacket trimmed with the moiré silk. The jacket includes the unpatterned draped fabric that is pulled toward the back for a bustle. National Portrait Gallery: [https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw123930/Queen-Victoria-Princess-Beatrice-of-Battenberg#:~:text=The%20series%20gets%20its%20name%20from%20a,home%20match%20to%20Australia%20at%20the%20Oval. https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw123930/Queen-Victoria-Princess-Beatrice-of-Battenberg#:~:text=The%20series%20gets%20its%20name%20from%20a,home%20match%20to%20Australia%20at%20the%20Oval.] Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_Beatrice_Bassano.jpg.
##QV is holding granddaughter Margaret, Crown Princess of Sweden, eldest daughter of Prince Arthur (QV's 3rd son) and great-granddaughter Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia, who was born 15 January 1882.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-26|title=Princess Margaret of Connaught|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Margaret_of_Connaught&amp;oldid=1329585710|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; QV does not appear to be wearing a corset, buttoned bodice is not tight, dark shawl, that fuzzy white cap with veil/streamers, maybe ruffled lace. Black ribbon around her neck, white at collar and cuffs, wide sleeves on the jacket. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bassano_Victoria_and_Margaret.jpg 
#'''1883''': W. &amp;. D. Downey photograph of QV seated with baby great-grandson William (Vicky's grandson, Kaiser Wilhelm's son) on her knees. The usual black dress, with 3-dimensional, almost geometric trim, ruffled but not lacy. A very dramatic shawl with cording in 3 parallel lines at the edges, looks like the same fabric as dress. QV's face is kind looking at the baby. Black hat with white cap beneath it, shaped like the white one she often wore. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_great-grandson_Prince_William.jpg
#'''1884 May 2''', QV, Vicky, her daughter Charlotte and her daughter Princess Feodore of Saxe-Meiningen, 4 generations. QV not wearing bustle, the usual black on black for trim, black jacket, black shawl, black cap with black hangy-downy thing down the back: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VICTORIA_Queen_of_England_by_Carl_Backofen_of_Darmstadt.jpg
#'''1885 or so''': portrait published in the 1901 biography of QV by John, Duke of Argyll, probably from a photograph. That odd cap we've seen before with a point down to her hairline in front, this version with trimmed lappets (?) down the front: it's impossible to tell the layers, how things are attached and what the trim on this cap is made of, feathers or ruffles. White collar on bodice, white cuffs, black lace shawl around her shoulders, jacket or coat over a blouse; the frou-frou is the same color as what it trims, making it visually recede, but up close ppl would have been able to see how sophisticated and finely made it was: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:V._R._I._-_Queen_Victoria,_her_life_and_empire_(1901)_(14766746965).jpg
#1885: screen print bust from book ''Daughters of Genius'' by James Parson, showing unusually realistic face and detailed trim on the black; the usual white cap and a collar, locket on ribbon around her neck, small earrings. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Daughters_of_Genius_-_Queen_Victoria.png
#'''1885 May 16''', reproduction of a wood engraving showing QV visiting a soldier wounded in Sudan. Flattering drawing of QV, dress looks plain, unprepossessing, unostentatious Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/nhhej66v. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_visiting_a_wounded_soldier._Reproduction_of_a_Wellcome_V0015340.jpg
#'''1886''', Bassano photograph of QV, full-length, seated, holding the infant Alexander, Marquess of Carisbrooke, Beatrice's son. QV's uniform, ornate square-neck black dress, white blouse with ironed pleats shows at the neck; ruffles and 3-dimensional trim with jet beads on both sides of the front, with trim at the bottom as well, black ironed pleats; black lace shawl, white frothy cap that we've seen many times, with white veil. Royal Trust Collection link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2507501/queen-victoria-with-alexander-marquess-of-carisbrooke-as-a-baby; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Alexander,_Marquess_of_Carisbrooke.jpg. Elements of the Victorian frou-frou without looking over-trimmed or crowded.
#'''1888''', trading card from American tobacco company advertising cigarettes, QV in colorized image, white headdress with small crown; wearing Order of the Garter (?) sash and family honors, Link to MET collection: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/711888; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_of_England,_from_the_Rulers,_Flags,_and_Coats_of_Arms_series_(N126-1)_issued_by_W._Duke,_Sons_%26_Co._MET_DPB873774.jpg
#'''1889''', photographs by Byrne &amp; Co. from apparently the same session of QV and Vicky, both in mourning dress because Frederick III had died June 1888, but not full mourning. QV seated in the lion's-head chair and Vicky on her right. QV is wearing a black and frothy widow's cap that is made of '''something''' transparent, tightly gathered, that comes to a point over her forehead and that she wears on the back of her head. She has a black lace shawl over her shoulder, ornate under-bodice (with lots of jet?) with lacy sleeves and a lacy ruffle at the bottom, the under bodice longer than the outer bodice (or jacket) and outside the skirt, not tucked in; the outer bodice (or jacket) is tailored but not tightly fitted to the body or restrictive, skirt is not fussy; very fashionable suit, but the silhouette is not high fashion. Vicky's widow's cap has an obvious point halfway down her forehead, seems to be made of velvet with something piled on top. She also is wearing a transparent black veil, which may have 2 layers. 
##Vicky standing, hand on back of lion’s head chair, QV turned a little to her right, looking up at Vicky: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Empress_Frederick_with_her_mother_Queen_Victoria.jpg
##Vicky with hand on chair, slightly different angle, QV’s face more visible, facing our left. Royal Collection: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2904703/victoria-empress-frederick-of-germany-and-queen-victoria-1889-in-portraits-of. Wikimedia Commmons copy: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria,_Empress_Frederick_of_Germany,_and_Queen_Victoria,_1889.jpg
##QV w photo of Frederick III, looking to her right, Vicky seated (or kneeling?) and looking at the photo: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2105953/queen-victoria-with-victoria-princess-royal-when-empress-frederick-1889
##Vicky seated (?) looking at photo, QV into the distance to our right (Photo filename says 1888, but the photo is lower res and less clear): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Princess_Royal_1888.jpg
#'''1889 November''', photograph of QV and Beatrice and her family; QV is seated, wearing her uniform and that ubiquitous white fluffy cap; you can see the edge of the boning (in the bodice?), white lacy collar, white ruffle at the wrist, layers, lacy shawl, lace trim at the bottom of the skirt, bunched places on the skirt with black lace trim. Beatrice's sleeves are fitted with puffy shoulders, but QV's are not. Royal Trust link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2904837/queen-victoria-with-prince-and-princess-henry-of-battenberg-and-their-children; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Prince_and_Princess_Henry_of_Battenberg_and_their_children,_1889.jpg.
#'''1890''': Britannica #1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria. Photograph mid-thigh up, very lacy: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Victoria-queen-of-United-Kingdom. Different small crown.
#'''1890''': b/w photo, from the knees up, may be seated. Her hair is dark, so 1890 looks too late a date for this. White frill on her cap, has attached veil down the back, double ruffle at the neck, a few button, plain to another bit of trim around the skirt at knee level; jewelry looks personal, not ostentatious; white cuffs, lacy black shawl, square neck on dress, wrinkles in the bodice suggest she's not wearing a corset and the bodice is not heavily boned: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Queen_Victoria_in_1890.jpg
#'''c1890 (see 1882 Bassano portraits)''': Color portrait in official dress, with small crown with arch, a lot of white lace over and under sheer black, coronation parure, 1890s portrait in 1870s style: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_Portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_(1819-1901).JPG
#'''1892''': not-very-clear photograph of QV sitting, her arm on the lion's-head chair, black cap and veil; lots of jewelry, faceted jet or diamonds or something metal at her neck and wrists. She is wearing a black lace shawl over her shoulders and arms. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom,_c._1890.jpg
#'''1893''': watercolor portrait of QV by Josefine Swoboda, who had been made court painter in 1890.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2024-12-03|title=Josefine Swoboda|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Josefine_Swoboda&amp;oldid=1260867558|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Not unrealistic or unduly flattering, QV not in full mourning, wearing a white widow's cap and white jewelry. All we can see of what she is wearing is the shawl and a little bit of neck treatment. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Josefine_Swoboda_-_Queen_Victoria_1893.jpg
#'''1893''': VQ with &quot;Indian servant,&quot; seated working behind table, blanket or rug over her knees and feet, wearing a cloak and hat: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_an_Indian_servant.jpg
#'''1893, issued for the 1897 Diamond Jubilee''': Photograph by W. &amp; D. Downey taken for the wedding of George V and Mary. QV seated, facing our left, 3/4 front. Very large and ornate veil coming over her shoulder, possibly a lace overskirt? X claims that the white lace veil is QV's Honiton lace wedding veil and what looks like an apron or overskirt may be the 4x3/4 yards Honiton &quot;flounce&quot; on her wedding dress (ftnyc). A lot of light color on this for her, coronation parure? large light folding fan open on lap, small crown. Royal Trust Collection: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2912658/queen-victoria-1819-1901-diamond-jubilee-portrait. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_60._crownjubilee.jpg. Another copy: https://apollo-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/gm_342139EX2.jpg
#'''1893 August 12''': formal photograph of QV w George, Duke of York and Mary, Dss of York, who are very 1893 stylish; QV seated, profile, facing our left, holding a rose, black dress, bodice not heavily boned, no corset; white ruffle at cuffs and at the neck; black lacy shawl; white very fluffy brimless cap, may be her own style; from a distance very plain dress, but up close very rich, with tiny unostentatious details; moved on from all the frou-frou, but not in the haute couture way: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_the_Duchess_and_Duke_of_York.jpg
#'''1894''': QV with Beatrice, George and Mary at Balmoral, in a carriage, the women wearing stylish hats (Royal Collection Trust link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/2/collection/2300501/queen-victoria-princess-beatricenbspthe-duke-and-duchess-of-york-at-balmora) (Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Princess_Beatrice,_the_Duke_and_Duchess_of_York.jpg)
#'''1894 April 21''': QV in 30-person photograph &quot;following the wedding of Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Grand Duke Ernest of Hesse,&quot; QV seated, in shawl, all bundled up, &lt;ins&gt;from a distance, dress looks very plain, the richness is visible only up close;&lt;/ins&gt; white mohawk on head??: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_surrounded_by_her_family_-_Coburg,_1894_(1_of_2).jpg; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_surrounded_by_her_family_-_Coburg,_1894_(2_of_2).jpg
#'''1894 June 23, before,''' looks like a winter photograph, they're bundled up
##'''1894 June 23''', published in the ''Illustrated London News'', photograph of QV and Bertie, dressed warmly. Lots of beautiful, complex layers, as always; maybe skirt, vest, jacket, shawl, boa, hat and gloves, cane in her right hand and a handkerchief in her left?; the hat may be one of the &quot;timeless&quot; elements, shaped like one she wore a lot over the years but not locatable to a particular year or style. QV seated, Bertie standing behind her, both bundled up, she is wearing gloves, a shawl, a jacket and perhaps a vest; cap with white feathers and white poufs or flowers (?), cap is mostly black, comes down to cover her ears, tied in a lacy bow under her chin, black feather boa, wrapped closely around her neck like a scarf and falling down the front to the ground; cane in her right hand; brocade shawl, looks woolen: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_funeral_procession_of_Queen_Victoria_(5254840).jpg. Perhaps used again in later publications? Page says, &quot;By our Special Photographer, Mr. Russell of Baker Street London.&quot; Photo taken outdoors, on steps with rugs and a bearskin. Sword under Bertie's coat.
##Same session, slightly different pose; looks like a carte-de-visite, with &quot;Gunn &amp; Stuart, Richmond, Surrey,&quot; printed in logo form at the bottom. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_And_Prince_of_Wales_Edward.jpg
#'''1895''': photograph of QV published in Millicent Fawcett's ''Life of Her Majesty Queen Victoria'' in 1895, so the portrait predates it, though not by much. The white is overexposed, but the black is legible. QV is wearing her white widow's cap with a white veil made of tulle that is not transparent or even very translucent. The black shawl is very lacy and 3-dimensional, possibly made by crochet or knitting or bobbin lacemaking. The jacket with wide, kimono sleeves has a wide decorative cuff with a lacy edge and a 3-dimensional pattern. Between the cuff and the sleeve is a row of what may be faceted jet in some kind of ivy-like design. She is wearing a single strand of pearls and small round earrings that may be a gold ball with a small sparkly. This photo does not look retouched: the skin on her face and hands is wrinkled, and her hair is light; normal for a woman around 70. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Life_of_Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_-_Frontispiece.jpg.
#'''1895 May 21''': photograph by Mary Steen of QV and Princess Beatrice; QV appears to be making lace (either knitted or crocheted), Beatrice reading the newspaper, possibly to her; the Queen's Sitting Room at Windsor Castle. QV is wearing the white cap with the fluffy streamers, lacy white collar, white cuffs, black lace shawl, possibly a pattern at the bottom of her skirt. NPG: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw233741/Princess-Beatrice-of-Battenberg-Queen-Victoria?_gl=1*ii2xmh*_up*MQ..*_ga*NjAzODY0NTUyLjE3Njc2MjcxMDk.*_ga_3D53N72CHJ*czE3Njc2MjcxMDgkbzEkZzEkdDE3Njc2MjcxMTMkajU1JGwwJGgw. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Princess_Beatrice_of_Battenberg_and_Queen_Victoria.jpg.
#'''September 1895''': unusually clear photograph of QV with some family in Balmoral, QV is seated in a very well-made suit with rich trim and a loose, open jacket (rather than the fitted jackets worn by the younger women with big sleeves up by the shoulders), perhaps pelisse-adjacent, full at the bottoms of the sleeves, with a shawl-like collar, long lacy sleeves under the jacket's sleeves, coming down over her hand (perhaps held there by a loop?), stylish hat; her style is individualized with very stylish elements, so we know she's conscious of 1890s haute couture; but it also has a more timeless quality, the modified or updated pelisse, for example, not a memorializing of her early days, though that did sometimes happen, but an echo of styles she liked from the past? So her style is a fusing of up-to-date stylish and other elements that were more comfortable and practical but always well made of very high-quality materials. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_family_members.jpg
#'''1896 July''': QV photograph by Gunn &amp; Stuart and published as a cabinet card by Lea, Mohrstadt &amp; Co., Ltd., and used as an official image of her as sovereign for the 1897 Diamond Jubilee. Retouched at some point, her face is very smooth, no double chin, etc. Bracelet on right arm, with portrait of Albert (?) and a 4-diamond wide rivière band. Multiple bracelets on left arm, one may be a charm bracelet. Rings. Pointed small crown or tiara that is not the Small Diamond Crown, a veil (that is not her wedding veil but is likely Honiton lace) is pulled to the front over her left shoulder and appears to be coming out of the crown or tiara, many diamonds, some in brooches, coronation necklace and earrings, lots of diamonds. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom_(by_Gunn_%26_Stuart,_1897).jpg
#'''1897''': QV with Princess Victoria Eugénie of Battenburg, who is kneeling next to QV, who is seated, facing (her) right, unrelieved black except for white linen (?) veil; the solid and plain dress has some lace, but the veil is not; black lacy shawl, rings; something very frou-frou at the back of her skirt: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Princess_Victoria_Eug%C3%A9nie_of_Battenberg,_1897.jpg. Empress Eugénie was Princess Victoria Eugénie of Battenburg's godmother.
#'''1897''': painting onto ivory of QV in that white cap by M. H. Carlisle, profile, facing right, still can't tell what the fringy, feathery, lacy edge is: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/45/collection/421112/queen-victoria-1819-1901
#'''1897''': QV Elliott and Fry photograph: that cap, the meandering ruffles on the veil and lappets (?): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_(Elliott_%26_Fry).png
#'''1897''': realistic engraving or print of QV in a state occasion, receiving the address from the House of Lords, realistic enough that we can recognize faces. QV is seated, wearing a white cap with a veil, large lacy white collar, big cuffs, and a large panel of trim at the bottom of her skirt that looks similar to the pattern on her collar; ribbon of the Order of the Garter; no recognizable crown even though this is a state occasion. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_pictured_at_Buckingham_Palace_as_the_Lord_Chancellor_presents_the_adress_of_the_House_of_Lords.jpg
#'''1897 January 1''', unflattering political cartoon of QV in the context of India? (the language is Marathi according to Google Translate). Her face has an unpleasant expression, perhaps disapproval or skepticism? She is wearing a small state crown and the coronation jewels. [[commons:File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpg|https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpghttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpg]]
#1897 June 17, painting published in Vanity Fair of QV riding in a small open carriage with a canopy. QV is wearing a black dress with a ruffle and also black lace at the bottom edge (of the back of the skirt?) and a light-colored cape with black trim. The bow at her neck could be from the cape or her hat, which has a small brim, a large black decoration in front, small floral things along the side, and perhaps a veil around the brim to the back. This image was reproduced after QV's death as a monochrome print. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_Vanity_Fair_17_June_1897.jpg.
#'''1897 July 27''', photograph from a distance of QV in a carriage on the Isle of Wight. This is what she looked like from a distance on a not state occasion, you can't see any embellishments at all. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Princess_Beatrice,_Princess_Helena_Victoria_of_Schleswig-Holstein,_Cowes,_Isle_of_Wight.jpg
#'''1897 October 16''', photograph with Abdul Karim, in the Garden Cottage at Balmoral; white or light-colored mantle or cloak; stylish 1890s hat with feathers, etc.: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Abdul_Karim.jpg
#'''1898''': photograph by Robert Milne of QV and 3 great-grandchildren (the 3 eldest children of George and Mary), at Balmoral. QV is the Widow of Windsor with plain skirt and possibly a jacket with a pattern on the bodice and at the large cuffs. The usual white cap and veil. ('''find RCT copy''')https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Prince_Edward,_Prince_Albert_and_Princess_Mary_of_York,_Balmoral.jpg
#'''1898 January 16''': French political cartoon by Henri Meyer unflatteringly showing QV, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Czar Nicolas II, Chinese statesman Li Hongzhang, France and a Japanese samurai carving up China. Neither France nor Li Hongzhang have knives, but the rest of the figures do. QV is dressed for a state occasion, heavily jeweled and in her signature lacy veil and small crown. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:China_imperialism_cartoon.jpg
#'''1899''': Heinrich von Angeli portrait, copied in 1900 by (Angeli's student) Bertha Müller. QV portrait, with a lot of black, which makes it difficult to discern the layers and structure of what she is wearing. The top layer may have a stiffened, pleated chiffon layer that covers the arm of the chair and that she holds a bit of in her right hand. QV is wearing the ribbon and the Order of the Garter, the white widow's cap and generally pearl jewelry. The white at her neck and wrists frames her face and hands, which are slightly idealized and less wrinkly than one might expect. National Portrait Gallery: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw06522. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_after_Heinrich_von_Angeli.jpg
#'''c. 1899-1900''': photograph of QV with 3 children — Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (1887–1969), Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine (1895–1903) and Prince Maurice of Battenberg (1891–1914). The 2 older women are Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein (1870–1948) and Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1876–1936), possibly with Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, in the light-colored hat, on the right. QV is in an ornate version of her uniform: jacket, possibly a vest and a skirt, with lace and ruffles, and a hat (possibly a straw hat with something dark as trim on the edge of the brim) topped with a pile of light-colored flowers and probably an aigret or short feather. Royal Collection Trust: . Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VictoriaBattenbergsHessians.jpg.
#'''c. 1900''': QV photograph (reprinted from book), not or less retouched than the 1897 Jubilee photos, with feathered (or at least fluffier than the usual slightly fluffy widow's cap) headdress, sheer veil, can't really see anything else: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_old.jpg
#'''c. 1900''': print published in book of image by François Flameng showing QV in coronation robes, with ermine, and necklace, pointing to someplace NW of India on the globe, with Bertie and George behind her, portrait of her and Albert on the table with the scepter and the Imperial State crown, Koh-I-Noor diamond, ribbon of the Order of the Garter, lots of jewelry on her arms and fingers. She is standing and her legs are longer than they were in life, ruffled lace, perhaps, at neck and cuffs with a white lace flounce on the skirt, which is divided horizontally, the lace part making up the middle third. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Fran%C3%A7ois_Flameng.jpg
#'''1900 February 9''', a very unflattering but accurate political cartoon of QV and Paul Kruger playing chess, he appears to be winning, with a map of Africa in the back, published in an Argentinian periodical. QV's clothing is captured pretty realistically, including the small crown and distinctive Coronation (?) necklace and earrings, the cap and veil, ribbon of the Order of the Garter, white lace overskirt, short-sleeved jacket over a white blouse with lacy cuffs. We can see very clearly how she looked to people. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Paul_Kruger_by_Dem%C3%B3crito_(Eduardo_Sojo).jpg
#'''1901''', dated 1901, but QV went to Ireland in 1900, possibly commemorating her death in 1901? Could this be a card from a cigarette pack? She's inside a shamrock that is outlined in a light color; the white on her cloak may be beads and sequins? Could this be a photograph from the 1897 Diamond Jubilee, the cloak with the silver &quot;swirling&quot; sequins? She is seated on a chair, and the photograph of her seated is like pasted onto the shamrock. Her headdress is a hat (not a bonnet or a cap, so this is not the headdress from the Diamond Jubilee procession), with shamrocks on the hat and black plumes, and some other decoration that is too hard to distinguish. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_(HS85-10-12024%C2%BD).jpg

== QV's &quot;Uniform&quot; ==
After the 1st year of mourning QV writes Vicky that she will never wear color again (not counting honors and the sashes of the orders, etc.; also, Rosie Harte says she wore the Sapphire Tiara that Albert had had made for her as a wedding present, which would have matched her eyes). Her &quot;brand&quot; (Worsley) and what we call her &quot;uniform&quot; begins to develop and solidify, the Widow-of-Windsor look friendly to the middle classes, especially the upper middle class.

Early in her mourning, her clothing was not very ornate, with little frou-frou to interrupt the unrelieved blackness. As time passed, however, the blackness was relieved by white touches on her head and at her neck and wrists, but the biggest change was in the amount and kind of frou-frou, particularly black-on-black frou-frou, including how lacy it was. The quantity and type of frou-frou increased in scale over time, like the touches of white.

By the 1870s, her look is well established: plain from a distance; up close, very fine materials and beautiful needlework with non-contrasting frou-frou. According to Lucy Worsley, she did not wear a corset but depended on light boning in her bodices. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;Despite their sombre aspect, even her mourning gowns were finely made. She had settled into a series of very minor variations upon a square-necked bodice and skirt, customised with quirky little pockets for keys and seals, all cut pretty much the same to save her the trouble of fittings. On her head went a white cap, with streamers of lace, and round her neck a locket containing miniatures of two of her children: Alice, now lost to diphtheria [14 December 1878], and Leopold, to haemophilia [28 March 1884].&lt;sup&gt;16&lt;/sup&gt;&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|511 of 786; n. 16, p. 723: &quot;Princess Marie Louise (1956) p. 141&quot;}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

This design is her usual: a black dress or suit (it might be a dress with a bodice or a skirt and vest with a blouse under the jacket). Except in cases of full mourning, she typically wore a little white at the neckline and wrists, with sophisticated black trim not really visible from a distance. The wide skirt was often divided horizontally, with a deep band of a different fabric at the bottom. The divided skirt is a characteristic feature of QV's look, not the only way she did skirts but a design she often wore from before her accession to the end of her life.

She often wore a loose-fitting thigh-length jacket with wide sleeves, which sometimes divided the skirt visually. The jackets and bodices are not constricting or tight against her torso. The fitted suit was popular at the end of the century — [[Social Victorians/People/Dressmakers and Costumiers#Redfern|Redfern's]] (in Cowes on the Isle of Wight) and Worth's versions were all around her, and she had always liked a riding habit. The thigh-length jackets were loose-fitting but not shapeless even as early as the 1860s. She seems always to have had something on her head: caps, bonnets, hats, veils. She often wears a shawl.

We can see the ruling sovereign version of her style in the photographs of her for the 1887 Golden and the 1897 Diamond Jubilees. By the 1880s, Bertie's place in the aristocracy was also well established, and he and Alex had a very different sense of style, wearing haute couture and a stylishness typical of the House of Worth. 

By the end of her life, when she couldn't move very much on her own, her body had gotten pretty large, but our sense that she was generally fat is not borne out by her clothes (Worsley talks about the small waists and the weight she lost during crises in her life) or by the photographs of her ''en famille'' in which we can see that she is probably not wearing stays and is not wearing tight-fitting, constricting clothes.

=== Shawls ===

Caroline Goldthorpe says,&lt;blockquote&gt;The importance of visible royal patronage was not lost on commercial enterprise, and in 1863 the Norwich shawl manufacturers Clabburn Sons &amp; Crisp sent to Princess Alexandra of Denmark, as a gift on the occasion of her marriage to the Prince of Wales, a magnificent silk shawl woven in the Danish royal colors (figure 3). The Queen herself already patronized Norwich shawls, for in 1849 the ''Journal of Design'' had claimed: &quot;The shawls of Norwich now equal the richest production of the looms of France. The successs which attended the exhibition of Norwich shawls ... [sic] may fairly be considered the result of Her Majesty's direct regard.&quot; Another splendid silk shawl by Clabburn Sons &amp; Crisp was displayed at the International Exhibition of 1862 (figure 4), but it was not eligible for a prize because William Clabburn himself was on the panel of judges.&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (17)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Elizabeth Jane Timmons says that QV's black was relieved only&lt;blockquote&gt;by white cuffs, scarfs, trimmings, or the ubiquitous patterned shawls which the Queen wore and which were the subject of comment by at least two of her granddaughters, Princess Louis of Battenberg and Princess Alix of Hesse, who helped her change them when they accompanied her driving out.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot;&gt;Timms, Elizabeth Jane. &quot;Queen Victoria's Widow's Cap.&quot; ''Royal Central'' 31 October 2018. https://royalcentral.co.uk/features/queen-victorias-widows-cap-111104/ (retrieved February 2026).&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Headdresses ==

=== Bonnets, Caps, Hats ===
We discuss the headdresses QV wears in each portrait in the detailed description in the &quot;[[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Her Dresses|Her Dresses]]&quot; section of the Timeline.

In some photographs, QV has a mourning hood over her bonnet and tied under her chin, worn sort of as if it were a veil on her bonnet. It looks like it would be warm in cold weather.

[[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Wedding Veil|QV's wedding veil]] is handled separately, as are the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Crowns|crowns]].

==== Bonnet ====
'''1887''', QV wore a bonnet in her public carriage ride to Westminster Abbey for her Golden Jubilee. Inside the Abbey, &quot;she sat on top of the scarlet and ermine robes draped over her coronation chair in Westminster Abbey — but, pointedly, 'in no way wore them around her person.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (760)&lt;blockquote&gt;The queen did make one concession: for the first time in twenty-five years she trimmed her bonnet with white lace and rimmed it with diamonds. Within days, fashionable women of London were wearing similar diamond-bedecked bonnets. One reporter noted this trend disapprovingly at a royal garden party at Buckingham Palace in July, the month after the Jubilee: &quot;Her Majesty and the Princesses at the Abbey wore their bonnets so trimmed in lieu of wearing coronets. It is quite a different matter for ladies to make bejeweled bonnets their wear at garden-parties.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (761)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1893 July 5''', (was there another garden party at Marlborough House between the 5th and the 15th?), from the ''Pall Mall Gazette'' by &quot;The Wares of Autolycus,&quot; possibly Alice Meynell says that QV preferred bonnets for full-dress occasions:&lt;blockquote&gt;It was noticeable at the Marlborough House garden party the other day, that many of the younger married women, and, indeed, some of the unmarried girls, wore bonnets instead of hats. This was in deference to the Queen's taste. Her Majesty is not fond of hats, except for girls in the schoolroom, and considers that bonnets are more suitable for full dress occasions.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Wares of Autolycus, The.&quot; ''Pall Mall Gazette'' 15 July 1893, Saturday: p. 5 [of 12], Col. 1a. ''British Newspaper Archive''. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000098/18930715/016/0005 (accessed April 2015).&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
'''1897 June 22, Monday''', the bonnet QV wore for the Diamond Jubilee Procession was decorated with diamonds, from the ''Lady's Pictorial'':&lt;blockquote&gt;I HEAR on reliable authority that, although the fact has hitherto escaped the notice of all the describers of the Diamond Jubilee Procession, the bonnet worn by the Queen on that occasion was liberally adorned with diamonds. It is a tiny bit of flotsam, but worth rescuing, as every detail of the historic pageant will one day be of even greater interest than it is now.&lt;ref name=&quot;:14&quot;&gt;Miranda. &quot;Boudoir Gossip.&quot; ''Lady's Pictorial'' 10 July 1897, Saturday: 24 [of 92], Col. 3c [of 3]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0005980/18970710/281/0024. Print title same, p. 40.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
[[File:Queen Victoria white mourning head-dress.JPG|alt=A museum photograph of a sheer, frilly cap with streamers|thumb|Queen Victoria's White Widow's Cap]]

==== Widow's Cap ====
The distinctive white or sometimes black cap QV wore with &quot;crinkled crape&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:9&quot;&gt;Strasdin, Kate. ''The Dress Diary: Secrets from a Victorian Woman's Wardrobe''. Pegasus, 2023.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|734 of 1124}} is a [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Widow's Cap|widow's cap]], sometimes called a mourning bonnet or mourning headdress. The now-damaged, once-white widow's cap (right) is said to have belonged to Queen Victoria. It is a cap with two streamers, like lappets, that have been decorated with meandering clumps of ruffled tulle matching the cap itself. The streamers would have been a consistent width, suggesting that the tulle background is torn.

Describing some point in time after Albert's death, Elizabeth Jane Timms says,&lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen began to be photographed in her white peaked caps, spinning; an occupation that the Queen took up, which perhaps underlined her solitary state and one which, like her painting box, enabled creativity within that solitude. Sir Joseph Boehm sketched the Queen in 1869 spinning, by which time a spinning wheel had been placed in her sitting room .... Again, Boehm shows her wearing her mourning weeds and her white cap, tantamount now to a type of widow’s uniform. She also wore the caps engaged in another solitary occupation, knitting or crochet work.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

What Princess Beatrice called ''Ma's sad caps'',&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt; Queen Victoria's white widow's caps&lt;blockquote&gt;were made of tulle, although where they were manufactured is not clear. By the late 1880s, she wore them pinned higher up than the rather sunken fashion of the 1860s, when they were worn close to the head, creating a flat impression. In later years, these ornate creations had evolved into deep, stately frills of tulle or silk with streamers and may have been supported by wires ....

Only one of the Queen’s white widow’s caps was apparently known to have survived and was preserved at the Museum of London. A fragile survivor, it is loaded with Queen Victoria’s personal symbolism and dates from around 1899. It is extremely rare and may have been discarded when it ceased to be in wearable condition.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
[[File:Four Generations (by William Quiller Orchardson) – Government Art Collection, Lancaster House.jpg|alt=Dark painting showing an old woman and 2 men dressed in black and a small boy dressed in white and holding a big bouquet of roses|left|thumb|Four Generations: Queen Victoria and Her Descendants]]
Although Timms says that only one of Queen Victoria's widow's caps has survived, at least two and possibly three can be found. One widow's cap, said to have belonged to Queen Victoria, is &quot;displayed in a glass case at Kensington Palace, listed as Historic Royal Palaces 3502037, ‘''Widow’s Cap, 1864-1899, Tulle''.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;

Sir William Quiller Orchardson was given what seems to be a different white widow's cap to use for his 1899 ''Four Generations: Queen Victoria and Her Descendants'' (left). His widow donated this cap, also said to have belonged to Queen Victoria, to the Museum of London in 1917.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt; Timms says that the cap in the Museum of London is dated about 1899, &quot;contains far more tulle frills&quot; and &quot;is considerably more fragile ... because it has been washed.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;

What may be a separate, third cap (above right), which is called a &quot;white mourning head-dress [Trauer Kopfbedeckung]&quot; belonging to Queen Victoria, is dated &quot;from 1883 [von 1883].&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Citation|title=English:  white mourning headdress of Queen Victoria from 1883Deutsch:  Trauer Kopfbedeckung Königin Victoria von 1883|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_white_mourning_head-dress.JPG|date=2015-03-22|accessdate=2026-02-20|last=Jula2812}}&lt;/ref&gt; (The only information that might be considered provenance in the description of this third cap is that the person who uploaded the image into Wikimedia Commons titled it in German.)[[File:Queen Victoria (1887).jpg|thumb|Queen Victoria wearing the Small Diamond Crown, the Coronation Necklace and Earrings and the Koh-i-Noor brooch, 1897]]

=== Crowns ===
The Royal Collection Trust has a page on [https://www.rct.uk/collection/stories/the-crown-jewels-coronation-regalia The Crown Jewels: Coronation Regalia]. Two crowns are worn for the coronation ceremony, not counting the Consort Crown&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-05-17|title=Consort crown|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Consort_crown&amp;oldid=1290790447|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;: the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#St. Edward's Crown|St. Edward's Crown]] and the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Imperial State Crown|Imperial State Crown]].

The parts of a crown: the band, fleur-de-lys, cross pattée, the cap, arch, monde (the globe on top of the arches), the cross (on top of the monde)

==== Small Crowns ====
The Small Diamond Crown, photograph by Bassano (right): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1887_postcard_of_Queen_Victoria.jpg, was made in March 1870 by Garrard and Co. to fit over QV's widow's cap and to serve as an official crown.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-03-12|title=Small Diamond Crown of Queen Victoria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Small_Diamond_Crown_of_Queen_Victoria&amp;oldid=1280094126|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; The Royal Collection Trust has 3 views of this crown (https://www.rct.uk/collection/31705/queen-victorias-small-diamond-crown). Its discussion of the Small Diamond Crown is here:&lt;blockquote&gt;The priorities in creating the design were lightness and comfort and the crown may have been based on Queen Charlotte's nuptial crown which had been returned to Hanover earlier in the reign. Queen Victoria wore this crown for the first time at the opening of Parliament on 9 February 1871, and frequently used it after that date for State occasions, and for receiving guests at formal Drawing-rooms. It was also her choice for many of the portraits of her later reign, sometimes worn without the arches. By the time of her death, the small crown had become so closely associated with the image of the Queen, that it was placed on her coffin at Osborne.&lt;ref name=&quot;:10&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/31705/queen-victorias-small-diamond-crown|title=Garrard &amp; Co - Queen Victoria's Small Diamond Crown|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-01-20}}&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;This crown was on the catafalque for her funeral procession along with the Imperial State Crown, the Orb and the Sceptre.

An 1897 political cartoon in Hindi shows QV wearing the Small Diamond Crown, veil and lappets, which might be a symbolic rather than a literal representation (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpg).

The Royal Collection Trust's technical description of the Small Diamond Crown is here: &lt;blockquote&gt;The crown comprises an openwork silver frame set with 1,187 brilliant-cut and rose-cut diamonds in open-backed collet mounts. The band is formed with a frieze of lozenges and ovals in oval apertures, between two rows of single diamonds, supporting four crosses-pattée and four fleurs-de-lis, with four half-arches above, surmounted by a monde and a further cross-pattée.&lt;ref name=&quot;:10&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
These small crowns are not part of the collection of official coronation wear, but they were part of what QV wore as sovereign or monarch. She is not wearing them in the photographs of her ''en famille''. [[File:Saint Edward's Crown.jpg|alt=Gold bejeweled crown with purple velvet and fur around the rim|thumb|St Edward's Crown, traditionally used at the moment of coronation]]

==== St. Edward's Crown ====
Putting the St. Edward's Crown on the monarch's head marks the moment of the coronation. This crown is used once in a monarch's lifetime.&lt;ref name=&quot;:7&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/stories/the-crown-jewels-coronation-regalia|title=The Crown Jewels: Coronation Regalia|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-27}}&lt;/ref&gt; The current St. Edward's Crown (right) was made in 1661, for the coronation of Charles II, and it was most recently used in the coronation of Charles III.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-29|title=St Edward's Crown|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=St_Edward%27s_Crown&amp;oldid=1330156300|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

Because of its weight, the St. Edward's Crown has not always used for coronations. In the period between the coronation of William III (William of Orange) in 1689&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-02|title=William III of England|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_III_of_England&amp;oldid=1325339468|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; and that of George V in 1911, new monarchs did not use the St. Edward's Crown but had new crowns made for the ceremony.

Lucy Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;St Edward’s Crown, traditionally used at the climax of the ceremony, had been made for Charles II, a man over 6 feet tall and well able to bear its 5-lb weight. But here [for Victoria's coronation] problems had been anticipated. A new and smaller ‘Crown of State’ had been specially made ‘according to the Model approved by the Queen’ at a cost of £1,000.45{{rp|45 TNA LC 2/67, p. 66}} ...

Her new crown weighed less than half the load of St Edward’s Crown, but it still gave Victoria a headache. She’d had it made to fit her head extra tightly, so that ‘accident or misadventure’ could not cause it to fall off.&lt;sup&gt;47:&quot;47 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) pp. 83–4&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; The jewellers Rundell, Bridge &amp; Rundell had made the new crown, and during the build-up towards the coronation it had become the focus [173–174] of an angry controversy. Mr Bridge had displayed his firm’s finished handiwork to the public in his shop on Ludgate Hill. This was much to the dismay of the touchy Mr Swifte, Keeper of the Regalia at the Tower of London. It was Mr Swifte’s privilege to display the Crown Jewels kept at the Tower to anyone who wanted to see them, for one shilling each, and he’d been counting on a lucrative flood of visitors to pay for the feeding of his numerous and sickly infants. But the new crown proved a greater attraction, and hundreds of people went to Mr Bridge’s shop, Mr Swifte complained, when they would otherwise have come to the Tower. Mr Bridges was not very sympathetic about stealing Mr Swifte’s business. ‘If we were to close our Doors,’ he claimed, ‘I fear they would be forced.’&lt;sup&gt;48&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;48 TNA LC 2/68 (22 June 1838)&quot;}}

Victoria later confessed that her firmly fitting crown had hurt her ‘a good deal’, but nevertheless she had to sit on her throne in it, while the peers came up one by one to swear loyalty and kiss her hand.&lt;sup&gt;49&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|49 RA QVJ/1838: 28}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|173–174; nn. 45, 47, 48, 49, p. 661}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
==== Imperial State Crown ====
[[File:Imperial State Crown.png|alt=Gold bejeweled crown with purple velvet and many large colorful gemmstones|thumb|The Current Imperial State Crown (digitally edited image)|left]][[File:Imperial State Crown of Queen Victoria (2).jpg|alt=Gold bejeweled crown with velvet cap and ermine rim|thumb|Drawing of the Imperial State Crown of Queen Victoria, 1838]]The new monarch wears a different crown from the St. Edward's Crown as he or she leaves Westminster Abbey after the coronation. This crown is used for very formal state occasions like appearing in public after the coronation and for the State Opening of Parliament. Used relatively frequently, it has had to be replaced in the past when it gets damaged or begins to show wear.

Victoria had the Imperial State Crown (right) made for her coronation on 28 June 1838. It was broken in a procession in 1845 (dropped by the Duke of Argyll), so it no longer exists (which is why this image is a drawing). What is now the current Imperial State Crown (left) was rebuilt after the 1845 accident, altered to accommodate the Cullinan II diamond in 1909, copied and remade in 1937 for the coronation of George IV.&lt;ref name=&quot;:7&quot; /&gt; Then it was redesigned slightly for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-08-14|title=Imperial State Crown|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Imperial_State_Crown&amp;oldid=1305824792|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;[[File:Victoria in her Coronation (cropped).jpg|alt=Old painting of a white woman very richly dressed, wearing a crown|thumb|Queen Victoria wearing the State Diadem, Winterhalter 1858]]
==== The Diamond Diadem ====
The Diamond Diadem was made for the coronation of George IV and worn by every queen — regnant or consort — since. Called the Diadem by Queen Victoria and the Diamond Diadem or the George IV State Diadem now, this crown (right, on Queen Victoria's head) is a circlet of two rows of pearls enclosing a row of diamonds.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-02|title=Diamond Diadem|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diamond_Diadem&amp;oldid=1330716296|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; On top are 4 crosses pattée and 4 bouquets of the national emblems of the thistle, the shamrock and the rose.&lt;ref&gt;{{Citation|title=The Diamond Diadem|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmDAYqKiGZM|date=2022-05-12|accessdate=2026-02-04|last=Royal Collection Trust}}&lt;/ref&gt;

Queen Victoria wore it on some official state occasions before the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Small Crowns|Small Diamond Crown]] was made in 1871.

==== Diadems, Tiaras ====
A diadem is may be simpler than a crown, or it may be a simple crown. Crowns and diadems have a band that is a full circle.

A Tiara is a semi-circular headpiece, typically a piece of jewelry, that can sit on top of the head or on the forehead. Worn by women at white tie, very formal events.

A Coronet of Rank in the UK is a kind of crown that signifies rank and whose design indicates which rank in the nobility the wearer holds. A coronet does not have the high arches that crowns have. Coronets of rank indicate non-royal rank.

Something called the State Diadem was designed by Albert in 1845? and made by Joseph Kitching.

== QV's Wedding ==
Ideas about QV's wedding dress are encrusted with misinformation: 

# QV was not the first royal (or first woman) to wear a white wedding dress.
# She did not wear white to signal her virginity and purity.
# Everybody has not worn white since then because she did.

None of this is true, and some of it is easy to set aside. It is not true that Queen Victoria invented the white wedding dress. The first record of a white wedding dress in what is now the UK is the early 15th century, and they appear to be popular both in Europe and North America among royals as well as upper middle class in the mid century.

Princess Charlotte, the last royal woman to wed (?), in 1816, wore gold cloth &quot;with three layers of machine-made lace.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/71997/princess-charlottes-wedding-dress|title=Mrs Triaud (active 1816) - Princess Charlotte's Wedding Dress|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-31}}&lt;/ref&gt; Her dress is in the Royal Collection Trust (https://www.rct.uk/collection/71997/princess-charlottes-wedding-dress).

Royals were expected to appear regal. Gold and silver cloth and adornments would not have been surprising for a monarch, so QV's choice is worth examining, regardless of the actual color. Given that churches in 1840 were lit with candles and torches and rooms were warmed by coal or wood, white would have been difficult to maintain. So it expressed status and wealth (the association between the white dress and virginity may have arisen in the mid-20th century in the context of widely available birth control and the sexual revolution). White was not uncommon, however, for dresses in the mid-19th century, particular in cotton and particularly for warmer weather.&lt;ref name=&quot;:9&quot; /&gt;

Violet Paget writing as Vernon Lee addresses the Victorian moral implications in the colors white and black in her 1895 ''Fortnightly Review'' article &quot;Beauty and Insanity.&quot; She is not talking about race, and she does not mention brides [does she talk about Victoria?]. She regards as an aesthetic cultural imposition the association between whiteness and purity, virginity and heterosexuality, and between blackness and evil.&lt;ref&gt;Renes, Liz. “Vernon Lee’s ‘Beauty and Sanity’ and 1895: Color and Cultural Response.” Academica.edu https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/41271981/LeeText-libre.pdf?1452968345=&amp;response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DVernon_Lees_Beauty_and_Sanity_and_1895_C.pdf&amp;Expires=1767736568&amp;Signature=SvA5MHz3LY7x~GCxwa6pSRVwF5scY-jOgI6QAEvRyp1j5tk4uy8MWI1pj0kdJOJDLP~XMUwXuLMIVkwPwCxFut6~uLf5PI5~CnZ3arxlKFeK-LWGL1vlF7QeIzRqTkNDnyXitYiJ83DVsidWCJ8DyIHHajtl0Dk0gGzb0L-I547s-EIM~lEmWxchyLqyCnhG4o0fmEcTZqUEaJ84uImLfmosdnphQKUAIEfNai9cEdh33~wfWWfirM29CfEgtsIkoZRvsioM7fKcO79VSVsYecYySCg7GvRikf9zJ~dtJ2NNpjvtXO0tnVmv8lvVbtRM8m1fQ7jZ-hrhgF-nUOVKaQ__&amp;Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA (retrieved January 2026).&lt;/ref&gt; 

It is true, however, that the press coverage of QV's wedding likely increased the popularity of white for weddings.

=== White Wedding Dress ===
The Royal Collection has QV's wedding dress, in 3 views. It says the dress is made of cream-colored silk satin. It doesn't say the color has yellowed. In her journals, QV describes her dress as &quot;a white satin gown, with a very deep flounce of Honiton lace, imitation of old.&quot;&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;21 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (238)

&quot;Onlookers,&quot; Worsley says, commenting on the wedding and Victoria's dress, said Victoria and her party looked like &quot;village girls, presumably rather than a monarch and her ladies in waiting.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (244 [of 786], citing Wyndham, ed. (1912) p. 297). Others saw the simplicity of the wedding dress similarly, though less negatively. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;'I saw the Queen’s dress at the palace,’ wrote one eager letter-writer, ‘the lace was beautiful, as fine as a cobweb.’ She wore no jewels at all, this person’s account continues, ‘only a bracelet with Prince Albert’s picture’.&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;28 Mundy, ed. (1885) p. 413}} This was in fact [240–241] completely incorrect. Albert had given her a huge sapphire brooch, which she wore along with her ‘Turkish diamond necklace and earrings’.&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;29 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February}} It was the beginning of a lifetime trend for Victoria’s clothes to be reported as simpler, plainer, less ostentatious than they really were. The reality was that they were not quite as ostentatious as people expected for a queen.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt; (240–241)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Is it possible that ''white'' actually was used for a range of very light colors? Certainly, not all whites are the same color, and not all viewers are precise with their language.

==== What Was White Used For? ====
The layers worn under dresses were sometimes white. Undergarments would generally have been made of cotton by the 1890s, although some wool and linen was still in use. Mechanical bleaches were available, so fabric could be made pale enough to have been called white. Kate Strasdin quotes a mid-19th-century use of &quot;snow white&quot; to distinguish it from other kinds of white.&lt;ref name=&quot;:9&quot; /&gt; 

Debutants being presented to the monarch wore white, it was court dress [confirm this], and the train added to Victoria's dress raised it into court dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (239? [22 Staniland (1997) p. 118])

Perhaps what was striking about Victoria's white dress was not just its color but its simplicity. When the &quot;onlookers&quot; at Victoria's wedding compare her bridal party to village girls, they are not suggesting that the bridal party is wearing underwear indecently or that they're in court dress. The touchstone here is class — they don't look like the ruling class or the upper class.

But Victoria's white dress was influential nonetheless. Lucy Worsley says it &quot;launched a million subsequent white weddings.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt; (238) However, other women were wearing white around the same time, including Mary Todd's sister Frances and Sophie of Württembert, Queen of the Netherlands in 1839. Mary Todd is said to have worn white at her wedding to Abraham Lincoln because they married quickly, so she just borrowed her sisters dress.

# 1839 May 21: Frances Todd's wedding dress was white; she later loaned it to her sister, Mary Todd, for her wedding.
# 1839 June 18: Sophie of Württembert, Queen of the Netherlands wore white.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-02|title=Sophie of Württemberg|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sophie_of_W%C3%BCrttemberg&amp;oldid=1325386567|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; She knew Napoleon III and QV; was progressive politically, favoring democracy; was buried in her wedding dress.
# '''1840 February 10''': QV's wedding dress was white.
# 1842 November 4: Mary Todd wore her sister Frances's white satin wedding dress.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-05|title=Mary Todd Lincoln|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Todd_Lincoln&amp;oldid=1325904504|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1853 January 30: Eugénie of France wore white.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-11-18|title=Eugénie de Montijo|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eug%C3%A9nie_de_Montijo&amp;oldid=1322973534|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1854 April 24: Empress Elisabeth of Austria wore white for her wedding.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-17|title=Empress Elisabeth of Austria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Empress_Elisabeth_of_Austria&amp;oldid=1327984118|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1858 January 25: Victoria the Princess Royal&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-22|title=Victoria, Princess Royal|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Victoria,_Princess_Royal&amp;oldid=1328868015|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1863 March 10: Alexandra of Denmark&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-14|title=Alexandra of Denmark|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alexandra_of_Denmark&amp;oldid=1327524766|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

All royal clothing is deliberately &quot;symbolic&quot; — or semiotic — to some degree. Lucy Worsley interprets the simple white dress as Victoria marrying as a woman rather than as &quot;Her Majesty the Queen.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (239) Kay Staniland and Santina M. Levey (and the [https://thedreamstress.com/2011/04/queen-victorias-wedding-dress-the-one-that-started-it-all/ Dreamstress blog]) claim that the salient article from QV's wedding dress was the Honiton lace, which the dress showcased, which they decided should be white, which is why her dress was white.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://thedreamstress.com/2011/04/queen-victorias-wedding-dress-the-one-that-started-it-all/|title=Queen Victoria's wedding dress: the one that started it all|last=Dreamstress|first=The|date=2011-04-17|website=The Dreamstress|language=en-US|access-date=2025-12-17}}&lt;/ref&gt;
[[File:Queen Victoria's Wedding Lace Veil c.1889-91 Detail.jpg|alt=Old photograph of a square of fine fabric edged with ornate white lace, with a wreath of small artificial flowers on the side|thumb|Queen Victoria's Wedding Veil, c. 1889–91]]

=== Wedding Veil ===
The late-19th-century image of QV's veil (right) makes it look a lot smaller than it is. The circlet to its right, which is a wreath of artificial flowers worn around the head over the veil, suggests its scale.

A contemporary (1855) photograph of 1840 QV's wedding veil and wreath is in the Royal Trust collection (https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/34/collection/2905584/veil-worn-by-queen-victoria-at-her-marriage), from a page in a scrapbook that includes 2 photos of paintings made after the wedding, one photo of the veil, showing its lace, and one photo of the bonnet she wore after the wedding.

The veil and [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Flounce|flounce]] on QV's wedding dress were made of Honiton lace, in Devon, partly designed &quot;by the Pre-Raphaelite artist William Dyce&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot; /&gt; and attached to a very fine netting. QV seems to have saved both the dress and the veil. She used both until the end of her life as well as other pieces of lace using the same Dyce design.

Elizabeth Abbott, in her ''A History of Marriage'', says her veil was&lt;blockquote&gt;one and half yards of diamond-studded Honiton lace draped over her shoulders and back. ... The flounce of the dress was also Honiton lace, four yards of it, specially made in the village of Beer by over two hundred lace workers, at a cost of more than £1,000.&lt;ref&gt;Abbott, Elizabeth. ''A History of Marriage''. Duckworth Overlook, 2011. Internet Archive [[iarchive:historyofmarriag0000abbo_w6u8/page/76/mode/2up|https://archive.org/details/historyofmarriag0000abbo_w6u8]].&lt;/ref&gt; (76)&lt;/blockquote&gt;

N. Hudson Moore's 1904 ''Lace Book'' describes (perhaps a touch hyperbolically) the Honiton lace used on Victoria's coronation and wedding dresses as well as her &quot;body linen&quot; and the dresses of Alexandra, Princess of Wales and the Princess Alice:&lt;blockquote&gt;
The wedding trousseau of Queen Victoria was trimmed with English laces only, and this set such a fashion for their use that the market could not be supplied, and the prices paid were fabulous. The patterns were most jealously guarded, and each village and sometimes separate families were noted for their particular designs, which could not be obtained elsewhere. Such laces as these were what were used on Queen Victoria’s body linen. Her coronation gown was of white satin with a deep flounce of Honiton lace, and with trimmings of the same lace on elbow sleeves and about the low neck. Her mantle was of cloth of gold trimmed with bullion fringe and enriched with the rose, the thistle, and other significant emblems. This cloth of gold is woven in one town in England. The present Queen’s mantle was made there also. Queen Victoria's wedding dress was composed entirely [sic] of Honiton lace, and was made in the small fishing village of Beers. It cost £1,000 ($5,000) and after the dress was made the patterns were destroyed. Royalty has done all it could to promote the use of this lace, and the wedding dresses of the Princess Alice and of Queen Alexandra were of Honiton also, the pattern of the latter showing the design of the Prince of Wales’s feathers and ferns.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/lacebook0000nhud|title=The lace book|last=N. Hudson Moore|date=1904|publisher=Frederick A. Stokes Company|others=Internet Archive}}&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|184}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
QV wore her wedding veil to all her children's christenings.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|492 of 786}} Beatrice wore that veil at her own wedding, a sign that QV had relented and agreed to Beatrice marrying. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;Beatrice could only squint at her groom-to-be through the folds of the very same Devon lace veil her mother had worn when she'd married Albert. This was hugely significant. Victoria attached great importance to clothes, and a well-informed source tells us that ‘almost without exception, her wardrobe woman can produce the gown, bonnet, or mantle she wore on any particular occasion.'&lt;sup&gt;47&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|&quot;47 Anon. 'Private Life' (1897; 1901 edition) p. 69&quot;}} The veil was one of the most precious items in the Albertian reliquary. ‘I look upon it as a holy charm,’ Victoria wrote, ‘as it was under that veil our union was blessed forever.’&lt;sup&gt;48&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;48 RA QVJ/1843: 19 May; Bartley (2016) p. 82&quot;}} Her loan of it to Beatrice was an important act of blessing.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|500 of 786; n. 47, 48, p. 721 of 786}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Sartorial Style ==
In clothing and perhaps also in jewelry but not in furnishings or architecture. When matters.
* She had her own sense of style, influenced as she may have been by her maids, dressers and modistes, over time and through events in her life. The evolution of her sense of style changed as her life changed and she aged. She was never haute couture, although before she married Albert, she wore French fashion and Brussels lace. But she never really did glamour? Early on, a lot of bare shoulders. A construction of a feminine identity in all that frou-frou, from girly to romantic to maternal to widowed to regal. She came out of her depression with a changed identity.
* She liked frills, layers and decorative trim, and some frou-frou, especially perhaps while Albert was still alive. But over her life, her general look was a simple dress made in sophisticated ways with very high-quality fabrics, laces and trim. After she developed her &quot;uniform,&quot; the frou-frou can be hard to see and impossible to see from a distance. In a way, she was beyond haute couture, her style was classic and less mutable, decorative elements were often sentimental.
** Albert's role
*** QV told people that &quot;she 'had no taste, ... used only to listen to him,'&quot; Albert. Taste here is probably art and architecture, as the context is Osborne House.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|318 of 786 [n. 26, p. 689: &quot;Quoted in Marsden, ed. (2012) p. 12&quot;]}}
*** QV &quot;and Albert — '''for Albert must approve every outfit''' — were conservative in their taste [in clothing]. A Frenchman found her frumpy, and laughed at her old-fashioned handbag 'on which was embroidered a fat poodle in gold'.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|311 of 786}} Something sentimental made by Vicky?
*** Elizabeth Jane Timms says, &quot;Prince Albert had played an essential role in the Queen’s wardrobe, on whose highly refined artistic taste the Queen relied. In her own words: ‘''He did everything – everywhere… the designing and ordering of Jewellery, the buying of a dress or a bonnet… all was done together''…’ [sic ital].&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;
*** 1861 January at Osborne after the servants' ball:&lt;blockquote&gt;As she and Albert passed the time ‘talking over the company’, Victoria also gives details of how her ‘maids would come in and begin to undress me – and he would go on talking, and would make his observations on my jewels and ornaments and give my people good advice as to how to keep them or would occasionally reprimand if anything had not been carefully attended to’.&lt;sup&gt;50&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|327 of 786; n. 50, p. 590: &quot;RA VIC/MAIN/RA/491 (January 1861)&quot;}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
* We know some things about her dressers, modistes, dressmakers, etc.
* She had a couple of &quot;uniforms&quot;: the Widow of Windsor and the riding habit with the red coat.
* She like fine, complex laces. Even when laces were typically machine made, hers were not.
* She liked tartan. Many of her clothing choices were emotional or sentimental: favorite and meaningful veils, shawls, tartan.
* Shape of skirt (see [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Hoops|Hoops]] for one photograph that shows the style of fabric moving to the back). When she visited Paris in 1855 she wasn't wearing hoops yet, though Eugénie was. The French women thought she was dowdy. Her shawl clashed with her dress.
* Alexandra, Princess of Wales had a very different sense of style and moved in very different social networks, regardless of her own official responsibilities. She wore haute couture and at one event — a [[Social Victorians/Timeline/1889#The Shah at a Covent Garden Opera Performance|performance at Covent Garden attended by the Shah]] — wore a red dress, which was reported on without moralizing comment. She wore dresses made by designers outside the UK.
* The contexts for how Victoria dressed:
** expectations for royalty and wives
** her relationships with the middle classes and the aristocracy
*** set herself up in opposition to the aristocracy and haute couture, and Bertie's side of the aristocracy.
*** The aristocracy did not look to her as fashion leader, but did the middle classes? Was she dressing more like some of them rather than them like her?
*** Middle-class perspective on aristocracy: Harriet Martineau attended QV's coronation, disapproved of how the peeresses were dressed and &quot;would have preferred 'the decent differences of dress which, according to middle-class custom, pertain to contrasting periods of life’. She particularly criticised the peers’ wives, ‘old hags, with their dyed or false hair’, their bare arms and necks so ‘wrinkled as to make one sick’.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|180 of 786}}
*** Her sense of style spoke to the middle classes and the mainstream ideas of many of her subjects.
*** Worsley says of Randall Davidson, new Dean of Windsor, later Archbishop of Canterbury, &quot;Unlike Albert, unlike even the Ponsonbys, Davidson appreciated her talent for identifying how mainstream opinion among her subjects would respond to almost any issue. Elsewhere in Europe, when revolutions succeeded, it was because middle-class people and the oppressed workers made common cause. In Britain, though, this never quite happened. Perhaps it was because the middle classes somehow believed that the middlebrow queen was ‘on their side’.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|478 of 786}}
*** Her identification with the middle class helped her monarchy survive. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette: completely identified with smaller and smaller elements only of the aristocracy; similarly Franz Josef and Elisabeth of Austria fell for similar reasons, especially his and his mother Sophia's identification with the aristocracy; Nicholas II and Alexandra of Russia; Napoleon III and Eugenie in France.
** the two main approaches to corseting, tight lacing and &quot;artistic&quot; dress (She didn't do the Worth-house style tight laced &quot;traditional&quot; look (in the 1880s Frith painting) or the &quot;aesthetic&quot; or &quot;artistic&quot; style associated with artists and socialists.)
** the practices around mourning (Kate Strasdin's ''The Dress Diary'' summarizes the mourning practices, at least for mid-century, and perhaps for the aspiring middle classes)
* Neither Eugenie of France nor Elisabeth of Austria were regarded as beautiful as children.
* Empress Eugénie's influence on fashion: &quot;when Mrs. Lincoln first arrived in Washington, she made a point of patterning her gowns after the empress’s wardrobe.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;Goldstone, Nancy. ''The Rebel Empresses: Elisabeth of Austria and Eugénie of France, Power and Glamour in the Struggle for Europe''. Little Brown, 2025.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|566, n. iii}}

*According to Lucy Worsley, QV developed some practices early to &quot;memorialise&quot; her life, including writing &quot;the millions of words eventually embodied in the journals that she would keep lifelong, ... keeping significant dresses from her wardrobe, ... the compulsive taking and collecting of photographs,&quot; even maintaining &quot;certain rooms of her palaces ... with their furniture unchanged as shrines to earlier times.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|91 of 786}} Another form of memorialization was the books she wrote or had written.
*1856: there is a &quot;surviving day dress of lilac silk ..., which has grey silk ribbons running between waist and hem inside so that the skirt can be drawn up for convenient walking,&quot; as QV might have done in Scotland, although in the 1856 trip to Scotland, she was pregnant with Beatrice.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|346 of 786; n. 45, p. 693: &quot;'''Madeleine Ginsburg, ‘The Young Queen and Her Clothes'''’, ''Costume'', vol. 3 (Sprint) (1969) p. 42&quot;}}

== Class ==
Early in their marriage, QV and Albert &quot;had a powerful and popular domestic image and were often seen at home wearing ‘ordinary’ clothes, further appealing to the middle classes.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/collections/london-stories/marriage-queen-victoria-prince-albert/|title=The marriage of Queen Victoria &amp; Prince Albert|website=London Museum|language=en-gb|access-date=2026-02-16}}&lt;/ref&gt;

After the 1870 Mordaunt divorce case, according to Lytton Strachey, speaking at first from QV's perspective,&lt;blockquote&gt;It was clear that the heir to the throne had been mixing with people of whom she did not at all approve. What was to be done? She saw that it was not only her son that was to blame﻿ — that it was the whole system of society; and so she despatched a letter to Mr. Delane, the editor of ''The Times'', asking him if he would &quot;frequently write articles pointing out the immense danger and evil of the wretched frivolity and levity of the views and lives of the Higher Classes.&quot; And five years later Mr. Delane did write an article upon that very subject.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (424 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;The upper-middle-class Florence Nightingale &quot;had developed a great fondness for Victoria, shy in 'her shabby little black silk gown'&quot; by the time of Albert's death.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (592 of 1203) She had visited Balmoral during the Crimean War and&lt;blockquote&gt;had been struck by the difference between the bored, frivolous court members and Victoria and Albert, both consumed with thoughts of war, foreign policy, and &quot;all things of importance.&quot; Even before Albert’s death, she thought Victoria conscientious &quot;but so mistrustful of herself, so afraid of not doing her best, that her spirits are lowered by it.&quot; With Albert gone, &quot;now she is even doubting whether she is right or wrong from the habit of consulting him.&quot; Nightingale found this touching, a sign that &quot;she has not been spoilt by power.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (592 of 1203)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Lucy Worsley sees this lack of self-confidence on Victoria's part as one of the effects of Albert's critical, controlling treatment of her.

The general election of 1886, according to Lytton Strachey, &quot;the majority of the nation&quot;&lt;blockquote&gt;showed decisively that Victoria’s politics were identical with theirs by casting forth the contrivers of Home Rule﻿ — that abomination of desolation﻿ — into outer darkness, and placing Lord Salisbury in power. Victoria’s satisfaction was profound.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (439–440 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Prime Minister Salisbury believed that the queen had an uncanny ability to reflect the view of the public; he felt that when he knew [736–737] Victoria’s opinion, he &quot;knew pretty certainly what views her subjects would take, and especially the middle class of her subjects.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (736–737 of 1203)

Summing up her reign, Strachey says,&lt;blockquote&gt;The middle classes, firm in the triple brass of their respectability, rejoiced with a special joy over the most respectable of Queens. They almost claimed her, indeed, as one of themselves; but this would have been an exaggeration. For, though many of her characteristics were most often found among the middle classes, in other respects﻿ — in her manners, for instance﻿ — Victoria was decidedly aristocratic. And, in one important particular, she was neither aristocratic nor middle-class: her attitude toward herself was simply regal.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (478 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;
== Proposals ==
Queen Victoria's Sense of Style, her taste in clothes and jewelry

To talk about her sartorial style is to address both jewelry (which includes crowns, diadems and tiaras) and clothing (including accessories like shawls, veils and caps, bonnets and hats).

One of the secrets of her style was that she wore elements of Victorian frou-frou without looking over-trimmed or visually busy, mostly because it was black on black (or, before Albert's death, white on white, but also because the materials and work were so fine. What she selected of the frou-frou was very fashionable, but the trim is not high contrast, as for example what a Worth gown might have. The silhouette was not high-fashion, but elements were: she knew what was fashionable, she or her dressmakers, etc.

The close-up/far-away thing contrasts with Bertie, who understood ceremony and pageantry differently and probably better.

Periods in her sartorial styles, but made more complex by state occasions vs less formal, many of them in-family occasions:

# Before she came to the throne, she may not have been in control of her own look.
# After her accession and before her marriage, she had control as well as an experienced Mistress of the Robes and experienced maids and dressmakers. She experimented, wore for example a dark tartan dress to meet Albert and his brother and chose simple styles, like village girls, at the wedding; expectations for what a monarch would wear; she seems to have liked an off-the-shoulder look when she was young, and very formal dress later might be off the shoulder.
# Marriage to Albert: he had a lot of say, though she resisted in some ways, but her identity was tied up in his, as his wife; he attempted to constrain her clothing budget was not successful long term; influenced by styles, but not at the front edge; crinoline cage 3 years later than Eugenie and Elisabeth of Austria (Mary Todd Lincoln?). Photographs, so a medium different from the official portraits documenting empire and sovereignty, more candid, more at-home, less formal, modest, but would any of her subjects have seen them? Change as well as memorializing (Worsley). Some changes she adopted: double pommel side saddle, photography, cage (not immediately, but ...) Her friends in the monarchy, Eugénie, Elisabeth of Austria and Mary Todd Lincoln were all very fashion forward. A. N. Wilson says QV was parsimonious &quot;in such matters as heating and wardrobe.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (609 of 1204)
# The 1st year, 2 1/2 years (Strasdin), and then decade of mourning, then she decides never to wear color again (not counting honors and order), and her &quot;brand&quot; begins to develop and solidify, a look friendly to the middle classes, especially the upper middle class. The Widow of Windsor. At the beginning her black thigh-length jackets were largely untrimmed, sometimes completely; a large band at the bottom of her skirt, with trim between that and the more satiny fabric above, but otherwise very little or no other trim. White around her face, including neck and headdress, and at her cuffs, but not much and not a lot of frou-frou, perhaps a ruffle.
# In 1871, under pressure from her ministers and newspapers, she had the Small Diamond Crown made and wore it to open Parliament. So she was missing from the public for about a decade. Her grief was profound, possibly compound because of the death of her mother earlier in the same year as the death of Albert. She may have been vulnerable to depression, sometimes finding pregnancies difficult to recover from. But also, her Widow of Windsor look is not just her being &quot;gloomy&quot; or being stuck in grief, though she may have been, this is her brand, her nuance on her regal identity.
# By the 1880s, her look is well established: plain from a distance; up close, very fine materials and beautiful needlework. Her clothing has trim, but generally black on black or white on white, not contrasting on a field of one color. Not wearing a corset, depending on not-very-heavy boning in her bodices, caps, shawls, At this point, Bertie's place in the aristocracy is also well established, and he and Alex are set up with a very different sense of style, wearing haute couture, House of Worth type stylishness.
# By the Jubilees and the end of the century, &quot;Despite their sombre aspect, even her mourning gowns were finely made. She had settled into a series of very minor variations upon a square-necked bodice and skirt, customised with quirky little pockets for keys and seals, all cut pretty much the same to save her the trouble of fittings. On her head went a white cap, with streamers of lace, and round her neck a locket containing miniatures of two of her children: Alice, now lost to diphtheria, and Leopold, to haemophilia.16&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (511 of 786; n. 16, p. 723: &quot;Princess Marie Louise (1956) p. 141&quot;) One design we see a lot is the usual black with a little white at neckline and wrists, with sophisticated black trim not really visible from a distance. The wide skirt with a deep band of a different fabric at the bottom, a thigh-length jacket with wide sleeves; might be dress with a bodice or a vest and blouse under the jacket.
# Jubilees, end of life and her funeral, which she had planned in detail. 

=== CFPs ===

* Uniform Mourning
* After Prince Albert's death death in 1861, Victoria returned to her earlier project of experimenting and finding sartorial styles that served not only as self-expression but that also communicated how she expected to be treated in what role. The extreme mourning was a reflection of how she felt and her identity as a faithful, grieving widow, but it was also performative and communicative, depending on who was looking and from what distance.
* In her private sphere, in the unofficial and family-centered photographs, in her journals (including Princess Beatrice's revision of her journals) and the preserved clothing, and in the accounts in the papers written by reporters familiar with fashion and dressmaking, we see a sophisticated understanding of fashion and subtle, complex  dresses. The materials and dressmaking are rich and fine. Victoria aligned her appearance with respectable matrons of the growing middle classes, but the quality of the materials used in her clothing aligned her with those in her private sphere, including other royals and aristocrats.
* This opposition between the private and public spheres is falsely simple because, for example, Victoria &quot;memorialized&quot; herself (Worsley), preserving elements of her personal life exactly because she was monarch. The different versions of herself was a complexity present in her lifetime and useful to her.
* Also, her sense of self changed over time, especially after she acceded to the throne, after she married and after she was widowed.
* Focusing on Victoria's clothes and sense of style leads us to see some understandings of her and her reign differently: her periods of seclusion and her absences from governmental and state occasions; the loss of power for the monarchy as well as the survival of the constitutional monarchy when almost every other monarchy in Europe was falling; the ways she managed her relationships with the aristocracy, the middle classes, the press; her mood and mental health; the white wedding dress and her influence in the wedding dresses of her daughters and Alex; Albert's nature; even what we believe to be the rules and conventions around mourning dress; and the size of her body.
* To study Queen Victoria's sartorial sense of style, we look at painted and drawn portraits and at photographs of her, we read the few accounts from biographers and fashion historians, especially those who have looked at the clothing and accessories preserved by Victoria herself and now in the Royal Trust Collection, the London Museum and so on, we read her own accounts (or Princess Beatrice's construction of her mother in her revision of her journals her as well as Esher's books about her based on the journals before Beatrice revised them), and we read accounts of her public appearances in contemporary periodicals, especially newspapers that employed reporters knowledgeable about fashion and dressmaking as well as those more focused on news and, perhaps, a male readership. These sources represent different versions of Victoria and her subjects, a complexity that was already occurring in Victoria's lifetime, that looks to have been deliberate and that was, I argue, very useful to her. These different versions of Victoria and different audiences lead to different readings of her senses of style as they evolved over time and what they might be signaling. The journals and many of the photographs existed in what we might call Victoria's private sphere, by which we mean in the presence of some aristocrats (who worked in government, who attended her and who were ministers), of people who were employed as servants and of her family, which was quite extensive and whose edges were porous, especially toward the end of the century and the end of her life, as well as the small number of people she &quot;adopted&quot; like Duleep Singh and XX [African girl]. The preservation of Victoria's clothing belongs to this &quot;private sphere,&quot; although much of it was worn during public or official events like her coronation or wedding; some, though, like the chemise she wore for the birth of all of her children, was more or less but not completely private, and the &quot;memorializing&quot; (Worsley) of herself entailed in this preservation was done in her role as monarch. The paintings and newspaper accounts depict the public Victoria, and from this distance Victoria looked plain — even dowdy — and clearly unaristocratic: she looks like a middle-class or upper-middle-class widow, the Widow of Windsor. Up close, though, we see complex and sophisticated dresses and dressing. Albert had tastes and preferences for how he wanted her to look, some of which were about looking familiar to the growing middle classes, and after he died and she very deliberately turned her widow's weeds into a uniform, the bifurcation between what she looked like from a distance and to the public and what she looked like up close and to those in her private circles gets clearer. Looking at her as monarch and daughter, wife, mother and grandmother through the lens of her clothing reopens some questions that up to now have seemed settled. Focusing on Victoria's clothes and sense of style causes us to see some uncontroversial and &quot;well-understood&quot; summaries of her and her reign differently: her periods of seclusion, such as they were, and her absences from governmental and state occasions; the loss of power for the monarchy as well as the survival of the constitutional monarchy when almost every other monarchy in Europe was falling; the ways she managed her relationships with the aristocracy, the middle classes, the press; her mood and mental health (the regal, disinterested face, which isn't really gloomy the way it is usually described); the white wedding dress and her influence in the wedding dresses of her daughters and Alex; Albert's nature; the size and shape of her body.
* Many of the newspaper reports of her dress are in descriptions of events involving aristocrats and oligarchs at official social events like garden parties, state balls and, of course, processions, especially for her Golden and Diamond Jubilees. The reports in the news-reporting papers, not the ladies' papers or papers with a lot of fashion reporting, seem to have been written by reporters who did not know how to describe sophisticated clothing, fabrics, trim and techniques; they do not use the technical vocabulary required to report on fashion, or if they attempt it, they end up being confusing. Often, these news reports list only the names of those invited. Garden parties might have as many as 6000 invitées listed; the most said about the queen would list who was attending. Occasionally, we hear a very general description of what she wore and perhaps if she did or did not seem to have difficulty walking, but the reporters seem to have been at a distance and may not know the names of fabrics or dressmaking techniques.
* The reports in the newspapers vs reports written by fashion specialists in women's newspapers (and magazines?).
* Both Oscar Wilde and Jack the Ripper are understood in the context of their &quot;management&quot; (or not) of the media, but Victoria's sense of her identity as a celebrity and public person was at least as sophisticated as theirs. She &quot;memorialized&quot; herself and important moments in her life in her extremely prolific use of photographs as well as painted and drawn images; in her keeping rooms in the palaces frozen in time; in her X millions words recorded in her journals; and in her clothing, both for formal as well as more candid images (Worsley). Her awareness of her responsibility to memorialize herself had to have included the newspapers as well. Politically, her absence from politics after Alfred's death until 1871, when she wore the Small Diamond Crown to open Parliament for the first time, was notable and noted, but a carte de visite with her portrait on it sold X million copies (Worsley) and kept her present in the mind of the citizenry at the same time that she was being criticized for her political absence in the newspapers and among her ministers and the members of Parliament, some of whom questioned the value of an absent monarch. Lytton Strachey says that monarchs up to Victoria's time did not attempt to be fashionable or belong to the fashionable &quot;set,&quot; except, tellingly, George IV. But Victoria's fashion choices occurred in a content different from that of George IV, both politically and journalistically. Especially as Albert's influence waned and Bertie's own social identity developed, the direction of Victoria's sartorial gestures was to the middle classes, especially the upper middle classes, but not the aristocracy, not the fashionable world of haute couture, like, for instance, what the House of Worth might provide. In this 1881 image by Frith, in fact, we see the two main streams of fashion in the economic and cultural elite, but this is not Victoria.
* Alex and her sister Dagmar (who became the mother of Czar Nicolas II) were raised to make their own clothing (their father was not wealthy), so Alex knew a lot about building dresses, already had a wedding dress when she arrived in England but didn't wear it.
* Although she was widely criticized for her absence at state occasions in the press, Parliament and among her ministers, her widely circulated photographic portraits and her books — memoirs mostly of her family life with Albert and their children, her love of Scotland and Balmoral, and later the biographical works she asked and then helped courtiers close to her to write — she was present for the mass of her subjects who bought cartes de visite and read books.
* Worsley says some of her always wearing mourning was to arrange the world so she was treated more gently, with a dispensation; there were other benefits to the &quot;uniform&quot; she developed, but this one suggests she saw herself as marginal and weakened by grief.
* The newspapers described her clothing, but by the end of her life never the way the clothing of women (and occasionally men) wearing haute couture was described? Does the close-up/far-away thing pertain here?

==== '''MVSA: Due 5 January''' (email 4 December, from Laura Fiss) ====
The Underground: Prohibition, Abolition, Expression,  '''April 10-12, 2026''', hosted by Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio

Style and Sensibility: Victoria, Eugénie, Elisabeth and Mary Todd and Their Dressmakers (383 words)

Looking at Queen Victoria's sartorial sense of style troubles some conclusions we have reached about her, her reign, her &quot;private&quot; life and her body. Her style became strongly individuated and intentionally symbolic. The &quot;uniform&quot; worn by the Widow of Windsor — that all-black dress with the touches of white at her neckline and cuffs — made her instantly recognizable, even in a crowd and from a distance, and allied her with the middle class rather than the aristocracy. Up close (in the hundreds of personal photographs, her journals, and the clothing she saved) is a sophisticated and nuanced sense of style and self.

Putting Victoria's use of dress (and jewelry) in the context of a social network of political women that includes Empress Eugénie of France, Elisabeth of Bavaria, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, and Mary Todd Lincoln removes her from the usual social isolation scholarly scrutiny gives her, emphasizing what clothing did for her, although few biographies and histories see Victoria in this way.

These women knew each other, wrote to each other and had friends in common. They thought about what message their clothing choices sent and made those choices in the context of community, not only of who saw them but also each other and the modistes and couturiers who dressed them. Victoria patronized establishments with shops in London, Paris and New York, and a complex staff made what she wore, dressed her in it and looked after it. Both Eugénie and Elisabeth were clients of the British Frederick Worth of Paris. Lincoln's modiste was the brilliant, elegant, formerly enslaved Elizabeth Keckley, who had also — with her 20-seamstress staff — dressed Mrs. Robert E. Lee, Mrs. Stephen Douglas, Mrs. Jefferson Davis, and the daughter of General Sumner. Mary Anna Lee's dress was for a dinner in honor of the Prince of Wales in 1860. (Keckley introduced Abraham Lincoln to Sojourner Truth, but she also cut his hair and made his dressing gown.)

The class alliances these women's dress signaled had implications for their lives and their reigns. Designed to work from a distance, Queen Victoria’s identity as the Widow of Windsor in her barely relieved black was a valuable construction. Face to face and in the personal photographs, the complexities of the dresses are as fine as the eye can see.

They all wore white wedding gowns (unexpected for monarchs at this time).

Family relations and threats and instability for the monarchies in Europe kept QV in touch with fashion in Europe. Not so much underground or rebellious or revolutionary as crosswise. In some ways, QV's style of dress was '''covert''', looking subtly rich and stylish up close but plain and dowdy from a distance: the Widow of Windsor. Speaking to different groups of her subjects differently, a polyvocal style.

QV chose not to do haute courture. She adopted the cage 1858, for example, well after Eugénie and Elisabeth of Austria, and vest and suit coat in the 1890s?, but she's not wearing the vest and suit coat the way Alexandra is, it's not the up-to-the-minute silhouette, but some of the element are.

Queen Victoria helped the two European monarchs with difficult and dangerous moments, sometimes contributing to saving their lives, sometimes directly and sometimes through friends. 

Her relationships with Eugénie, Empress of France; Elisabeth of Austria, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire and Mary Todd Lincoln are based on shared understanding of themselves as public female leaders.

Mary Todd Lincoln's wedding skirt: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1314628790709593&amp;set=pcb.1314628920709580, closeup: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1314628800709592&amp;set=pcb.1314628920709580; in museum case: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1314628814042924&amp;set=pcb.1314628920709580

Turney, Thomas J. &quot;'Lincoln: A Life and Legacy' Opens at Presidential Museum in Springfield.&quot; ''The State Journal Register'' 30 September 2025 https://www.sj-r.com/picture-gallery/news/2025/09/30/new-lincoln-exhibit-opens-at-presidential-museum-in-springfield/86353769007/.

== Self-Memorializing ==
The term is really Lucy Worsley's, QV memorialising herself, but because QV deliberately saved so much, other biographers noticed it as well. A. N. Wilson says,&lt;blockquote&gt;In a recent study, Yvonne M. Ward calculated that Victoria wrote as many as 60 million words.&lt;sup&gt;6&lt;/sup&gt; (6 &quot;Yvonne M. Ward, ''Censoring Queen Victoria'', p. 9.&quot;) Giles St Aubyn, in his biography of the Queen, said that had she been a novelist, her outpouring of written words would have equalled 700 volumes.&lt;sup&gt;7&lt;/sup&gt; (7 &quot;Giles St Aubyn, ''Queen Victoria: A Portrait'', p. 601.&quot;) Her diaries were those of a compulsive recorder, and she sometimes would write as many as 2,500 words of her journal in one day.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (33 of 1204. nn. 6, 7, p. 1057)&lt;/blockquote&gt;If an average Victorian novel is 150,000 words, then Victoria's &quot;outpouring&quot; would equal about 400 volumes, not 700.
* Queen Victoria's journals
* Her personal letters
* Her official letters and memoranda
* Saved clothing and accessories
* Portraits and photographs
* Anniversaries and important dates
* Preserved rooms, including all the stuff she collected over the years and the policy of keeping it in exactly the same place, recorded by photographs and albums
* Works and memoirs, both commanded and self-written
*# 1862: Sir Arthur Helps, &quot;a collection of [Prince Albert's] speeches and addresses&quot; &lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (363 of 555), a &quot;weighty tome.&quot; (364 of 505)
*# 1866: General Grey, &quot;an account of the Prince’s early years﻿ — from his birth to his marriage; she herself laid down the design of the book, contributed a number of confidential documents, and added numerous notes.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (364 of 505)
*# 1868: QV published her ''Leaves from the Journal of Our Life in the Highlands from 1848 to 1861''.&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;
*# 1874–1880: Theodore Martin, it took him 14 years to write an Albert's biography, the 1st volume came out in 1874, the last 1880. He got a knighthood, but the books were not popular, the image of Albert was not popular, too idealized and beatified.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (364 of 505)
*# Poet Laureate
*# 1884: QV published her ''More Leaves from the Journal of Our Life in the Highlands from 1862 to 1882''.&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;

=== Preserved Rooms and Possessions ===
Strachey says,&lt;blockquote&gt;She gave orders that nothing should be thrown away﻿ — and nothing was. There, in drawer after drawer, in wardrobe after wardrobe, reposed the dresses of seventy years. But not only the dresses﻿ — the furs and the mantles and subsidiary frills and the muffs and the parasols and the bonnets﻿ — all were ranged in chronological order, dated and complete. A great cupboard was devoted to the dolls; in the china room at Windsor a special table held the mugs of her childhood, and her children’s mugs as well. Mementoes of the past surrounded her in serried accumulations. In every room the tables were powdered thick with the photographs of relatives; their portraits, revealing them at all ages, covered the walls; their figures, in solid marble, rose up from pedestals, or gleamed from brackets in the form of gold and silver statuettes. The dead, in every shape﻿ — in miniatures, in porcelain, in enormous life-size oil-paintings﻿ — were perpetually about her. John Brown stood upon her writing-table in solid [460–461] gold. Her favourite horses and dogs, endowed with a new durability, crowded round her footsteps. Sharp, in silver gilt, dominated the dinner table; Boy and Boz lay together among unfading flowers, in bronze. And it was not enough that each particle of the past should be given the stability of metal or of marble: the whole collection, in its arrangement, no less than its entity, should be immutably fixed. There might be additions, but there might never be alterations. No chintz might change, no carpet, no curtain, be replaced by another; or, if long use at last made it necessary, the stuffs and the patterns must be so identically reproduced that the keenest eye might not detect the difference. No new picture could be hung upon the walls at Windsor, for those already there had been put in their places by Albert, whose decisions were eternal. So, indeed, were Victoria’s. To ensure that they should be the aid of the camera was called in. Every single article in the Queen’s possession was photographed from several points of view. These photographs were submitted to Her Majesty, and when, after careful inspection, she [461–462] had approved of them, they were placed in a series of albums, richly bound. Then, opposite each photograph, an entry was made, indicating the number of the article, the number of the room in which it was kept, its exact position in the room and all its principal characteristics. The fate of every object which had undergone this process was henceforth irrevocably sealed. The whole multitude, once and for all, took up its steadfast station. And Victoria, with a gigantic volume or two of the endless catalogue always beside her, to look through, to ponder upon, to expatiate over, could feel, with a double contentment, that the transitoriness of this world had been arrested by the amplitude of her might.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (460–462 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Demographics ==
*Nationality: English
=== Residences ===
== Questions and Notes ==
#

== Bibliography ==

# Anon. &quot;One of Her Majesty's Servants,&quot; the Private Life of Queen Victoria. London, 1897, 1901.
# Fawcett, Millicent Garrett. ''Life of Her Majesty Queen Victoria''. Roberts Bros., 1895. WikiSource copy: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Index:Life_of_Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(IA_lifeofhermajesty01fawc).pdf.
# Homans, Margaret. &quot;'To the Queen's Private Apartments': Royal Family Portraiture and the Construction of Victoria's Sovereign Obedience.&quot; ''Victorian Studies'' vol. 37, no. 1 (1993) pp. 1–41.
# Homans, Margaret. 1998.
# Mitchell, Rebecca Nicole, editor. ''Fashioning the Victorians: A Critical Sourcebook''. Bloomsbury visual arts, 2018. OCLC # [https://search.worldcat.org/title/1085349620 1085349620] .
# Staniland, Kay. ''In Royal Fashion: The Clothes of Princess Charlotte of Wales and Queen Victoria 1796-1901''. London, 1997.
# Staniland, Kay, and Santina M. Levey. ''Queen Victoria's Wedding Dress and Lace''. Museum of London, 1983?. OCLC # [https://search.worldcat.org/title/473453762 473453762] . [Repr. from ''Costume, The Journal of the Costume Society'' (17:1983), pp. 1–32.]
# Wackerl, Luise. ''Royal Style: A History of Aristocratic Fashion Icons.'' Peribo, 2012. [T.C. Magrath Library: Quarto GT1754 .W33 2012]

== References ==
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      <text bytes="234978" sha1="n8wlcv96pn2oh8e0kbgv5k5xci7r5et" xml:space="preserve">== Overview ==
According to the Museum of London, Queen Victoria was 4'8&quot; by the end of her life.&lt;ref&gt;Austin, Emily. &quot;Mounting Queen Victoria's mourning dress.&quot; 13 August 2020 ''London Museum''. [https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/blog/mounting-queen-victorias-mourning-dress/#:~:text=Comprising%20a%20bodice%20and%20skirt,a%20certain%20stage%20of%20mourning. https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/blog/mounting-queen-victorias-mourning-dress/#:~:text=Comprising%20a%20bodice%20and%20skirt,a%20certain%20stage%20of%20mourning.] Retrieved 2026-03-09.&lt;/ref&gt; Most people say she was about 5 feet tall at her tallest, although sometimes some will say 5'2&quot;.

Lytton Strachey describes the shrinking of Queen Victoria's power over the course of her reign, attributing it to her inability to think clearly about the constitution or constitutional monarchy:&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria’s comprehension of the spirit of her age has been constantly asserted. It was for long the custom for courtly historians and polite politicians to compliment the Queen upon the correctness of her attitude towards the Constitution. But such praises seem hardly to be justified by the facts. ... The complex and delicate principles of the Constitution cannot be said to have come within the compass of her mental faculties; and in the actual developments which it underwent during her reign she [472–473] played a passive part. From 1840 to 1861 the power of the Crown steadily increased in England; from 1861 to 1901 it steadily declined. The first process was due to the influence of the Prince Consort, the second to that of a series of great Ministers. During the first Victoria was in effect a mere accessory; during the second the threads of power, which Albert had so laboriously collected, inevitably fell from her hands into the vigorous grasp of Mr. Gladstone, Lord Beaconsfield, and Lord Salisbury. Perhaps, absorbed as she was in routine, and difficult as she found it to distinguish at all clearly between the trivial and the essential, she was only dimly aware of what was happening. Yet, at the end of her reign, the Crown was weaker than at any other time in English history. Paradoxically enough, Victoria received the highest eulogiums for assenting to a political evolution, which, had she completely realised its import, would have filled her with supreme displeasure.

Nevertheless it must not be supposed that she was a second George III. Her desire to impose her will, vehement as it was, and unlimited by [473–474] any principle, was yet checked by a certain shrewdness.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot;&gt;Strachey, Lytton. ''Queen Victoria''. Standard Ebooks, 2025 (2020). [http://standardebooks.org/ebooks/lytton-strachey/queen-victoria standardebooks.org/ebooks/lytton-strachey/queen-victoria]. Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/queen-victoria/id6444770015.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|472–474 of 555}}
&lt;/blockquote&gt;

The American writer Henry James on Queen Victoria's death:&lt;blockquote&gt;the ensuing mood [was] &quot;strange and indescribable&quot;: people spoke in whispers, as though scared of something. He was surprised at the reaction, because her death was not sudden or unusual: it was &quot;a simple running down of the old used up watch,&quot; the death of an old widow who had thrown &quot;her good fat weight into the scales of general decency.&quot; Yet in the following days, the American-born writer felt unexpectedly distressed. He, like so many, mourned the &quot;safe and motherly old middle-class Queen, who held the nation warm under the fold of her big, hideous Scotch-plaid shawl.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|846 of 1203}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

According to A. N. Wilson, Queen Victoria's reputation for prudishness is not quite deserved. The &quot;raffishness&quot; of George IV, for example, or most of the other children of George III, was distasteful, but&lt;blockquote&gt;Having been brought up by a [324–325] widow was different from being brought up, as Albert was, in a home broken by adultery; so her distaste for raffishness, though she would loyally echo her husband’s strong moral line, lacked the pathological edge which it possessed in his case.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|324–325 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

And Wilson says of her enduring liking for the &quot;poor relation&quot; cousin George Cambridge, 2nd Duke of Cambridge,&lt;blockquote&gt;Although all her biographers stress Victoria’s need, in marrying the virtuous Prince Albert, to escape the dissipations and clumsiness of her ‘wicked uncles’, there was always a distinctly Hanoverian side to her. George Cambridge was a throwback to the world of William IV and George IV, to a lack of stiffness and a lack of side which was always part of Victoria’s character also.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|879 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

Wilson says of the distance between the actual woman and the external perception of her,&lt;blockquote&gt;Arthur C. Benson and the 1st Viscount Esher, both homosexual men of a certain limited outlook determined by their class and disposition, were the pair entrusted with the task of editing the earliest published letters. It is a magnificent achievement, but they chose to concentrate on Victoria’s public life, omitting the thousands of letters she wrote relating to health, to children, to sex and marriage, to feelings and the ‘inner woman’. It perhaps comforted them, and others who revered the memory of the Victorian era, to place a posthumous gag on Victoria’s emotions. The extreme paradox arose that one of the most passionate, expressive, humorous and unconventional women who ever lived was paraded before the public as a [39–40] stiff, pompous little person, the ‘figurehead’ to an all-male imperial enterprise.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|39–40 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

Besides what some say was a German accent, Queen Victoria spoke in what A. N. Wilson calls&lt;blockquote&gt;an unreformed Regency English. In Osborne, on Christmas Day 1891, she asked Sir Henry Ponsonby, 'Why the blazes don't Mr Macdonnell telegraph hear the results of the election? He used to do so and now he don’t.' ... If William IV had lived in the age of the telegraph, it is just the sort of question, with 'don't' for 'doesn't', and the blunt 'why the blazes' which he would have asked. One sees here [857–858] how much she had in common with her cousin the Duke of Cambridge, who likewise appeared in many ways to be a pre-Victorian. During a drought, he went to church and the parson prayed for rain. The duke involuntarily exclaimed, 'Oh God! My dear man, how can you expect rain with wind in the east?' When the chaplain, later in the service, said, 'Let us pray,' the duke replied, 'By all means.'&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|857–858 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Also Known As ==
*Victoria Regina
*Family name: Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
*Nickname, as a child: Drina
*Alexandrina Victoria

== Family ==
*Victoria — Alexandrina Victoria (24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901)&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;
*Albert, Prince Consort — Franz August Karl Albert Emanuel (26 August 1819 – 14 December 1861)&lt;ref name=&quot;:2&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-04|title=Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prince_Albert_of_Saxe-Coburg_and_Gotha&amp;oldid=1315065374|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa, &quot;Vicky,&quot; German Empress, Empress Frederick (21 November 1840 – 5 August 1901)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-08|title=Victoria, Princess Royal|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Victoria,_Princess_Royal&amp;oldid=1315724049|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Albert Edward, Prince of Wales | Albert Edward, &quot;Teddy,&quot; King Edward VII]] (4 November 1841 – 6 May 1910)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-23|title=Edward VII|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edward_VII&amp;oldid=1318322588|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Princess Alice | Alice Maud Mary, Princess Alice]], Grand Duchess of Hesse (25 April 1843 – 14 December 1878)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-02|title=Princess Alice of the United Kingdom|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Alice_of_the_United_Kingdom&amp;oldid=1314683419|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Alfred of Edinburgh | Alfred Ernest Albert, &quot;Affie&quot;]]: Duke of Edinburgh — (6 August 1844 – 30 July 1900),&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-20|title=Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alfred,_Duke_of_Saxe-Coburg_and_Gotha&amp;oldid=1317824547|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Duke of Saxe-Coburg (24 May 1866 – 30 July 1900) and Gotha (2 August 1893 – 30 July 1900)
#[[Social Victorians/People/Christian of Schleswig-Holstein | Helena Augusta Victoria, &quot;Lenchen,&quot;]] Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (25 May 1846 – 9 June 1923)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-26|title=Princess Helena of the United Kingdom|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Helena_of_the_United_Kingdom&amp;oldid=1318943746|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Princess Louise | Louise Caroline Alberta, Princess Louise]], Marchioness of Lorne, [[Social Victorians/People/Argyll | Duchess of Argyle]] (18 March 1848 – 3 December 1939)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-09-25|title=Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Louise,_Duchess_of_Argyll&amp;oldid=1313272998|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Connaught | Arthur William Patrick Albert]], Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (1 May 1850 – 16 January 1942)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-03|title=Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prince_Arthur,_Duke_of_Connaught_and_Strathearn&amp;oldid=1314802923|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Leopold | Leopold George Duncan Albert]], Duke of Albany (7 April 1853 – 28 March 1884)&lt;ref name=&quot;:1&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-19|title=Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prince_Leopold,_Duke_of_Albany&amp;oldid=1317724959|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#Beatrice Mary Victoria Feodore, Princess Henry of Battenberg (14 April 1857 – 26 October 1944)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-21|title=Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Beatrice_of_the_United_Kingdom&amp;oldid=1318045123|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

=== &quot;Adopted&quot; Godchildren ===

# Victoria Gouramma, of Coorg (c. 1841–), brought to London in 1852 at 11, QV stood as godmother 1 July 1852.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (346 of 1204)
# Maharajah Duleep Singh, the Lion of the Punjab, presented to QV in July 1854.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (350 of 1204)

=== Relations ===

== Acquaintances, Friends and Enemies ==
=== Acquaintances ===
=== Friends ===

* Lord Melbourne — Henry William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (15 March 1779 – 24 November 1848)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-09-25|title=William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Lamb,_2nd_Viscount_Melbourne&amp;oldid=1313293647|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-09|title=Benjamin Disraeli|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Benjamin_Disraeli&amp;oldid=1315865798|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* Harriet, Duchess of Sutherland, [[Social Victorians/Victoria/Queen's Household#Mistress of the Robes|Mistress of the Robes]] 1837 and 1861, very close friend.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-03-13|title=Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harriet_Sutherland-Leveson-Gower,_Duchess_of_Sutherland&amp;oldid=1343226719|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; The Duchess of Sutherland was an abolitionist, personally criticized by Karl Marx for her mother's clearing of the Sutherland lands for sheep grazing.
* Anne Murray, Duchess of Atholl, [[Social Victorians/Victoria/Queen's Household#Mistress of the Robes|Mistress of the Robes]] 1852–1853 and then Lady of the Bedchamber until 1892, when she and the Duchess of Roxburghe shared the duties of the Mistress of the Robes, among her closest of friends&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-25|title=Anne Murray, Duchess of Atholl|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anne_Murray,_Duchess_of_Atholl&amp;oldid=1334678470|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* [[Social Victorians/People/Sophie of Wurttemberg|Sophie of Württemberg, Queen of the Netherlands]] (17 June 1818 – 3 June 1877)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-02|title=Sophie of Württemberg|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sophie_of_W%C3%BCrttemberg&amp;oldid=1325386567|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

*[[Social Victorians/People/Mary Todd Lincoln|Mary Todd Lincoln]] (December 13, 1818 – July 16, 1882)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-08|title=Mary Todd Lincoln|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Todd_Lincoln&amp;oldid=1331838569|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
*[[Social Victorians/People/Eugenie of France|Empress Eugénie of France]] (5 May 1826 – 11 July 1920)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-11-18|title=Eugénie de Montijo|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eug%C3%A9nie_de_Montijo&amp;oldid=1322973534|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* [[Social Victorians/People/Elisabeth of Austria|Empress Elisabeth of Austria]] (24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-09|title=Empress Elisabeth of Austria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Empress_Elisabeth_of_Austria&amp;oldid=1332040784|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* &quot;Lady Augusta Bruce, lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria’s mother, and already [by 1853] a great friend of the Queen’s, attended [Eugénie and Napoleon's] wedding at Notre-Dame&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot;&gt;Wilson, A. N. ''Victoria: A Life''. Penguin, 2014. Apple Books:  https://books.apple.com/us/book/victoria/id828766078.&lt;/ref&gt; (325 of 1204)

=== Enemies ===

== Organizations ==
[[Social Victorians/Victoria/Queen's Household|Queen's Household]]

== Pastimes ==
* [[Social Victorians/Royals Amateur Theatricals | Amateur Theatricals with the Royal Family]], often at Balmoral or Osborne

== Timeline ==
This Timeline includes both a list of signal events in Queen Victoria's social life and a separate [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Her Dresses|chronological list of the dresses]] as they appear in her painted and photographed portraits. Information about what she wore at particular events might be in both places.

'''1835''', Rosie Harte in ''The Royal Wardrobe'' says,&lt;blockquote&gt;In 1835, Victoria first met the French Princess Louise, who had recently married her uncle Leopold and whose continental wardrobe fascinated the young Princess. Victoria’s addiction to French wares began with little gifts and accessories, before eventually Louise was supplying her with full outfits of pastel-toned silk dresses and matching bonnets, which Victoria swooned over in her diary: ‘They are quite lovely. They are so well made and so very elegant.’&lt;sup&gt;18&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;sup&gt;&quot;18 RA VIC/MAIN/QVJ (W) 17 September 1836.&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;ref&gt;Harte, Rosie. ''The Royal Wardrobe: Peek into the Wardrobes of History's Most Fashionable Royals''. &lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|270 of 595}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1836 May 18''', Victoria and Albert met for the first time. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;On this particular day that Albert first set eyes upon her, there’s also cause to suspect that we can identify the very gown Victoria was wearing. The reason is that she was a great hoarder of the clothes worn on significant occasions, and the Royal Collection today still contains a high-waisted, dark-coloured, tartan velvet dress. With short puffed sleeves worn just off the shoulder, its style dates it to exactly the right period.&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;21 Staniland (1997) p. 92&quot;}} [new paragraph] The tartan was important, for despite the fact she had never been there Victoria had fallen passionately in love with the country of [129–130] Scotland. This had happened four months previously when she’d devoured Sir Walter Scott’s ''The Bride of Lammermoor''. In it, a fearsome Scottish lord feasts upon the human flesh of his tenants, shocking observers when he throws back ‘the tartan plaid with which he had screened his grim and ferocious visage’.&lt;sup&gt;22&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;22 Scott (1819; 1858 edition) p. 368&quot;}} ‘Oh!’ Victoria panted in her journal, ‘Walter Scott is my beau ideal of a Poet; I do so admire him both in Poetry and Prose!’&lt;sup&gt;23&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;23 RA QVJ/1836: 1 November&quot;}} ‘Grim and ferocious’ does not sound like a particularly winsome look. Yet Victoria, at odds with the authority figures in her life, wanted to demonstrate independence and maturity through her dark, tartan gown. Casting aside the white or pink muslin dresses that had previously dominated her wardrobe, she was going through a phase and adopting a look that in our own times we might call goth.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot;&gt;Worsley, Lucy. ''Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life''. St. Martin's Press, Hodder &amp; Stoughton, 2018.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|129–130 of 786; nn. 21, 22, 23, p. 653}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1837 June 20''', Victoria acceded to the throne.&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-09-28|title=Queen Victoria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Queen_Victoria&amp;oldid=1313837777|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; She put on a white dressing gown to hear the news, and then she changed to a black dress, because she was in mourning for the death of William IV, to begin her work. Worsley says that in spite of contemporary reports, Victoria did not cry:&lt;blockquote&gt;'The Queen was not overwhelmed,’ Victoria [later] claimed, and was ‘rather full of courage, she may say. She took things as they came, as she knew they must be.’&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;28 Theodore Martin, Queen Victoria as I Knew Her, London (1901) p. 65&quot;}} [new paragraph] Even her grief for her uncle had to be kept measured. ‘Poor old man,’ she thought, ‘I feel sorry for him, he was always personally kind to me.’&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;29 RA VIC/MAIN/QVLB/19 June 1837&quot;}} Yet there was no time to mourn. Victoria quickly returned to her maid’s room to be dressed. She already had a black mourning gown just waiting to be put on. Still remaining at Kensington Palace to this day, this dress is a tiny garment, with an extraordinarily small waist and cuffs. With it, she wore a white collar and, as usual, ‘her light hair’ was ‘simply parted over the forehead’.&lt;sup&gt;30&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;30 Anon., The Annual Register and Chronicle for the Year 1837, London (1838) p. 65&quot;}} Her girlish appearance explains quite a lot of the indulgence and romance with which her reign was greeted. It also meant that she would consistently be underestimated.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|148 of 786; nn. 28, 29, 30, p. 656}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1838 June 28, Victoria's Coronation'''. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;For her journey to Westminster Abbey, Victoria was wearing red robes over a stiff white satin dress with gold embroidery. She had a ‘circlet of splendid diamonds’ on her head. Her long crimson velvet cloak, with its gold lace and ermine, flowed out so far behind her little figure that it became a ‘very ponderous appendage’.&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;2 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 82&quot;}} Harriet, the beautiful and statuesque Duchess of Sutherland, Mistress of the Robes, was responsible for Victoria’s appearance. This ‘ponderous’ mantle must have made her anxious, and indeed it would get in the way and cause kerfuffle all day long. The stately duchess rather dwarfed the queen when they stood side by side, and Victoria was slightly jealous of Harriet’s habit of flirting with Melbourne. But she did trust her surer dress sense. Onto [160–161] Victoria’s little feet went flat white satin slippers fastened with ribbons.&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;3 Staniland (1997) p. 114&quot;}}&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|160–161; nn. 2, 3, p. 659}}

Victoria gasped at the sight that met her within. Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, one of the young ladies carrying the queen’s train, noticed that ‘the colour mounted to her cheeks, brow and even neck, and her breath came quickly.’&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;29 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 82&quot;}} ‘Splendid’, Victoria thought the congregation, many of them, like herself, swathed in red velvet, ‘the bank of Peeresses quite beautiful, all in their robes’.&lt;sup&gt;30&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;30 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}} Among a host of impressive outfits, that of the Austrian ambassador was particularly noteworthy. Even the heels of his boots were bejewelled. One lady thought that he looked like he’d ‘been caught out in a rain of diamonds, and had come in dripping!’&lt;sup&gt;31&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;31 Grace Greenwood, ''Queen Victoria, Her Girlhood and Womanhood'', London (1883) p. 117&quot;}}

Victoria was accompanied not only by the young ladies who were to carry her train, but also by the Duchess of Sutherland as Mistress of the Robes, who ‘walked, or rather stalked up the Abbey like Juno; she was full of her situation.’&lt;sup&gt;32&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;32 Ralph Disraeli, ed., ''Lord Beaconsfield’s Correspondence with His Sister'', London (1886 edition) p. 109&quot;}} Throughout the whole ceremony the Bishop of Durham stood near to the queen, supposedly to guide her through the ritual. But he proved to be hopelessly unreliable. The unfortunate bishop ‘never could tell me’, Victoria recorded later, [169–170] what was to take place’. At one point, he was supposed to hand her the orb, but when he noticed that she had already got it, he was left, once again, ‘so confused and puzzled’.&lt;sup&gt;33&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;33 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}}

Another hindrance came in the form of the trainbearers’ dresses. Their ‘little trains were serious annoyances’, wrote one of their number, ‘for it was impossible to avoid treading upon them … there certainly should have been some previous rehearsing, for we carried the Queen’s train very jerkily and badly, never keeping step properly’.&lt;sup&gt;34&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;34 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 82&quot;}} It was the Duchess of Richmond, not the stylish Sutherland, who had signed off the design of the bearers’ dresses, and she found herself ‘much condemned by some of the young ladies for it’. But the Duchess of Richmond had decreed that she would ‘have no discussion with their Mammas’ about what they were to wear. An executive decision was the only way to get the design agreed.&lt;sup&gt;35&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;35 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|169–170 of 786; nn. 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, p. 660–661}}

[After the peers swore homage] it was now time for a change of dress, to mark the beginning of Victoria’s transformation from girl to sovereign. Retreating to a special robing room, she took off her crimson cloak and put on ‘a singular sort of little gown of linen trimmed with lace’. This white dress represented her purified, prepared state.

When she re-entered the abbey, she did so bare-headed. ... Then at last came the very moment of ‘the Crown being placed on my head – which was, I must own, a most beautiful impressive moment; all the Peers and Peeresses put on their Coronets at the same instant.’&lt;sup&gt;41&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;41 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}} The sound of this moment of the lifting of the coronets had been heard at coronations going back to the Middle Ages, and was once exquisitely described as ‘a sort of feathered, silken thunder’.&lt;sup&gt;42&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;42 Benjamin Robert Haydon, ''The Diary of Benjamin Robert Haydon'', Cambridge, MA (1960) p. 350&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|172 of 786; nn. 41, 42, p. 661}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

Her coronation robes were &quot;specially woven in the Spitalfields silk-weaving area of London,&quot; like her wedding dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot;&gt;Goldthorpe, Caroline. ''From Queen to Empress: Victorian Dress 1837–1877''. An Exhibition at The Costume Institute 15 December 1988 – 16 April 1989. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1988. ''Google Books'': https://www.google.com/books/edition/From_Queen_to_Empress/UJLxwwrVEyoC.&lt;/ref&gt; (15)

'''1840 February 10''', Victoria and Albert married at the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-07-11|title=Wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wedding_of_Queen_Victoria_and_Prince_Albert&amp;oldid=1300012890|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;She had her hair dressed in loops upon her cheeks, and a ‘wreath of orange flowers put on.’ Her dress was ‘a white satin gown, with a very deep flounce of Honiton lace, imitation of old’.&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|1=&quot;21 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February [QVJ = Queen Victoria's Journals]&quot;}}

This simple cream gown of Victoria’s was a dress that launched a million subsequent white weddings. She broke with monarchical [238–239] convention by rejecting royal robes in favour of a plain dress, with just a little train from the waist at the back to make it appropriate for court wear.&lt;sup&gt;22&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;22 Staniland (1997) p. 118&quot;}} It was a signal that on this day she wasn’t Her Majesty the Queen, but an ordinary woman. She wore imitation orange blossom [sic] in her hair in place of the expected circlet of diamonds. She’d had the lace for the dress created by her mother’s favoured lacemakers of Honiton, in Devon, as opposed to the better-known artisans of Brussels. A royal commission like this was a welcome boost – then as now – to British industry.&lt;sup&gt;23&lt;/sup&gt; &quot;{{rp|23 Ibid., p. 120&quot;}} This piece of lace would become totemic for Victoria. She would preserve it, treasure it and indeed wear it until the end of her life.

Victoria had personally designed the dresses of her bridesmaids, giving a sketch to her Mistress of the Robes, still Harriet, Duchess of Sutherland.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|238–239 of 786; nn. 21, 22, 23, p. 674}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;The Royal Collection has that sketch.&lt;blockquote&gt;The bridesmaids wore white roses around their heads, with further blooms pinned to the tulle overskirts of their dresses. Victoria’s opinion was that they ‘had a beautiful effect’, but others disagreed.&lt;sup&gt;36&lt;/sup&gt; [36 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February] Used to seeing golden tassels, velvet robes and colourful jewels at royal ceremonies, onlookers thought that the trainbearers ‘looked like village girls’.&lt;sup&gt;37&lt;/sup&gt; &quot;37 Wyndham, ed. (1912) p. 297&quot; &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|243–244 of 786; nn. 36, 37, p. 674}}

At the coronation her train had been too long to handle, but now there was the opposite problem. The long back part of Victoria’s white satin skirt, trimmed with orange blossom, was ‘rather too short for the number of young ladies who carried it’ and they ended up ‘kicking each other’s heels and treading on each other’s gowns’.&lt;sup&gt;50&lt;/sup&gt; [50 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 112]&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|246 of 786; n. 50, p. 675}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;Then [after the ceremony] she went to change, putting on ‘a white [249–250] silk gown trimmed with swansdown’, and a going-away bonnet trimmed with false orange flowers that still survives to this day at Kensington Palace.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|249–250 of 786}} [c. 1855 photograph of QV's 1840 going-away bonnet: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/58/collection/2905582/bonnet-worn-by-queen-victoria-at-her-marriage]

The gown that Victoria wore that evening was possibly the plainer, and very slender, cream silk one surviving in the Royal Collection with a traditional association with her wedding evening. If she did wear it for that first dinner together, then she could hardly have eaten a thing. It laced even tighter than her wedding dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|251 of 786}}

But there would be no ritual undoing by the groom of his bride’s ethereal gown. That, as always, had to be done by Victoria’s dressers. ‘At ½ p.10 I went and undressed and was very sick,’ she says. These women, the bedrock of her life, ever present, ever watchful, must have been with her as she finished retching and went into the bedchamber, where ‘we both went to bed; (of course in one bed), to lie by his side, and in his arms, and on his dear bosom’.&lt;sup&gt;72&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;72 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|252 of 786; n. 72, p. 676}}


The separation between how finely QV was dressed and what it looked like to people, including both the effect of physical distance and the effect of the distance between what people expected a queen to wear and what QV wore. Also, QV's appeal &quot;to the respectable slice of opinion at society’s upper middle&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;'I saw the Queen’s dress at the palace,’ wrote one eager letter-writer, ‘the lace was beautiful, as fine as a cobweb.’ She wore no jewels at all, this person’s account continues, ‘only a bracelet with Prince Albert’s picture’.&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;28 Mundy, ed. (1885) p. 413}} This was in fact [240–241] completely incorrect. Albert had given her a huge sapphire brooch, which she wore along with her ‘Turkish diamond necklace and earrings’.&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;29 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February}} '''It was the beginning of a lifetime trend for Victoria’s clothes to be reported as simpler, plainer, less ostentatious than they really were. The reality was that they were not quite as ostentatious as people expected for a queen.''' This is really what they meant by their descriptions of her clothes as austere, and pleasingly middle-class. In other countries, members of the middle classes would join the working classes on streets and at barricades and bring monarchies tumbling down. '''But in Britain, part of the reason this did not happen is that Victoria, her values and her low-key style appealed with peculiar power to the respectable slice of opinion at society’s upper middle.''' And so, dressed but not overdressed, the unqueenly looking queen was ready for her wedding day to begin.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|240–241; nn. 28, 29; p. 674}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;Her wedding dress was &quot;specially woven in the Spitalfields silk-weaving area of London,&quot; like her coronation robes.&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt;{{rp|15}}&lt;p&gt;

'''1840''', QV's first pregnancy, with Vicky, and a relic petticoat with blood from her first birth:&lt;blockquote&gt;She had left off wearing stays, becoming ‘more like a barrel than anything else’.&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;21 Stratfield Saye MS, quoted in Longford (1966) p. 76&quot;}} Victoria herself, although she felt well, ‘unhappily’ had to admit that she was ‘a great size’.&lt;sup&gt;22&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;22 RA VIC/MAIN/QVLB/10 November 1840&quot;}} '''A fine cotton lawn petticoat from this early married period''', which once had the same dimensions as her wedding dress, shows evidence of having been let out around its high empire waist, quite possibly to accommodate this pregnancy.&lt;sup&gt;23&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;23 In the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection, Historic Royal Palaces.&quot;}} The work was done with tiny stitches as if by the needle of a fairy. There were many hands available in Victoria’s wardrobe department, and indeed no shortage of clothes either. '''This particular petticoat survives because it was given away after becoming soiled with blood.''' She also had an expandable dressing gown for pregnancy, of thin white cotton, with ‘gauging tapes’ to widen the waist as pregnancy progressed.&lt;sup&gt;24&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;Staniland (1997) p. 126&quot;}}&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|262 of 786; nn. 21, 22, 23, 24, p. 678}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1840 November 21''', Victoria went into labor with Vicky.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|255 of 786}} Her dress:&lt;blockquote&gt;Early on in labour, Victoria would have been given a dose of castor oil to empty her bowels, to avoid ‘exceedingly disagreeable’ consequences later. She would have worn her loose dressing gown over a chemise and bedgown ‘folded up smoothly to the waist’ and beneath that, ‘a petticoat’. Stays were absent, despite the common belief among women that wearing them during labour would ‘assist’, by ‘affording support’. The latest medical advice was that this was ‘improper’.&lt;sup&gt;36&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;36 Bull (1837) pp. 130–2&quot;}} The chemise that Victoria was wearing would acquire special lucky significance for her. Nine childbirths later, she’d still insist upon donning the exact same one.&lt;sup&gt;37&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;37 Dennison (2007) p. 2&quot;}}&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|265 of 7886; nn. 36, 37, p. 679}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1843, around''', Albert &quot;cut [Victoria's] dress expenditure down from £5,000 to £2,000 a year&quot; in order to put money away for later.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|299 of 786}}

'''1843 May 19''', QV wrote in her journal that she dressed &quot;all in white and had my wedding veil on, as a shawl,&quot; for Vicky's christening.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|270 of 786; n. 63, p. 681 of 786}}

'''1849''', Duleep Singh &quot;surrendered&quot; the Koh-i-nûr necklace to England.&lt;ref name=&quot;:17&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/406698/queen-victoria-1819-1901|title=Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-73) - Queen Victoria (1819-1901)|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-03-06}}&lt;/ref&gt;

'''1854''', Queen &quot;Victoria's spending on her wardrobe had crept up again, to roughly £6,000 annually, or six times a very good annual income for a professional gentleman.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|311 of 786}}

'''1854''', when QV met Duleep Singh, &quot;the woman the Maharaja saw before him still looked younger than her [310–311] thirty-five years. In the photograph, at least, her hair shines, she hardly looks like a mother of eight and her white dress is demure and girlish.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|310–311}}

'''1855 April 16–''', Empress Eugénie and Napoleon III of France began a 5-day visit to the U.K.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot;&gt;Goldstone, Nancy. ''The Rebel Empresses: Elisabeth of Austria and Eugénie of France, Power and Glamour in the Struggle for Europe''. Little, Brown, 2025.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|276}}

'''1855 August 18–28 or so''', Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, Princess Royal Vicky and Prince of Wales Bertie visited Paris and the Exposition Universelle.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt;{{rp|287}} Caroline Goldthorpe says,&lt;blockquote&gt;For the state entry of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert into Paris in 1855, the Queen wore a dress of white Spitalfields silk, its design representing an English flower garden (figure 2). While in Paris, however, she attended a ball at the Hôtel de Ville, wearing &quot;my diamond diadem with the Koh-i-noor in it, a white net dress, embroidered with gold and (as were all my dresses) very full. It was very much admired by the Emperor and the ladies. The Emperor asked if it was English; I said No, it had been made on purpose in Paris.&quot; In addition / to the ball gown, made in France as a diplomatic gesture, she evidently wore both English and French silks for less public occasions.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (15, 17) [The English-made Spitalfields-silk dress is at tthe Museum of London.]&lt;/blockquote&gt;A. N. Wilson suggests that the sense that Victoria was dowdy is down in part to &quot;the exacting standards of Parisian journalists&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;They went to the opera and displayed the difference between a true-born queen and a parvenue empress. When the national anthems had been played, the Empress looked behind her to make sure that her chair was in place. The Queen of England, confident that the chair would be there, sat down without turning. Mary Bulteel, her Maid of Honour who noticed this detail, was also able to reassure Eugénie’s baffled entourage that the Queen was always ‘badly dressed’. It did not prevent Victoria from being unaffectedly enraptured by Eugénie’s range of gorgeous outfits. Victoria adored the Empress and it was a friendship which lasted for life. ‘Altogether,’ she told her diary, ‘I am delighted to see how much my Albert likes and admires her, as it is so seldom I see him do so with any woman.’&lt;sup&gt;27&lt;/sup&gt; (&quot;27 Quoted Edith Saunders, ''A Distant Summer'', p. 49.&quot;) Perhaps it was so, or perhaps he was being polite. The Queen’s dowdiness and (by the exacting standards of Parisian journalists) poor dress sense were more than outshone by the splendour of her jewels.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (365 of 1204)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1857 August 6–''', Eugénie and Napoleon visit QV again. QV describes how Eugénie is dressed. Wilson says of the admiring precision of QV's descriptions of Eugénie's dresses,
&lt;blockquote&gt;The wistfulness with which Victoria described Eugénie’s outfits whenever the two met is touching. She was the Queen of England and could have afforded the finest couturier; but she was tiny, increasingly rotund, much of the time depressed or petulant. Her homely dress sense reflected a growing dissatisfaction with her appearance: clothes were for swathing a body which was by any ordinary standards a very peculiar shape, not for adorning it or drawing it to people’s attention.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (389 of 1204)&lt;/blockquote&gt;
And maybe she just wasn't very good at style. Evidence from later suggests she had an appreciation for fine fabrics and laces.

'''1858, June''', when Victoria began wearing a crinoline cage. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;She had attended reviews of her troops increasingly often as they came shipping back from Crimea. For the purpose, she often wore the superbly tailored outdoor wear that suited her much better than frou-frou evening gowns. Her self-adopted ‘uniform’ was a scarlet, made-to-measure military-style jacket combined with the skirt of a riding habit. Albert had a matching outfit too, its chest padded out to simulate the muscles that his sedentary lifestyle had failed to give him. [361–362] [new paragraph] Today, though, as she was travelling by carriage, Victoria wore a dark cloak over her now-customary daywear of the crinolined skirt. She’d held out until the end of the 1850s before adopting this novel steel structure to puff out the skirt, which was widely thought to be an ‘indelicate, expensive, hideous and dangerous article’.&lt;sup&gt;19&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;19 ''Punch, Or the London Charivari'' (8 August 1863) p. 59&quot;}} A crinoline, or ‘cage’, could swing the skirts out so unexpectedly that they caught fire, or got stuck in carriage wheels. But the stylish Empress Eugénie, whom Victoria much admired, is said to have popularised the crinoline during an 1855 visit to England. ‘Carter’s Crinoline Saloon’ opened soon afterwards, offering London ladies not only the crinoline but also the new ‘elastic stays … as worn by the Empress of the French’.&lt;sup&gt;20&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;20 “Adburgham (1964) p. 93&quot;}} Victoria nevertheless resisted the fashion until a heatwave three years later made her feel that her customary stiff muslin petticoats were ‘unbearable’. ‘Imagine!’ she wrote, to her married daughter in Germany, ‘since 6 weeks I wear a “Cage”!!! What do you say?’&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;21 RA VIC/ADDU/32, p. 178 (21 July 1858)&quot;}} Having realised how convenient it was, she now only took her crinoline off to go sailing.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|361–362, nn. 19, 20, 21, p. 696}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1861 December 14''', Prince Albert, Prince Consort died.&lt;ref name=&quot;:2&quot; /&gt; According to Julia Baird&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria decreed that the entire court would mourn for an unprecedented official period of two years. (When this ended, her ladies and daughters could discard the black and wear half mourning, which was gray, white, or light purple shades.) Many of her subjects decided to join them in mourning. Her ladies were draped in jet jewelry and crêpe, a thick black rustling material made of silk, crimped to make it look dull.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot;&gt;Baird, Julia. ''Victoria the Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire''. Random House, 2016. Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/victoria-the-queen/id953835024.&lt;/ref&gt; (585 of 1203)&lt;/blockquote&gt;After Albert's death Queen &quot;Victoria never attended or held another public ball.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (592 of 1203)

'''1863 March 10''', Bertie (Albert Edward, Prince of Wales) and Alix (Alexandra) married in St. George's Chapel, Windsor. QV, who sat high up and out of the way, wore widow's weeds,  &quot;the blue sash and star of the Order of the Garter&quot; and (according to Lord Clarendon) &quot;a cap ‘more hideous than any I have yet seen.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|495 of 1204}}

'''1865 April 15''', Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Eugénie's was among the first letters of condolence from a head of state that Mary Todd Lincoln got; Victoria's was dated the day after Eugénie's.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt;{{rp|555 of 909}}

'''1866–1871''', [[Social Victorians/People/Princess Louise | Princess Louise]] was Victoria's private secretary.

'''1866 February''', QV opened Parliament for the first time since Albert's death.&lt;blockquote&gt;She wore plain evening dress, with a small diamond and sapphire coronet on top of her widow’s cap. The wind whipped her veil as she rode silently in an open carriage past curious crowds, many of whom had not glimpsed her for years.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (609 of 1203)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1866 February 6''', Princess Helena's wedding to Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. QV wrote in her journal that it &quot;was 'an ''execution''&lt;nowiki/&gt;' to which she was 'dragged in ''deep mourning''.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot;&gt;Longford, Elizabeth. ''Queen Victoria''. The History Press, 2011 (1999). Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/queen-victoria-essential-biographies/id1142259733.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|118 of 223}} Instead of a crown she wore a black widow's cap. 

'''1867 Spring''', annual exhibition at the Royal Academy, which included a large canvas by Sir Edwin Landseer that QV had commissioned as &quot;Shadow&quot; to show her grief. It was called ''Her Majesty at Osborne, 1866''. The center of this painting is dominated by black.&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In it, the queen [sits] sidesaddle on a sleek dark horse, dressed in her customary black. She [is] reading a letter from the dispatch box on the ground, next to her dogs. Opposite [is] a tall figure in a black kilt and jacket solemnly holding [634–635] the horse’s bridle. ...&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;It caused a scandal. The ''Saturday Review'' art critic wrote: &quot;If anyone will stand by this picture for a quarter of an hour and listen to the comments of visitors he will learn how great an imprudence has been committed.&quot; It was not long before the gossip became crude: Were the queen and Mr. Brown lovers? Was she pregnant with his child? Had they secretly married? In 1868, an American visitor said he was gobsmacked by constant, crass jokes about the queen commonly referred to as &quot;Mrs. Brown.&quot; &quot;I have been told,&quot; he wrote, &quot;that the Queen was insane, and John Brown was her keeper; the Queen was a spiritualist, and John Brown was her medium.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Victoria adored the painting and ordered an engraving.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (634–635 of 1203)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1871 March 21''', Princess Louise and John Campbell, Marquis of Lorne, were married.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Supplement.&quot; ''The London Gazette'' 24 March 1871 (23720) Friday: 1587 https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/23720/page/1587.&lt;/ref&gt; QV wore rubies as well as diamonds.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|644 of 1203}}

'''1871, end of, around the time of Bertie's illness with typhoid, by this time''', according to Lucy Worseley, QV had decided never to wear color again (a decision she had made after the first year of full mourning Albert's death?) and had developed her &quot;brand.&quot; She had not made many personal appearances, but because of her photographs, the carte-de-visite with Albert, and her memoirs about the Highlands, she was known to her subjects:&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria was extraordinary in her dedication to black. If wearing mourning was a [413–414] demand for greater-than-usual understanding, it’s certainly true that she felt entitled to it for the rest of her life. Mourning was turned into a sort of disguise for her. It indicated that she was a victim, bereaved, which was a way of pre-empting criticism. And within the conventions of black, Victoria insisted that her clothes be cut in a way that she found comfortable and convenient: a bodice with only light boning, a skirt with capacious pockets. She no longer followed fashion; she had created a fashion all her own. [new paragraph] Victoria’s black clothing also had terrific ‘brand value’ in creating a recognisable royal image. Although she rarely appeared in person, Victoria’s physical appearance was more widely known than ever before. In 1860, she and Albert had taken the decision to allow photographs of themselves to be published on cartes de visite, highly collectible little rectangles of illustrated cardboard. Within two years, between three and four million of these cards depicting the queen had been sold. &lt;sup&gt;27&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|27 Plunkett (2003) p. 156.&quot;}} The people who bought them understood that they were in possession of something more potent than a lithograph or an engraving. The effect, in terms of making the queen’s subjects feel they ‘knew’ her, has been compared by the Royal Collection’s photography curator to the sensational 1969 television [414–415] documentary series, Royal Family.&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;28 Dimond and Taylor (1987) p. 20&quot;}} So even if Victoria had been bodily absent from public life for the last decade, in paper form she had been more present than ever.&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;29 ''The Photographic News'' (28 February 1862) quoted in Dimond and Taylor (1987) p. 22&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|413–414, nn. 27, 28. 29, p. 707}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1872 February 27''', thanksgiving service for Bertie's survival in St. Paul's Cathedral:&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria was bored in the church, and found St. Paul’s &quot;cold, dreary and dingy,&quot; but the roars of millions who stood outside in the cold under a lead-colored sky made her triumphant, and she pressed Bertie’s hand in a dramatic flourish. It was &quot;a great holy day&quot; for the people of London, ''The Times'' declared gravely. They wished to show the queen she was as beloved as ever. Their delight at seeing her in person was as much a cause for celebration as Bertie’s recovery.

This moment revealed something that Bertie would quickly grasp though his mother had not: the British public requires ceremony and pageantry, and the chance to glimpse a sovereign in finery. It was not a republic her subjects were hankering for, but a visible queen. As Lord Halifax said, people wanted their queen to look like a queen, with a crown and scepter: &quot;They want the gilding for their money.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|655 of 1203}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1878 December 14''', Princess Alice died.

'''1879 June 1''',&lt;ref name=&quot;:32&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-11-29|title=Louis-Napoléon, Prince Imperial|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Louis-Napol%C3%A9on,_Prince_Imperial&amp;oldid=1324821881|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Louis Napoleon, son of Eugénie, &quot;to whom Victoria ... had become devotedly attached, was killed in the Zulu War.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt;{{rp|432 of 555}}

'''1880 February 5''', Queen Victoria attended the state opening of Parliament. She wrote in her journal&lt;blockquote&gt;I wore the same dress, black velvet, trimmed with minniver, my small diamond crown &amp; long veil. Got in, at the Great Entrance, &amp; went in the new state coach which is very handsome with much gilding, a crown at the top, &amp; a great deal of glass, which enables the people to see me. ... Beatrice stood to my right, Leopold to my left. Bertie, Affie &amp; Arthur were all there.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (707 of 1204)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1881 April 19''', Benjamin Disraeli, Lord Beaconsfield died.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|title=Benjamin Disraeli|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Benjamin_Disraeli&amp;oldid=1335428395|journal=Wikipedia|date=2026-01-29|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

'''1882 March 2''',&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt; (152 of 223) the 7th and last assassination attempt on QV, by Roderick Maclean, another adolescent male possibly not intent on killer her, although his pistol was loaded.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt;{{rp|433 of 555}}

'''1882 April 27''', Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and Princess Helen of Waldeck married. &quot;The Queen celebrated by wearing white over her black dress for the first time since Albert’s death – it was her own white wedding veil.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|154 of 223}}

'''1883 March 17''', QV fell down stairs in Windsor, probably some marble stairs. She was &quot;lame until July.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;

'''1883 March 27''', QV's Scots servant John Brown died.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|title=John Brown (servant)|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Brown_(servant)&amp;oldid=1312942175|journal=Wikipedia|date=2025-09-23|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

'''1884 March 28''', Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany died.&lt;ref name=&quot;:1&quot; /&gt;

'''1886''', the general election of 1886, according to Lytton Strachey, &quot;the majority of the nation&quot; voted down Home Rule and Gladstone&lt;blockquote&gt;and placing Lord Salisbury in power. Victoria’s satisfaction was profound. A flood of new unwonted hopefulness swept over her, stimulating her vital spirits with a surprising force. Her habit of life was suddenly altered; abandoning the long seclusion which Disraeli’s persuasions had only momentarily interrupted, she threw herself vigorously into a multitude of public activities. She appeared at drawing-rooms, at concerts, at reviews; she laid foundation-stones; she went to Liverpool to open an international exhibition, driving through the streets in her open carriage in heavy rain amid vast applauding crowds. Delighted by the welcome which met her everywhere, she warmed to her work.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt;{{rp|439–440 of 555}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1887''', the Golden Jubilee. Strachey says that QV had begun wearing the color violet in her bonnet by now:&lt;blockquote&gt;Little by little it was noticed that the outward vestiges of Albert’s posthumous domination grew less complete. At Court the stringency of mourning was relaxed. As the Queen drove through the Park in her open carriage with her [444–445] Highlanders behind her, nursery-maids canvassed eagerly the growing patch of violet velvet in the bonnet with its jet appurtenances on the small bowing head.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (444–445 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;

QV wore a bonnet rather than a crown or widow's cap.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (822 of 1204) At dinner on the day of the procession, QV wore a dress, as she says, with &quot;the rose, thistle &amp; shamrock embroidered in silver on it, &amp; my large diamonds.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (824 of 1204)

'''1888 June 15''', Vicky's husband Emperor Frederick (Fritz) died.

'''1890 July 15''', Garden Party at Marlborough House with QV as the most important guest, with some description of QV's dress, more details in the descriptions of the dresses of some of the other women:&lt;blockquote&gt;But if not favoured with model &quot;Queen's weather,&quot; a good imitation set in as the Life Guards struck up &quot;God Save the Queen,&quot; and her Majesty descended the flight of steps on the Prince of Wales's arm, and slowly passed through the eager ranks of her assembled subjects. Her Majesty was conducted to a canopy at the lower end of the garden, and was soon surrounded by children and grandchildren; she walked with the aid of a stick, but did not appear to be troubled by rheumatism, and moved without difficulty. The Queen's dress was of black striped [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Broché|broché]], a lace shawl, and black bonnet, trimmed with white roses. She talked to people to right and left, and looked smiling and happy. ...

AN ACCOUNT OF SOME OF THE DRESSES.

Her Majesty was attired completely in black, with the slight relief of white flowers in her black bonnet.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;From One Who Was There.&quot; &quot;The Marlborough House Garden Party.&quot; ''Pall Mall Gazette'' 15 July 1890 (Tuesday): p. 5, Col. 1. ''British Newspaper Archive'' http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000098/18900715/016/0006 (Accessed April 2015).&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1891 January 14''', Albert Victor (Eddy), Bertie's and Alex's son, died of pneumonia.&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|190 of 223}}

'''1893 February 28, Tuesday, 3:00 p.m''', QV hosted a Queen's drawing-room at Buckingham Palace:&lt;blockquote&gt;Her Majesty wore a dress and train of rich black silk, trimmed with crape and chenille. Headdress and coronet of diamonds and pearls. Ornaments — Pearls. Her Majesty wore the Star and Ribbon of the Garter, the Orders of Victoria and Albert, the Crown of India, the Prussian Order, the Spanish and Portuguese Orders, the Russian Order of St. Catherine, and the Hessian and Bulgarian Orders.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;The Queen's Drawing Room.&quot; ''Morning Post'' 1 March 1893, Wednesday: 7 [of 12], Col. 6a–7c [of 7]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000174/18930301/072/0007. Same print title and p.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1895 December 14''', George and May's 2nd son, who would become Elizabeth II's father, was born. Thinking of the anniversary of Albert's and Alice's deaths, QV &quot;said that the child might be a gift of God.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|191 of 223}}

'''1896 September 26''', QV wrote in her journal, &quot;Today is the day on which I have reigned longer, by a day, than any English sovereign.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|191 of 223}}

'''1897 April 4''', QV vacations in Nice, as she did almost every year, and a little on her &quot;uniform&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;The pattern of her hotel days in Cimiez, an upmarket suburb on a hill behind Nice, was undemanding. She was dressed by the servants who were almost a second family. One of her wardrobe maids spent the night on call in the dressing room just next door to her bedroom.&lt;sup&gt;12&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;12 Stoney and Weltzien, eds. (1994) pp. 11–12&quot;}} At half past seven, the maid on the next shift would come into Victoria’s bedroom to open the green silk blinds and shutters. Her silver hairbrush, hot water, folded towels and sponges were all laid out by these wardrobe maids. Her pharmacist’s account book records the purchase of beauty products such as ‘lavender water’, ‘Mr Saunders’ Tooth Tincture’ and ‘cakes of soap for bath’.&lt;sup&gt;13&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;13 Royal Pharmaceutical Society, account book for ‘The Queen’ (1861–1869)&quot;}} [new paragraph] Victoria’s clothes were handled by the dressers, who were better paid than the maids. Their duties, ran Victoria’s instructions, included ‘scrupulous tidiness and exactness in looking over everything that Her Majesty takes [510–511] off … to think over well everything that is wanted or may be wanted’.&lt;sup&gt;14&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;14 Staniland (1997) p. 186&quot;}} Her black silk stockings with white soles had for decades been woven by one John Meakin, while Anne Birkin embroidered the garments with ‘VR’.&lt;sup&gt;15&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;15 Quoted in King (2007) p. 100&quot;}} Victoria grew fond of faithful servants like Anne, and even had Birkin’s portrait among her collection of photographs. Despite their sombre aspect, even her mourning gowns were finely made. She had settled into a series of very minor variations upon a square-necked bodice and skirt, customised with quirky little pockets for keys and seals, all cut pretty much the same to save her the trouble of fittings. On her head went a white cap, with streamers of lace, and round her neck a locket containing miniatures of two of her children: Alice, now lost to diphtheria, and Leopold, to haemophilia.&lt;sup&gt;16&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;16 Princess Marie Louise (1956) p. 141&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; {{rp|510–511; nn. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, p. 722}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
[[File:Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Service, 22 June 1897.jpg|alt=Old painting of very large crowd and an old woman dressed in black in a carriage in the center|thumb|Diamond Jubilee Thanksgiving Service on the Steps of St. Paul's]]

==== Diamond Jubilee ====
'''1897 June 22, Diamond Jubilee''', with Thanksgiving service on the steps of St. Paul's, painted in 1899 by Andrew Carrick Gow (right; better image at https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/queen-victorias-diamond-jubilee-service-22-june-1897-51041). QV stayed in the carriage for the service.

Worsley says, QV's dress had &quot;decorative 'panels of grey satin veiled with black net &amp; steel embroideries, &amp; some black lace'&quot;&lt;blockquote&gt;Rising from her bed, Victoria dressed, as always, in black. The crowds who saw her today would consider her ‘dress of black silk’ to be [532–533] modest and widowly, almost dingy. Her taste in clothing had become ever more subdued. Departing from Windsor Castle to travel to Buckingham Palace for these few days of the Jubilee, she’d been worried about the stains the sooty train to Paddington might leave on her outfit. ‘I could have cried,’ said the woman who ran the draper’s shop in Windsor, ‘to see Her Majesty start for the Jubilee in her second-best “mantle” – after all the beautiful things I had sent her.’7{{rp|7 Weintraub (1987) p. 581}}

If you’d had the chance to examine the queen’s outfit closely, though, you’d’ve seen that it was in fact sombrely splendid, her black cape embroidered with swirling silver sequins, huge pearls hanging from each ear and upon the gown itself decorative 'panels of grey satin veiled with black net &amp; steel embroideries, &amp; some black lace'.

Round her neck now went a ‘lovely diamond chain’, a Jubilee present from her younger children, while her ‘bonnet was trimmed with creamy white flowers &amp; white aigrette’.&lt;sup&gt;8&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|8 RA QVJ/1897: 22 June}} This bonnet, worn with resolution, had caused some upset. Her government had asked its queen to appear more … queenly. ‘The symbol that unites this vast Empire is a Crown not a bonnet,’ complained Lord Rosebery. But Victoria stoutly refused, and ‘the bonnet triumphed’. She would [533–534] wear it today, just as she’d worn it at her Golden Jubilee a decade before.&lt;sup&gt;9&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;9 Ponsonby (1942) p. 79&quot;}} The queen looked just like a ‘wee little old lady’. The only touch of colour about her black-clad figure was her ‘wonderful, blue, childlike eyes’.&lt;sup&gt;10&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|10 Smyth (1921) p. 99}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|532–534 of 786; nn. 7, 8, 9, 10, p. 727}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

One source somewhere, however, says there was some purple in her bonnet.

She carried &quot;a black chiffon parasol. It was a gift from the House of Commons, presented to her two days earlier by its oldest member, who was ninety-five.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|539 of 786}}

According to A. N. Wilson, QV was &quot;dressed in grey and black&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;In the case of Queen Victoria, the intensity of crowd reaction was especially strong, because she made public parade of herself so seldom. The emotional atmosphere was overpowering on that hot, sunny day. The Queen, dressed in grey and black, but smiling and bowing, held a parasol above her and bowed her smiling head to left and right as the landau passed through the streets of London – Constitution Hill, to Hyde Park Corner; then along [976–977] Piccadilly, down St James's Street to Pall Mall, past all the clubs, into Trafalgar Square, up the Strand and into Ludgate Hill to St Paul’s.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|976–977 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

The bonnet QV wore for the Diamond Jubilee Procession was decorated with diamonds according the ''Lady's Pictorial'':&lt;blockquote&gt;I HEAR on reliable authority that, although the fact has hitherto escaped the notice of all the describers of the Diamond Jubilee Procession, the bonnet worn by the Queen on that occasion was liberally adorned with diamonds. It is a tiny bit of flotsam, but worth rescuing, as every detail of the historic pageant will one day be of even greater interest than it is now.&lt;ref name=&quot;:14&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;At least 3 official photographs show QV and made available as cabinet cards (2 anyhow) for this Jubilee:

# One was made in 1893 at the time of George and Mary's wedding. It was made by W. &amp; D. Downey and is in the Royal Collection (https://www.rct.uk/collection/2912658/queen-victoria-1819-1901-diamond-jubilee-portrait)
# One was made in July 1896 by Gunn &amp; Stuart and published as a cabinet card by  Lea, Mohrstadt &amp; Co. (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom_(by_Gunn_%26_Stuart,_1897).jpg&lt;nowiki/&gt;)
# One was made 5 days after the Jubilee Procession (so, on 27 June 1897).
# One was made by Mullen (according to the Royal Trust [#4]

'''1897 June 27, Sunday''' (or 5 days after the Jubilee procession), QV's official Jubilee photograph.&lt;blockquote&gt;at Osborne, Victoria had an official Jubilee photograph taken, wearing her Jubilee dress and, of course, her wedding lace.&lt;sup&gt;71:&quot;71 RA QVJ/1885: 27 July&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; The whole royal family was becoming familiar with manipulating its photographic image. In 1863, ''The Times'' reported that Vicky and Alice had themselves retouched their brother Bertie’s [551–552] wedding photos.&lt;sup&gt;72&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;:&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;sup&gt;&quot;72The Times, London (9 April 1863) p. 7, quoted in Plunkett (2003) p. 189&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; (The princesses really preferred sitting to an old-fashioned artist, like a sculptor, who excelled in ‘making them look like ladies, while the Photographs are common indeed’.&lt;sup&gt;73&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;: &quot;73 “RA VIC/ADDX/2/211, p. 29&quot;&lt;/sup&gt;) After each new photographic sitting, Victoria ‘carefully criticised’ the results.&lt;sup&gt;74&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;: &quot;74 “Private Life (1897; 1901 edition) p. 69&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; In her later photographs, like this Diamond Jubilee portrait, she was heavily retouched, a double chin removed, inches shaved off her waist. The Photographic News criticised a photo from her Golden Jubilee for making her look as if she had ‘oedematous disease’, a condition where the body bloats up with excess fluid. Her skin had been smoothed to the extent that she looked like a waxwork.&lt;sup&gt;75&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;: &quot;75 “Plunkett (2003) p. 192&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; &lt;sup&gt;fn 771, 72, 73, 74, 75, p. 731&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1897 June 28, Monday''', the Jubilee Garden Party at Buckingham Palace took place, with good weather and about 6,000 attendees.

The ''Lady's Pictorial'' gives detai about QV's dress:&lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen, whom every one delighted to see looking well and bright, evidently not at all the worse for the great doings of last week, was attired in black silk. The front of her dress was veiled with white chiffon, over which was a single tissue of black silken embroidered muslin, the embroidery in a small floral design, with inserted bands of openwork lace. The bodice was of black grenadine with tucks at either side, bordering a front of white chiffon veiled with black embroidered muslin, and the basque finished with a frill of pleated black chiffon. Round the hem were two frills of black chiffon festooned on, and each headed by a tiny puffing. Her Majesty’s cape was of black chiffon over white silk, fitting in slightly at the back to the figure, and finished in front with fichu ends. Round the cape were frills of white silk with over frills of black chiffon. The Queen’s bonnet was black relieved with white, and her Majesty had the sunshade presented to her by her oldest Parliamentary member, Mr. C. Villiers. It was of black satin draped with very fine real Chantilly lace, and with a frill of the same all round. It was lined with soft white silk, and the ebony handle terminated in a gun metal ball, on which was a crown and &quot;V. R. I.&quot; in diamonds.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;The Queen's Garden Party.&quot; ''Lady's Pictorial'' 3 July 1897, Saturday: 55 [of 76], Col. 2a [of 3]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005980/18970703/126/0055. Same print title, p. 27.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

The ''Globe'' described her with perhaps slightly less detail than the other women:&lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen appeared about half-past five in a carriage drawn by two cream-coloured ponies, and '''attended one''' outrider. The Princess of Wales was seated beside the Queen, and the Earl of Lathom walked beside the carriage. Her Majesty drove very slowly twice round the lawn, frequently stopping to speak to one or other of the guests.

The Queen was in black, with a good deal of jet on her mantle, and wore a white lace bonnet, and carried a black parasol, almost covered with white lace. The Princess of Wales was in white silk veiled in mousseline soie, worked over in silver and lace applique, and a mauve tulle toque with flowers to match. After driving round, the Queen entered the Royal tent, where refreshments were served by the Indian attendants. Her Majesty had on her right hand the Grand Duchess of Hesse, dressed in white, with black velvet and ribbons, and a large Tuscan hat, with black and white plumes; on her left the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, in mauve satin, and white aigrette in her bonnet. The Empress Frederick’s black broché gown had a collar of white lace, and her black bonnet was relieved by white flowers, and tied with white tulle strings.&lt;ref name=&quot;:22&quot;&gt;“The Queen’s Garden Party. Brilliant Scene at Buckingham Palace.” ''Globe'' 29 June 1897, Tuesday: 6 [of 8], Col. 3a–c [of 5]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001652/18970629/050/0006. Print p. 6.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|Col. 3b–c}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;From the ''North British Daily Mail'', &lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen was evidently in excellent health, and there was no trace whatever of the fatigues which she has recently undergone. Indeed she walked with greater ease than usual, and really had no need of the proffered help of her attendants. ... The Queen and her daughter were dressed in black, but the former had upon her bonnet a little trimming of delicate white lace, which somewhat toned down the sombre effect of the mourning. Two Highland attendants having taken their places in the rumble, one of them handed to the Queen a black and white parasol, and then the signal to start was given.&lt;ref name=&quot;:02&quot;&gt;&quot;Jubilee Festivities. The Queen Again in London. Interesting Functions. A Visit to Kensington. The Garden Party.&quot; ''North British Daily Mail'' 29 June 1897, Tuesday: 5 [of 8], Col. 3a–7b [of 9]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002683/18970629/083/0005. Print p. 5.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|Col. 3c}} ...

The Queen wore a black gauze gown over white, and a white lace bonnet.

The Princess of Wales wore white muslin over silk embroidered in silver and lace.

The Empress Frederick wore a black silk dress with a good deal of white lace about the bodice, and a black bonnet with white plumes.&lt;ref name=&quot;:02&quot; /&gt;{{rp|Col. 5c}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1897 June 30, Wednesday''', Royal Banquet at Buckingham Palace, with the Queen in a very ornate dress, with gold and jewels as well as the colors brought by the orders and ribbon of the Garter:&lt;blockquote&gt;over eighty Royal guests. The Queen herself was magnificent!y attired in black renaiscance moiré antique (it is a curious fact that her Majesty never wears satin or velvet, having an antipathy to touching these materials). The whole of the front of the dress was embroidered in a magnificent design with real gold thread. There was a waved band of gold in the pattern, enclosing suns and stars, all of gold, raised from the surlace of the silk; the suns had centres of jewels, and the whole design was richly jewelled, and was bordered at either side by coquillés of real lace. This embroidery was all wrought at Agra. The bodice was finished with a pointed stomacher of the gold and jewelled work, and across it her Majesty wore the blue riband of the Garter and many magnificent Orders.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Court &amp; Society Notes.&quot; ''Lady's Pictorial'' 3 July 1897, Saturday: 56 [of 76], Col. 2c [of 3]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005980/18970703/282/0056. Print title same, p. 28.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;The assertion that she never wore satin or velvet doesn't seem right (e.g., see Bassano 1882 dress).

'''1899''', Susan B. Anthony attended a reception at Windsor Castle and met QV: to look at &quot;her wonderful face&quot; was a &quot;thrill.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|852 of 1203}}

=== Her Dresses ===
#'''1822''': Wikipedia page #2, painting (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria), Victoria and her mother, Duchess of Kent, by William Beechey. Victoire is in mourning, Victoria is holding a portrait of her father. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/407169/victoria-duchess-of-kent-1786-1861-with-princess-victoria-1819-1901.
##&quot;After William Beechey.&quot; Wikimedia Commons, possibly a contemporary copy of the painting: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sir_William_Beechey_(1753-1839)_-_Victoria,_Duchess_of_Kent,_(1786-1861)_with_Princess_Victoria,_(1819-1901)_-_RCIN_407169_-_Royal_Collection.jpg
#'''1827''', an engraving of a bust of Victoria (from a 1908 book) by Plant, after Stewart's painted miniature: she is wearing family honors on the left shoulder of her dress; she is about 6 years old in this image; she looks like a princess. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Letters_Of_Queen_Victoria,_vol_1_-_H.R.H._The_Princess_Victoria,_1827.png
#'''1835 August 10 [maybe 1837?]''': print portrait of a teenaged QV published in Chapter 2 of Millicent Garrett Fawcett's 1895 ''Life of Her Majesty Queen Victoria'' (but possibly published in 1835 in a magazine?). QV's dress is in the off-the-shoulder romantic style with a high, Empire waist. She is wearing a 4-strand necklace, probably pearls, and large dangling earrings, with a 4-strand pearl bracelet on her right arm. She has a glove on her left hand, not elbow length but definitely longer than wrist length, and she is wearing a wire net-like headdress on the top of her head that contracted to contain and shape her hair. A very similar image was published in ''The Graphic'' on 26 January 1901 claiming that QV was 17; the image is not identical, but must have been made from the same sitting (the 1901 image is full length and her left hand is empty). The caption for the image from ''The Graphic'' — &quot;The Queen at the Age of Seventeen&quot; — says that it came from a painting by George Hayter.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://viewer.library.wales/5254866#?xywh=-3550,-523,12266,7776|title=The Life of Queen Victoria ... National Library of Wales Viewer|website=viewer.library.wales|language=en|access-date=2026-03-18}}&lt;/ref&gt; Wikimedia Commons 1895 image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Life_of_Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_-_Victoria_Aug_10th_1835.png. 1901 ''Graphic'' image, National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/5254866#?xywh=-3550%2C-523%2C12266%2C7776. Wikimedia Commons ''Graphic'' 1901 image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_life_of_Queen_Victoria_Claremont,_where_the_Queen_spent_the_happiest_days_of_her_childhood_-_the_South_side,_the_view_from_the_ballroom_;_the_Queen_at_the_age_of_seventeen_(from_the_painting_by_Sir_George_Hayter)_(5254866).jpg.
#'''1836''': print of Winterhalter portrait, QV surrounded by books, empire dress and jewelry. Very stylish and up-to-date fashion, off the shoulder, with some frou-frou, but not contrasting colors for the frou-frou. The skirt is divided into 2 parts at about the knees by a wide band of trim. This design with the divided skirt and non-contrasting frou-frou lasted her entire life (maybe with a break when Albert was alive?). She did it a lot but not exclusively, but enough for it to be characteristic. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Princess_Victoria_in_1836.png
#'''1837''': print of watercolor portrait&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2024-09-04|title=John Deffett Francis|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Deffett_Francis&amp;oldid=1244015737|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; by John Deffett Francis of Victoria, who was not queen yet: print &quot;to William 4th &amp; Leopold, King of Belgium&quot;; V is wearing a cap with a lacy edge around her face, with a wide-brimmed bonnet, trimmed with ribbon and a veil; no jewelry, dress is off the shoulder, fabric appears to be silk, with gathers, with a dark shawl trimmed with dark lace; she is holding a folding fan; dark slippers. Dash romping at her feet. Unostentatious outfit but appears to be exquisitely made with quality materials. Not loaded up with frou-frou, simply made but high-quality. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674631#?xywh=-1346%2C976%2C7852%2C4710; Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Most_Gracious_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(4674631).jpg
#'''1837 Summer''', probably: print by Richard James Lane of a watercolor by Alfred Edward Chalon. Idealized portrait of QV between the accession and the coronation. The portrait has her features but is not a good likeness. The British Museum description says, &quot;seated to left looking to right; wearing a lace collar, ruffled cape and black satin apron said to have been embroidered by herself, holding letter and handkerchief; on terrace with view of St George’s chapel, Windsor.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Her Majesty the Queen.&quot; O'Donoghue 1908-25 / Catalogue of Engraved British Portraits preserved in the Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum (108). Object: 1912,1012.76. 

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1912-1012-76&lt;/ref&gt; The bodice has huge sleeves, narrow at the wrist but puffing out over the elbows. The fabric of the dress looks like moiré. The black apron on her lap, though she may have embroidered it, seems odd, like why would the new queen wear an apron, even a decorative one? The plain hairstyle, the apron and what may be a bonnet on the tile floor to her left do not present her as regal but as simple and girly, perhaps as a contrast to the excesses of the prior courts. British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1912-1012-76. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Her_Majesty_the_Queen_(BM_1912,1012.76).jpg.
#'''1837 November''': portrait of QV standing in the royal box at the Drury Lane Theatre by Edmund Thomas Parris (this image is a contemporary copy of Parris's painting). Not a very strong likeness and so highly idealized that her clothing isn't readable. Also, the color may not be true; this copy may be too red. She has decorative gauntlets on her gloves, a transparent black lace shawl, the ribbon of the Order of the Garter, some tiara or diadem that could be the Fringe Tiara except that the metal is wrong, complicated lace things with dags at the turned-back cuffs. She is holding a few flowers in a bouquet holder and a lace-trimmed handkerchief; on the ledge in front of her are the program, with a bookmark, a folded fan and a folded material that might be supposed to be ermine? can't tell. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_at_the_theatre.jpg. This image was published in the 21 May 1887 ''Supplement to Pen and Pencil'': https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_in_1837_(BM_1902,1011.8639).jpg.
#'''1838''': etching of QV riding side saddle, caption says, &quot;Her Majesty the Queen on Her Favourite Charger '''Thxxx'''&quot;; published in 1840, after a painting by Ed. Curcould; etching by Fredk A. Heath; riding habit and top hat with veil, falling collar, tie may be 4-in-hand (Wikimedia Commons copy, from L. Strachey's 1921 biog: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Queen_Victoria_in_1838.png). British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/image/1454391001
#'''1838''', stipple engraving of a waist-up portrait of QV by James Thomson, yet another idealized coronation portrait not drawn from life. Filet in her hair with pendant pearl at the center part, pearl earrings and necklace we've never seen before. Neck length is highly flattering. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Majesty_the_Queen_Victoria_(4674629).jpg
#'''1838''': stipple engraving of a flattering portrait of QV by Frederick Christian Lewis, probably not drawn from life. She is wearing a bonnet with a large brim over a cap with lace ruffles, the brim is covered with gathered fabric, sort of a halo effect. The off-the-shoulder style of the dress was fashionable, as are the sloped shoulders. Dark shawl over a light dress. She is wearing light gloves. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674631#?xywh=2044%2C1782%2C928%2C588. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Most_Gracious_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(4674631).jpg
#'''1838''': 2 George Hayter portraits of QV, plus a painting of the coronation: 
##Portrait of QV with her hand on a Bible and light shining on her upturned face, wearing the white dress worn after the peers swore allegiance and before the crown is placed on her head. The St. Edward's crown is on 2 pillows with the scepter. She is wearing an enormous elaborate robe over a sheer, lacy white dress, but the complexity of the layers and perhaps the artistic license make it impossible to really describe how the garments were constructed. The gold brocade robe with fringed edges is spectacular but does not match Worsley's description of the robe QV wore as she entered the Abbey. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_taking_the_Coronation_Oath_by_George_Hayter_1838.jpg 
##in Wikimedia Commons called ''Queen Victoria Enthroned in the House of Lords''. It may not have been drawn from life; Hayter's painting of the wedding cannot really be seen as a historical record of what occurred, and so this may not have been what she wore at the coronation. QV seated on the lion's head chair or throne, with the St. Edward's crown on a table to her right. She is wearing the Diamond Diadem and the coronation necklace and earrings. She is wearing an ermine-lined red velvet robe tied together at the waist with a tasseled gold cord. A jeweled &quot;collar&quot; falls from her right shoulder to her waist and then goes back up to her left shoulder. Her dress is not the dress she wore to the coronation, white satin with gold embroidery. This one appears to be a silver and gold brocade with a deep gold fringe at the bottom. She is traditionally corseted. She has a white glove on her left hand, which rests on the other glove. The gloves are decorated with a double row of gathered lace. The heavily jeweled bodice is off the shoulder. The point of one satin slipper peeks out from under her skirt on the low footrest. Art UK: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/queen-victoria-18191901-enthroned-in-the-house-of-lords-50933. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_Throne.png.
##''The Coronation of Queen Victoria in Westminster Abbey, 28 June 1838,'' Hayter's large painting of the coronation, completed 1840.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/405409/the-coronation-of-queen-victoria-in-westminster-abbey-28-june-1838|title=Sir George Hayter (1792-1871) - The Coronation of Queen Victoria in Westminster Abbey, 28 June 1838|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-04-22}}&lt;/ref&gt; Hayter made drawings during the coronation ceremony and then recreated Westminster Abbey as he preferred, rather than painting what the Abbey actually looked like. QV is wearing the Imperial Crown of State, but this is the moment after the coronation when the peers put on their coronets. The painting has 64 individual portraits painted in their gowns and robes by Hayter later. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/405409/the-coronation-of-queen-victoria-in-westminster-abbey-28-june-1838; Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coronation_of_Queen_Victoria_28_June_1838_by_Sir_George_Hayter.jpg.
#'''1838''': Thomas Sully portrait of QV
##'''1838 May 15''': study for the full-length portrait by Thomas Sully, bust, bare shoulders, no clothing for analysis, but romantic and sensual, crown, possibly coronation necklace. &quot;This oil sketch was painted '''from during''' several sittings in the spring of 1838, just before the coronation, in preparation for a full-length portrait. Victoria, who wears a diamond diadem, earrings, and necklace, is said to have considered this a nice picture.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (11) Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/12702. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_MET_DT5422.jpg
##Full-length portrait, which QV sat for and which Sully finished after having returned to the US. Not sure which crown this is, neither of the coronation crowns. Very flattering of Victoria, who is in her state robe with a white dress. Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/14826. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Thomas_Sully_in_the_Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art.jpg.
##Copy from the Sully full-length portrait of head and bust by W. Warman, though not a faithful copy, as if he was copying the painting without having it in front of him. National Portrait Gallery: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw06507/Queen-Victoria. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_by_W._Warman_after_Thomas_Sully.jpg.
#'''1838''': engraved mezzotint print from a painting by Agostino Aglio the Elder (https://www.lelandlittle.com/items/384935/antique-portrait-of-a-young-queen-victoria/), which cannot have been painted from life. QV is dressed as if for her coronation, with the St. Edward's crown and the throne in the background. The face does not look like Victoria's, the dress with its ermine hem is not a representation of any dresses we're aware of, and the robe with its transparent falling sleeves is not the official coronation robe. The mezzotint by James Scott shows detail more clearly than the painting does, which is dark. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Queen_of_the_United_Kingdom.jpg
#'''1838 August 5''': engraving of QV, published in ''The News'' on this date, may not have been taken from life. She may be wearing the white satin with gold embroidery dress she wore to Westminster Abbey; the crown on her head is not the Imperial State Crown; she is wearing long earrings (which we've never seen before) and no necklace. The cape has a shorter layer on top, trimmed in bands of gold, it looks like, which we've also never seen before. Her right hand is wearing a glove, probably silk, pushed down to 3/4 length. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674621#?xywh=-2124%2C-568%2C8542%2C7730. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_(4674621).jpg  
#'''1839''': engraving of Edwin Landseer portrait of QV in a very flattering and fashionable riding habit, less masculine than some, ribbon and badge of the Order of the Garter, top hat with veil, corseted, with the jacket fitted, large sleeves to the elbow, fitted below the elbow; a peplum may be part of the jacket, can't tell; she may be riding side-saddle with the newly invented horn to stabilize the rider. It's a good likeness of Victoria. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Majesty_the_Queen-_1839_(4672716).jpg.  
#1840 February 10: QV's Wedding
##QV's wedding dress on a mannequin. Royal Collection Trust, 3 photos: https://www.rct.uk/collection/71975. Mary Bettans, QV's &quot;longest serving dressmaker,&quot; probably made this wedding dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/71975|title=Mary Bettans - Queen Victoria's wedding dress|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-15}}&lt;/ref&gt; The [https://thedreamstress.com/2011/04/queen-victorias-wedding-dress-the-one-that-started-it-all/ Dreamstress blog posting on QV's wedding dress] has clear photos of her shoes. The Royal Collection description says, in part, &quot;Wedding dress ensemble of cream silk satin; comprising pointed boned bodice lined with silk, elbow length gathered sleeves; deep lace flounces at neck and sleeves and plain untrimmed skirt en suite, gathered into waist with unpressed pleats.&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot; /&gt; The color of the dress is definitely not white now, but the RCT description doesn't suggest that the color has changed. The materials are &quot;Cream silk satin with Honiton lace&quot; and &quot;silk (textile), satin, flowers, lace.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot; /&gt; The &quot;flowers&quot; perhaps explains the wreath of artificial orange blossoms that the mannequin is wearing; the description doesn't say whether the headdress was the one worn by QV at the wedding.
##QV's watercolor sketch of her design for the bridesmaids' dresses: &quot;a white dress trimmed with sprays of roses on the bodice and skirt. A matching spray of roses is shown in her hair. She is wearing white gloves and holding a handkerchief in one hand.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/13/collection/980021-o/design-for-queen-victorias-bridesmaids-dresses|title=Explore the Royal Collection online|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-20}}&lt;/ref&gt; Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/13/collection/980021-o/design-for-queen-victorias-bridesmaids-dresses.
#1840–1842: George Hayter's painting of the moment in the wedding when QV and Albert clasp hands
##1840 February 10 – 1842: George Hayter's wedding portrait at the moment they clasped hands (what was commissioned), sketched at the time, portraits and background filled in later, not an actual depiction of what the chapel looked like, the environment sketched in before the ceremony and the people during the ceremony, followed by people sitting for their individual portrait within the larger painting. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/407165/the-marriage-of-queen-victoria-10-february-1840. Wikimedia Commons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Marriage_of_Queen_Victoria#/media/File:Sir_George_Hayter_(1792-1871)_-_The_Marriage_of_Queen_Victoria,_10_February_1840_-_RCIN_407165_-_Royal_Collection.jpg. Along with almost everybody else, both QV and Albert posed later for the portraits in the painting, QV in March 1840 in, as she says, &quot; Bridal dress, veil, wreath &amp; all.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/407165/the-marriage-of-queen-victoria-10-february-1840|title=Sir George Hayter (1792-1871) - The Marriage of Queen Victoria, 10 February 1840|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-19}}&lt;/ref&gt;
##A number of reproductions of all or part of Hayter's painting were made. Engraving after Hayter's wedding portrait: amazingly tight outfit on Albert, QV has long train with ladies holding it; QV's dress off the shoulder, very lacy: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marriage_of_Queen_Victoria_MET_MM78359.jpg
#'''1840 c.''': miniature of QV by Franz Winterhalter, very idealized; QV is wearing a large pendant on a gold-bead necklace with matching earrings and jeweled fillet, strands of diamonds wrapped around the coiled hair high on the back of her head. Her off-the-shoulder dress is white lace with yellow bows, very girly with an unusual amount of frou-frou. She is wearing a blue sash across her chest from left to right, perhaps the ribbon of the Order of the Garter? Something puffy and pink — perhaps a shawl? — is over the dress. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_La_reine_Victoria.jpg
#'''1840 c.''': mezzotint print of QV by T. W. Huffam, may not have been drawn from life, and not perfectly realistic. QV is wearing a cap on the back of her head and perhaps a double row of what might be pearls across the top of her head, with pearl drop earrings. Off-the-shoulders cream-colored dress with pleating around the neckline and from the waist down. Broach at the center of the neckline, ring on her left hand; possible heavy chain bracelet on her left wrist. Colorful red-and-blue patterned shawl; what may be the Ribbon of the Order of the Garter, but on the wrong shoulder (and color is too dark, but the color may not be true); probably an odd wadded-up handkerchief in her right hand, with a lacy edge. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674795#?xywh=935%2C2586%2C2207%2C1324. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Gracious_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(4674795).jpg
#'''1840''': QV and Albert return from the wedding at St. James's Palace
##1840 February 10: engraving by S. Reynolds (after F. Lock). May not have been made from life, the dress QV is wearing does not match the descriptions of any of the dresses she wore that day. Albert is dressed more or less the way he was for the wedding. This is an image of how she was imagined by the artist or perceived by the public, not how she looked. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wedding_of_Queen_Victoria_and_Prince_Albert.jpg
##F. Lock
#'''1840''': not very realistic illustration of Edward Oxford's assassination attempt on QV (illustration by Ebenezer Landells; lithograph by J. R. Jobbins). We see QV in white, with a yellow bonnet and something white streaming, veil or shawl, protected by heroic male figure, Albert? or the driver? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edward_Oxford_tries_to_shoot_Queen_Victoria_in_1840_by_JR_Jobbins.jpg
#'''1840''': 2 versions of what looks like the same portrait of QV by John Partridge, one painting in Dublin Castle and another in the Royal Collection Trust, both apparently made by Partridge with sittings in September and October 1840.&lt;ref name=&quot;:16&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/403022/queen-victoria-1819-1901|title=John Partridge (1790-1872) - Queen Victoria (1819-1901)|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-02-27}}&lt;/ref&gt; QV is in black formal dress with red background and objects associating her with Albert. The RCT description: &quot;The Queen, in a black evening dress with a black and silver head-dress, wears the ribbon and star of the Garter and the Garter round her left arm. She stands with her hand resting on a letter on the table. The gilt metal inkstand set with semi-precious stones was a present from Prince Albert to the Queen on her birthday, 24 May 1840. The bracelet on her right arm is set with a miniature portrait of Prince Albert by Sir William Ross for which the Prince had sat in February and March 1840 and the locket round her neck was given to her by Prince Albert.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:16&quot; /&gt; QV's modest, black velvet, off-the-shoulder dress is very Romantic. The puffed sleeves have a separate, fine lace ruffle that is shorter over the front of the arm and longer in back. She is holding a large white lace handkerchief and a folding fan.
##The Royal Collection Trust painting may have been restored or conserved differently because it is lighter and the background is much brighter red. Besides the interesting black headdress with a silver fringe on two levels, attached possibly to a bun on the back of her head, she is wearing a [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Ferronnière|ferronnière]] with a large brooch-like jewel piece in the center front. This version of the painting was probably a gift to Albert for Christmas 1840.&lt;ref name=&quot;:16&quot; /&gt; https://www.rct.uk/collection/403022/queen-victoria-1819-1901. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Partridge_1840.jpg.
##The painting in Dublin Castle is much darker and QV's necklace and headdress are different. In this case, she is wearing the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#The Diamond Diadem|Diamond Diadem]] rather than the less-official ferronnière. Dublin Castle: https://dublincastle.ie/the-state-apartments/queen-victoria/. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Dublin_Castle.jpg.
#'''1841''': print of drawing of QV, stylish and romantic look, braids loops around her ears, off the shoulders, corseted, wearing honors, elbow-length lace-edged sleeves, full skirts, holding folding fan and lacy handkerchief in her left hand, very stylish pointed waist: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_victoria_by_DESMAISONS,_PIERRE_EMILIEN_-_GMII.jpg
#'''1841''': watercolor miniature by George Freeman of a pretty good likeness of QV for Mrs Andrew Stevenson, the wife of the American ambassador. QV is in white evening dress, red shawl with orange trim, ribbon of the Order of the Garter, tiara on the back of her head, miniature of Albert on her right wrist, wedding ring, hair in braided loops in front of the ears, very lacy at the elbows and top of bodice but otherwise no frou-frou. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/421456/queen-victoria-1819-1901. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Miniature_portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_(1819-1901),_1841.jpg.
#'''1841 March 21''': mezzotint print of QV and Vicky as a baby (Ellen Cole made the original art, G. H. Phillips made the messotint, printmaker Henry Graves &amp; Co.)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://wellcomecollection.org/works/wthk5hpy|title=Queen Victoria with the infant Princess Victoria on her lap. Mezzotint by G.H. Phillips after E. Cole, 1841.|website=Wellcome Collection|language=en|access-date=2025-10-15}}&lt;/ref&gt;, unclear what kind of dress QV is wearing, could be morning dress or even negligé, although she is wearing jewelry and a cap, appears to be wearing a corset, but the fabric of this loose and flowing dress is very likely silk, some sheer, very feminine, limp lace ruffles, unstiffened silk; could be a christening outfit?, Vicky is also wearing sheer flowing fabric, has a cap with stiffened ruffle, around the neck, unstiffened ruffle: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_the_infant_Princess_Victoria_Adelaide_Wellcome_V0048381.jpg
#1842: portrait by Winterhalter of QV in her wedding dress. This pose is a recreation; the lower half of the skirt is lace covered. QV is facing left, holding a length of lace and a small bouquet of flowers. Tiara on the back of her head, pendant on a gold chain around her neck, perhaps the sapphire brooch, and rings. QV sat for the painting &quot;in June and July 1842. The Queen wears a dress of heavy ivory satin, enhanced by a bertha and a deep flounce of lace like those on her wedding dress (see Figure 39). Her jewelry includes a diadem of sapphires and diamonds, the huge sapphire-and-diamond brooch given to her by Prince Albert on their wedding day, and the Order of the Garter insignia.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (15) &quot;The portrait was completed in August and set into the wall of the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle. Winterhalter was immediately commissioned to paint at least three copies, and a number of others exist, including enamel miniatures that the Queen had made up into bracelets for her friends.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (15)
#'''1843''': portrait by Winterhalter, bust of QV, bare shoulders, hair has fallen down, simple jewelry, sensual, sexual, romantic: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter_(1805-73)_-_Queen_Victoria_(1819-1901)_-_RCIN_406010_-_Royal_Collection.jpg.
#'''1843''': flattering, fashion-illustration-style portrait by Winterhalter, QV is wearing the Diamond Diadem created for George IV and standing with the Imperial State Crown near her right hand, which means it's not a coronation recreation. She is wearing the mantle of the Garter with its jeweled chain-like collar and St. George hanging from it with the Garter on her left arm. Winterhalter did a companion portrait of Albert at the same time, and they are hanging in the Garter Throne Room in Windsor Castle.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/404388/queen-victoria-1819-1901-0|title=Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-73) - Queen Victoria (1819-1901)|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-02-06}}&lt;/ref&gt; Queen Victoria is wearing the Turkish diamonds necklace and earrings. She has bare shoulders and arms, suggestive of court or evening dress; besides the mantle of the Garter, she is wearing a white dress with a complex overdress that is open at the waist. The skirt of the white dress has gold threads (that might be brocade) with 7 horizontal graduated rows of a soutache-like trim around the bottom 2/3. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/404388/queen-victoria-1819-1901-0. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_1843.jpg.
#'''1843''': line and stipple engraving (by Skelton and Hopwood) of a painting by Eugène Modeste Edmond Lepoittevin. QV visiting Helene, Duchesse d'Orléans at the Château d'Eu (Eu, Normandy, France). Two of the Duchesse d'Orléans' sons are with her in the portrait; she appears to be in mourning with a lot of frou-frou and touches of white. QV is wearing a stylish, romantic (off the shoulder) dress with a small white ruffle at the neck, lacy cuffs at the wrist; the sleeves are divided by 2 rows above the elbow of some kind of 3-dimensional trim; below the elbow the sleeves are fitted. The skirt is very full; her hair is simple, pulled in front of her ears into a bun in the back, with no headdress; she is wearing little or no jewelry. National Portrait Gallery: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw145636/Visit-of-Queen-Victoria-to-the-Duchesse-DOrlans?LinkID=mp93326&amp;role=sit&amp;rNo=0. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Visit_of_Queen_Victoria_to_the_Duchess_of_Orleans.jpg.
#'''1845''': photograph of QV and Vicky, earliest photograph of them, Description from Royal Collection Trust: &quot;They are shown in three quarter view, facing left. The queen is wearing a dark coloured silk gown, with a white lace fichu, adorned with a brooch. The Princess Royal looks directly at the viewer and leans against her mother, nestled under her right arm. She is wearing a dark coloured silk dress, trimmed with white lace. She is wearing a pendant on a black ribbon around her neck, and is holding a doll in her arms.&quot; White v-shaped bodice front connected to the rest of the bodice. Copy from the Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/-/collection/2931317-c (Wikimedia Commons copy: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_the_Princess_Royal_Victoria_c1844-5.png)
#'''1846''': Winterhalter portrait of QV with Bertie, one of a pair of portraits by Winterhalter of QV and Prince Albert. QV is wearing an unusual, off-the-shoulder outfit, no crown but a headdress that is black lace, sheer, ruffled, attached above her ears, with a rose on the left side, no necklace but bracelets and rings and the Order of the Garter ribbon and star. The top of this dress may be a bustier rather than a bodice, resting on rather than attached to the skirt; it is boned and very smooth and comes to a deep point in front, emphasizing her small waist. The skirt may be in two layers, pink satin (to match the bustier or bodice) covered by a sheer black lace-and-tulle overskirt. Bertie is in long pants and a belted &quot;loose Russian blouse&quot; that falls to his knees.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/406945/queen-victoria-with-the-prince-of-wales|title=Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-73) - Queen Victoria with the Prince of Wales|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-03-26}}&lt;/ref&gt; The portrait was a gift to Sir Robert Peel and shows QV in evening dress and Bertie (and Prince Albert in his separate portrait) as a family in nonregal clothing, what Peel called &quot;private society.&quot; Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/406945/queen-victoria-with-the-prince-of-wales. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_the_Prince_of_Wales.jpg.
#'''1846 October – 1847 January''', sittings for Winterhalter family portrait of QV and Albert and 5 children (Vicky, Bertie, Alice, Affie, Helena as a baby). QV is wearing a very ornate white dress with a smooth bodice, with a corset beneath: a lot of lace in her lap, either a large shawl coming around from the back or the top layer of her skirt (?), which is a series of 4 lacy ruffles starting at her knees and going down; gathers over her bust, sleeves are gathered; whole dress is a lot of frou-frou, very white, feminine, soft and flowing. She is wearing an emerald and diamond diadem, part of a parure of other emerald jewelry as well as a locket around her neck. (Albert designed the diadem in 1845, made by Joseph Kitching). Painting was exhibited in 1847 in St. James's Palace and released as an engraving in 1850. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/405413/the-royal-family-in-1846. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter_Family_of_Queen_Victoria.jpg. Engraving: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Queen_Victoria,_Prince_Albert_and_the_Royal_Family.png
#'''1847 February 24''': Winterhalter portrait of QV in a version of her at her wedding, wearing her wedding veil and wreath of orange blossoms in her hair and the sapphire brooch that &quot;Albert gave her on their wedding day and the ear-rings and necklace made from the Turkish diamonds given to her by the Sultan Mahmúd II in 1838.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/20/collection/400885/queen-victoria-1819-1901|title=Winterhalter Portrait of Queen Victoria, 1846|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-31}}&lt;/ref&gt; This portrait is dated 1847, so it is not a portrait of her at her wedding but an anniversary gift for Albert of her dressed as for her wedding. RCT: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/20/collection/400885/queen-victoria-1819-1901 Wikimedia: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1847.jpg
#'''1851 August 30''', line drawing of QV, Albert and Bertie visiting the opening (?) of a train station, published in the ILL. QV's clothing is approximate, but she is wearing a bonnet; we don't know if the artist drew her from life or from his expectation of what she would have looked like, stylish but not haute couture, she looks more middle class? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_visiting_the_GNR.jpg
#'''1854''', portrait Stephen Catterson Smith the Elder. QV in Order of St. Patrick, wearing crown, next to throne; white or cream-colored dress, which looks unironed? horizontal section of the skirt??, off the shoulder, lacy ruffles on top, not much frou-frou, not a cage. Bracelet on her right arm of Albert?, coronation necklace? Standing by the chair with lion's head on the armrest. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_the_sash_of_the_Order_of_St_Patrick,_1854.png
##'''1854''', engraving that is a copy of the Smith portrait. Royal Trust: https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/565054. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_victoria_indian_circlet.jpg. '''Indian circlet'''?
#'''1854''', photograph of QV, Albert, Duchess of Kent and 7 children, boys in kilts, women in what looks like cages, but probably petticoats: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_family.jpg
#'''1854''', photograph by Roger Fenton, QV seated, facing our right, holding a portrait of Albert, light very lacy dress, cap on the back of her head, can't see much detail of the dress: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_1854.jpg
#'''1854 May 11''': Roger Fenton photographs from a session showing either QV and Albert in court dress or one of the recreations of their wedding:
##QV standing, looking to her left, wearing a very floral, lacy light-colored dress that has been called her wedding dress, but the Royal Collection Trust says it's a court dress with a train.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Queen Victoria in court dress 1854.jpg.&quot; ''Wikimedia Commons''. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_in_court_dress_1854.jpg (retrieved March 2026).&lt;/ref&gt; She is wearing the ribbon of the Order of the Garter, a cap perched on top of her head above a wreath or crown of flowers, veil, romantic off-the-shoulder neckline with short puffy sleeves, something fluffy and translucent on the front of her dress (like an apron?), a white glove on her left hand, a bouquet of flowers, and it looks like actual flowers attached to the dress itself. More frou-frou than we've seen on her. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_in_court_dress_1854.jpg.
##Low-resolution photo of QV and Albert facing each other, bouquet on plinth, expensive long lace veil, shawl or big white lace collar?, dress has a lot of frou-frou (including flowers) and texture to break up the solid whiteness: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_victoria_and_Prince_Albert.jpg
#'''1854 May 22''': Roger Fenton photograph of QV, Albert and 7 children, one in a wagon, at Buckingham Palace. Albert is wearing a top hat although they seem to be indoors. QV wearing a bonnet tied under her chin with a big bow, a plaid skirt, thigh-length jacket. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Prince_Albert_%26_royal_children_at_Buckingham_Palace,_1854.jpg
#'''1854 June 30''', photograph by Roger Fenton, QV profile facing our left; very light-colored dress, embroidered (or stamped??) floral pattern on skirt, bodice and sleeves with additional 3-dimensional trim, and apron?, with a wide sash, translucent maybe linen fabric with very fine lace at the edge, very girly; at least one gathered flounce; brimless bonnet on the back of her head, lacy, ribbon, flowers?: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Roger_Fenton.jpg
#'''1855''', Winterhalter portrait: petticoats, lace and satin, a tiara, on the back of her head around the bun, not a symbol of of sovereignty, instead a beautiful decorative piece of jewelry that probably matched her eyes: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter.jpg. Rosie Harte says she is wearing the Sapphire Tiara designed for QV as a wedding present by Albert.
#'''1855 March 10''': Illustrated London News wood engraving showing QV and her entourage visiting wounded soldiers in a hospital. It shows how QV was perceived, not so much what she actually wore. She's shown wearing a bonnet, a thigh-length jacket; her tiered skirt has 3 large ruffles that we can see, dividing it horizontally. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_entourage_visiting_invalided_soldier_Wellcome_V0015776.jpg
#'''1855 April 19''', James Roberts painting of QV, Napoleon III, Eugénie and Albert at Covent Garden, from the perspective of the stage, or at least behind the orchestra. They are dressed formally; QV's white, off the shoulder young-person image, big jewelry; Eugénie looks like she's wearing a cage. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/46/collection/920055/the-queen-visiting-covent-garden-with-the-emperor-and-empress-of-the-french-19. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Napoleon_III_at_the_Royal_Opera_House_19_April_1855.jpg
#'''1856 May 10''', oval half-length portrait of QV by Winterhalter, finished after sittings on 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8 May.&lt;ref name=&quot;:17&quot; /&gt; QV, who thought the portrait was &quot;very like,&quot; is wearing a distinctive off-the-shoulder red velvet dress with burnt-velvet (?) ruffle, the Koh-i-nûr diamond set in a brooch, a necklace with large diamonds (the Coronation necklace? '''Queen Adelaide's necklace'''?) and the ribbon of the Order of the Garter. She is wearing a corset under the dress (the bodice is so smooth and it comes to a point below the waist), with lace at the décolletage and shoulder and possibly a shawl that matches the ruffle. '''The crown is not the Diamond State Diadem but another crown'''. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/406698/queen-victoria-1819-1901. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter_Queen_Victoria.jpg.
#'''1856 December 16''' (lithograph made in 1859), color lithograph of a William Simpson painting showing QV on board a ship being returned to the Brits by Americans. Full-length, winter dress with fur muff, bonnet, matching fur-trimmed coat over dark rich purple and green dress. Albert and some of their children are with her. Library of Congress: https://loc.gov/pictures/resource/pga.03087/. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Simpson_-_George_Zobel_-_England_and_America._The_visit_of_her_majesty_Queen_Victoria_to_the_Arctic_ship_Resolute_-_December_16th,_1856.jpg
#'''1857''': photo of QV and Vicky, Princess Royal, in dark dresses but not mourning, QV has very voluminous ruffled skirt, probably not a cage, wearing a cap: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_daughter_Victoria,_Princess_Royal.jpg
#'''1857''': large painting by George Housman Thomas of QV distributing the first Victoria Crosses in Hyde Park, 26 June 1857, shows large military display in a large field, QV giving out VCs to a long line of soldiers. Related to the 1859 Thomas painting, as QV is wearing another scarlet military jacket, waist is cinched, etc. (see the 1859 painting). If the awarding of the VCs occurred in 1857, this painting would have been later? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_presenting_VC_in_Hyde_Park_on_26_June_1857.jpg
#'''1858 Summer – 14 December 1861, between''', photograph by Southwell, &quot;photographist to the Queen,&quot; of QV wearing a light-colored plaid skirt over a cage and a large dark shawl, reading a piece of paper. (We dated this image between the time she first wore a cage and when Albert died.) She has a cap with a gathered edge under her light-colored bonnet, which has a wide band tied in a bow under her chin with long streamers that hang past her waist. The photograph has been damaged, so patterns on the fabric are impossible to see. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:England_Queen_Victoria.JPG
#'''1859''': Winterhalter portrait, 2 crowns, the one behind her is the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Imperial State Crown|Imperial State Crown]], &quot;coronation necklace and earrings?,&quot; a vast quantity of ermine, diamonds and gold, parliament in the distance. ArtUK: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/queen-victoria-18191901-187983. Wikimedia: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Winterhalter_1859.jpg, on Wikipedia page for &quot;Victorian Era&quot;: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_era. The off-the-shoulder look she wore when she was young, short sleeves, gold lace ruffles on the skirt. Another example of elaborate but not crowded frou-frou. Georg Koberwein made a copy of this painting in 1862.
#'''1859 June''': group photograph that includes QV, Albert, Bertie and Princess Alice (who is wearing a cage) as well as Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders; Infante Luís, Duke of Porto, later King Luís I of Portugal;  and King Leopold I of Belgium. Photograph attributed to Dudley FitzGerald-de Ros, 23rd Baron de Ros. QV is seated, facing her right, wearing a cape (can't tell if it has wide sleeves), a feathered hat that ties under her chin with a wide ribbon down the back, a 3-flounce skirt with dark stripes, wider at the bottom, probably over a cage, the 2 top flounces have gathered lace edging; white lace in her lap and over her right shoulder; holding an umbrella. Royal Collection Trust: https://albert.rct.uk/collections/photographs-collection/childrens-albums/group-portrait-with-prince-albert-leopold-i-and-queen-victoria-0?_ga=2.71530067.1155757026.1769614443-1044324474.1768234449. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Group_photograph_of_Queen_Victoria,_Prince_Albert,_Albert_Edward,_Prince_of_Wales,_Count_of_Flanders,_Princess_Alice,_Duke_of_Oporto,_and_King_Leopold_I_of_the_Belgians,_1859.jpg.
#'''1859 July 9''': 1859–1864 painting by George Housman Thomas of QV, Albert and attendants on horses at Aldershot, QV in military-style, with red jacket with trim at the cuffs collar (though technically the jacket is collarless), wearing sash, honors, white blouse with back necktie, white sleeves gathered at the wrist, sitting side saddle, hat with wide brim, low crown, feminized version of the helmet the men are wearing, complete with red and white feathers. Royal Collection Trust says she is wearing a &quot;scarlet military riding jacket with a General's sash and a General's plume in her riding hat&quot; link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/405295/queen-victoria-and-the-prince-consort-at-aldershot-9-july-1859. Wikimedia link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_the_Prince_Consort_at_Aldershot,_9_July_1859.jpg
#'''1860 May 15''': full-length photograph of QV by John Jabez Edwin Paisley Mayall. Dark dress, white ruffled cap and collar, ornate patchworky shawl with fringe and lace. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_JJE_Mayall,_1860.png
#'''Circa 1861''', photograph of QV, Albert and 9 children by John Jabez Edwin Mayall. Another portrait where Albert is really the center. The women and girls appear to be wearing hoops.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prince_Albert_of_Saxe-Coburg-Gotha,_Queen_Victoria_and_their_children_by_John_Jabez_Edwin_Mayall_(n%C3%A9e_Jabez_Meal).jpg
#'''1861''', full-length photograph of QV by C. Clifford of Madrid; QV is standing mostly profile facing her right, with her head turned slightly to us; state occasion, formal dress with crown and jewelry; short sleeves with light-colored, ornate trim above the elbows; the neckline is at the corner of the shoulder with lace inside, making it be less off-the-shoulder than it looks; cage under the full skirt, train attached at the waist, in the front the train is cut away, towards the back; very clearly a silk, shiny fabric that reflected a lot of light; color is unknown; which crown is this? Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/ppgcfuck/images?id=zbrn4cjm; Wiki Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HM_Queen_Victoria._Photograph_by_C._Clifford_of_Madrid,_1861_Wellcome_V0027547.jpg
#'''1861 March 1''', looks like a session with photographer John Jabez Edwin Paisley Mayall and QV, from while Albert was still alive, dark but not mourning dress, with what may be a large [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Moiré|moiré]] pattern in the fabric. Lots of frou-frou. 2 images from this session:
##Full-length photograph of QV by Mayall. Shiny dark satiny fabric, cage, large white-lace shawl, white collar, white cap on the back of her head, book in front of her on plinth: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria.jpg
##Full-length photograph of QV by Mayall. Shiny dark satiny dress fabric, cage but not the half-sphere, skirt is fuller than the cage, defined waist, more fullness in back, same white collar and cap, sleeve of jacket gets wider at the wrist, showing how full the lacy/ruffly sleeve of the blouse is, large black lace shawl. Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/yuuj2gdr/images?id=fpxwnbzg. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HM_Queen_Victoria,_Empress_of_India._Photograph._Wellcome_V0028492.jpg
#'''Circa 1862''', photo of QV seated with Prince Leopold standing next to her, QV is wearing a heavy cloak with a hood, which is up and covering what she's wearing on her head, which has a white and what may be a ruffled edge. The cloak has a wide band of what might be brocade stitched to the bottom of the cloak; the fabric of the cloak and hood and the skirt beneath may have a nap; she is not wearing a cage. Leopold is wearing short pants and gloves and carries a walking stick; his face may show bruises (or the photo is damaged): (Royal Trust link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2900563/queen-victoria-and-prince-leopold; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Leopold_of_Albany.jpg).
#'''1862''', drawing from a newspaper showing QV and Beatrice of how she was perceived, not how she was: highly idealized image of mother and child, clothing not presented realistically, QV's dress is plain and her identity is that of the loving mother. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Princess_Beatrice_as_baby.jpg
#'''1863''', photograph of QV seated, skirt is full, though she's not wearing hoops; white on head, collar and at wrists. She may not be wearing a corset (per Worsley), but the top is boned. 
##QV is facing our left, 3/4. The top part of her skirt and her sleeves are made of a fabric perhaps with a satin weave, though the bottom half of her skirt is still matte. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Queen_Victoria_in_1863.png.
##Same session, another pose, body still 3/4, but now she is facing the camera. The edges of the matte sections of her skirt and jacket are trimmed with rows of tiny ball fringe, oddly unobtrusive, especially from a distance. She is wearing a white blouse with puffed sleeves under the jacket. George Eastman Collection: https://www.flickr.com/photos/george_eastman_house/3333247605/. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_(3333247605).jpg.
#'''1863''', QV on horse with John Brown holding the bridle
##'''1863''', unattributed photograph of QV at Osborne seated on a horse, with Princess Louise and John Brown nearby. QV is seated side-saddle, has a cap with a hood over it; cap has white ruffled edge; white ruffles at her wrists. Louise is handing QV her whip? and wearing a cage; her skirt is short, ankle-length, several inches above the ground; she wears a thigh-length full jacket. Brown's back is to us, he wears a kilt. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Princess_Louise_and_John_Brown.jpg
##'''1863''', carte-de-visite photograph by George Washington Wilson, QV on Fyvie side-saddle; wearing a cap with a hood over it, cap has white ruffled edge; dark gloves; wide sleeves on the jacket. The black riding habit has a simple surface with little decoration.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_photographed_by_George_Washington_Wilson_(1863).jpg; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_on_%27Fyvie%27_with_John_Brown_at_Balmoral.jpg
#'''1864''', QV seated, holding the future Kaiser Wilhelm (Vicky's eldest), her 1st grandchild
##Willie looking at us, QV right arm around his shoulder, an early version of what became her uniform dress, this one is a winter outfit, and she's bundled up, wearing a white ruffled cap, black bonnet and veil, which may be tied under her chin; gloves; a thigh-length loose jacket with wide sleeves, a deep band of a different fabric for the bottom of her skirt; she may be wearing a brocade vest under the jacket that is not snug against her torso; it looks like she's wearing a corset (the edge near the top button of her vest). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_holding_her_eldest_grandchild_Willy.png
##Willie facing QV, very clear view of her bonnet with scarfy veil; jacket is thigh-length, sleeves widening toward the cuff, may be a blouse underneath, also with full, loose sleeves, edged in white; top part of the full skirt is shiny, deep band of fabric at the bottom is wooly looking, narrow trim between the two parts of the skirt, could be petticoats under the skirt.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_eldest_grandchild_Willy.png
#'''1865–1867''': Edwin Landseer painting of QV on horseback at Osborne, reading letters and dispatches, with John Brown, dressed formally in a kilt, holding the horse's head. (Aquatint print made in c. 1870 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_and_John_Brown_at_Osborne_House_(4674627).jpg&lt;nowiki/&gt;.) See &quot;1867 Spring&quot; in the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Timeline|Timeline]] for a discussion of the painting itself. Princesses Louise and Helena are seated on a park bench in the background. QV is wearing a bonnet tied under her chin with a large bow and a short hood-like veil. This does not look like a fitted riding habit, although the skirt is a riding skirt. The jacket is shorter than her usual thigh-length and has full sleeves that widen toward the wrist. The fitted cuffs of the sleeves of her white blouse extend beyond the jacket sleeve. She has white at her cuffs and on the cap under her bonnet. Except for a ring on her left hand, no jewelry shows. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/403580/queen-victoria-at-osborne. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sir_Edwin_Landseer_(1803-73)_-_Queen_Victoria_at_Osborne_-_RCIN_403580_-_Royal_Collection.jpg
#'''1867''': QV seated with Empress Victoria, both in mourning, but not full mourning, wearing a cage, some frou-frou, probably a cap on her head, because there's no brim, with a short dark veil over it. QV is wearing a [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Paletot|paletot]] with an overskirt with the same fabric and matching trim; the sleeves are not fitted but also not as wide at the wrists as some of her paletots. The bottom of the underskirt has a pleated ruffle. QV has quite a bit of light-colored fabric at her neck that falls down the front of her bodice, although she is not wearing the white shawl. The photograph was overexposed, so we have clarity in the black but the detail for the white parts is obliterated. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Empress_Victoria_Augusta.jpg
#'''1867''', photograph of QV seated, with her back towards us, and the Queen of Prussia (or the Empress Augusta of Germany?), both in mourning, with light-colored umbrella: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Queen_of_England_and_The_Queen_of_Prussia.jpg. Darker image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Empress_Augusta.jpg
#'''1867''', stylized drawing/painting by Takahashi Yūkei, doctor of the Japanese Embassy to Europe in 1862, so may have been drawn from life; black dress may have faded to this purple, honors sash draping is not understandable but it is beautiful; military (?) style hat with aigrette: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Japanese_doctor_Takahashi_Y%C5%ABkei_1862.png
#'''1867''', photograph of QV with border collie Sharp, outdoors, on rugs?. QV is wearing a bonnet with a veil-like scarf that ties under her chin with streamers down the front; the full, thigh-length jacket has long, full sleeves, and the jacket has no trim on it, apparently, at all. The skirt is held out smoothly by a cage, made in 2 fabrics, one satiny and the other wool or something not shiny, with 3-dimensional trim with faceted jet (?) in 3 rows. Shiny black leather gloves, with white ruffled cuffs. She looks heavier-set than she was, perhaps our sense that she was always big comes because she wasn't trying to look thin? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_dog_%22Sharp%22.jpg
#'''1868''', photograph of QV and John Brown by W. &amp; D. Downey. QV is wearing a riding habit and a hat tied under the chin, perhaps with a small plume, the jacket has some decoration. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_mounted_and_John_Brown_by_W._and_D._Downey.png
#'''1869–1879''', QV was in her 60s: &quot;At state occasions in her sixties, Victoria appeared in a black dress, black velvet train, pearls and a small diamond crown.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (480 of 786)
#'''c. 1870''', photograph by Andre-Adolphe-Eugene Disderi (probably not retouched) with QV seated, facing her left, 3/4 profile: that white cap pointed towards the forehead, covering the center part nearly completely, white flat-band collar, whites ruffles at cuffs, heavily trimmed black jacket with short peplum, including ball fringe and braid; the plain-from-a-distance, rich-up-close look: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_c.1870._(7936242480).jpg
#'''1871 September 10''', photograph of QV standing, almost full length, facing our right, with head turned our way, some books on the small table in front of her. The usual dark dress with white blouse with knife pleats and a cap covered with double ruffled lace and with veil down the back; heavy voluminous black shawl, looks like it's wool; it's probably a dress not a suit, with different textures, which are subtle Up close, the black ball-fringe (or bead fringe?) trim is 3-dimensional and different fabrics add another dimension. Skirt has wide band at the bottom, with ball fringe at the top. Wellcome Institute: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/x4hug3jt; Wiki Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria._Photograph._Wellcome_V0018085.jpg.
#'''1874–?''': photograph of QV and Princess Beatrice ice skating on a lake at Eastwell Park, home of Prince Alfred (who got the property in 1874). Can't tell, but QV might be in the sledge chair and Beatrice in the center standing on skates. That woman standing on skates in the center is wearing a cage, which holds her dress out and above the ground. 1874 is late for cages, but the British court was not fashion forward: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_skating_-_Eastwell_Park.jpg
#'''1875''': watercolor copy by Lady Julia Abercromby made in 1883 of an oil painting by Heinrich von Angeli showing QV before adopting the title Empress of India. This is a good example of a slightly formal version of her uniform. She is wearing the usual white cap and veil, clearly lace gathered into double ruffles; square-neck black bodice, sleeves are very wide at the wrists, black with complicated decorative angles layered over white, ruffly. The skirt has a horizontal division with satiny ribbon and wide ruffle (maybe pleated?) and then a border at the bottom that may be brocade; there is a train. Lots of jewelry, including double strand necklace of very large pearls, ribbon and badge of the Order of the Garter and the badge of the Order of Victoria and Albert, pearl brooch, bracelets and rings, holding a large white handkerchief. NPG: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw06517. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Julia_Abercromby.jpg.
#'''1876 May 1''': QV is declared Empress of India. Lytton Strachey says, &quot;On the day of the Delhi Proclamation, the new Earl of Beaconsfield went to Windsor to dine with the new Empress of India. That night the Faery, usually so homely in her attire, appeared in a glittering panoply of enormous uncut jewels, which had been presented to her by the reigning Princes of her Raj.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (414 of 555)
#'''1877 May''': photograph of QV, Princess Beatrice and the Duchess of Edinburgh (probably Maria Alexandrovna Romanova, Affie's wife) by Charles Bergamasco. Impossible to tell how the dress is layered, but it has a lot of frou-frou, but not a lot of lace except for the shawl and the cuffs of her blouse. QV's dress might have 2 different fabrics, like the Duchess's dress; it may have a jacket or vest or both. Her bodice looks like it is boned (assuming she's not wearing a corset). The frou-frou on the skirt are controlled pleated ruffles with tassels, which are more controlled than fringe. Visually very complex outfit, but from a distance, all that complexity would disappear. It would look textured, depending on the distance, at most. All 3 women have high-contrast lapels; 2 fabrics, matte and shiny; big buttons down the front; the 2 younger women have a row of ruffled lace at the neck; all wearing dark fabric, perhaps black. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_The_Duchess_of_Edinburg_and_Prince_Beatrice.jpg
#'''1879''', painting by Tito Conti of QV and Vicky at &quot;Napoleon's boudoir&quot;; Vicky is in mourning, having lost an 11-year-old child in March 1879; the two women are dressed in v different styles: Vicky is stylish, interest at the back of her dress, long train, narrow skirt, haute couture; QV is in her uniform, a hat? perched high on her head, a light-colored fichu? at her neck, black shawl; shorter train and fuller skirt, the shawl hiding how fitted the dress is. The point is the contrast between the 2 styles. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_eldest_daughter_Vicky,_German_Crown_Princess.jpg.
#'''1879 February''', QV seated with Hesse family (Alice's family, two months after her death and that of Marie, the youngest), everyone in full mourning. QV is wearing her &quot;uniform&quot; but no white anywhere; black cap with streamers? with what might be feathers down the back; heavy wool fringed shawl; jacket is lined and warm, possibly padded, may be long (thigh-length?); she may be wearing a corset or boning in her bodice here bc of the way the bodice drapes (there's an edge?); full skirt with deep tucked bands at the bottom: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_Ludwig_IV_240-011.jpg. Darker image from what looks like the same sitting by William &amp; Daniel (W. &amp; D.) Downey, without the father: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Hessian_children_with_their_grandmother,_Queen_Victoria.jpg
#'''1881''': Cabinet photograph by Arthur J. Melhuish of QV and Princess Beatrice, neither is in full mourning. QV is smiling and wearing her white widow's cap, at least 2 necklaces and perhaps one brooch, a black lace shawl. Beatrice is holding an umbrella over their heads.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_and_Princess_Beatrice.jpg
#'''1881 September 3''': woodcut engraving from the ''Illustrated London News'' of QV visiting the new Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh. Clear impression of QV's &quot;uniform,&quot; black dress with thigh-length jacket, edged with fur or velvet; skirt is divided horizontally with zigzag trim about knee level and a ruffle at the hem of the skirt. Unusual pillbox-like hat tied under her chin, trimmed with something light colored. Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/ev7tepmd/images?id=h8aq62mn. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_visiting_the_Royal_Infirmary_Edinburgh._Wellcome_L0000896.jpg
#'''1882 April 27''': 3 photographs of QV dressed for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Albany, probably from one session with Alexander Bassano. These photographs look like they have been retouched to smooth QV's skin and remove a double chin. The black satin-weave dress is complex, but cut as her &quot;uniform&quot; usually was. What makes this outfit different is how much white lace covers the skirt and train as well as how big a piece of lace the veil is and the unusual-for-QV berthe. Under the black jacket sleeve are two white (may or may not be a separate blouse, can't tell). QV is wearing her classic thigh-length jacket with 3/4-length sleeves, buttoned down the front, smoothly fitted to her shape but not tight fitting; she seems to be wearing a white lacy top under everything, a bodice that buttons and looks like it has a rows of fleur-de-lys diamonds operating somewhat like a stomacher comes down below her waist; over the bodice is a thigh-length jacket with thick fluffy fringe (chenille?) trimming the sleeves and bottom of the jacket and down the front on both sides. Those distinctive black jacket sleeves are cut very full at the bottom edge; they are short under her arm and have a long point below her elbow on the outside of her arm. The train is visible in 2 of the photographs and pulled around to QV's left, over some of the skirt. The skirt and train have a narrow box-pleated ruffle at the bottom. The full skirt and train are covered by a lace overskirt. QV is not wearing her wedding veil, but the veil looks like Honiton lace, as do the trim on the bodice, sleeves and skirt. The wide light-colored or white lace [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Berthe|berthe]] is slightly gathered and stitched to the neck of the bodice. A lacy white edge shows under the black jacket sleeve (may or may not be a separate blouse, can't tell), plus another white layer under that lacy sleeve edge. What looks like a chemise shows at the neckline; a row of diamonds separates the berthe from the chemise. She is holding a lacy handkerchief and a folding fan. She is wearing the Small Diamond Crown on top of the veil and a lot of diamond jewelry, including the Koh-I-Nor diamond as a brooch, the Coronation necklace and earrings, two wide diamond bracelets and rings as well as Family Honors and the ribbon of the Order of the Garter.
##'''1882''' Bassano photograph, official state portrait, reused in 1887 for Golden Jubilee as a postcard; close-up cropped bust. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Bassano_(3x4_close_cropped).jpg. Wikipedia page #1 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1887_postcard_of_Queen_Victoria.jpg. Different pose, same sitting, worse resolution: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_bw.jpg.
##'''1882''' Bassano photograph, same sitting, different pose, best image for analysis because it shows her whole body. This is not the lion-head chair, but we can see a lot of this throne-like chair. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/-/collection/2105818/portrait-photograph-of-queen-victoria-1819-1901-dressed-for-the-wedding-of-the; National Portrait Gallery cabinet card: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw119710; Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_1887.jpg. 
##'''1882 April 27''', photograph of QV and page Arthur Ponsonby, same dress as 1882, she is standing next to Ponsonby, who is holding some article of dress that seems to have more diamond fleurs-de-lys, perhaps to match the bodice. Royal Trust Collection: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2105757/queen-victoria-and-her-page-arthur-ponsonby; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_page,_Arthur_Ponsonby.jpg.
#'''1882 May''', Bassanno photograph of QV, same session, the first photograph (from a [[Social Victorians/Victorian Things#Cabinet Card|cabinet card]]) is a great deal easier to read because, even though the white is overexposed, the patterns in the black fabrics and fabric treatments are unusually easy to see, although the layers are still impossible to distinguish.
##QV is sitting on a chair and Princess Beatrice is sitting perhaps on the arm of the chair to QV's left. QV is wearing that fuzzy white widow's cap with veil edged with gathered tulle. The 3 main areas of white — the cap, neckline and the fan and cuffs — are so overexposed that the detail is obliterated. QV is wearing a ribbon necklace with a pendant that might be a cameo, painted portrait or a locket, a brooch on the center front of the neckline, small earrings (likely diamonds) and at least one bracelet and ring. She is holding a partially unfolded fan, and the front of the bodice shows either something like a pocket-watch chain attached to the 3rd button from the bottom, perhaps, or a flaw in the surface of the photograph. She is wearing a very large lace shawl over her shoulders and lap. The bodice/jacket garment buttons down the center, has QV's usual wide sleeves and may be built using a princess line. This garment is similar at the neckline and bottom of the sleeves and the overdress or jacket — it is trimmed with 2 rows of tightly pleated ruffles edged with an elaborate, 3-dimensional design that includes braid with reflective bits, perhaps jet, and gathered ruffles. Princess Beatrice is wearing a restrained, less-decorated style, with a narrow, pleated skirt, made of a moiré silk whose pattern provides visual interest (without the frou-frou associated with haute couture) and tight, tailored, princess-line jacket trimmed with the moiré silk. The jacket includes the unpatterned draped fabric that is pulled toward the back for a bustle. National Portrait Gallery: [https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw123930/Queen-Victoria-Princess-Beatrice-of-Battenberg#:~:text=The%20series%20gets%20its%20name%20from%20a,home%20match%20to%20Australia%20at%20the%20Oval. https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw123930/Queen-Victoria-Princess-Beatrice-of-Battenberg#:~:text=The%20series%20gets%20its%20name%20from%20a,home%20match%20to%20Australia%20at%20the%20Oval.] Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_Beatrice_Bassano.jpg.
##QV is holding granddaughter Margaret, Crown Princess of Sweden, eldest daughter of Prince Arthur (QV's 3rd son) and great-granddaughter Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia, who was born 15 January 1882.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-26|title=Princess Margaret of Connaught|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Margaret_of_Connaught&amp;oldid=1329585710|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; QV does not appear to be wearing a corset, buttoned bodice is not tight, dark shawl, that fuzzy white cap with veil/streamers, maybe ruffled lace. Black ribbon around her neck, white at collar and cuffs, wide sleeves on the jacket. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bassano_Victoria_and_Margaret.jpg 
#'''1883''': W. &amp;. D. Downey photograph of QV seated with baby great-grandson William (Vicky's grandson, Kaiser Wilhelm's son) on her knees. The usual black dress, with 3-dimensional, almost geometric trim, ruffled but not lacy. A very dramatic shawl with cording in 3 parallel lines at the edges, looks like the same fabric as dress. QV's face is kind looking at the baby. Black hat with white cap beneath it, shaped like the white one she often wore. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_great-grandson_Prince_William.jpg
#'''1884 May 2''', QV, Vicky, her daughter Charlotte and her daughter Princess Feodore of Saxe-Meiningen, 4 generations. QV not wearing bustle, the usual black on black for trim, black jacket, black shawl, black cap with black hangy-downy thing down the back: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VICTORIA_Queen_of_England_by_Carl_Backofen_of_Darmstadt.jpg
#'''1885 or so''': portrait published in the 1901 biography of QV by John, Duke of Argyll, probably from a photograph. That odd cap we've seen before with a point down to her hairline in front, this version with trimmed lappets (?) down the front: it's impossible to tell the layers, how things are attached and what the trim on this cap is made of, feathers or ruffles. White collar on bodice, white cuffs, black lace shawl around her shoulders, jacket or coat over a blouse; the frou-frou is the same color as what it trims, making it visually recede, but up close ppl would have been able to see how sophisticated and finely made it was: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:V._R._I._-_Queen_Victoria,_her_life_and_empire_(1901)_(14766746965).jpg
#1885: screen print bust from book ''Daughters of Genius'' by James Parson, showing unusually realistic face and detailed trim on the black; the usual white cap and a collar, locket on ribbon around her neck, small earrings. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Daughters_of_Genius_-_Queen_Victoria.png
#'''1885 May 16''', reproduction of a wood engraving showing QV visiting a soldier wounded in Sudan. Flattering drawing of QV, dress looks plain, unprepossessing, unostentatious Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/nhhej66v. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_visiting_a_wounded_soldier._Reproduction_of_a_Wellcome_V0015340.jpg
#'''1886''', Bassano photograph of QV, full-length, seated, holding the infant Alexander, Marquess of Carisbrooke, Beatrice's son. QV's uniform, ornate square-neck black dress, white blouse with ironed pleats shows at the neck; ruffles and 3-dimensional trim with jet beads on both sides of the front, with trim at the bottom as well, black ironed pleats; black lace shawl, white frothy cap that we've seen many times, with white veil. Royal Trust Collection link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2507501/queen-victoria-with-alexander-marquess-of-carisbrooke-as-a-baby; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Alexander,_Marquess_of_Carisbrooke.jpg. Elements of the Victorian frou-frou without looking over-trimmed or crowded.
#'''1888''', trading card from American tobacco company advertising cigarettes, QV in colorized image, white headdress with small crown; wearing Order of the Garter (?) sash and family honors, Link to MET collection: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/711888; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_of_England,_from_the_Rulers,_Flags,_and_Coats_of_Arms_series_(N126-1)_issued_by_W._Duke,_Sons_%26_Co._MET_DPB873774.jpg
#'''1889''', photographs by Byrne &amp; Co. from apparently the same session of QV and Vicky, both in mourning dress because Frederick III had died June 1888, but not full mourning. QV seated in the lion's-head chair and Vicky on her right. QV is wearing a black and frothy widow's cap that is made of '''something''' transparent, tightly gathered, that comes to a point over her forehead and that she wears on the back of her head. She has a black lace shawl over her shoulder, ornate under-bodice (with lots of jet?) with lacy sleeves and a lacy ruffle at the bottom, the under bodice longer than the outer bodice (or jacket) and outside the skirt, not tucked in; the outer bodice (or jacket) is tailored but not tightly fitted to the body or restrictive, skirt is not fussy; very fashionable suit, but the silhouette is not high fashion. Vicky's widow's cap has an obvious point halfway down her forehead, seems to be made of velvet with something piled on top. She also is wearing a transparent black veil, which may have 2 layers. 
##Vicky standing, hand on back of lion’s head chair, QV turned a little to her right, looking up at Vicky: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Empress_Frederick_with_her_mother_Queen_Victoria.jpg
##Vicky with hand on chair, slightly different angle, QV’s face more visible, facing our left. Royal Collection: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2904703/victoria-empress-frederick-of-germany-and-queen-victoria-1889-in-portraits-of. Wikimedia Commmons copy: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria,_Empress_Frederick_of_Germany,_and_Queen_Victoria,_1889.jpg
##QV w photo of Frederick III, looking to her right, Vicky seated (or kneeling?) and looking at the photo: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2105953/queen-victoria-with-victoria-princess-royal-when-empress-frederick-1889
##Vicky seated (?) looking at photo, QV into the distance to our right (Photo filename says 1888, but the photo is lower res and less clear): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Princess_Royal_1888.jpg
#'''1889 November''', photograph of QV and Beatrice and her family; QV is seated, wearing her uniform and that ubiquitous white fluffy cap; you can see the edge of the boning (in the bodice?), white lacy collar, white ruffle at the wrist, layers, lacy shawl, lace trim at the bottom of the skirt, bunched places on the skirt with black lace trim. Beatrice's sleeves are fitted with puffy shoulders, but QV's are not. Royal Trust link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2904837/queen-victoria-with-prince-and-princess-henry-of-battenberg-and-their-children; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Prince_and_Princess_Henry_of_Battenberg_and_their_children,_1889.jpg.
#'''1890''': Britannica #1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria. Photograph mid-thigh up, very lacy: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Victoria-queen-of-United-Kingdom. Different small crown.
#'''1890''': b/w photo, from the knees up, may be seated. Her hair is dark, so 1890 looks too late a date for this. White frill on her cap, has attached veil down the back, double ruffle at the neck, a few button, plain to another bit of trim around the skirt at knee level; jewelry looks personal, not ostentatious; white cuffs, lacy black shawl, square neck on dress, wrinkles in the bodice suggest she's not wearing a corset and the bodice is not heavily boned: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Queen_Victoria_in_1890.jpg
#'''c1890 (see 1882 Bassano portraits)''': Color portrait in official dress, with small crown with arch, a lot of white lace over and under sheer black, coronation parure, 1890s portrait in 1870s style: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_Portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_(1819-1901).JPG
#'''1892''': not-very-clear photograph of QV sitting, her arm on the lion's-head chair, black cap and veil; lots of jewelry, faceted jet or diamonds or something metal at her neck and wrists. She is wearing a black lace shawl over her shoulders and arms. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom,_c._1890.jpg
#'''1893''': watercolor portrait of QV by Josefine Swoboda, who had been made court painter in 1890.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2024-12-03|title=Josefine Swoboda|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Josefine_Swoboda&amp;oldid=1260867558|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Not unrealistic or unduly flattering, QV not in full mourning, wearing a white widow's cap and white jewelry. All we can see of what she is wearing is the shawl and a little bit of neck treatment. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Josefine_Swoboda_-_Queen_Victoria_1893.jpg
#'''1893''': VQ with &quot;Indian servant,&quot; seated working behind table, blanket or rug over her knees and feet, wearing a cloak and hat: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_an_Indian_servant.jpg
#'''1893, issued for the 1897 Diamond Jubilee''': Photograph by W. &amp; D. Downey taken for the wedding of George V and Mary. QV seated, facing our left, 3/4 front. Very large and ornate veil coming over her shoulder, possibly a lace overskirt? X claims that the white lace veil is QV's Honiton lace wedding veil and what looks like an apron or overskirt may be the 4x3/4 yards Honiton &quot;flounce&quot; on her wedding dress (ftnyc). A lot of light color on this for her, coronation parure? large light folding fan open on lap, small crown. Royal Trust Collection: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2912658/queen-victoria-1819-1901-diamond-jubilee-portrait. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_60._crownjubilee.jpg. Another copy: https://apollo-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/gm_342139EX2.jpg
#'''1893 August 12''': formal photograph of QV w George, Duke of York and Mary, Dss of York, who are very 1893 stylish; QV seated, profile, facing our left, holding a rose, black dress, bodice not heavily boned, no corset; white ruffle at cuffs and at the neck; black lacy shawl; white very fluffy brimless cap, may be her own style; from a distance very plain dress, but up close very rich, with tiny unostentatious details; moved on from all the frou-frou, but not in the haute couture way: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_the_Duchess_and_Duke_of_York.jpg
#'''1894''': QV with Beatrice, George and Mary at Balmoral, in a carriage, the women wearing stylish hats (Royal Collection Trust link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/2/collection/2300501/queen-victoria-princess-beatricenbspthe-duke-and-duchess-of-york-at-balmora) (Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Princess_Beatrice,_the_Duke_and_Duchess_of_York.jpg)
#'''1894 April 21''': QV in 30-person photograph &quot;following the wedding of Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Grand Duke Ernest of Hesse,&quot; QV seated, in shawl, all bundled up, &lt;ins&gt;from a distance, dress looks very plain, the richness is visible only up close;&lt;/ins&gt; white mohawk on head??: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_surrounded_by_her_family_-_Coburg,_1894_(1_of_2).jpg; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_surrounded_by_her_family_-_Coburg,_1894_(2_of_2).jpg
#'''1894 June 23, before,''' looks like a winter photograph, they're bundled up
##'''1894 June 23''', published in the ''Illustrated London News'', photograph of QV and Bertie, dressed warmly. Lots of beautiful, complex layers, as always; maybe skirt, vest, jacket, shawl, boa, hat and gloves, cane in her right hand and a handkerchief in her left?; the hat may be one of the &quot;timeless&quot; elements, shaped like one she wore a lot over the years but not locatable to a particular year or style. QV seated, Bertie standing behind her, both bundled up, she is wearing gloves, a shawl, a jacket and perhaps a vest; cap with white feathers and white poufs or flowers (?), cap is mostly black, comes down to cover her ears, tied in a lacy bow under her chin, black feather boa, wrapped closely around her neck like a scarf and falling down the front to the ground; cane in her right hand; brocade shawl, looks woolen: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_funeral_procession_of_Queen_Victoria_(5254840).jpg. Perhaps used again in later publications? Page says, &quot;By our Special Photographer, Mr. Russell of Baker Street London.&quot; Photo taken outdoors, on steps with rugs and a bearskin. Sword under Bertie's coat.
##Same session, slightly different pose; looks like a carte-de-visite, with &quot;Gunn &amp; Stuart, Richmond, Surrey,&quot; printed in logo form at the bottom. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_And_Prince_of_Wales_Edward.jpg
#'''1895''': photograph of QV published in Millicent Fawcett's ''Life of Her Majesty Queen Victoria'' in 1895, so the portrait predates it, though not by much. The white is overexposed, but the black is legible. QV is wearing her white widow's cap with a white veil made of tulle that is not transparent or even very translucent. The black shawl is very lacy and 3-dimensional, possibly made by crochet or knitting or bobbin lacemaking. The jacket with wide, kimono sleeves has a wide decorative cuff with a lacy edge and a 3-dimensional pattern. Between the cuff and the sleeve is a row of what may be faceted jet in some kind of ivy-like design. She is wearing a single strand of pearls and small round earrings that may be a gold ball with a small sparkly. This photo does not look retouched: the skin on her face and hands is wrinkled, and her hair is light; normal for a woman around 70. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Life_of_Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_-_Frontispiece.jpg.
#'''1895 May 21''': photograph by Mary Steen of QV and Princess Beatrice; QV appears to be making lace (either knitted or crocheted), Beatrice reading the newspaper, possibly to her; the Queen's Sitting Room at Windsor Castle. QV is wearing the white cap with the fluffy streamers, lacy white collar, white cuffs, black lace shawl, possibly a pattern at the bottom of her skirt. NPG: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw233741/Princess-Beatrice-of-Battenberg-Queen-Victoria?_gl=1*ii2xmh*_up*MQ..*_ga*NjAzODY0NTUyLjE3Njc2MjcxMDk.*_ga_3D53N72CHJ*czE3Njc2MjcxMDgkbzEkZzEkdDE3Njc2MjcxMTMkajU1JGwwJGgw. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Princess_Beatrice_of_Battenberg_and_Queen_Victoria.jpg.
#'''September 1895''': unusually clear photograph of QV with some family in Balmoral, QV is seated in a very well-made suit with rich trim and a loose, open jacket (rather than the fitted jackets worn by the younger women with big sleeves up by the shoulders), perhaps pelisse-adjacent, full at the bottoms of the sleeves, with a shawl-like collar, long lacy sleeves under the jacket's sleeves, coming down over her hand (perhaps held there by a loop?), stylish hat; her style is individualized with very stylish elements, so we know she's conscious of 1890s haute couture; but it also has a more timeless quality, the modified or updated pelisse, for example, not a memorializing of her early days, though that did sometimes happen, but an echo of styles she liked from the past? So her style is a fusing of up-to-date stylish and other elements that were more comfortable and practical but always well made of very high-quality materials. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_family_members.jpg
#'''1896 July''': QV photograph by Gunn &amp; Stuart and published as a cabinet card by Lea, Mohrstadt &amp; Co., Ltd., and used as an official image of her as sovereign for the 1897 Diamond Jubilee. Retouched at some point, her face is very smooth, no double chin, etc. Bracelet on right arm, with portrait of Albert (?) and a 4-diamond wide rivière band. Multiple bracelets on left arm, one may be a charm bracelet. Rings. Pointed small crown or tiara that is not the Small Diamond Crown, a veil (that is not her wedding veil but is likely Honiton lace) is pulled to the front over her left shoulder and appears to be coming out of the crown or tiara, many diamonds, some in brooches, coronation necklace and earrings, lots of diamonds. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom_(by_Gunn_%26_Stuart,_1897).jpg
#'''1897''': QV with Princess Victoria Eugénie of Battenburg, who is kneeling next to QV, who is seated, facing (her) right, unrelieved black except for white linen (?) veil; the solid and plain dress has some lace, but the veil is not; black lacy shawl, rings; something very frou-frou at the back of her skirt: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Princess_Victoria_Eug%C3%A9nie_of_Battenberg,_1897.jpg. Empress Eugénie was Princess Victoria Eugénie of Battenburg's godmother.
#'''1897''': painting onto ivory of QV in that white cap by M. H. Carlisle, profile, facing right, still can't tell what the fringy, feathery, lacy edge is: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/45/collection/421112/queen-victoria-1819-1901
#'''1897''': QV Elliott and Fry photograph: that cap, the meandering ruffles on the veil and lappets (?): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_(Elliott_%26_Fry).png
#'''1897''': realistic engraving or print of QV in a state occasion, receiving the address from the House of Lords, realistic enough that we can recognize faces. QV is seated, wearing a white cap with a veil, large lacy white collar, big cuffs, and a large panel of trim at the bottom of her skirt that looks similar to the pattern on her collar; ribbon of the Order of the Garter; no recognizable crown even though this is a state occasion. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_pictured_at_Buckingham_Palace_as_the_Lord_Chancellor_presents_the_adress_of_the_House_of_Lords.jpg
#'''1897 January 1''', unflattering political cartoon of QV in the context of India? (the language is Marathi according to Google Translate). Her face has an unpleasant expression, perhaps disapproval or skepticism? She is wearing a small state crown and the coronation jewels. [[commons:File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpg|https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpghttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpg]]
#1897 June 17, painting published in Vanity Fair of QV riding in a small open carriage with a canopy. QV is wearing a black dress with a ruffle and also black lace at the bottom edge (of the back of the skirt?) and a light-colored cape with black trim. The bow at her neck could be from the cape or her hat, which has a small brim, a large black decoration in front, small floral things along the side, and perhaps a veil around the brim to the back. This image was reproduced after QV's death as a monochrome print. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_Vanity_Fair_17_June_1897.jpg.
#'''1897 July 27''', photograph from a distance of QV in a carriage on the Isle of Wight. This is what she looked like from a distance on a not state occasion, you can't see any embellishments at all. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Princess_Beatrice,_Princess_Helena_Victoria_of_Schleswig-Holstein,_Cowes,_Isle_of_Wight.jpg
#'''1897 October 16''', photograph with Abdul Karim, in the Garden Cottage at Balmoral; white or light-colored mantle or cloak; stylish 1890s hat with feathers, etc.: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Abdul_Karim.jpg
#'''1898''': photograph by Robert Milne of QV and 3 great-grandchildren (the 3 eldest children of George and Mary), at Balmoral. QV is the Widow of Windsor with plain skirt and possibly a jacket with a pattern on the bodice and at the large cuffs. The usual white cap and veil. ('''find RCT copy''')https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Prince_Edward,_Prince_Albert_and_Princess_Mary_of_York,_Balmoral.jpg
#'''1898 January 16''': French political cartoon by Henri Meyer unflatteringly showing QV, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Czar Nicolas II, Chinese statesman Li Hongzhang, France and a Japanese samurai carving up China. Neither France nor Li Hongzhang have knives, but the rest of the figures do. QV is dressed for a state occasion, heavily jeweled and in her signature lacy veil and small crown. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:China_imperialism_cartoon.jpg
#'''1899''': Heinrich von Angeli portrait, copied in 1900 by (Angeli's student) Bertha Müller. QV portrait, with a lot of black, which makes it difficult to discern the layers and structure of what she is wearing. The top layer may have a stiffened, pleated chiffon layer that covers the arm of the chair and that she holds a bit of in her right hand. QV is wearing the ribbon and the Order of the Garter, the white widow's cap and generally pearl jewelry. The white at her neck and wrists frames her face and hands, which are slightly idealized and less wrinkly than one might expect. National Portrait Gallery: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw06522. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_after_Heinrich_von_Angeli.jpg
#'''c. 1899-1900''': photograph of QV with 3 children — Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (1887–1969), Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine (1895–1903) and Prince Maurice of Battenberg (1891–1914). The 2 older women are Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein (1870–1948) and Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1876–1936), possibly with Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, in the light-colored hat, on the right. QV is in an ornate version of her uniform: jacket, possibly a vest and a skirt, with lace and ruffles, and a hat (possibly a straw hat with something dark as trim on the edge of the brim) topped with a pile of light-colored flowers and probably an aigret or short feather. Royal Collection Trust: . Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VictoriaBattenbergsHessians.jpg.
#'''c. 1900''': QV photograph (reprinted from book), not or less retouched than the 1897 Jubilee photos, with feathered (or at least fluffier than the usual slightly fluffy widow's cap) headdress, sheer veil, can't really see anything else: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_old.jpg
#'''c. 1900''': print published in book of image by François Flameng showing QV in coronation robes, with ermine, and necklace, pointing to someplace NW of India on the globe, with Bertie and George behind her, portrait of her and Albert on the table with the scepter and the Imperial State crown, Koh-I-Noor diamond, ribbon of the Order of the Garter, lots of jewelry on her arms and fingers. She is standing and her legs are longer than they were in life, ruffled lace, perhaps, at neck and cuffs with a white lace flounce on the skirt, which is divided horizontally, the lace part making up the middle third. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Fran%C3%A7ois_Flameng.jpg
#'''1900 February 9''', a very unflattering but accurate political cartoon of QV and Paul Kruger playing chess, he appears to be winning, with a map of Africa in the back, published in an Argentinian periodical. QV's clothing is captured pretty realistically, including the small crown and distinctive Coronation (?) necklace and earrings, the cap and veil, ribbon of the Order of the Garter, white lace overskirt, short-sleeved jacket over a white blouse with lacy cuffs. We can see very clearly how she looked to people. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Paul_Kruger_by_Dem%C3%B3crito_(Eduardo_Sojo).jpg
#'''1901''', dated 1901, but QV went to Ireland in 1900, possibly commemorating her death in 1901? Could this be a card from a cigarette pack? She's inside a shamrock that is outlined in a light color; the white on her cloak may be beads and sequins? Could this be a photograph from the 1897 Diamond Jubilee, the cloak with the silver &quot;swirling&quot; sequins? She is seated on a chair, and the photograph of her seated is like pasted onto the shamrock. Her headdress is a hat (not a bonnet or a cap, so this is not the headdress from the Diamond Jubilee procession), with shamrocks on the hat and black plumes, and some other decoration that is too hard to distinguish. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_(HS85-10-12024%C2%BD).jpg

== QV's &quot;Uniform&quot; ==
After the 1st year of mourning QV writes Vicky that she will never wear color again (not counting honors and the sashes of the orders, etc.; also, Rosie Harte says she wore the Sapphire Tiara that Albert had had made for her as a wedding present, which would have matched her eyes). Her &quot;brand&quot; (Worsley) and what we call her &quot;uniform&quot; begins to develop and solidify, the Widow-of-Windsor look friendly to the middle classes, especially the upper middle class.

Early in her mourning, her clothing was not very ornate, with little frou-frou to interrupt the unrelieved blackness. As time passed, however, the blackness was relieved by white touches on her head and at her neck and wrists, but the biggest change was in the amount and kind of frou-frou, particularly black-on-black frou-frou, including how lacy it was. The quantity and type of frou-frou increased in scale over time, like the touches of white.

By the 1870s, her look is well established: plain from a distance; up close, very fine materials and beautiful needlework with non-contrasting frou-frou. According to Lucy Worsley, she did not wear a corset but depended on light boning in her bodices. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;Despite their sombre aspect, even her mourning gowns were finely made. She had settled into a series of very minor variations upon a square-necked bodice and skirt, customised with quirky little pockets for keys and seals, all cut pretty much the same to save her the trouble of fittings. On her head went a white cap, with streamers of lace, and round her neck a locket containing miniatures of two of her children: Alice, now lost to diphtheria [14 December 1878], and Leopold, to haemophilia [28 March 1884].&lt;sup&gt;16&lt;/sup&gt;&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|511 of 786; n. 16, p. 723: &quot;Princess Marie Louise (1956) p. 141&quot;}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

This design is her usual: a black dress or suit (it might be a dress with a bodice or a skirt and vest with a blouse under the jacket). Except in cases of full mourning, she typically wore a little white at the neckline and wrists, with sophisticated black trim not really visible from a distance. The wide skirt was often divided horizontally, with a deep band of a different fabric at the bottom. The divided skirt is a characteristic feature of QV's look, not the only way she did skirts but a design she often wore from before her accession to the end of her life.

She often wore a loose-fitting thigh-length jacket with wide sleeves, which sometimes divided the skirt visually. The jackets and bodices are not constricting or tight against her torso. The fitted suit was popular at the end of the century — [[Social Victorians/People/Dressmakers and Costumiers#Redfern|Redfern's]] (in Cowes on the Isle of Wight) and Worth's versions were all around her, and she had always liked a riding habit. The thigh-length jackets were loose-fitting but not shapeless even as early as the 1860s. She seems always to have had something on her head: caps, bonnets, hats, veils. She often wears a shawl.

We can see the ruling sovereign version of her style in the photographs of her for the 1887 Golden and the 1897 Diamond Jubilees. By the 1880s, Bertie's place in the aristocracy was also well established, and he and Alex had a very different sense of style, wearing haute couture and a stylishness typical of the House of Worth. 

By the end of her life, when she couldn't move very much on her own, her body had gotten pretty large, but our sense that she was generally fat is not borne out by her clothes (Worsley talks about the small waists and the weight she lost during crises in her life) or by the photographs of her ''en famille'' in which we can see that she is probably not wearing stays and is not wearing tight-fitting, constricting clothes.

=== Shawls ===

Caroline Goldthorpe says,&lt;blockquote&gt;The importance of visible royal patronage was not lost on commercial enterprise, and in 1863 the Norwich shawl manufacturers Clabburn Sons &amp; Crisp sent to Princess Alexandra of Denmark, as a gift on the occasion of her marriage to the Prince of Wales, a magnificent silk shawl woven in the Danish royal colors (figure 3). The Queen herself already patronized Norwich shawls, for in 1849 the ''Journal of Design'' had claimed: &quot;The shawls of Norwich now equal the richest production of the looms of France. The successs which attended the exhibition of Norwich shawls ... [sic] may fairly be considered the result of Her Majesty's direct regard.&quot; Another splendid silk shawl by Clabburn Sons &amp; Crisp was displayed at the International Exhibition of 1862 (figure 4), but it was not eligible for a prize because William Clabburn himself was on the panel of judges.&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (17)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Elizabeth Jane Timmons says that QV's black was relieved only&lt;blockquote&gt;by white cuffs, scarfs, trimmings, or the ubiquitous patterned shawls which the Queen wore and which were the subject of comment by at least two of her granddaughters, Princess Louis of Battenberg and Princess Alix of Hesse, who helped her change them when they accompanied her driving out.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot;&gt;Timms, Elizabeth Jane. &quot;Queen Victoria's Widow's Cap.&quot; ''Royal Central'' 31 October 2018. https://royalcentral.co.uk/features/queen-victorias-widows-cap-111104/ (retrieved February 2026).&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Headdresses ==

=== Bonnets, Caps, Hats ===
We discuss the headdresses QV wears in each portrait in the detailed description in the &quot;[[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Her Dresses|Her Dresses]]&quot; section of the Timeline.

In some photographs, QV has a mourning hood over her bonnet and tied under her chin, worn sort of as if it were a veil on her bonnet. It looks like it would be warm in cold weather.

[[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Wedding Veil|QV's wedding veil]] is handled separately, as are the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Crowns|crowns]].

==== Bonnet ====
'''1887''', QV wore a bonnet in her public carriage ride to Westminster Abbey for her Golden Jubilee. Inside the Abbey, &quot;she sat on top of the scarlet and ermine robes draped over her coronation chair in Westminster Abbey — but, pointedly, 'in no way wore them around her person.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (760)&lt;blockquote&gt;The queen did make one concession: for the first time in twenty-five years she trimmed her bonnet with white lace and rimmed it with diamonds. Within days, fashionable women of London were wearing similar diamond-bedecked bonnets. One reporter noted this trend disapprovingly at a royal garden party at Buckingham Palace in July, the month after the Jubilee: &quot;Her Majesty and the Princesses at the Abbey wore their bonnets so trimmed in lieu of wearing coronets. It is quite a different matter for ladies to make bejeweled bonnets their wear at garden-parties.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (761)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1893 July 5''', (was there another garden party at Marlborough House between the 5th and the 15th?), from the ''Pall Mall Gazette'' by &quot;The Wares of Autolycus,&quot; possibly Alice Meynell says that QV preferred bonnets for full-dress occasions:&lt;blockquote&gt;It was noticeable at the Marlborough House garden party the other day, that many of the younger married women, and, indeed, some of the unmarried girls, wore bonnets instead of hats. This was in deference to the Queen's taste. Her Majesty is not fond of hats, except for girls in the schoolroom, and considers that bonnets are more suitable for full dress occasions.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Wares of Autolycus, The.&quot; ''Pall Mall Gazette'' 15 July 1893, Saturday: p. 5 [of 12], Col. 1a. ''British Newspaper Archive''. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000098/18930715/016/0005 (accessed April 2015).&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
'''1897 June 22, Monday''', the bonnet QV wore for the Diamond Jubilee Procession was decorated with diamonds, from the ''Lady's Pictorial'':&lt;blockquote&gt;I HEAR on reliable authority that, although the fact has hitherto escaped the notice of all the describers of the Diamond Jubilee Procession, the bonnet worn by the Queen on that occasion was liberally adorned with diamonds. It is a tiny bit of flotsam, but worth rescuing, as every detail of the historic pageant will one day be of even greater interest than it is now.&lt;ref name=&quot;:14&quot;&gt;Miranda. &quot;Boudoir Gossip.&quot; ''Lady's Pictorial'' 10 July 1897, Saturday: 24 [of 92], Col. 3c [of 3]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0005980/18970710/281/0024. Print title same, p. 40.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
[[File:Queen Victoria white mourning head-dress.JPG|alt=A museum photograph of a sheer, frilly cap with streamers|thumb|Queen Victoria's White Widow's Cap]]

==== Widow's Cap ====
The distinctive white or sometimes black cap QV wore with &quot;crinkled crape&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:9&quot;&gt;Strasdin, Kate. ''The Dress Diary: Secrets from a Victorian Woman's Wardrobe''. Pegasus, 2023.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|734 of 1124}} is a [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Widow's Cap|widow's cap]], sometimes called a mourning bonnet or mourning headdress. The now-damaged, once-white widow's cap (right) is said to have belonged to Queen Victoria. It is a cap with two streamers, like lappets, that have been decorated with meandering clumps of ruffled tulle matching the cap itself. The streamers would have been a consistent width, suggesting that the tulle background is torn.

Describing some point in time after Albert's death, Elizabeth Jane Timms says,&lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen began to be photographed in her white peaked caps, spinning; an occupation that the Queen took up, which perhaps underlined her solitary state and one which, like her painting box, enabled creativity within that solitude. Sir Joseph Boehm sketched the Queen in 1869 spinning, by which time a spinning wheel had been placed in her sitting room .... Again, Boehm shows her wearing her mourning weeds and her white cap, tantamount now to a type of widow’s uniform. She also wore the caps engaged in another solitary occupation, knitting or crochet work.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

What Princess Beatrice called ''Ma's sad caps'',&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt; Queen Victoria's white widow's caps&lt;blockquote&gt;were made of tulle, although where they were manufactured is not clear. By the late 1880s, she wore them pinned higher up than the rather sunken fashion of the 1860s, when they were worn close to the head, creating a flat impression. In later years, these ornate creations had evolved into deep, stately frills of tulle or silk with streamers and may have been supported by wires ....

Only one of the Queen’s white widow’s caps was apparently known to have survived and was preserved at the Museum of London. A fragile survivor, it is loaded with Queen Victoria’s personal symbolism and dates from around 1899. It is extremely rare and may have been discarded when it ceased to be in wearable condition.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
[[File:Four Generations (by William Quiller Orchardson) – Government Art Collection, Lancaster House.jpg|alt=Dark painting showing an old woman and 2 men dressed in black and a small boy dressed in white and holding a big bouquet of roses|left|thumb|Four Generations: Queen Victoria and Her Descendants]]
Although Timms says that only one of Queen Victoria's widow's caps has survived, at least two and possibly three can be found. One widow's cap, said to have belonged to Queen Victoria, is &quot;displayed in a glass case at Kensington Palace, listed as Historic Royal Palaces 3502037, ‘''Widow’s Cap, 1864-1899, Tulle''.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;

Sir William Quiller Orchardson was given what seems to be a different white widow's cap to use for his 1899 ''Four Generations: Queen Victoria and Her Descendants'' (left). His widow donated this cap, also said to have belonged to Queen Victoria, to the Museum of London in 1917.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt; Timms says that the cap in the Museum of London is dated about 1899, &quot;contains far more tulle frills&quot; and &quot;is considerably more fragile ... because it has been washed.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;

What may be a separate, third cap (above right), which is called a &quot;white mourning head-dress [Trauer Kopfbedeckung]&quot; belonging to Queen Victoria, is dated &quot;from 1883 [von 1883].&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Citation|title=English:  white mourning headdress of Queen Victoria from 1883Deutsch:  Trauer Kopfbedeckung Königin Victoria von 1883|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_white_mourning_head-dress.JPG|date=2015-03-22|accessdate=2026-02-20|last=Jula2812}}&lt;/ref&gt; (The only information that might be considered provenance in the description of this third cap is that the person who uploaded the image into Wikimedia Commons titled it in German.)[[File:Queen Victoria (1887).jpg|thumb|Queen Victoria wearing the Small Diamond Crown, the Coronation Necklace and Earrings and the Koh-i-Noor brooch, 1897]]

=== Crowns ===
The Royal Collection Trust has a page on [https://www.rct.uk/collection/stories/the-crown-jewels-coronation-regalia The Crown Jewels: Coronation Regalia]. Two crowns are worn for the coronation ceremony, not counting the Consort Crown&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-05-17|title=Consort crown|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Consort_crown&amp;oldid=1290790447|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;: the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#St. Edward's Crown|St. Edward's Crown]] and the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Imperial State Crown|Imperial State Crown]].

The parts of a crown: the band, fleur-de-lys, cross pattée, the cap, arch, monde (the globe on top of the arches), the cross (on top of the monde)

==== Small Crowns ====
The Small Diamond Crown, photograph by Bassano (right): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1887_postcard_of_Queen_Victoria.jpg, was made in March 1870 by Garrard and Co. to fit over QV's widow's cap and to serve as an official crown.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-03-12|title=Small Diamond Crown of Queen Victoria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Small_Diamond_Crown_of_Queen_Victoria&amp;oldid=1280094126|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; The Royal Collection Trust has 3 views of this crown (https://www.rct.uk/collection/31705/queen-victorias-small-diamond-crown). Its discussion of the Small Diamond Crown is here:&lt;blockquote&gt;The priorities in creating the design were lightness and comfort and the crown may have been based on Queen Charlotte's nuptial crown which had been returned to Hanover earlier in the reign. Queen Victoria wore this crown for the first time at the opening of Parliament on 9 February 1871, and frequently used it after that date for State occasions, and for receiving guests at formal Drawing-rooms. It was also her choice for many of the portraits of her later reign, sometimes worn without the arches. By the time of her death, the small crown had become so closely associated with the image of the Queen, that it was placed on her coffin at Osborne.&lt;ref name=&quot;:10&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/31705/queen-victorias-small-diamond-crown|title=Garrard &amp; Co - Queen Victoria's Small Diamond Crown|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-01-20}}&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;This crown was on the catafalque for her funeral procession along with the Imperial State Crown, the Orb and the Sceptre.

An 1897 political cartoon in Hindi shows QV wearing the Small Diamond Crown, veil and lappets, which might be a symbolic rather than a literal representation (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpg).

The Royal Collection Trust's technical description of the Small Diamond Crown is here: &lt;blockquote&gt;The crown comprises an openwork silver frame set with 1,187 brilliant-cut and rose-cut diamonds in open-backed collet mounts. The band is formed with a frieze of lozenges and ovals in oval apertures, between two rows of single diamonds, supporting four crosses-pattée and four fleurs-de-lis, with four half-arches above, surmounted by a monde and a further cross-pattée.&lt;ref name=&quot;:10&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
These small crowns are not part of the collection of official coronation wear, but they were part of what QV wore as sovereign or monarch. She is not wearing them in the photographs of her ''en famille''. [[File:Saint Edward's Crown.jpg|alt=Gold bejeweled crown with purple velvet and fur around the rim|thumb|St Edward's Crown, traditionally used at the moment of coronation]]

==== St. Edward's Crown ====
Putting the St. Edward's Crown on the monarch's head marks the moment of the coronation. This crown is used once in a monarch's lifetime.&lt;ref name=&quot;:7&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/stories/the-crown-jewels-coronation-regalia|title=The Crown Jewels: Coronation Regalia|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-27}}&lt;/ref&gt; The current St. Edward's Crown (right) was made in 1661, for the coronation of Charles II, and it was most recently used in the coronation of Charles III.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-29|title=St Edward's Crown|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=St_Edward%27s_Crown&amp;oldid=1330156300|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

Because of its weight, the St. Edward's Crown has not always used for coronations. In the period between the coronation of William III (William of Orange) in 1689&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-02|title=William III of England|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_III_of_England&amp;oldid=1325339468|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; and that of George V in 1911, new monarchs did not use the St. Edward's Crown but had new crowns made for the ceremony.

Lucy Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;St Edward’s Crown, traditionally used at the climax of the ceremony, had been made for Charles II, a man over 6 feet tall and well able to bear its 5-lb weight. But here [for Victoria's coronation] problems had been anticipated. A new and smaller ‘Crown of State’ had been specially made ‘according to the Model approved by the Queen’ at a cost of £1,000.45{{rp|45 TNA LC 2/67, p. 66}} ...

Her new crown weighed less than half the load of St Edward’s Crown, but it still gave Victoria a headache. She’d had it made to fit her head extra tightly, so that ‘accident or misadventure’ could not cause it to fall off.&lt;sup&gt;47:&quot;47 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) pp. 83–4&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; The jewellers Rundell, Bridge &amp; Rundell had made the new crown, and during the build-up towards the coronation it had become the focus [173–174] of an angry controversy. Mr Bridge had displayed his firm’s finished handiwork to the public in his shop on Ludgate Hill. This was much to the dismay of the touchy Mr Swifte, Keeper of the Regalia at the Tower of London. It was Mr Swifte’s privilege to display the Crown Jewels kept at the Tower to anyone who wanted to see them, for one shilling each, and he’d been counting on a lucrative flood of visitors to pay for the feeding of his numerous and sickly infants. But the new crown proved a greater attraction, and hundreds of people went to Mr Bridge’s shop, Mr Swifte complained, when they would otherwise have come to the Tower. Mr Bridges was not very sympathetic about stealing Mr Swifte’s business. ‘If we were to close our Doors,’ he claimed, ‘I fear they would be forced.’&lt;sup&gt;48&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;48 TNA LC 2/68 (22 June 1838)&quot;}}

Victoria later confessed that her firmly fitting crown had hurt her ‘a good deal’, but nevertheless she had to sit on her throne in it, while the peers came up one by one to swear loyalty and kiss her hand.&lt;sup&gt;49&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|49 RA QVJ/1838: 28}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|173–174; nn. 45, 47, 48, 49, p. 661}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
==== Imperial State Crown ====
[[File:Imperial State Crown.png|alt=Gold bejeweled crown with purple velvet and many large colorful gemmstones|thumb|The Current Imperial State Crown (digitally edited image)|left]][[File:Imperial State Crown of Queen Victoria (2).jpg|alt=Gold bejeweled crown with velvet cap and ermine rim|thumb|Drawing of the Imperial State Crown of Queen Victoria, 1838]]The new monarch wears a different crown from the St. Edward's Crown as he or she leaves Westminster Abbey after the coronation. This crown is used for very formal state occasions like appearing in public after the coronation and for the State Opening of Parliament. Used relatively frequently, it has had to be replaced in the past when it gets damaged or begins to show wear.

Victoria had the Imperial State Crown (right) made for her coronation on 28 June 1838. It was broken in a procession in 1845 (dropped by the Duke of Argyll), so it no longer exists (which is why this image is a drawing). What is now the current Imperial State Crown (left) was rebuilt after the 1845 accident, altered to accommodate the Cullinan II diamond in 1909, copied and remade in 1937 for the coronation of George IV.&lt;ref name=&quot;:7&quot; /&gt; Then it was redesigned slightly for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-08-14|title=Imperial State Crown|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Imperial_State_Crown&amp;oldid=1305824792|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;[[File:Victoria in her Coronation (cropped).jpg|alt=Old painting of a white woman very richly dressed, wearing a crown|thumb|Queen Victoria wearing the State Diadem, Winterhalter 1858]]
==== The Diamond Diadem ====
The Diamond Diadem was made for the coronation of George IV and worn by every queen — regnant or consort — since. Called the Diadem by Queen Victoria and the Diamond Diadem or the George IV State Diadem now, this crown (right, on Queen Victoria's head) is a circlet of two rows of pearls enclosing a row of diamonds.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-02|title=Diamond Diadem|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diamond_Diadem&amp;oldid=1330716296|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; On top are 4 crosses pattée and 4 bouquets of the national emblems of the thistle, the shamrock and the rose.&lt;ref&gt;{{Citation|title=The Diamond Diadem|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmDAYqKiGZM|date=2022-05-12|accessdate=2026-02-04|last=Royal Collection Trust}}&lt;/ref&gt;

Queen Victoria wore it on some official state occasions before the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Small Crowns|Small Diamond Crown]] was made in 1871.

==== Diadems, Tiaras ====
A diadem is may be simpler than a crown, or it may be a simple crown. Crowns and diadems have a band that is a full circle.

A Tiara is a semi-circular headpiece, typically a piece of jewelry, that can sit on top of the head or on the forehead. Worn by women at white tie, very formal events.

A Coronet of Rank in the UK is a kind of crown that signifies rank and whose design indicates which rank in the nobility the wearer holds. A coronet does not have the high arches that crowns have. Coronets of rank indicate non-royal rank.

Something called the State Diadem was designed by Albert in 1845? and made by Joseph Kitching.

== QV's Wedding ==
Ideas about QV's wedding dress are encrusted with misinformation: 

# QV was not the first royal (or first woman) to wear a white wedding dress.
# She did not wear white to signal her virginity and purity.
# Everybody has not worn white since then because she did.

None of this is true, and some of it is easy to set aside. It is not true that Queen Victoria invented the white wedding dress. The first record of a white wedding dress in what is now the UK is the early 15th century, and they appear to be popular both in Europe and North America among royals as well as upper middle class in the mid century.

Princess Charlotte, the last royal woman to wed (?), in 1816, wore gold cloth &quot;with three layers of machine-made lace.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/71997/princess-charlottes-wedding-dress|title=Mrs Triaud (active 1816) - Princess Charlotte's Wedding Dress|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-31}}&lt;/ref&gt; Her dress is in the Royal Collection Trust (https://www.rct.uk/collection/71997/princess-charlottes-wedding-dress).

Royals were expected to appear regal. Gold and silver cloth and adornments would not have been surprising for a monarch, so QV's choice is worth examining, regardless of the actual color. Given that churches in 1840 were lit with candles and torches and rooms were warmed by coal or wood, white would have been difficult to maintain. So it expressed status and wealth (the association between the white dress and virginity may have arisen in the mid-20th century in the context of widely available birth control and the sexual revolution). White was not uncommon, however, for dresses in the mid-19th century, particular in cotton and particularly for warmer weather.&lt;ref name=&quot;:9&quot; /&gt;

Violet Paget writing as Vernon Lee addresses the Victorian moral implications in the colors white and black in her 1895 ''Fortnightly Review'' article &quot;Beauty and Insanity.&quot; She is not talking about race, and she does not mention brides [does she talk about Victoria?]. She regards as an aesthetic cultural imposition the association between whiteness and purity, virginity and heterosexuality, and between blackness and evil.&lt;ref&gt;Renes, Liz. “Vernon Lee’s ‘Beauty and Sanity’ and 1895: Color and Cultural Response.” Academica.edu https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/41271981/LeeText-libre.pdf?1452968345=&amp;response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DVernon_Lees_Beauty_and_Sanity_and_1895_C.pdf&amp;Expires=1767736568&amp;Signature=SvA5MHz3LY7x~GCxwa6pSRVwF5scY-jOgI6QAEvRyp1j5tk4uy8MWI1pj0kdJOJDLP~XMUwXuLMIVkwPwCxFut6~uLf5PI5~CnZ3arxlKFeK-LWGL1vlF7QeIzRqTkNDnyXitYiJ83DVsidWCJ8DyIHHajtl0Dk0gGzb0L-I547s-EIM~lEmWxchyLqyCnhG4o0fmEcTZqUEaJ84uImLfmosdnphQKUAIEfNai9cEdh33~wfWWfirM29CfEgtsIkoZRvsioM7fKcO79VSVsYecYySCg7GvRikf9zJ~dtJ2NNpjvtXO0tnVmv8lvVbtRM8m1fQ7jZ-hrhgF-nUOVKaQ__&amp;Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA (retrieved January 2026).&lt;/ref&gt; 

It is true, however, that the press coverage of QV's wedding likely increased the popularity of white for weddings.

=== White Wedding Dress ===
The Royal Collection has QV's wedding dress, in 3 views. It says the dress is made of cream-colored silk satin. It doesn't say the color has yellowed. In her journals, QV describes her dress as &quot;a white satin gown, with a very deep flounce of Honiton lace, imitation of old.&quot;&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;21 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (238)

&quot;Onlookers,&quot; Worsley says, commenting on the wedding and Victoria's dress, said Victoria and her party looked like &quot;village girls, presumably rather than a monarch and her ladies in waiting.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (244 [of 786], citing Wyndham, ed. (1912) p. 297). Others saw the simplicity of the wedding dress similarly, though less negatively. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;'I saw the Queen’s dress at the palace,’ wrote one eager letter-writer, ‘the lace was beautiful, as fine as a cobweb.’ She wore no jewels at all, this person’s account continues, ‘only a bracelet with Prince Albert’s picture’.&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;28 Mundy, ed. (1885) p. 413}} This was in fact [240–241] completely incorrect. Albert had given her a huge sapphire brooch, which she wore along with her ‘Turkish diamond necklace and earrings’.&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;29 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February}} It was the beginning of a lifetime trend for Victoria’s clothes to be reported as simpler, plainer, less ostentatious than they really were. The reality was that they were not quite as ostentatious as people expected for a queen.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt; (240–241)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Is it possible that ''white'' actually was used for a range of very light colors? Certainly, not all whites are the same color, and not all viewers are precise with their language.

==== What Was White Used For? ====
The layers worn under dresses were sometimes white. Undergarments would generally have been made of cotton by the 1890s, although some wool and linen was still in use. Mechanical bleaches were available, so fabric could be made pale enough to have been called white. Kate Strasdin quotes a mid-19th-century use of &quot;snow white&quot; to distinguish it from other kinds of white.&lt;ref name=&quot;:9&quot; /&gt; 

Debutants being presented to the monarch wore white, it was court dress [confirm this], and the train added to Victoria's dress raised it into court dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (239? [22 Staniland (1997) p. 118])

Perhaps what was striking about Victoria's white dress was not just its color but its simplicity. When the &quot;onlookers&quot; at Victoria's wedding compare her bridal party to village girls, they are not suggesting that the bridal party is wearing underwear indecently or that they're in court dress. The touchstone here is class — they don't look like the ruling class or the upper class.

But Victoria's white dress was influential nonetheless. Lucy Worsley says it &quot;launched a million subsequent white weddings.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt; (238) However, other women were wearing white around the same time, including Mary Todd's sister Frances and Sophie of Württembert, Queen of the Netherlands in 1839. Mary Todd is said to have worn white at her wedding to Abraham Lincoln because they married quickly, so she just borrowed her sisters dress.

# 1839 May 21: Frances Todd's wedding dress was white; she later loaned it to her sister, Mary Todd, for her wedding.
# 1839 June 18: Sophie of Württembert, Queen of the Netherlands wore white.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-02|title=Sophie of Württemberg|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sophie_of_W%C3%BCrttemberg&amp;oldid=1325386567|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; She knew Napoleon III and QV; was progressive politically, favoring democracy; was buried in her wedding dress.
# '''1840 February 10''': QV's wedding dress was white.
# 1842 November 4: Mary Todd wore her sister Frances's white satin wedding dress.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-05|title=Mary Todd Lincoln|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Todd_Lincoln&amp;oldid=1325904504|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1853 January 30: Eugénie of France wore white.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-11-18|title=Eugénie de Montijo|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eug%C3%A9nie_de_Montijo&amp;oldid=1322973534|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1854 April 24: Empress Elisabeth of Austria wore white for her wedding.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-17|title=Empress Elisabeth of Austria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Empress_Elisabeth_of_Austria&amp;oldid=1327984118|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1858 January 25: Victoria the Princess Royal&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-22|title=Victoria, Princess Royal|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Victoria,_Princess_Royal&amp;oldid=1328868015|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1863 March 10: Alexandra of Denmark&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-14|title=Alexandra of Denmark|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alexandra_of_Denmark&amp;oldid=1327524766|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

All royal clothing is deliberately &quot;symbolic&quot; — or semiotic — to some degree. Lucy Worsley interprets the simple white dress as Victoria marrying as a woman rather than as &quot;Her Majesty the Queen.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (239) Kay Staniland and Santina M. Levey (and the [https://thedreamstress.com/2011/04/queen-victorias-wedding-dress-the-one-that-started-it-all/ Dreamstress blog]) claim that the salient article from QV's wedding dress was the Honiton lace, which the dress showcased, which they decided should be white, which is why her dress was white.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://thedreamstress.com/2011/04/queen-victorias-wedding-dress-the-one-that-started-it-all/|title=Queen Victoria's wedding dress: the one that started it all|last=Dreamstress|first=The|date=2011-04-17|website=The Dreamstress|language=en-US|access-date=2025-12-17}}&lt;/ref&gt;
[[File:Queen Victoria's Wedding Lace Veil c.1889-91 Detail.jpg|alt=Old photograph of a square of fine fabric edged with ornate white lace, with a wreath of small artificial flowers on the side|thumb|Queen Victoria's Wedding Veil, c. 1889–91]]

=== Wedding Veil ===
The late-19th-century image of QV's veil (right) makes it look a lot smaller than it is. The circlet to its right, which is a wreath of artificial flowers worn around the head over the veil, suggests its scale.

A contemporary (1855) photograph of 1840 QV's wedding veil and wreath is in the Royal Trust collection (https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/34/collection/2905584/veil-worn-by-queen-victoria-at-her-marriage), from a page in a scrapbook that includes 2 photos of paintings made after the wedding, one photo of the veil, showing its lace, and one photo of the bonnet she wore after the wedding.

The veil and [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Flounce|flounce]] on QV's wedding dress were made of Honiton lace, in Devon, partly designed &quot;by the Pre-Raphaelite artist William Dyce&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot; /&gt; and attached to a very fine netting. QV seems to have saved both the dress and the veil. She used both until the end of her life as well as other pieces of lace using the same Dyce design.

Elizabeth Abbott, in her ''A History of Marriage'', says her veil was&lt;blockquote&gt;one and half yards of diamond-studded Honiton lace draped over her shoulders and back. ... The flounce of the dress was also Honiton lace, four yards of it, specially made in the village of Beer by over two hundred lace workers, at a cost of more than £1,000.&lt;ref&gt;Abbott, Elizabeth. ''A History of Marriage''. Duckworth Overlook, 2011. Internet Archive [[iarchive:historyofmarriag0000abbo_w6u8/page/76/mode/2up|https://archive.org/details/historyofmarriag0000abbo_w6u8]].&lt;/ref&gt; (76)&lt;/blockquote&gt;

N. Hudson Moore's 1904 ''Lace Book'' describes (perhaps a touch hyperbolically) the Honiton lace used on Victoria's coronation and wedding dresses as well as her &quot;body linen&quot; and the dresses of Alexandra, Princess of Wales and the Princess Alice:&lt;blockquote&gt;
The wedding trousseau of Queen Victoria was trimmed with English laces only, and this set such a fashion for their use that the market could not be supplied, and the prices paid were fabulous. The patterns were most jealously guarded, and each village and sometimes separate families were noted for their particular designs, which could not be obtained elsewhere. Such laces as these were what were used on Queen Victoria’s body linen. Her coronation gown was of white satin with a deep flounce of Honiton lace, and with trimmings of the same lace on elbow sleeves and about the low neck. Her mantle was of cloth of gold trimmed with bullion fringe and enriched with the rose, the thistle, and other significant emblems. This cloth of gold is woven in one town in England. The present Queen’s mantle was made there also. Queen Victoria's wedding dress was composed entirely [sic] of Honiton lace, and was made in the small fishing village of Beers. It cost £1,000 ($5,000) and after the dress was made the patterns were destroyed. Royalty has done all it could to promote the use of this lace, and the wedding dresses of the Princess Alice and of Queen Alexandra were of Honiton also, the pattern of the latter showing the design of the Prince of Wales’s feathers and ferns.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/lacebook0000nhud|title=The lace book|last=N. Hudson Moore|date=1904|publisher=Frederick A. Stokes Company|others=Internet Archive}}&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|184}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
QV wore her wedding veil to all her children's christenings.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|492 of 786}} Beatrice wore that veil at her own wedding, a sign that QV had relented and agreed to Beatrice marrying. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;Beatrice could only squint at her groom-to-be through the folds of the very same Devon lace veil her mother had worn when she'd married Albert. This was hugely significant. Victoria attached great importance to clothes, and a well-informed source tells us that ‘almost without exception, her wardrobe woman can produce the gown, bonnet, or mantle she wore on any particular occasion.'&lt;sup&gt;47&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|&quot;47 Anon. 'Private Life' (1897; 1901 edition) p. 69&quot;}} The veil was one of the most precious items in the Albertian reliquary. ‘I look upon it as a holy charm,’ Victoria wrote, ‘as it was under that veil our union was blessed forever.’&lt;sup&gt;48&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;48 RA QVJ/1843: 19 May; Bartley (2016) p. 82&quot;}} Her loan of it to Beatrice was an important act of blessing.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|500 of 786; n. 47, 48, p. 721 of 786}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Sartorial Style ==
In clothing and perhaps also in jewelry but not in furnishings or architecture. When matters.
* She had her own sense of style, influenced as she may have been by her maids, dressers and modistes, over time and through events in her life. The evolution of her sense of style changed as her life changed and she aged. She was never haute couture, although before she married Albert, she wore French fashion and Brussels lace. But she never really did glamour? Early on, a lot of bare shoulders. A construction of a feminine identity in all that frou-frou, from girly to romantic to maternal to widowed to regal. She came out of her depression with a changed identity.
* She liked frills, layers and decorative trim, and some frou-frou, especially perhaps while Albert was still alive. But over her life, her general look was a simple dress made in sophisticated ways with very high-quality fabrics, laces and trim. After she developed her &quot;uniform,&quot; the frou-frou can be hard to see and impossible to see from a distance. In a way, she was beyond haute couture, her style was classic and less mutable, decorative elements were often sentimental.
** Albert's role
*** QV told people that &quot;she 'had no taste, ... used only to listen to him,'&quot; Albert. Taste here is probably art and architecture, as the context is Osborne House.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|318 of 786 [n. 26, p. 689: &quot;Quoted in Marsden, ed. (2012) p. 12&quot;]}}
*** QV &quot;and Albert — '''for Albert must approve every outfit''' — were conservative in their taste [in clothing]. A Frenchman found her frumpy, and laughed at her old-fashioned handbag 'on which was embroidered a fat poodle in gold'.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|311 of 786}} Something sentimental made by Vicky?
*** Elizabeth Jane Timms says, &quot;Prince Albert had played an essential role in the Queen’s wardrobe, on whose highly refined artistic taste the Queen relied. In her own words: ‘''He did everything – everywhere… the designing and ordering of Jewellery, the buying of a dress or a bonnet… all was done together''…’ [sic ital].&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;
*** 1861 January at Osborne after the servants' ball:&lt;blockquote&gt;As she and Albert passed the time ‘talking over the company’, Victoria also gives details of how her ‘maids would come in and begin to undress me – and he would go on talking, and would make his observations on my jewels and ornaments and give my people good advice as to how to keep them or would occasionally reprimand if anything had not been carefully attended to’.&lt;sup&gt;50&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|327 of 786; n. 50, p. 590: &quot;RA VIC/MAIN/RA/491 (January 1861)&quot;}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
* We know some things about her dressers, modistes, dressmakers, etc.
* She had a couple of &quot;uniforms&quot;: the Widow of Windsor and the riding habit with the red coat.
* She like fine, complex laces. Even when laces were typically machine made, hers were not.
* She liked tartan. Many of her clothing choices were emotional or sentimental: favorite and meaningful veils, shawls, tartan.
* Shape of skirt (see [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Hoops|Hoops]] for one photograph that shows the style of fabric moving to the back). When she visited Paris in 1855 she wasn't wearing hoops yet, though Eugénie was. The French women thought she was dowdy. Her shawl clashed with her dress.
* Alexandra, Princess of Wales had a very different sense of style and moved in very different social networks, regardless of her own official responsibilities. She wore haute couture and at one event — a [[Social Victorians/Timeline/1889#The Shah at a Covent Garden Opera Performance|performance at Covent Garden attended by the Shah]] — wore a red dress, which was reported on without moralizing comment. She wore dresses made by designers outside the UK.
* The contexts for how Victoria dressed:
** expectations for royalty and wives
** her relationships with the middle classes and the aristocracy
*** set herself up in opposition to the aristocracy and haute couture, and Bertie's side of the aristocracy.
*** The aristocracy did not look to her as fashion leader, but did the middle classes? Was she dressing more like some of them rather than them like her?
*** Middle-class perspective on aristocracy: Harriet Martineau attended QV's coronation, disapproved of how the peeresses were dressed and &quot;would have preferred 'the decent differences of dress which, according to middle-class custom, pertain to contrasting periods of life’. She particularly criticised the peers’ wives, ‘old hags, with their dyed or false hair’, their bare arms and necks so ‘wrinkled as to make one sick’.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|180 of 786}}
*** Her sense of style spoke to the middle classes and the mainstream ideas of many of her subjects.
*** Worsley says of Randall Davidson, new Dean of Windsor, later Archbishop of Canterbury, &quot;Unlike Albert, unlike even the Ponsonbys, Davidson appreciated her talent for identifying how mainstream opinion among her subjects would respond to almost any issue. Elsewhere in Europe, when revolutions succeeded, it was because middle-class people and the oppressed workers made common cause. In Britain, though, this never quite happened. Perhaps it was because the middle classes somehow believed that the middlebrow queen was ‘on their side’.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|478 of 786}}
*** Her identification with the middle class helped her monarchy survive. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette: completely identified with smaller and smaller elements only of the aristocracy; similarly Franz Josef and Elisabeth of Austria fell for similar reasons, especially his and his mother Sophia's identification with the aristocracy; Nicholas II and Alexandra of Russia; Napoleon III and Eugenie in France.
** the two main approaches to corseting, tight lacing and &quot;artistic&quot; dress (She didn't do the Worth-house style tight laced &quot;traditional&quot; look (in the 1880s Frith painting) or the &quot;aesthetic&quot; or &quot;artistic&quot; style associated with artists and socialists.)
** the practices around mourning (Kate Strasdin's ''The Dress Diary'' summarizes the mourning practices, at least for mid-century, and perhaps for the aspiring middle classes)
* Neither Eugenie of France nor Elisabeth of Austria were regarded as beautiful as children.
* Empress Eugénie's influence on fashion: &quot;when Mrs. Lincoln first arrived in Washington, she made a point of patterning her gowns after the empress’s wardrobe.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;Goldstone, Nancy. ''The Rebel Empresses: Elisabeth of Austria and Eugénie of France, Power and Glamour in the Struggle for Europe''. Little Brown, 2025.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|566, n. iii}}

*According to Lucy Worsley, QV developed some practices early to &quot;memorialise&quot; her life, including writing &quot;the millions of words eventually embodied in the journals that she would keep lifelong, ... keeping significant dresses from her wardrobe, ... the compulsive taking and collecting of photographs,&quot; even maintaining &quot;certain rooms of her palaces ... with their furniture unchanged as shrines to earlier times.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|91 of 786}} Another form of memorialization was the books she wrote or had written.
*1856: there is a &quot;surviving day dress of lilac silk ..., which has grey silk ribbons running between waist and hem inside so that the skirt can be drawn up for convenient walking,&quot; as QV might have done in Scotland, although in the 1856 trip to Scotland, she was pregnant with Beatrice.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|346 of 786; n. 45, p. 693: &quot;'''Madeleine Ginsburg, ‘The Young Queen and Her Clothes'''’, ''Costume'', vol. 3 (Sprint) (1969) p. 42&quot;}}

== Class ==
Early in their marriage, QV and Albert &quot;had a powerful and popular domestic image and were often seen at home wearing ‘ordinary’ clothes, further appealing to the middle classes.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/collections/london-stories/marriage-queen-victoria-prince-albert/|title=The marriage of Queen Victoria &amp; Prince Albert|website=London Museum|language=en-gb|access-date=2026-02-16}}&lt;/ref&gt;

After the 1870 Mordaunt divorce case, according to Lytton Strachey, speaking at first from QV's perspective,&lt;blockquote&gt;It was clear that the heir to the throne had been mixing with people of whom she did not at all approve. What was to be done? She saw that it was not only her son that was to blame﻿ — that it was the whole system of society; and so she despatched a letter to Mr. Delane, the editor of ''The Times'', asking him if he would &quot;frequently write articles pointing out the immense danger and evil of the wretched frivolity and levity of the views and lives of the Higher Classes.&quot; And five years later Mr. Delane did write an article upon that very subject.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (424 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;The upper-middle-class Florence Nightingale &quot;had developed a great fondness for Victoria, shy in 'her shabby little black silk gown'&quot; by the time of Albert's death.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (592 of 1203) She had visited Balmoral during the Crimean War and&lt;blockquote&gt;had been struck by the difference between the bored, frivolous court members and Victoria and Albert, both consumed with thoughts of war, foreign policy, and &quot;all things of importance.&quot; Even before Albert’s death, she thought Victoria conscientious &quot;but so mistrustful of herself, so afraid of not doing her best, that her spirits are lowered by it.&quot; With Albert gone, &quot;now she is even doubting whether she is right or wrong from the habit of consulting him.&quot; Nightingale found this touching, a sign that &quot;she has not been spoilt by power.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (592 of 1203)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Lucy Worsley sees this lack of self-confidence on Victoria's part as one of the effects of Albert's critical, controlling treatment of her.

The general election of 1886, according to Lytton Strachey, &quot;the majority of the nation&quot;&lt;blockquote&gt;showed decisively that Victoria’s politics were identical with theirs by casting forth the contrivers of Home Rule﻿ — that abomination of desolation﻿ — into outer darkness, and placing Lord Salisbury in power. Victoria’s satisfaction was profound.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (439–440 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Prime Minister Salisbury believed that the queen had an uncanny ability to reflect the view of the public; he felt that when he knew [736–737] Victoria’s opinion, he &quot;knew pretty certainly what views her subjects would take, and especially the middle class of her subjects.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (736–737 of 1203)

Summing up her reign, Strachey says,&lt;blockquote&gt;The middle classes, firm in the triple brass of their respectability, rejoiced with a special joy over the most respectable of Queens. They almost claimed her, indeed, as one of themselves; but this would have been an exaggeration. For, though many of her characteristics were most often found among the middle classes, in other respects﻿ — in her manners, for instance﻿ — Victoria was decidedly aristocratic. And, in one important particular, she was neither aristocratic nor middle-class: her attitude toward herself was simply regal.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (478 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;
== Proposals ==
Queen Victoria's Sense of Style, her taste in clothes and jewelry

To talk about her sartorial style is to address both jewelry (which includes crowns, diadems and tiaras) and clothing (including accessories like shawls, veils and caps, bonnets and hats).

One of the secrets of her style was that she wore elements of Victorian frou-frou without looking over-trimmed or visually busy, mostly because it was black on black (or, before Albert's death, white on white, but also because the materials and work were so fine. What she selected of the frou-frou was very fashionable, but the trim is not high contrast, as for example what a Worth gown might have. The silhouette was not high-fashion, but elements were: she knew what was fashionable, she or her dressmakers, etc.

The close-up/far-away thing contrasts with Bertie, who understood ceremony and pageantry differently and probably better.

Periods in her sartorial styles, but made more complex by state occasions vs less formal, many of them in-family occasions:

# Before she came to the throne, she may not have been in control of her own look.
# After her accession and before her marriage, she had control as well as an experienced Mistress of the Robes and experienced maids and dressmakers. She experimented, wore for example a dark tartan dress to meet Albert and his brother and chose simple styles, like village girls, at the wedding; expectations for what a monarch would wear; she seems to have liked an off-the-shoulder look when she was young, and very formal dress later might be off the shoulder.
# Marriage to Albert: he had a lot of say, though she resisted in some ways, but her identity was tied up in his, as his wife; he attempted to constrain her clothing budget was not successful long term; influenced by styles, but not at the front edge; crinoline cage 3 years later than Eugenie and Elisabeth of Austria (Mary Todd Lincoln?). Photographs, so a medium different from the official portraits documenting empire and sovereignty, more candid, more at-home, less formal, modest, but would any of her subjects have seen them? Change as well as memorializing (Worsley). Some changes she adopted: double pommel side saddle, photography, cage (not immediately, but ...) Her friends in the monarchy, Eugénie, Elisabeth of Austria and Mary Todd Lincoln were all very fashion forward. A. N. Wilson says QV was parsimonious &quot;in such matters as heating and wardrobe.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (609 of 1204)
# The 1st year, 2 1/2 years (Strasdin), and then decade of mourning, then she decides never to wear color again (not counting honors and order), and her &quot;brand&quot; begins to develop and solidify, a look friendly to the middle classes, especially the upper middle class. The Widow of Windsor. At the beginning her black thigh-length jackets were largely untrimmed, sometimes completely; a large band at the bottom of her skirt, with trim between that and the more satiny fabric above, but otherwise very little or no other trim. White around her face, including neck and headdress, and at her cuffs, but not much and not a lot of frou-frou, perhaps a ruffle.
# In 1871, under pressure from her ministers and newspapers, she had the Small Diamond Crown made and wore it to open Parliament. So she was missing from the public for about a decade. Her grief was profound, possibly compound because of the death of her mother earlier in the same year as the death of Albert. She may have been vulnerable to depression, sometimes finding pregnancies difficult to recover from. But also, her Widow of Windsor look is not just her being &quot;gloomy&quot; or being stuck in grief, though she may have been, this is her brand, her nuance on her regal identity.
# By the 1880s, her look is well established: plain from a distance; up close, very fine materials and beautiful needlework. Her clothing has trim, but generally black on black or white on white, not contrasting on a field of one color. Not wearing a corset, depending on not-very-heavy boning in her bodices, caps, shawls, At this point, Bertie's place in the aristocracy is also well established, and he and Alex are set up with a very different sense of style, wearing haute couture, House of Worth type stylishness.
# By the Jubilees and the end of the century, &quot;Despite their sombre aspect, even her mourning gowns were finely made. She had settled into a series of very minor variations upon a square-necked bodice and skirt, customised with quirky little pockets for keys and seals, all cut pretty much the same to save her the trouble of fittings. On her head went a white cap, with streamers of lace, and round her neck a locket containing miniatures of two of her children: Alice, now lost to diphtheria, and Leopold, to haemophilia.16&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (511 of 786; n. 16, p. 723: &quot;Princess Marie Louise (1956) p. 141&quot;) One design we see a lot is the usual black with a little white at neckline and wrists, with sophisticated black trim not really visible from a distance. The wide skirt with a deep band of a different fabric at the bottom, a thigh-length jacket with wide sleeves; might be dress with a bodice or a vest and blouse under the jacket.
# Jubilees, end of life and her funeral, which she had planned in detail. 

=== CFPs ===

* Uniform Mourning
* After Prince Albert's death death in 1861, Victoria returned to her earlier project of experimenting and finding sartorial styles that served not only as self-expression but that also communicated how she expected to be treated in what role. The extreme mourning was a reflection of how she felt and her identity as a faithful, grieving widow, but it was also performative and communicative, depending on who was looking and from what distance.
* In her private sphere, in the unofficial and family-centered photographs, in her journals (including Princess Beatrice's revision of her journals) and the preserved clothing, and in the accounts in the papers written by reporters familiar with fashion and dressmaking, we see a sophisticated understanding of fashion and subtle, complex  dresses. The materials and dressmaking are rich and fine. Victoria aligned her appearance with respectable matrons of the growing middle classes, but the quality of the materials used in her clothing aligned her with those in her private sphere, including other royals and aristocrats.
* This opposition between the private and public spheres is falsely simple because, for example, Victoria &quot;memorialized&quot; herself (Worsley), preserving elements of her personal life exactly because she was monarch. The different versions of herself was a complexity present in her lifetime and useful to her.
* Also, her sense of self changed over time, especially after she acceded to the throne, after she married and after she was widowed.
* Focusing on Victoria's clothes and sense of style leads us to see some understandings of her and her reign differently: her periods of seclusion and her absences from governmental and state occasions; the loss of power for the monarchy as well as the survival of the constitutional monarchy when almost every other monarchy in Europe was falling; the ways she managed her relationships with the aristocracy, the middle classes, the press; her mood and mental health; the white wedding dress and her influence in the wedding dresses of her daughters and Alex; Albert's nature; even what we believe to be the rules and conventions around mourning dress; and the size of her body.
* To study Queen Victoria's sartorial sense of style, we look at painted and drawn portraits and at photographs of her, we read the few accounts from biographers and fashion historians, especially those who have looked at the clothing and accessories preserved by Victoria herself and now in the Royal Trust Collection, the London Museum and so on, we read her own accounts (or Princess Beatrice's construction of her mother in her revision of her journals her as well as Esher's books about her based on the journals before Beatrice revised them), and we read accounts of her public appearances in contemporary periodicals, especially newspapers that employed reporters knowledgeable about fashion and dressmaking as well as those more focused on news and, perhaps, a male readership. These sources represent different versions of Victoria and her subjects, a complexity that was already occurring in Victoria's lifetime, that looks to have been deliberate and that was, I argue, very useful to her. These different versions of Victoria and different audiences lead to different readings of her senses of style as they evolved over time and what they might be signaling. The journals and many of the photographs existed in what we might call Victoria's private sphere, by which we mean in the presence of some aristocrats (who worked in government, who attended her and who were ministers), of people who were employed as servants and of her family, which was quite extensive and whose edges were porous, especially toward the end of the century and the end of her life, as well as the small number of people she &quot;adopted&quot; like Duleep Singh and XX [African girl]. The preservation of Victoria's clothing belongs to this &quot;private sphere,&quot; although much of it was worn during public or official events like her coronation or wedding; some, though, like the chemise she wore for the birth of all of her children, was more or less but not completely private, and the &quot;memorializing&quot; (Worsley) of herself entailed in this preservation was done in her role as monarch. The paintings and newspaper accounts depict the public Victoria, and from this distance Victoria looked plain — even dowdy — and clearly unaristocratic: she looks like a middle-class or upper-middle-class widow, the Widow of Windsor. Up close, though, we see complex and sophisticated dresses and dressing. Albert had tastes and preferences for how he wanted her to look, some of which were about looking familiar to the growing middle classes, and after he died and she very deliberately turned her widow's weeds into a uniform, the bifurcation between what she looked like from a distance and to the public and what she looked like up close and to those in her private circles gets clearer. Looking at her as monarch and daughter, wife, mother and grandmother through the lens of her clothing reopens some questions that up to now have seemed settled. Focusing on Victoria's clothes and sense of style causes us to see some uncontroversial and &quot;well-understood&quot; summaries of her and her reign differently: her periods of seclusion, such as they were, and her absences from governmental and state occasions; the loss of power for the monarchy as well as the survival of the constitutional monarchy when almost every other monarchy in Europe was falling; the ways she managed her relationships with the aristocracy, the middle classes, the press; her mood and mental health (the regal, disinterested face, which isn't really gloomy the way it is usually described); the white wedding dress and her influence in the wedding dresses of her daughters and Alex; Albert's nature; the size and shape of her body.
* Many of the newspaper reports of her dress are in descriptions of events involving aristocrats and oligarchs at official social events like garden parties, state balls and, of course, processions, especially for her Golden and Diamond Jubilees. The reports in the news-reporting papers, not the ladies' papers or papers with a lot of fashion reporting, seem to have been written by reporters who did not know how to describe sophisticated clothing, fabrics, trim and techniques; they do not use the technical vocabulary required to report on fashion, or if they attempt it, they end up being confusing. Often, these news reports list only the names of those invited. Garden parties might have as many as 6000 invitées listed; the most said about the queen would list who was attending. Occasionally, we hear a very general description of what she wore and perhaps if she did or did not seem to have difficulty walking, but the reporters seem to have been at a distance and may not know the names of fabrics or dressmaking techniques.
* The reports in the newspapers vs reports written by fashion specialists in women's newspapers (and magazines?).
* Both Oscar Wilde and Jack the Ripper are understood in the context of their &quot;management&quot; (or not) of the media, but Victoria's sense of her identity as a celebrity and public person was at least as sophisticated as theirs. She &quot;memorialized&quot; herself and important moments in her life in her extremely prolific use of photographs as well as painted and drawn images; in her keeping rooms in the palaces frozen in time; in her X millions words recorded in her journals; and in her clothing, both for formal as well as more candid images (Worsley). Her awareness of her responsibility to memorialize herself had to have included the newspapers as well. Politically, her absence from politics after Alfred's death until 1871, when she wore the Small Diamond Crown to open Parliament for the first time, was notable and noted, but a carte de visite with her portrait on it sold X million copies (Worsley) and kept her present in the mind of the citizenry at the same time that she was being criticized for her political absence in the newspapers and among her ministers and the members of Parliament, some of whom questioned the value of an absent monarch. Lytton Strachey says that monarchs up to Victoria's time did not attempt to be fashionable or belong to the fashionable &quot;set,&quot; except, tellingly, George IV. But Victoria's fashion choices occurred in a content different from that of George IV, both politically and journalistically. Especially as Albert's influence waned and Bertie's own social identity developed, the direction of Victoria's sartorial gestures was to the middle classes, especially the upper middle classes, but not the aristocracy, not the fashionable world of haute couture, like, for instance, what the House of Worth might provide. In this 1881 image by Frith, in fact, we see the two main streams of fashion in the economic and cultural elite, but this is not Victoria.
* Alex and her sister Dagmar (who became the mother of Czar Nicolas II) were raised to make their own clothing (their father was not wealthy), so Alex knew a lot about building dresses, already had a wedding dress when she arrived in England but didn't wear it.
* Although she was widely criticized for her absence at state occasions in the press, Parliament and among her ministers, her widely circulated photographic portraits and her books — memoirs mostly of her family life with Albert and their children, her love of Scotland and Balmoral, and later the biographical works she asked and then helped courtiers close to her to write — she was present for the mass of her subjects who bought cartes de visite and read books.
* Worsley says some of her always wearing mourning was to arrange the world so she was treated more gently, with a dispensation; there were other benefits to the &quot;uniform&quot; she developed, but this one suggests she saw herself as marginal and weakened by grief.
* The newspapers described her clothing, but by the end of her life never the way the clothing of women (and occasionally men) wearing haute couture was described? Does the close-up/far-away thing pertain here?

==== '''MVSA: Due 5 January''' (email 4 December, from Laura Fiss) ====
The Underground: Prohibition, Abolition, Expression,  '''April 10-12, 2026''', hosted by Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio

Style and Sensibility: Victoria, Eugénie, Elisabeth and Mary Todd and Their Dressmakers (383 words)

Looking at Queen Victoria's sartorial sense of style troubles some conclusions we have reached about her, her reign, her &quot;private&quot; life and her body. Her style became strongly individuated and intentionally symbolic. The &quot;uniform&quot; worn by the Widow of Windsor — that all-black dress with the touches of white at her neckline and cuffs — made her instantly recognizable, even in a crowd and from a distance, and allied her with the middle class rather than the aristocracy. Up close (in the hundreds of personal photographs, her journals, and the clothing she saved) is a sophisticated and nuanced sense of style and self.

Putting Victoria's use of dress (and jewelry) in the context of a social network of political women that includes Empress Eugénie of France, Elisabeth of Bavaria, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, and Mary Todd Lincoln removes her from the usual social isolation scholarly scrutiny gives her, emphasizing what clothing did for her, although few biographies and histories see Victoria in this way.

These women knew each other, wrote to each other and had friends in common. They thought about what message their clothing choices sent and made those choices in the context of community, not only of who saw them but also each other and the modistes and couturiers who dressed them. Victoria patronized establishments with shops in London, Paris and New York, and a complex staff made what she wore, dressed her in it and looked after it. Both Eugénie and Elisabeth were clients of the British Frederick Worth of Paris. Lincoln's modiste was the brilliant, elegant, formerly enslaved Elizabeth Keckley, who had also — with her 20-seamstress staff — dressed Mrs. Robert E. Lee, Mrs. Stephen Douglas, Mrs. Jefferson Davis, and the daughter of General Sumner. Mary Anna Lee's dress was for a dinner in honor of the Prince of Wales in 1860. (Keckley introduced Abraham Lincoln to Sojourner Truth, but she also cut his hair and made his dressing gown.)

The class alliances these women's dress signaled had implications for their lives and their reigns. Designed to work from a distance, Queen Victoria’s identity as the Widow of Windsor in her barely relieved black was a valuable construction. Face to face and in the personal photographs, the complexities of the dresses are as fine as the eye can see.

They all wore white wedding gowns (unexpected for monarchs at this time).

Family relations and threats and instability for the monarchies in Europe kept QV in touch with fashion in Europe. Not so much underground or rebellious or revolutionary as crosswise. In some ways, QV's style of dress was '''covert''', looking subtly rich and stylish up close but plain and dowdy from a distance: the Widow of Windsor. Speaking to different groups of her subjects differently, a polyvocal style.

QV chose not to do haute courture. She adopted the cage 1858, for example, well after Eugénie and Elisabeth of Austria, and vest and suit coat in the 1890s?, but she's not wearing the vest and suit coat the way Alexandra is, it's not the up-to-the-minute silhouette, but some of the element are.

Queen Victoria helped the two European monarchs with difficult and dangerous moments, sometimes contributing to saving their lives, sometimes directly and sometimes through friends. 

Her relationships with Eugénie, Empress of France; Elisabeth of Austria, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire and Mary Todd Lincoln are based on shared understanding of themselves as public female leaders.

Mary Todd Lincoln's wedding skirt: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1314628790709593&amp;set=pcb.1314628920709580, closeup: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1314628800709592&amp;set=pcb.1314628920709580; in museum case: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1314628814042924&amp;set=pcb.1314628920709580

Turney, Thomas J. &quot;'Lincoln: A Life and Legacy' Opens at Presidential Museum in Springfield.&quot; ''The State Journal Register'' 30 September 2025 https://www.sj-r.com/picture-gallery/news/2025/09/30/new-lincoln-exhibit-opens-at-presidential-museum-in-springfield/86353769007/.

== Self-Memorializing ==
The term is really Lucy Worsley's, QV memorialising herself, but because QV deliberately saved so much, other biographers noticed it as well. A. N. Wilson says,&lt;blockquote&gt;In a recent study, Yvonne M. Ward calculated that Victoria wrote as many as 60 million words.&lt;sup&gt;6&lt;/sup&gt; (6 &quot;Yvonne M. Ward, ''Censoring Queen Victoria'', p. 9.&quot;) Giles St Aubyn, in his biography of the Queen, said that had she been a novelist, her outpouring of written words would have equalled 700 volumes.&lt;sup&gt;7&lt;/sup&gt; (7 &quot;Giles St Aubyn, ''Queen Victoria: A Portrait'', p. 601.&quot;) Her diaries were those of a compulsive recorder, and she sometimes would write as many as 2,500 words of her journal in one day.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (33 of 1204. nn. 6, 7, p. 1057)&lt;/blockquote&gt;If an average Victorian novel is 150,000 words, then Victoria's &quot;outpouring&quot; would equal about 400 volumes, not 700.
* Queen Victoria's journals
* Her personal letters
* Her official letters and memoranda
* Saved clothing and accessories
* Portraits and photographs
* Anniversaries and important dates
* Preserved rooms, including all the stuff she collected over the years and the policy of keeping it in exactly the same place, recorded by photographs and albums
* Works and memoirs, both commanded and self-written
*# 1862: Sir Arthur Helps, &quot;a collection of [Prince Albert's] speeches and addresses&quot; &lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (363 of 555), a &quot;weighty tome.&quot; (364 of 505)
*# 1866: General Grey, &quot;an account of the Prince’s early years﻿ — from his birth to his marriage; she herself laid down the design of the book, contributed a number of confidential documents, and added numerous notes.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (364 of 505)
*# 1868: QV published her ''Leaves from the Journal of Our Life in the Highlands from 1848 to 1861''.&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;
*# 1874–1880: Theodore Martin, it took him 14 years to write an Albert's biography, the 1st volume came out in 1874, the last 1880. He got a knighthood, but the books were not popular, the image of Albert was not popular, too idealized and beatified.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (364 of 505)
*# Poet Laureate
*# 1884: QV published her ''More Leaves from the Journal of Our Life in the Highlands from 1862 to 1882''.&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;

=== Preserved Rooms and Possessions ===
Strachey says,&lt;blockquote&gt;She gave orders that nothing should be thrown away﻿ — and nothing was. There, in drawer after drawer, in wardrobe after wardrobe, reposed the dresses of seventy years. But not only the dresses﻿ — the furs and the mantles and subsidiary frills and the muffs and the parasols and the bonnets﻿ — all were ranged in chronological order, dated and complete. A great cupboard was devoted to the dolls; in the china room at Windsor a special table held the mugs of her childhood, and her children’s mugs as well. Mementoes of the past surrounded her in serried accumulations. In every room the tables were powdered thick with the photographs of relatives; their portraits, revealing them at all ages, covered the walls; their figures, in solid marble, rose up from pedestals, or gleamed from brackets in the form of gold and silver statuettes. The dead, in every shape﻿ — in miniatures, in porcelain, in enormous life-size oil-paintings﻿ — were perpetually about her. John Brown stood upon her writing-table in solid [460–461] gold. Her favourite horses and dogs, endowed with a new durability, crowded round her footsteps. Sharp, in silver gilt, dominated the dinner table; Boy and Boz lay together among unfading flowers, in bronze. And it was not enough that each particle of the past should be given the stability of metal or of marble: the whole collection, in its arrangement, no less than its entity, should be immutably fixed. There might be additions, but there might never be alterations. No chintz might change, no carpet, no curtain, be replaced by another; or, if long use at last made it necessary, the stuffs and the patterns must be so identically reproduced that the keenest eye might not detect the difference. No new picture could be hung upon the walls at Windsor, for those already there had been put in their places by Albert, whose decisions were eternal. So, indeed, were Victoria’s. To ensure that they should be the aid of the camera was called in. Every single article in the Queen’s possession was photographed from several points of view. These photographs were submitted to Her Majesty, and when, after careful inspection, she [461–462] had approved of them, they were placed in a series of albums, richly bound. Then, opposite each photograph, an entry was made, indicating the number of the article, the number of the room in which it was kept, its exact position in the room and all its principal characteristics. The fate of every object which had undergone this process was henceforth irrevocably sealed. The whole multitude, once and for all, took up its steadfast station. And Victoria, with a gigantic volume or two of the endless catalogue always beside her, to look through, to ponder upon, to expatiate over, could feel, with a double contentment, that the transitoriness of this world had been arrested by the amplitude of her might.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (460–462 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Demographics ==
*Nationality: English
=== Residences ===
== Questions and Notes ==
#

== Bibliography ==

# Anon. &quot;One of Her Majesty's Servants,&quot; the Private Life of Queen Victoria. London, 1897, 1901.
# Fawcett, Millicent Garrett. ''Life of Her Majesty Queen Victoria''. Roberts Bros., 1895. WikiSource copy: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Index:Life_of_Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(IA_lifeofhermajesty01fawc).pdf.
# Homans, Margaret. &quot;'To the Queen's Private Apartments': Royal Family Portraiture and the Construction of Victoria's Sovereign Obedience.&quot; ''Victorian Studies'' vol. 37, no. 1 (1993) pp. 1–41.
# Homans, Margaret. 1998.
# Mitchell, Rebecca Nicole, editor. ''Fashioning the Victorians: A Critical Sourcebook''. Bloomsbury visual arts, 2018. OCLC # [https://search.worldcat.org/title/1085349620 1085349620] .
# Staniland, Kay. ''In Royal Fashion: The Clothes of Princess Charlotte of Wales and Queen Victoria 1796-1901''. London, 1997.
# Staniland, Kay, and Santina M. Levey. ''Queen Victoria's Wedding Dress and Lace''. Museum of London, 1983?. OCLC # [https://search.worldcat.org/title/473453762 473453762] . [Repr. from ''Costume, The Journal of the Costume Society'' (17:1983), pp. 1–32.]
# Wackerl, Luise. ''Royal Style: A History of Aristocratic Fashion Icons.'' Peribo, 2012. [T.C. Magrath Library: Quarto GT1754 .W33 2012]

== References ==
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      <text bytes="234981" sha1="2zogk0wbwwh41ydby2uzibk3edqmku6" xml:space="preserve">== Overview ==
According to the Museum of London, Queen Victoria was 4'8&quot; by the end of her life.&lt;ref&gt;Austin, Emily. &quot;Mounting Queen Victoria's mourning dress.&quot; 13 August 2020 ''London Museum''. [https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/blog/mounting-queen-victorias-mourning-dress/#:~:text=Comprising%20a%20bodice%20and%20skirt,a%20certain%20stage%20of%20mourning. https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/blog/mounting-queen-victorias-mourning-dress/#:~:text=Comprising%20a%20bodice%20and%20skirt,a%20certain%20stage%20of%20mourning.] Retrieved 2026-03-09.&lt;/ref&gt; Most people say she was about 5 feet tall at her tallest, although sometimes some will say 5'2&quot;.

Lytton Strachey describes the shrinking of Queen Victoria's power over the course of her reign, attributing it to her inability to think clearly about the constitution or constitutional monarchy:&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria’s comprehension of the spirit of her age has been constantly asserted. It was for long the custom for courtly historians and polite politicians to compliment the Queen upon the correctness of her attitude towards the Constitution. But such praises seem hardly to be justified by the facts. ... The complex and delicate principles of the Constitution cannot be said to have come within the compass of her mental faculties; and in the actual developments which it underwent during her reign she [472–473] played a passive part. From 1840 to 1861 the power of the Crown steadily increased in England; from 1861 to 1901 it steadily declined. The first process was due to the influence of the Prince Consort, the second to that of a series of great Ministers. During the first Victoria was in effect a mere accessory; during the second the threads of power, which Albert had so laboriously collected, inevitably fell from her hands into the vigorous grasp of Mr. Gladstone, Lord Beaconsfield, and Lord Salisbury. Perhaps, absorbed as she was in routine, and difficult as she found it to distinguish at all clearly between the trivial and the essential, she was only dimly aware of what was happening. Yet, at the end of her reign, the Crown was weaker than at any other time in English history. Paradoxically enough, Victoria received the highest eulogiums for assenting to a political evolution, which, had she completely realised its import, would have filled her with supreme displeasure.

Nevertheless it must not be supposed that she was a second George III. Her desire to impose her will, vehement as it was, and unlimited by [473–474] any principle, was yet checked by a certain shrewdness.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot;&gt;Strachey, Lytton. ''Queen Victoria''. Standard Ebooks, 2025 (2020). [http://standardebooks.org/ebooks/lytton-strachey/queen-victoria standardebooks.org/ebooks/lytton-strachey/queen-victoria]. Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/queen-victoria/id6444770015.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|472–474 of 555}}
&lt;/blockquote&gt;

The American writer Henry James on Queen Victoria's death:&lt;blockquote&gt;the ensuing mood [was] &quot;strange and indescribable&quot;: people spoke in whispers, as though scared of something. He was surprised at the reaction, because her death was not sudden or unusual: it was &quot;a simple running down of the old used up watch,&quot; the death of an old widow who had thrown &quot;her good fat weight into the scales of general decency.&quot; Yet in the following days, the American-born writer felt unexpectedly distressed. He, like so many, mourned the &quot;safe and motherly old middle-class Queen, who held the nation warm under the fold of her big, hideous Scotch-plaid shawl.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|846 of 1203}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

According to A. N. Wilson, Queen Victoria's reputation for prudishness is not quite deserved. The &quot;raffishness&quot; of George IV, for example, or most of the other children of George III, was distasteful, but&lt;blockquote&gt;Having been brought up by a [324–325] widow was different from being brought up, as Albert was, in a home broken by adultery; so her distaste for raffishness, though she would loyally echo her husband’s strong moral line, lacked the pathological edge which it possessed in his case.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|324–325 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

And Wilson says of her enduring liking for the &quot;poor relation&quot; cousin George Cambridge, 2nd Duke of Cambridge,&lt;blockquote&gt;Although all her biographers stress Victoria’s need, in marrying the virtuous Prince Albert, to escape the dissipations and clumsiness of her ‘wicked uncles’, there was always a distinctly Hanoverian side to her. George Cambridge was a throwback to the world of William IV and George IV, to a lack of stiffness and a lack of side which was always part of Victoria’s character also.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|879 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

Wilson says of the distance between the actual woman and the external perception of her,&lt;blockquote&gt;Arthur C. Benson and the 1st Viscount Esher, both homosexual men of a certain limited outlook determined by their class and disposition, were the pair entrusted with the task of editing the earliest published letters. It is a magnificent achievement, but they chose to concentrate on Victoria’s public life, omitting the thousands of letters she wrote relating to health, to children, to sex and marriage, to feelings and the ‘inner woman’. It perhaps comforted them, and others who revered the memory of the Victorian era, to place a posthumous gag on Victoria’s emotions. The extreme paradox arose that one of the most passionate, expressive, humorous and unconventional women who ever lived was paraded before the public as a [39–40] stiff, pompous little person, the ‘figurehead’ to an all-male imperial enterprise.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|39–40 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

Besides what some say was a German accent, Queen Victoria spoke in what A. N. Wilson calls&lt;blockquote&gt;an unreformed Regency English. In Osborne, on Christmas Day 1891, she asked Sir Henry Ponsonby, 'Why the blazes don't Mr Macdonnell telegraph hear the results of the election? He used to do so and now he don’t.' ... If William IV had lived in the age of the telegraph, it is just the sort of question, with 'don't' for 'doesn't', and the blunt 'why the blazes' which he would have asked. One sees here [857–858] how much she had in common with her cousin the Duke of Cambridge, who likewise appeared in many ways to be a pre-Victorian. During a drought, he went to church and the parson prayed for rain. The duke involuntarily exclaimed, 'Oh God! My dear man, how can you expect rain with wind in the east?' When the chaplain, later in the service, said, 'Let us pray,' the duke replied, 'By all means.'&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|857–858 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Also Known As ==
*Victoria Regina
*Family name: Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
*Nickname, as a child: Drina
*Alexandrina Victoria

== Family ==
*Victoria — Alexandrina Victoria (24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901)&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;
*Albert, Prince Consort — Franz August Karl Albert Emanuel (26 August 1819 – 14 December 1861)&lt;ref name=&quot;:2&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-04|title=Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prince_Albert_of_Saxe-Coburg_and_Gotha&amp;oldid=1315065374|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa, &quot;Vicky,&quot; German Empress, Empress Frederick (21 November 1840 – 5 August 1901)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-08|title=Victoria, Princess Royal|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Victoria,_Princess_Royal&amp;oldid=1315724049|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Albert Edward, Prince of Wales | Albert Edward, &quot;Teddy,&quot; King Edward VII]] (4 November 1841 – 6 May 1910)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-23|title=Edward VII|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edward_VII&amp;oldid=1318322588|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Princess Alice | Alice Maud Mary, Princess Alice]], Grand Duchess of Hesse (25 April 1843 – 14 December 1878)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-02|title=Princess Alice of the United Kingdom|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Alice_of_the_United_Kingdom&amp;oldid=1314683419|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Alfred of Edinburgh | Alfred Ernest Albert, &quot;Affie&quot;]]: Duke of Edinburgh — (6 August 1844 – 30 July 1900),&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-20|title=Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alfred,_Duke_of_Saxe-Coburg_and_Gotha&amp;oldid=1317824547|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Duke of Saxe-Coburg (24 May 1866 – 30 July 1900) and Gotha (2 August 1893 – 30 July 1900)
#[[Social Victorians/People/Christian of Schleswig-Holstein | Helena Augusta Victoria, &quot;Lenchen,&quot;]] Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (25 May 1846 – 9 June 1923)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-26|title=Princess Helena of the United Kingdom|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Helena_of_the_United_Kingdom&amp;oldid=1318943746|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Princess Louise | Louise Caroline Alberta, Princess Louise]], Marchioness of Lorne, [[Social Victorians/People/Argyll | Duchess of Argyle]] (18 March 1848 – 3 December 1939)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-09-25|title=Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Louise,_Duchess_of_Argyll&amp;oldid=1313272998|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Connaught | Arthur William Patrick Albert]], Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (1 May 1850 – 16 January 1942)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-03|title=Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prince_Arthur,_Duke_of_Connaught_and_Strathearn&amp;oldid=1314802923|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Leopold | Leopold George Duncan Albert]], Duke of Albany (7 April 1853 – 28 March 1884)&lt;ref name=&quot;:1&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-19|title=Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prince_Leopold,_Duke_of_Albany&amp;oldid=1317724959|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#Beatrice Mary Victoria Feodore, Princess Henry of Battenberg (14 April 1857 – 26 October 1944)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-21|title=Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Beatrice_of_the_United_Kingdom&amp;oldid=1318045123|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

=== &quot;Adopted&quot; Godchildren ===

# Victoria Gouramma, of Coorg (c. 1841–), brought to London in 1852 at 11, QV stood as godmother 1 July 1852.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (346 of 1204)
# Maharajah Duleep Singh, the Lion of the Punjab, presented to QV in July 1854.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (350 of 1204)

=== Relations ===

== Acquaintances, Friends and Enemies ==
=== Acquaintances ===
=== Friends ===

* Lord Melbourne — Henry William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (15 March 1779 – 24 November 1848)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-09-25|title=William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Lamb,_2nd_Viscount_Melbourne&amp;oldid=1313293647|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-09|title=Benjamin Disraeli|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Benjamin_Disraeli&amp;oldid=1315865798|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* Harriet, Duchess of Sutherland, [[Social Victorians/Victoria/Queen's Household#Mistress of the Robes|Mistress of the Robes]] 1837 and 1861, very close friend.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-03-13|title=Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harriet_Sutherland-Leveson-Gower,_Duchess_of_Sutherland&amp;oldid=1343226719|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; The Duchess of Sutherland was an abolitionist, personally criticized by Karl Marx for her mother's clearing of the Sutherland lands for sheep grazing.
* Anne Murray, Duchess of Atholl, [[Social Victorians/Victoria/Queen's Household#Mistress of the Robes|Mistress of the Robes]] 1852–1853 and then Lady of the Bedchamber until 1892, when she and the Duchess of Roxburghe shared the duties of the Mistress of the Robes, among her closest of friends&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-25|title=Anne Murray, Duchess of Atholl|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anne_Murray,_Duchess_of_Atholl&amp;oldid=1334678470|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* [[Social Victorians/People/Sophie of Wurttemberg|Sophie of Württemberg, Queen of the Netherlands]] (17 June 1818 – 3 June 1877)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-02|title=Sophie of Württemberg|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sophie_of_W%C3%BCrttemberg&amp;oldid=1325386567|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

*[[Social Victorians/People/Mary Todd Lincoln|Mary Todd Lincoln]] (December 13, 1818 – July 16, 1882)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-08|title=Mary Todd Lincoln|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Todd_Lincoln&amp;oldid=1331838569|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
*[[Social Victorians/People/Eugenie of France|Empress Eugénie of France]] (5 May 1826 – 11 July 1920)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-11-18|title=Eugénie de Montijo|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eug%C3%A9nie_de_Montijo&amp;oldid=1322973534|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* [[Social Victorians/People/Elisabeth of Austria|Empress Elisabeth of Austria]] (24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-09|title=Empress Elisabeth of Austria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Empress_Elisabeth_of_Austria&amp;oldid=1332040784|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* &quot;Lady Augusta Bruce, lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria’s mother, and already [by 1853] a great friend of the Queen’s, attended [Eugénie and Napoleon's] wedding at Notre-Dame&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot;&gt;Wilson, A. N. ''Victoria: A Life''. Penguin, 2014. Apple Books:  https://books.apple.com/us/book/victoria/id828766078.&lt;/ref&gt; (325 of 1204)

=== Enemies ===

== Organizations ==
[[Social Victorians/Victoria/Queen's Household|Queen's Household]]

== Pastimes ==
* [[Social Victorians/Royals Amateur Theatricals | Amateur Theatricals with the Royal Family]], often at Balmoral or Osborne

== Timeline ==
This Timeline includes both a list of signal events in Queen Victoria's social life and a separate [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Her Dresses|chronological list of the dresses]] as they appear in her painted and photographed portraits. Information about what she wore at particular events might be in both places.

'''1835''', Rosie Harte in ''The Royal Wardrobe'' says,&lt;blockquote&gt;In 1835, Victoria first met the French Princess Louise, who had recently married her uncle Leopold and whose continental wardrobe fascinated the young Princess. Victoria’s addiction to French wares began with little gifts and accessories, before eventually Louise was supplying her with full outfits of pastel-toned silk dresses and matching bonnets, which Victoria swooned over in her diary: ‘They are quite lovely. They are so well made and so very elegant.’&lt;sup&gt;18&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;sup&gt;&quot;18 RA VIC/MAIN/QVJ (W) 17 September 1836.&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;ref&gt;Harte, Rosie. ''The Royal Wardrobe: Peek into the Wardrobes of History's Most Fashionable Royals''. &lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|270 of 595}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1836 May 18''', Victoria and Albert met for the first time. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;On this particular day that Albert first set eyes upon her, there’s also cause to suspect that we can identify the very gown Victoria was wearing. The reason is that she was a great hoarder of the clothes worn on significant occasions, and the Royal Collection today still contains a high-waisted, dark-coloured, tartan velvet dress. With short puffed sleeves worn just off the shoulder, its style dates it to exactly the right period.&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;21 Staniland (1997) p. 92&quot;}} [new paragraph] The tartan was important, for despite the fact she had never been there Victoria had fallen passionately in love with the country of [129–130] Scotland. This had happened four months previously when she’d devoured Sir Walter Scott’s ''The Bride of Lammermoor''. In it, a fearsome Scottish lord feasts upon the human flesh of his tenants, shocking observers when he throws back ‘the tartan plaid with which he had screened his grim and ferocious visage’.&lt;sup&gt;22&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;22 Scott (1819; 1858 edition) p. 368&quot;}} ‘Oh!’ Victoria panted in her journal, ‘Walter Scott is my beau ideal of a Poet; I do so admire him both in Poetry and Prose!’&lt;sup&gt;23&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;23 RA QVJ/1836: 1 November&quot;}} ‘Grim and ferocious’ does not sound like a particularly winsome look. Yet Victoria, at odds with the authority figures in her life, wanted to demonstrate independence and maturity through her dark, tartan gown. Casting aside the white or pink muslin dresses that had previously dominated her wardrobe, she was going through a phase and adopting a look that in our own times we might call goth.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot;&gt;Worsley, Lucy. ''Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life''. St. Martin's Press, Hodder &amp; Stoughton, 2018.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|129–130 of 786; nn. 21, 22, 23, p. 653}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1837 June 20''', Victoria acceded to the throne.&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-09-28|title=Queen Victoria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Queen_Victoria&amp;oldid=1313837777|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; She put on a white dressing gown to hear the news, and then she changed to a black dress, because she was in mourning for the death of William IV, to begin her work. Worsley says that in spite of contemporary reports, Victoria did not cry:&lt;blockquote&gt;'The Queen was not overwhelmed,’ Victoria [later] claimed, and was ‘rather full of courage, she may say. She took things as they came, as she knew they must be.’&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;28 Theodore Martin, Queen Victoria as I Knew Her, London (1901) p. 65&quot;}} [new paragraph] Even her grief for her uncle had to be kept measured. ‘Poor old man,’ she thought, ‘I feel sorry for him, he was always personally kind to me.’&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;29 RA VIC/MAIN/QVLB/19 June 1837&quot;}} Yet there was no time to mourn. Victoria quickly returned to her maid’s room to be dressed. She already had a black mourning gown just waiting to be put on. Still remaining at Kensington Palace to this day, this dress is a tiny garment, with an extraordinarily small waist and cuffs. With it, she wore a white collar and, as usual, ‘her light hair’ was ‘simply parted over the forehead’.&lt;sup&gt;30&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;30 Anon., The Annual Register and Chronicle for the Year 1837, London (1838) p. 65&quot;}} Her girlish appearance explains quite a lot of the indulgence and romance with which her reign was greeted. It also meant that she would consistently be underestimated.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|148 of 786; nn. 28, 29, 30, p. 656}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1838 June 28, Victoria's Coronation'''. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;For her journey to Westminster Abbey, Victoria was wearing red robes over a stiff white satin dress with gold embroidery. She had a ‘circlet of splendid diamonds’ on her head. Her long crimson velvet cloak, with its gold lace and ermine, flowed out so far behind her little figure that it became a ‘very ponderous appendage’.&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;2 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 82&quot;}} Harriet, the beautiful and statuesque Duchess of Sutherland, Mistress of the Robes, was responsible for Victoria’s appearance. This ‘ponderous’ mantle must have made her anxious, and indeed it would get in the way and cause kerfuffle all day long. The stately duchess rather dwarfed the queen when they stood side by side, and Victoria was slightly jealous of Harriet’s habit of flirting with Melbourne. But she did trust her surer dress sense. Onto [160–161] Victoria’s little feet went flat white satin slippers fastened with ribbons.&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;3 Staniland (1997) p. 114&quot;}}&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|160–161; nn. 2, 3, p. 659}}

Victoria gasped at the sight that met her within. Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, one of the young ladies carrying the queen’s train, noticed that ‘the colour mounted to her cheeks, brow and even neck, and her breath came quickly.’&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;29 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 82&quot;}} ‘Splendid’, Victoria thought the congregation, many of them, like herself, swathed in red velvet, ‘the bank of Peeresses quite beautiful, all in their robes’.&lt;sup&gt;30&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;30 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}} Among a host of impressive outfits, that of the Austrian ambassador was particularly noteworthy. Even the heels of his boots were bejewelled. One lady thought that he looked like he’d ‘been caught out in a rain of diamonds, and had come in dripping!’&lt;sup&gt;31&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;31 Grace Greenwood, ''Queen Victoria, Her Girlhood and Womanhood'', London (1883) p. 117&quot;}}

Victoria was accompanied not only by the young ladies who were to carry her train, but also by the Duchess of Sutherland as Mistress of the Robes, who ‘walked, or rather stalked up the Abbey like Juno; she was full of her situation.’&lt;sup&gt;32&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;32 Ralph Disraeli, ed., ''Lord Beaconsfield’s Correspondence with His Sister'', London (1886 edition) p. 109&quot;}} Throughout the whole ceremony the Bishop of Durham stood near to the queen, supposedly to guide her through the ritual. But he proved to be hopelessly unreliable. The unfortunate bishop ‘never could tell me’, Victoria recorded later, [169–170] what was to take place’. At one point, he was supposed to hand her the orb, but when he noticed that she had already got it, he was left, once again, ‘so confused and puzzled’.&lt;sup&gt;33&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;33 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}}

Another hindrance came in the form of the trainbearers’ dresses. Their ‘little trains were serious annoyances’, wrote one of their number, ‘for it was impossible to avoid treading upon them … there certainly should have been some previous rehearsing, for we carried the Queen’s train very jerkily and badly, never keeping step properly’.&lt;sup&gt;34&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;34 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 82&quot;}} It was the Duchess of Richmond, not the stylish Sutherland, who had signed off the design of the bearers’ dresses, and she found herself ‘much condemned by some of the young ladies for it’. But the Duchess of Richmond had decreed that she would ‘have no discussion with their Mammas’ about what they were to wear. An executive decision was the only way to get the design agreed.&lt;sup&gt;35&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;35 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|169–170 of 786; nn. 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, p. 660–661}}

[After the peers swore homage] it was now time for a change of dress, to mark the beginning of Victoria’s transformation from girl to sovereign. Retreating to a special robing room, she took off her crimson cloak and put on ‘a singular sort of little gown of linen trimmed with lace’. This white dress represented her purified, prepared state.

When she re-entered the abbey, she did so bare-headed. ... Then at last came the very moment of ‘the Crown being placed on my head – which was, I must own, a most beautiful impressive moment; all the Peers and Peeresses put on their Coronets at the same instant.’&lt;sup&gt;41&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;41 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}} The sound of this moment of the lifting of the coronets had been heard at coronations going back to the Middle Ages, and was once exquisitely described as ‘a sort of feathered, silken thunder’.&lt;sup&gt;42&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;42 Benjamin Robert Haydon, ''The Diary of Benjamin Robert Haydon'', Cambridge, MA (1960) p. 350&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|172 of 786; nn. 41, 42, p. 661}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

Her coronation robes were &quot;specially woven in the Spitalfields silk-weaving area of London,&quot; like her wedding dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot;&gt;Goldthorpe, Caroline. ''From Queen to Empress: Victorian Dress 1837–1877''. An Exhibition at The Costume Institute 15 December 1988 – 16 April 1989. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1988. ''Google Books'': https://www.google.com/books/edition/From_Queen_to_Empress/UJLxwwrVEyoC.&lt;/ref&gt; (15)

'''1840 February 10''', Victoria and Albert married at the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-07-11|title=Wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wedding_of_Queen_Victoria_and_Prince_Albert&amp;oldid=1300012890|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;She had her hair dressed in loops upon her cheeks, and a ‘wreath of orange flowers put on.’ Her dress was ‘a white satin gown, with a very deep flounce of Honiton lace, imitation of old’.&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|1=&quot;21 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February [QVJ = Queen Victoria's Journals]&quot;}}

This simple cream gown of Victoria’s was a dress that launched a million subsequent white weddings. She broke with monarchical [238–239] convention by rejecting royal robes in favour of a plain dress, with just a little train from the waist at the back to make it appropriate for court wear.&lt;sup&gt;22&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;22 Staniland (1997) p. 118&quot;}} It was a signal that on this day she wasn’t Her Majesty the Queen, but an ordinary woman. She wore imitation orange blossom [sic] in her hair in place of the expected circlet of diamonds. She’d had the lace for the dress created by her mother’s favoured lacemakers of Honiton, in Devon, as opposed to the better-known artisans of Brussels. A royal commission like this was a welcome boost – then as now – to British industry.&lt;sup&gt;23&lt;/sup&gt; &quot;{{rp|23 Ibid., p. 120&quot;}} This piece of lace would become totemic for Victoria. She would preserve it, treasure it and indeed wear it until the end of her life.

Victoria had personally designed the dresses of her bridesmaids, giving a sketch to her Mistress of the Robes, still Harriet, Duchess of Sutherland.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|238–239 of 786; nn. 21, 22, 23, p. 674}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;The Royal Collection has that sketch.&lt;blockquote&gt;The bridesmaids wore white roses around their heads, with further blooms pinned to the tulle overskirts of their dresses. Victoria’s opinion was that they ‘had a beautiful effect’, but others disagreed.&lt;sup&gt;36&lt;/sup&gt; [36 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February] Used to seeing golden tassels, velvet robes and colourful jewels at royal ceremonies, onlookers thought that the trainbearers ‘looked like village girls’.&lt;sup&gt;37&lt;/sup&gt; &quot;37 Wyndham, ed. (1912) p. 297&quot; &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|243–244 of 786; nn. 36, 37, p. 674}}&lt;p&gt;

At the coronation her train had been too long to handle, but now there was the opposite problem. The long back part of Victoria’s white satin skirt, trimmed with orange blossom, was ‘rather too short for the number of young ladies who carried it’ and they ended up ‘kicking each other’s heels and treading on each other’s gowns’.&lt;sup&gt;50&lt;/sup&gt; [50 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 112]&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|246 of 786; n. 50, p. 675}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;Then [after the ceremony] she went to change, putting on ‘a white [249–250] silk gown trimmed with swansdown’, and a going-away bonnet trimmed with false orange flowers that still survives to this day at Kensington Palace.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|249–250 of 786}} [c. 1855 photograph of QV's 1840 going-away bonnet: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/58/collection/2905582/bonnet-worn-by-queen-victoria-at-her-marriage]

The gown that Victoria wore that evening was possibly the plainer, and very slender, cream silk one surviving in the Royal Collection with a traditional association with her wedding evening. If she did wear it for that first dinner together, then she could hardly have eaten a thing. It laced even tighter than her wedding dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|251 of 786}}

But there would be no ritual undoing by the groom of his bride’s ethereal gown. That, as always, had to be done by Victoria’s dressers. ‘At ½ p.10 I went and undressed and was very sick,’ she says. These women, the bedrock of her life, ever present, ever watchful, must have been with her as she finished retching and went into the bedchamber, where ‘we both went to bed; (of course in one bed), to lie by his side, and in his arms, and on his dear bosom’.&lt;sup&gt;72&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;72 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|252 of 786; n. 72, p. 676}}


The separation between how finely QV was dressed and what it looked like to people, including both the effect of physical distance and the effect of the distance between what people expected a queen to wear and what QV wore. Also, QV's appeal &quot;to the respectable slice of opinion at society’s upper middle&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;'I saw the Queen’s dress at the palace,’ wrote one eager letter-writer, ‘the lace was beautiful, as fine as a cobweb.’ She wore no jewels at all, this person’s account continues, ‘only a bracelet with Prince Albert’s picture’.&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;28 Mundy, ed. (1885) p. 413}} This was in fact [240–241] completely incorrect. Albert had given her a huge sapphire brooch, which she wore along with her ‘Turkish diamond necklace and earrings’.&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;29 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February}} '''It was the beginning of a lifetime trend for Victoria’s clothes to be reported as simpler, plainer, less ostentatious than they really were. The reality was that they were not quite as ostentatious as people expected for a queen.''' This is really what they meant by their descriptions of her clothes as austere, and pleasingly middle-class. In other countries, members of the middle classes would join the working classes on streets and at barricades and bring monarchies tumbling down. '''But in Britain, part of the reason this did not happen is that Victoria, her values and her low-key style appealed with peculiar power to the respectable slice of opinion at society’s upper middle.''' And so, dressed but not overdressed, the unqueenly looking queen was ready for her wedding day to begin.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|240–241; nn. 28, 29; p. 674}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;Her wedding dress was &quot;specially woven in the Spitalfields silk-weaving area of London,&quot; like her coronation robes.&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt;{{rp|15}}&lt;p&gt;

'''1840''', QV's first pregnancy, with Vicky, and a relic petticoat with blood from her first birth:&lt;blockquote&gt;She had left off wearing stays, becoming ‘more like a barrel than anything else’.&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;21 Stratfield Saye MS, quoted in Longford (1966) p. 76&quot;}} Victoria herself, although she felt well, ‘unhappily’ had to admit that she was ‘a great size’.&lt;sup&gt;22&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;22 RA VIC/MAIN/QVLB/10 November 1840&quot;}} '''A fine cotton lawn petticoat from this early married period''', which once had the same dimensions as her wedding dress, shows evidence of having been let out around its high empire waist, quite possibly to accommodate this pregnancy.&lt;sup&gt;23&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;23 In the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection, Historic Royal Palaces.&quot;}} The work was done with tiny stitches as if by the needle of a fairy. There were many hands available in Victoria’s wardrobe department, and indeed no shortage of clothes either. '''This particular petticoat survives because it was given away after becoming soiled with blood.''' She also had an expandable dressing gown for pregnancy, of thin white cotton, with ‘gauging tapes’ to widen the waist as pregnancy progressed.&lt;sup&gt;24&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;Staniland (1997) p. 126&quot;}}&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|262 of 786; nn. 21, 22, 23, 24, p. 678}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1840 November 21''', Victoria went into labor with Vicky.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|255 of 786}} Her dress:&lt;blockquote&gt;Early on in labour, Victoria would have been given a dose of castor oil to empty her bowels, to avoid ‘exceedingly disagreeable’ consequences later. She would have worn her loose dressing gown over a chemise and bedgown ‘folded up smoothly to the waist’ and beneath that, ‘a petticoat’. Stays were absent, despite the common belief among women that wearing them during labour would ‘assist’, by ‘affording support’. The latest medical advice was that this was ‘improper’.&lt;sup&gt;36&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;36 Bull (1837) pp. 130–2&quot;}} The chemise that Victoria was wearing would acquire special lucky significance for her. Nine childbirths later, she’d still insist upon donning the exact same one.&lt;sup&gt;37&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;37 Dennison (2007) p. 2&quot;}}&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|265 of 7886; nn. 36, 37, p. 679}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1843, around''', Albert &quot;cut [Victoria's] dress expenditure down from £5,000 to £2,000 a year&quot; in order to put money away for later.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|299 of 786}}

'''1843 May 19''', QV wrote in her journal that she dressed &quot;all in white and had my wedding veil on, as a shawl,&quot; for Vicky's christening.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|270 of 786; n. 63, p. 681 of 786}}

'''1849''', Duleep Singh &quot;surrendered&quot; the Koh-i-nûr necklace to England.&lt;ref name=&quot;:17&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/406698/queen-victoria-1819-1901|title=Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-73) - Queen Victoria (1819-1901)|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-03-06}}&lt;/ref&gt;

'''1854''', Queen &quot;Victoria's spending on her wardrobe had crept up again, to roughly £6,000 annually, or six times a very good annual income for a professional gentleman.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|311 of 786}}

'''1854''', when QV met Duleep Singh, &quot;the woman the Maharaja saw before him still looked younger than her [310–311] thirty-five years. In the photograph, at least, her hair shines, she hardly looks like a mother of eight and her white dress is demure and girlish.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|310–311}}

'''1855 April 16–''', Empress Eugénie and Napoleon III of France began a 5-day visit to the U.K.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot;&gt;Goldstone, Nancy. ''The Rebel Empresses: Elisabeth of Austria and Eugénie of France, Power and Glamour in the Struggle for Europe''. Little, Brown, 2025.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|276}}

'''1855 August 18–28 or so''', Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, Princess Royal Vicky and Prince of Wales Bertie visited Paris and the Exposition Universelle.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt;{{rp|287}} Caroline Goldthorpe says,&lt;blockquote&gt;For the state entry of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert into Paris in 1855, the Queen wore a dress of white Spitalfields silk, its design representing an English flower garden (figure 2). While in Paris, however, she attended a ball at the Hôtel de Ville, wearing &quot;my diamond diadem with the Koh-i-noor in it, a white net dress, embroidered with gold and (as were all my dresses) very full. It was very much admired by the Emperor and the ladies. The Emperor asked if it was English; I said No, it had been made on purpose in Paris.&quot; In addition / to the ball gown, made in France as a diplomatic gesture, she evidently wore both English and French silks for less public occasions.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (15, 17) [The English-made Spitalfields-silk dress is at tthe Museum of London.]&lt;/blockquote&gt;A. N. Wilson suggests that the sense that Victoria was dowdy is down in part to &quot;the exacting standards of Parisian journalists&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;They went to the opera and displayed the difference between a true-born queen and a parvenue empress. When the national anthems had been played, the Empress looked behind her to make sure that her chair was in place. The Queen of England, confident that the chair would be there, sat down without turning. Mary Bulteel, her Maid of Honour who noticed this detail, was also able to reassure Eugénie’s baffled entourage that the Queen was always ‘badly dressed’. It did not prevent Victoria from being unaffectedly enraptured by Eugénie’s range of gorgeous outfits. Victoria adored the Empress and it was a friendship which lasted for life. ‘Altogether,’ she told her diary, ‘I am delighted to see how much my Albert likes and admires her, as it is so seldom I see him do so with any woman.’&lt;sup&gt;27&lt;/sup&gt; (&quot;27 Quoted Edith Saunders, ''A Distant Summer'', p. 49.&quot;) Perhaps it was so, or perhaps he was being polite. The Queen’s dowdiness and (by the exacting standards of Parisian journalists) poor dress sense were more than outshone by the splendour of her jewels.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (365 of 1204)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1857 August 6–''', Eugénie and Napoleon visit QV again. QV describes how Eugénie is dressed. Wilson says of the admiring precision of QV's descriptions of Eugénie's dresses,
&lt;blockquote&gt;The wistfulness with which Victoria described Eugénie’s outfits whenever the two met is touching. She was the Queen of England and could have afforded the finest couturier; but she was tiny, increasingly rotund, much of the time depressed or petulant. Her homely dress sense reflected a growing dissatisfaction with her appearance: clothes were for swathing a body which was by any ordinary standards a very peculiar shape, not for adorning it or drawing it to people’s attention.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (389 of 1204)&lt;/blockquote&gt;
And maybe she just wasn't very good at style. Evidence from later suggests she had an appreciation for fine fabrics and laces.

'''1858, June''', when Victoria began wearing a crinoline cage. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;She had attended reviews of her troops increasingly often as they came shipping back from Crimea. For the purpose, she often wore the superbly tailored outdoor wear that suited her much better than frou-frou evening gowns. Her self-adopted ‘uniform’ was a scarlet, made-to-measure military-style jacket combined with the skirt of a riding habit. Albert had a matching outfit too, its chest padded out to simulate the muscles that his sedentary lifestyle had failed to give him. [361–362] [new paragraph] Today, though, as she was travelling by carriage, Victoria wore a dark cloak over her now-customary daywear of the crinolined skirt. She’d held out until the end of the 1850s before adopting this novel steel structure to puff out the skirt, which was widely thought to be an ‘indelicate, expensive, hideous and dangerous article’.&lt;sup&gt;19&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;19 ''Punch, Or the London Charivari'' (8 August 1863) p. 59&quot;}} A crinoline, or ‘cage’, could swing the skirts out so unexpectedly that they caught fire, or got stuck in carriage wheels. But the stylish Empress Eugénie, whom Victoria much admired, is said to have popularised the crinoline during an 1855 visit to England. ‘Carter’s Crinoline Saloon’ opened soon afterwards, offering London ladies not only the crinoline but also the new ‘elastic stays … as worn by the Empress of the French’.&lt;sup&gt;20&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;20 “Adburgham (1964) p. 93&quot;}} Victoria nevertheless resisted the fashion until a heatwave three years later made her feel that her customary stiff muslin petticoats were ‘unbearable’. ‘Imagine!’ she wrote, to her married daughter in Germany, ‘since 6 weeks I wear a “Cage”!!! What do you say?’&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;21 RA VIC/ADDU/32, p. 178 (21 July 1858)&quot;}} Having realised how convenient it was, she now only took her crinoline off to go sailing.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|361–362, nn. 19, 20, 21, p. 696}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1861 December 14''', Prince Albert, Prince Consort died.&lt;ref name=&quot;:2&quot; /&gt; According to Julia Baird&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria decreed that the entire court would mourn for an unprecedented official period of two years. (When this ended, her ladies and daughters could discard the black and wear half mourning, which was gray, white, or light purple shades.) Many of her subjects decided to join them in mourning. Her ladies were draped in jet jewelry and crêpe, a thick black rustling material made of silk, crimped to make it look dull.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot;&gt;Baird, Julia. ''Victoria the Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire''. Random House, 2016. Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/victoria-the-queen/id953835024.&lt;/ref&gt; (585 of 1203)&lt;/blockquote&gt;After Albert's death Queen &quot;Victoria never attended or held another public ball.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (592 of 1203)

'''1863 March 10''', Bertie (Albert Edward, Prince of Wales) and Alix (Alexandra) married in St. George's Chapel, Windsor. QV, who sat high up and out of the way, wore widow's weeds,  &quot;the blue sash and star of the Order of the Garter&quot; and (according to Lord Clarendon) &quot;a cap ‘more hideous than any I have yet seen.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|495 of 1204}}

'''1865 April 15''', Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Eugénie's was among the first letters of condolence from a head of state that Mary Todd Lincoln got; Victoria's was dated the day after Eugénie's.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt;{{rp|555 of 909}}

'''1866–1871''', [[Social Victorians/People/Princess Louise | Princess Louise]] was Victoria's private secretary.

'''1866 February''', QV opened Parliament for the first time since Albert's death.&lt;blockquote&gt;She wore plain evening dress, with a small diamond and sapphire coronet on top of her widow’s cap. The wind whipped her veil as she rode silently in an open carriage past curious crowds, many of whom had not glimpsed her for years.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (609 of 1203)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1866 February 6''', Princess Helena's wedding to Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. QV wrote in her journal that it &quot;was 'an ''execution''&lt;nowiki/&gt;' to which she was 'dragged in ''deep mourning''.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot;&gt;Longford, Elizabeth. ''Queen Victoria''. The History Press, 2011 (1999). Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/queen-victoria-essential-biographies/id1142259733.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|118 of 223}} Instead of a crown she wore a black widow's cap. 

'''1867 Spring''', annual exhibition at the Royal Academy, which included a large canvas by Sir Edwin Landseer that QV had commissioned as &quot;Shadow&quot; to show her grief. It was called ''Her Majesty at Osborne, 1866''. The center of this painting is dominated by black.&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In it, the queen [sits] sidesaddle on a sleek dark horse, dressed in her customary black. She [is] reading a letter from the dispatch box on the ground, next to her dogs. Opposite [is] a tall figure in a black kilt and jacket solemnly holding [634–635] the horse’s bridle. ...&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;It caused a scandal. The ''Saturday Review'' art critic wrote: &quot;If anyone will stand by this picture for a quarter of an hour and listen to the comments of visitors he will learn how great an imprudence has been committed.&quot; It was not long before the gossip became crude: Were the queen and Mr. Brown lovers? Was she pregnant with his child? Had they secretly married? In 1868, an American visitor said he was gobsmacked by constant, crass jokes about the queen commonly referred to as &quot;Mrs. Brown.&quot; &quot;I have been told,&quot; he wrote, &quot;that the Queen was insane, and John Brown was her keeper; the Queen was a spiritualist, and John Brown was her medium.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Victoria adored the painting and ordered an engraving.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (634–635 of 1203)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1871 March 21''', Princess Louise and John Campbell, Marquis of Lorne, were married.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Supplement.&quot; ''The London Gazette'' 24 March 1871 (23720) Friday: 1587 https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/23720/page/1587.&lt;/ref&gt; QV wore rubies as well as diamonds.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|644 of 1203}}

'''1871, end of, around the time of Bertie's illness with typhoid, by this time''', according to Lucy Worseley, QV had decided never to wear color again (a decision she had made after the first year of full mourning Albert's death?) and had developed her &quot;brand.&quot; She had not made many personal appearances, but because of her photographs, the carte-de-visite with Albert, and her memoirs about the Highlands, she was known to her subjects:&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria was extraordinary in her dedication to black. If wearing mourning was a [413–414] demand for greater-than-usual understanding, it’s certainly true that she felt entitled to it for the rest of her life. Mourning was turned into a sort of disguise for her. It indicated that she was a victim, bereaved, which was a way of pre-empting criticism. And within the conventions of black, Victoria insisted that her clothes be cut in a way that she found comfortable and convenient: a bodice with only light boning, a skirt with capacious pockets. She no longer followed fashion; she had created a fashion all her own. [new paragraph] Victoria’s black clothing also had terrific ‘brand value’ in creating a recognisable royal image. Although she rarely appeared in person, Victoria’s physical appearance was more widely known than ever before. In 1860, she and Albert had taken the decision to allow photographs of themselves to be published on cartes de visite, highly collectible little rectangles of illustrated cardboard. Within two years, between three and four million of these cards depicting the queen had been sold. &lt;sup&gt;27&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|27 Plunkett (2003) p. 156.&quot;}} The people who bought them understood that they were in possession of something more potent than a lithograph or an engraving. The effect, in terms of making the queen’s subjects feel they ‘knew’ her, has been compared by the Royal Collection’s photography curator to the sensational 1969 television [414–415] documentary series, Royal Family.&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;28 Dimond and Taylor (1987) p. 20&quot;}} So even if Victoria had been bodily absent from public life for the last decade, in paper form she had been more present than ever.&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;29 ''The Photographic News'' (28 February 1862) quoted in Dimond and Taylor (1987) p. 22&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|413–414, nn. 27, 28. 29, p. 707}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1872 February 27''', thanksgiving service for Bertie's survival in St. Paul's Cathedral:&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria was bored in the church, and found St. Paul’s &quot;cold, dreary and dingy,&quot; but the roars of millions who stood outside in the cold under a lead-colored sky made her triumphant, and she pressed Bertie’s hand in a dramatic flourish. It was &quot;a great holy day&quot; for the people of London, ''The Times'' declared gravely. They wished to show the queen she was as beloved as ever. Their delight at seeing her in person was as much a cause for celebration as Bertie’s recovery.

This moment revealed something that Bertie would quickly grasp though his mother had not: the British public requires ceremony and pageantry, and the chance to glimpse a sovereign in finery. It was not a republic her subjects were hankering for, but a visible queen. As Lord Halifax said, people wanted their queen to look like a queen, with a crown and scepter: &quot;They want the gilding for their money.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|655 of 1203}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1878 December 14''', Princess Alice died.

'''1879 June 1''',&lt;ref name=&quot;:32&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-11-29|title=Louis-Napoléon, Prince Imperial|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Louis-Napol%C3%A9on,_Prince_Imperial&amp;oldid=1324821881|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Louis Napoleon, son of Eugénie, &quot;to whom Victoria ... had become devotedly attached, was killed in the Zulu War.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt;{{rp|432 of 555}}

'''1880 February 5''', Queen Victoria attended the state opening of Parliament. She wrote in her journal&lt;blockquote&gt;I wore the same dress, black velvet, trimmed with minniver, my small diamond crown &amp; long veil. Got in, at the Great Entrance, &amp; went in the new state coach which is very handsome with much gilding, a crown at the top, &amp; a great deal of glass, which enables the people to see me. ... Beatrice stood to my right, Leopold to my left. Bertie, Affie &amp; Arthur were all there.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (707 of 1204)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1881 April 19''', Benjamin Disraeli, Lord Beaconsfield died.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|title=Benjamin Disraeli|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Benjamin_Disraeli&amp;oldid=1335428395|journal=Wikipedia|date=2026-01-29|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

'''1882 March 2''',&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt; (152 of 223) the 7th and last assassination attempt on QV, by Roderick Maclean, another adolescent male possibly not intent on killer her, although his pistol was loaded.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt;{{rp|433 of 555}}

'''1882 April 27''', Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and Princess Helen of Waldeck married. &quot;The Queen celebrated by wearing white over her black dress for the first time since Albert’s death – it was her own white wedding veil.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|154 of 223}}

'''1883 March 17''', QV fell down stairs in Windsor, probably some marble stairs. She was &quot;lame until July.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;

'''1883 March 27''', QV's Scots servant John Brown died.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|title=John Brown (servant)|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Brown_(servant)&amp;oldid=1312942175|journal=Wikipedia|date=2025-09-23|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

'''1884 March 28''', Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany died.&lt;ref name=&quot;:1&quot; /&gt;

'''1886''', the general election of 1886, according to Lytton Strachey, &quot;the majority of the nation&quot; voted down Home Rule and Gladstone&lt;blockquote&gt;and placing Lord Salisbury in power. Victoria’s satisfaction was profound. A flood of new unwonted hopefulness swept over her, stimulating her vital spirits with a surprising force. Her habit of life was suddenly altered; abandoning the long seclusion which Disraeli’s persuasions had only momentarily interrupted, she threw herself vigorously into a multitude of public activities. She appeared at drawing-rooms, at concerts, at reviews; she laid foundation-stones; she went to Liverpool to open an international exhibition, driving through the streets in her open carriage in heavy rain amid vast applauding crowds. Delighted by the welcome which met her everywhere, she warmed to her work.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt;{{rp|439–440 of 555}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1887''', the Golden Jubilee. Strachey says that QV had begun wearing the color violet in her bonnet by now:&lt;blockquote&gt;Little by little it was noticed that the outward vestiges of Albert’s posthumous domination grew less complete. At Court the stringency of mourning was relaxed. As the Queen drove through the Park in her open carriage with her [444–445] Highlanders behind her, nursery-maids canvassed eagerly the growing patch of violet velvet in the bonnet with its jet appurtenances on the small bowing head.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (444–445 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;

QV wore a bonnet rather than a crown or widow's cap.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (822 of 1204) At dinner on the day of the procession, QV wore a dress, as she says, with &quot;the rose, thistle &amp; shamrock embroidered in silver on it, &amp; my large diamonds.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (824 of 1204)

'''1888 June 15''', Vicky's husband Emperor Frederick (Fritz) died.

'''1890 July 15''', Garden Party at Marlborough House with QV as the most important guest, with some description of QV's dress, more details in the descriptions of the dresses of some of the other women:&lt;blockquote&gt;But if not favoured with model &quot;Queen's weather,&quot; a good imitation set in as the Life Guards struck up &quot;God Save the Queen,&quot; and her Majesty descended the flight of steps on the Prince of Wales's arm, and slowly passed through the eager ranks of her assembled subjects. Her Majesty was conducted to a canopy at the lower end of the garden, and was soon surrounded by children and grandchildren; she walked with the aid of a stick, but did not appear to be troubled by rheumatism, and moved without difficulty. The Queen's dress was of black striped [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Broché|broché]], a lace shawl, and black bonnet, trimmed with white roses. She talked to people to right and left, and looked smiling and happy. ...

AN ACCOUNT OF SOME OF THE DRESSES.

Her Majesty was attired completely in black, with the slight relief of white flowers in her black bonnet.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;From One Who Was There.&quot; &quot;The Marlborough House Garden Party.&quot; ''Pall Mall Gazette'' 15 July 1890 (Tuesday): p. 5, Col. 1. ''British Newspaper Archive'' http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000098/18900715/016/0006 (Accessed April 2015).&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1891 January 14''', Albert Victor (Eddy), Bertie's and Alex's son, died of pneumonia.&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|190 of 223}}

'''1893 February 28, Tuesday, 3:00 p.m''', QV hosted a Queen's drawing-room at Buckingham Palace:&lt;blockquote&gt;Her Majesty wore a dress and train of rich black silk, trimmed with crape and chenille. Headdress and coronet of diamonds and pearls. Ornaments — Pearls. Her Majesty wore the Star and Ribbon of the Garter, the Orders of Victoria and Albert, the Crown of India, the Prussian Order, the Spanish and Portuguese Orders, the Russian Order of St. Catherine, and the Hessian and Bulgarian Orders.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;The Queen's Drawing Room.&quot; ''Morning Post'' 1 March 1893, Wednesday: 7 [of 12], Col. 6a–7c [of 7]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000174/18930301/072/0007. Same print title and p.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1895 December 14''', George and May's 2nd son, who would become Elizabeth II's father, was born. Thinking of the anniversary of Albert's and Alice's deaths, QV &quot;said that the child might be a gift of God.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|191 of 223}}

'''1896 September 26''', QV wrote in her journal, &quot;Today is the day on which I have reigned longer, by a day, than any English sovereign.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|191 of 223}}

'''1897 April 4''', QV vacations in Nice, as she did almost every year, and a little on her &quot;uniform&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;The pattern of her hotel days in Cimiez, an upmarket suburb on a hill behind Nice, was undemanding. She was dressed by the servants who were almost a second family. One of her wardrobe maids spent the night on call in the dressing room just next door to her bedroom.&lt;sup&gt;12&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;12 Stoney and Weltzien, eds. (1994) pp. 11–12&quot;}} At half past seven, the maid on the next shift would come into Victoria’s bedroom to open the green silk blinds and shutters. Her silver hairbrush, hot water, folded towels and sponges were all laid out by these wardrobe maids. Her pharmacist’s account book records the purchase of beauty products such as ‘lavender water’, ‘Mr Saunders’ Tooth Tincture’ and ‘cakes of soap for bath’.&lt;sup&gt;13&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;13 Royal Pharmaceutical Society, account book for ‘The Queen’ (1861–1869)&quot;}} [new paragraph] Victoria’s clothes were handled by the dressers, who were better paid than the maids. Their duties, ran Victoria’s instructions, included ‘scrupulous tidiness and exactness in looking over everything that Her Majesty takes [510–511] off … to think over well everything that is wanted or may be wanted’.&lt;sup&gt;14&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;14 Staniland (1997) p. 186&quot;}} Her black silk stockings with white soles had for decades been woven by one John Meakin, while Anne Birkin embroidered the garments with ‘VR’.&lt;sup&gt;15&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;15 Quoted in King (2007) p. 100&quot;}} Victoria grew fond of faithful servants like Anne, and even had Birkin’s portrait among her collection of photographs. Despite their sombre aspect, even her mourning gowns were finely made. She had settled into a series of very minor variations upon a square-necked bodice and skirt, customised with quirky little pockets for keys and seals, all cut pretty much the same to save her the trouble of fittings. On her head went a white cap, with streamers of lace, and round her neck a locket containing miniatures of two of her children: Alice, now lost to diphtheria, and Leopold, to haemophilia.&lt;sup&gt;16&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;16 Princess Marie Louise (1956) p. 141&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; {{rp|510–511; nn. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, p. 722}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
[[File:Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Service, 22 June 1897.jpg|alt=Old painting of very large crowd and an old woman dressed in black in a carriage in the center|thumb|Diamond Jubilee Thanksgiving Service on the Steps of St. Paul's]]

==== Diamond Jubilee ====
'''1897 June 22, Diamond Jubilee''', with Thanksgiving service on the steps of St. Paul's, painted in 1899 by Andrew Carrick Gow (right; better image at https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/queen-victorias-diamond-jubilee-service-22-june-1897-51041). QV stayed in the carriage for the service.

Worsley says, QV's dress had &quot;decorative 'panels of grey satin veiled with black net &amp; steel embroideries, &amp; some black lace'&quot;&lt;blockquote&gt;Rising from her bed, Victoria dressed, as always, in black. The crowds who saw her today would consider her ‘dress of black silk’ to be [532–533] modest and widowly, almost dingy. Her taste in clothing had become ever more subdued. Departing from Windsor Castle to travel to Buckingham Palace for these few days of the Jubilee, she’d been worried about the stains the sooty train to Paddington might leave on her outfit. ‘I could have cried,’ said the woman who ran the draper’s shop in Windsor, ‘to see Her Majesty start for the Jubilee in her second-best “mantle” – after all the beautiful things I had sent her.’7{{rp|7 Weintraub (1987) p. 581}}

If you’d had the chance to examine the queen’s outfit closely, though, you’d’ve seen that it was in fact sombrely splendid, her black cape embroidered with swirling silver sequins, huge pearls hanging from each ear and upon the gown itself decorative 'panels of grey satin veiled with black net &amp; steel embroideries, &amp; some black lace'.

Round her neck now went a ‘lovely diamond chain’, a Jubilee present from her younger children, while her ‘bonnet was trimmed with creamy white flowers &amp; white aigrette’.&lt;sup&gt;8&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|8 RA QVJ/1897: 22 June}} This bonnet, worn with resolution, had caused some upset. Her government had asked its queen to appear more … queenly. ‘The symbol that unites this vast Empire is a Crown not a bonnet,’ complained Lord Rosebery. But Victoria stoutly refused, and ‘the bonnet triumphed’. She would [533–534] wear it today, just as she’d worn it at her Golden Jubilee a decade before.&lt;sup&gt;9&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;9 Ponsonby (1942) p. 79&quot;}} The queen looked just like a ‘wee little old lady’. The only touch of colour about her black-clad figure was her ‘wonderful, blue, childlike eyes’.&lt;sup&gt;10&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|10 Smyth (1921) p. 99}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|532–534 of 786; nn. 7, 8, 9, 10, p. 727}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

One source somewhere, however, says there was some purple in her bonnet.

She carried &quot;a black chiffon parasol. It was a gift from the House of Commons, presented to her two days earlier by its oldest member, who was ninety-five.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|539 of 786}}

According to A. N. Wilson, QV was &quot;dressed in grey and black&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;In the case of Queen Victoria, the intensity of crowd reaction was especially strong, because she made public parade of herself so seldom. The emotional atmosphere was overpowering on that hot, sunny day. The Queen, dressed in grey and black, but smiling and bowing, held a parasol above her and bowed her smiling head to left and right as the landau passed through the streets of London – Constitution Hill, to Hyde Park Corner; then along [976–977] Piccadilly, down St James's Street to Pall Mall, past all the clubs, into Trafalgar Square, up the Strand and into Ludgate Hill to St Paul’s.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|976–977 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

The bonnet QV wore for the Diamond Jubilee Procession was decorated with diamonds according the ''Lady's Pictorial'':&lt;blockquote&gt;I HEAR on reliable authority that, although the fact has hitherto escaped the notice of all the describers of the Diamond Jubilee Procession, the bonnet worn by the Queen on that occasion was liberally adorned with diamonds. It is a tiny bit of flotsam, but worth rescuing, as every detail of the historic pageant will one day be of even greater interest than it is now.&lt;ref name=&quot;:14&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;At least 3 official photographs show QV and made available as cabinet cards (2 anyhow) for this Jubilee:

# One was made in 1893 at the time of George and Mary's wedding. It was made by W. &amp; D. Downey and is in the Royal Collection (https://www.rct.uk/collection/2912658/queen-victoria-1819-1901-diamond-jubilee-portrait)
# One was made in July 1896 by Gunn &amp; Stuart and published as a cabinet card by  Lea, Mohrstadt &amp; Co. (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom_(by_Gunn_%26_Stuart,_1897).jpg&lt;nowiki/&gt;)
# One was made 5 days after the Jubilee Procession (so, on 27 June 1897).
# One was made by Mullen (according to the Royal Trust [#4]

'''1897 June 27, Sunday''' (or 5 days after the Jubilee procession), QV's official Jubilee photograph.&lt;blockquote&gt;at Osborne, Victoria had an official Jubilee photograph taken, wearing her Jubilee dress and, of course, her wedding lace.&lt;sup&gt;71:&quot;71 RA QVJ/1885: 27 July&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; The whole royal family was becoming familiar with manipulating its photographic image. In 1863, ''The Times'' reported that Vicky and Alice had themselves retouched their brother Bertie’s [551–552] wedding photos.&lt;sup&gt;72&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;:&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;sup&gt;&quot;72The Times, London (9 April 1863) p. 7, quoted in Plunkett (2003) p. 189&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; (The princesses really preferred sitting to an old-fashioned artist, like a sculptor, who excelled in ‘making them look like ladies, while the Photographs are common indeed’.&lt;sup&gt;73&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;: &quot;73 “RA VIC/ADDX/2/211, p. 29&quot;&lt;/sup&gt;) After each new photographic sitting, Victoria ‘carefully criticised’ the results.&lt;sup&gt;74&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;: &quot;74 “Private Life (1897; 1901 edition) p. 69&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; In her later photographs, like this Diamond Jubilee portrait, she was heavily retouched, a double chin removed, inches shaved off her waist. The Photographic News criticised a photo from her Golden Jubilee for making her look as if she had ‘oedematous disease’, a condition where the body bloats up with excess fluid. Her skin had been smoothed to the extent that she looked like a waxwork.&lt;sup&gt;75&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;: &quot;75 “Plunkett (2003) p. 192&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; &lt;sup&gt;fn 771, 72, 73, 74, 75, p. 731&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1897 June 28, Monday''', the Jubilee Garden Party at Buckingham Palace took place, with good weather and about 6,000 attendees.

The ''Lady's Pictorial'' gives detai about QV's dress:&lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen, whom every one delighted to see looking well and bright, evidently not at all the worse for the great doings of last week, was attired in black silk. The front of her dress was veiled with white chiffon, over which was a single tissue of black silken embroidered muslin, the embroidery in a small floral design, with inserted bands of openwork lace. The bodice was of black grenadine with tucks at either side, bordering a front of white chiffon veiled with black embroidered muslin, and the basque finished with a frill of pleated black chiffon. Round the hem were two frills of black chiffon festooned on, and each headed by a tiny puffing. Her Majesty’s cape was of black chiffon over white silk, fitting in slightly at the back to the figure, and finished in front with fichu ends. Round the cape were frills of white silk with over frills of black chiffon. The Queen’s bonnet was black relieved with white, and her Majesty had the sunshade presented to her by her oldest Parliamentary member, Mr. C. Villiers. It was of black satin draped with very fine real Chantilly lace, and with a frill of the same all round. It was lined with soft white silk, and the ebony handle terminated in a gun metal ball, on which was a crown and &quot;V. R. I.&quot; in diamonds.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;The Queen's Garden Party.&quot; ''Lady's Pictorial'' 3 July 1897, Saturday: 55 [of 76], Col. 2a [of 3]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005980/18970703/126/0055. Same print title, p. 27.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

The ''Globe'' described her with perhaps slightly less detail than the other women:&lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen appeared about half-past five in a carriage drawn by two cream-coloured ponies, and '''attended one''' outrider. The Princess of Wales was seated beside the Queen, and the Earl of Lathom walked beside the carriage. Her Majesty drove very slowly twice round the lawn, frequently stopping to speak to one or other of the guests.

The Queen was in black, with a good deal of jet on her mantle, and wore a white lace bonnet, and carried a black parasol, almost covered with white lace. The Princess of Wales was in white silk veiled in mousseline soie, worked over in silver and lace applique, and a mauve tulle toque with flowers to match. After driving round, the Queen entered the Royal tent, where refreshments were served by the Indian attendants. Her Majesty had on her right hand the Grand Duchess of Hesse, dressed in white, with black velvet and ribbons, and a large Tuscan hat, with black and white plumes; on her left the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, in mauve satin, and white aigrette in her bonnet. The Empress Frederick’s black broché gown had a collar of white lace, and her black bonnet was relieved by white flowers, and tied with white tulle strings.&lt;ref name=&quot;:22&quot;&gt;“The Queen’s Garden Party. Brilliant Scene at Buckingham Palace.” ''Globe'' 29 June 1897, Tuesday: 6 [of 8], Col. 3a–c [of 5]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001652/18970629/050/0006. Print p. 6.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|Col. 3b–c}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;From the ''North British Daily Mail'', &lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen was evidently in excellent health, and there was no trace whatever of the fatigues which she has recently undergone. Indeed she walked with greater ease than usual, and really had no need of the proffered help of her attendants. ... The Queen and her daughter were dressed in black, but the former had upon her bonnet a little trimming of delicate white lace, which somewhat toned down the sombre effect of the mourning. Two Highland attendants having taken their places in the rumble, one of them handed to the Queen a black and white parasol, and then the signal to start was given.&lt;ref name=&quot;:02&quot;&gt;&quot;Jubilee Festivities. The Queen Again in London. Interesting Functions. A Visit to Kensington. The Garden Party.&quot; ''North British Daily Mail'' 29 June 1897, Tuesday: 5 [of 8], Col. 3a–7b [of 9]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002683/18970629/083/0005. Print p. 5.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|Col. 3c}} ...

The Queen wore a black gauze gown over white, and a white lace bonnet.

The Princess of Wales wore white muslin over silk embroidered in silver and lace.

The Empress Frederick wore a black silk dress with a good deal of white lace about the bodice, and a black bonnet with white plumes.&lt;ref name=&quot;:02&quot; /&gt;{{rp|Col. 5c}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1897 June 30, Wednesday''', Royal Banquet at Buckingham Palace, with the Queen in a very ornate dress, with gold and jewels as well as the colors brought by the orders and ribbon of the Garter:&lt;blockquote&gt;over eighty Royal guests. The Queen herself was magnificent!y attired in black renaiscance moiré antique (it is a curious fact that her Majesty never wears satin or velvet, having an antipathy to touching these materials). The whole of the front of the dress was embroidered in a magnificent design with real gold thread. There was a waved band of gold in the pattern, enclosing suns and stars, all of gold, raised from the surlace of the silk; the suns had centres of jewels, and the whole design was richly jewelled, and was bordered at either side by coquillés of real lace. This embroidery was all wrought at Agra. The bodice was finished with a pointed stomacher of the gold and jewelled work, and across it her Majesty wore the blue riband of the Garter and many magnificent Orders.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Court &amp; Society Notes.&quot; ''Lady's Pictorial'' 3 July 1897, Saturday: 56 [of 76], Col. 2c [of 3]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005980/18970703/282/0056. Print title same, p. 28.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;The assertion that she never wore satin or velvet doesn't seem right (e.g., see Bassano 1882 dress).

'''1899''', Susan B. Anthony attended a reception at Windsor Castle and met QV: to look at &quot;her wonderful face&quot; was a &quot;thrill.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|852 of 1203}}

=== Her Dresses ===
#'''1822''': Wikipedia page #2, painting (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria), Victoria and her mother, Duchess of Kent, by William Beechey. Victoire is in mourning, Victoria is holding a portrait of her father. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/407169/victoria-duchess-of-kent-1786-1861-with-princess-victoria-1819-1901.
##&quot;After William Beechey.&quot; Wikimedia Commons, possibly a contemporary copy of the painting: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sir_William_Beechey_(1753-1839)_-_Victoria,_Duchess_of_Kent,_(1786-1861)_with_Princess_Victoria,_(1819-1901)_-_RCIN_407169_-_Royal_Collection.jpg
#'''1827''', an engraving of a bust of Victoria (from a 1908 book) by Plant, after Stewart's painted miniature: she is wearing family honors on the left shoulder of her dress; she is about 6 years old in this image; she looks like a princess. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Letters_Of_Queen_Victoria,_vol_1_-_H.R.H._The_Princess_Victoria,_1827.png
#'''1835 August 10 [maybe 1837?]''': print portrait of a teenaged QV published in Chapter 2 of Millicent Garrett Fawcett's 1895 ''Life of Her Majesty Queen Victoria'' (but possibly published in 1835 in a magazine?). QV's dress is in the off-the-shoulder romantic style with a high, Empire waist. She is wearing a 4-strand necklace, probably pearls, and large dangling earrings, with a 4-strand pearl bracelet on her right arm. She has a glove on her left hand, not elbow length but definitely longer than wrist length, and she is wearing a wire net-like headdress on the top of her head that contracted to contain and shape her hair. A very similar image was published in ''The Graphic'' on 26 January 1901 claiming that QV was 17; the image is not identical, but must have been made from the same sitting (the 1901 image is full length and her left hand is empty). The caption for the image from ''The Graphic'' — &quot;The Queen at the Age of Seventeen&quot; — says that it came from a painting by George Hayter.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://viewer.library.wales/5254866#?xywh=-3550,-523,12266,7776|title=The Life of Queen Victoria ... National Library of Wales Viewer|website=viewer.library.wales|language=en|access-date=2026-03-18}}&lt;/ref&gt; Wikimedia Commons 1895 image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Life_of_Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_-_Victoria_Aug_10th_1835.png. 1901 ''Graphic'' image, National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/5254866#?xywh=-3550%2C-523%2C12266%2C7776. Wikimedia Commons ''Graphic'' 1901 image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_life_of_Queen_Victoria_Claremont,_where_the_Queen_spent_the_happiest_days_of_her_childhood_-_the_South_side,_the_view_from_the_ballroom_;_the_Queen_at_the_age_of_seventeen_(from_the_painting_by_Sir_George_Hayter)_(5254866).jpg.
#'''1836''': print of Winterhalter portrait, QV surrounded by books, empire dress and jewelry. Very stylish and up-to-date fashion, off the shoulder, with some frou-frou, but not contrasting colors for the frou-frou. The skirt is divided into 2 parts at about the knees by a wide band of trim. This design with the divided skirt and non-contrasting frou-frou lasted her entire life (maybe with a break when Albert was alive?). She did it a lot but not exclusively, but enough for it to be characteristic. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Princess_Victoria_in_1836.png
#'''1837''': print of watercolor portrait&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2024-09-04|title=John Deffett Francis|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Deffett_Francis&amp;oldid=1244015737|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; by John Deffett Francis of Victoria, who was not queen yet: print &quot;to William 4th &amp; Leopold, King of Belgium&quot;; V is wearing a cap with a lacy edge around her face, with a wide-brimmed bonnet, trimmed with ribbon and a veil; no jewelry, dress is off the shoulder, fabric appears to be silk, with gathers, with a dark shawl trimmed with dark lace; she is holding a folding fan; dark slippers. Dash romping at her feet. Unostentatious outfit but appears to be exquisitely made with quality materials. Not loaded up with frou-frou, simply made but high-quality. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674631#?xywh=-1346%2C976%2C7852%2C4710; Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Most_Gracious_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(4674631).jpg
#'''1837 Summer''', probably: print by Richard James Lane of a watercolor by Alfred Edward Chalon. Idealized portrait of QV between the accession and the coronation. The portrait has her features but is not a good likeness. The British Museum description says, &quot;seated to left looking to right; wearing a lace collar, ruffled cape and black satin apron said to have been embroidered by herself, holding letter and handkerchief; on terrace with view of St George’s chapel, Windsor.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Her Majesty the Queen.&quot; O'Donoghue 1908-25 / Catalogue of Engraved British Portraits preserved in the Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum (108). Object: 1912,1012.76. 

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1912-1012-76&lt;/ref&gt; The bodice has huge sleeves, narrow at the wrist but puffing out over the elbows. The fabric of the dress looks like moiré. The black apron on her lap, though she may have embroidered it, seems odd, like why would the new queen wear an apron, even a decorative one? The plain hairstyle, the apron and what may be a bonnet on the tile floor to her left do not present her as regal but as simple and girly, perhaps as a contrast to the excesses of the prior courts. British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1912-1012-76. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Her_Majesty_the_Queen_(BM_1912,1012.76).jpg.
#'''1837 November''': portrait of QV standing in the royal box at the Drury Lane Theatre by Edmund Thomas Parris (this image is a contemporary copy of Parris's painting). Not a very strong likeness and so highly idealized that her clothing isn't readable. Also, the color may not be true; this copy may be too red. She has decorative gauntlets on her gloves, a transparent black lace shawl, the ribbon of the Order of the Garter, some tiara or diadem that could be the Fringe Tiara except that the metal is wrong, complicated lace things with dags at the turned-back cuffs. She is holding a few flowers in a bouquet holder and a lace-trimmed handkerchief; on the ledge in front of her are the program, with a bookmark, a folded fan and a folded material that might be supposed to be ermine? can't tell. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_at_the_theatre.jpg. This image was published in the 21 May 1887 ''Supplement to Pen and Pencil'': https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_in_1837_(BM_1902,1011.8639).jpg.
#'''1838''': etching of QV riding side saddle, caption says, &quot;Her Majesty the Queen on Her Favourite Charger '''Thxxx'''&quot;; published in 1840, after a painting by Ed. Curcould; etching by Fredk A. Heath; riding habit and top hat with veil, falling collar, tie may be 4-in-hand (Wikimedia Commons copy, from L. Strachey's 1921 biog: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Queen_Victoria_in_1838.png). British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/image/1454391001
#'''1838''', stipple engraving of a waist-up portrait of QV by James Thomson, yet another idealized coronation portrait not drawn from life. Filet in her hair with pendant pearl at the center part, pearl earrings and necklace we've never seen before. Neck length is highly flattering. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Majesty_the_Queen_Victoria_(4674629).jpg
#'''1838''': stipple engraving of a flattering portrait of QV by Frederick Christian Lewis, probably not drawn from life. She is wearing a bonnet with a large brim over a cap with lace ruffles, the brim is covered with gathered fabric, sort of a halo effect. The off-the-shoulder style of the dress was fashionable, as are the sloped shoulders. Dark shawl over a light dress. She is wearing light gloves. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674631#?xywh=2044%2C1782%2C928%2C588. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Most_Gracious_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(4674631).jpg
#'''1838''': 2 George Hayter portraits of QV, plus a painting of the coronation: 
##Portrait of QV with her hand on a Bible and light shining on her upturned face, wearing the white dress worn after the peers swore allegiance and before the crown is placed on her head. The St. Edward's crown is on 2 pillows with the scepter. She is wearing an enormous elaborate robe over a sheer, lacy white dress, but the complexity of the layers and perhaps the artistic license make it impossible to really describe how the garments were constructed. The gold brocade robe with fringed edges is spectacular but does not match Worsley's description of the robe QV wore as she entered the Abbey. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_taking_the_Coronation_Oath_by_George_Hayter_1838.jpg 
##in Wikimedia Commons called ''Queen Victoria Enthroned in the House of Lords''. It may not have been drawn from life; Hayter's painting of the wedding cannot really be seen as a historical record of what occurred, and so this may not have been what she wore at the coronation. QV seated on the lion's head chair or throne, with the St. Edward's crown on a table to her right. She is wearing the Diamond Diadem and the coronation necklace and earrings. She is wearing an ermine-lined red velvet robe tied together at the waist with a tasseled gold cord. A jeweled &quot;collar&quot; falls from her right shoulder to her waist and then goes back up to her left shoulder. Her dress is not the dress she wore to the coronation, white satin with gold embroidery. This one appears to be a silver and gold brocade with a deep gold fringe at the bottom. She is traditionally corseted. She has a white glove on her left hand, which rests on the other glove. The gloves are decorated with a double row of gathered lace. The heavily jeweled bodice is off the shoulder. The point of one satin slipper peeks out from under her skirt on the low footrest. Art UK: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/queen-victoria-18191901-enthroned-in-the-house-of-lords-50933. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_Throne.png.
##''The Coronation of Queen Victoria in Westminster Abbey, 28 June 1838,'' Hayter's large painting of the coronation, completed 1840.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/405409/the-coronation-of-queen-victoria-in-westminster-abbey-28-june-1838|title=Sir George Hayter (1792-1871) - The Coronation of Queen Victoria in Westminster Abbey, 28 June 1838|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-04-22}}&lt;/ref&gt; Hayter made drawings during the coronation ceremony and then recreated Westminster Abbey as he preferred, rather than painting what the Abbey actually looked like. QV is wearing the Imperial Crown of State, but this is the moment after the coronation when the peers put on their coronets. The painting has 64 individual portraits painted in their gowns and robes by Hayter later. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/405409/the-coronation-of-queen-victoria-in-westminster-abbey-28-june-1838; Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coronation_of_Queen_Victoria_28_June_1838_by_Sir_George_Hayter.jpg.
#'''1838''': Thomas Sully portrait of QV
##'''1838 May 15''': study for the full-length portrait by Thomas Sully, bust, bare shoulders, no clothing for analysis, but romantic and sensual, crown, possibly coronation necklace. &quot;This oil sketch was painted '''from during''' several sittings in the spring of 1838, just before the coronation, in preparation for a full-length portrait. Victoria, who wears a diamond diadem, earrings, and necklace, is said to have considered this a nice picture.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (11) Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/12702. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_MET_DT5422.jpg
##Full-length portrait, which QV sat for and which Sully finished after having returned to the US. Not sure which crown this is, neither of the coronation crowns. Very flattering of Victoria, who is in her state robe with a white dress. Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/14826. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Thomas_Sully_in_the_Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art.jpg.
##Copy from the Sully full-length portrait of head and bust by W. Warman, though not a faithful copy, as if he was copying the painting without having it in front of him. National Portrait Gallery: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw06507/Queen-Victoria. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_by_W._Warman_after_Thomas_Sully.jpg.
#'''1838''': engraved mezzotint print from a painting by Agostino Aglio the Elder (https://www.lelandlittle.com/items/384935/antique-portrait-of-a-young-queen-victoria/), which cannot have been painted from life. QV is dressed as if for her coronation, with the St. Edward's crown and the throne in the background. The face does not look like Victoria's, the dress with its ermine hem is not a representation of any dresses we're aware of, and the robe with its transparent falling sleeves is not the official coronation robe. The mezzotint by James Scott shows detail more clearly than the painting does, which is dark. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Queen_of_the_United_Kingdom.jpg
#'''1838 August 5''': engraving of QV, published in ''The News'' on this date, may not have been taken from life. She may be wearing the white satin with gold embroidery dress she wore to Westminster Abbey; the crown on her head is not the Imperial State Crown; she is wearing long earrings (which we've never seen before) and no necklace. The cape has a shorter layer on top, trimmed in bands of gold, it looks like, which we've also never seen before. Her right hand is wearing a glove, probably silk, pushed down to 3/4 length. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674621#?xywh=-2124%2C-568%2C8542%2C7730. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_(4674621).jpg  
#'''1839''': engraving of Edwin Landseer portrait of QV in a very flattering and fashionable riding habit, less masculine than some, ribbon and badge of the Order of the Garter, top hat with veil, corseted, with the jacket fitted, large sleeves to the elbow, fitted below the elbow; a peplum may be part of the jacket, can't tell; she may be riding side-saddle with the newly invented horn to stabilize the rider. It's a good likeness of Victoria. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Majesty_the_Queen-_1839_(4672716).jpg.  
#1840 February 10: QV's Wedding
##QV's wedding dress on a mannequin. Royal Collection Trust, 3 photos: https://www.rct.uk/collection/71975. Mary Bettans, QV's &quot;longest serving dressmaker,&quot; probably made this wedding dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/71975|title=Mary Bettans - Queen Victoria's wedding dress|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-15}}&lt;/ref&gt; The [https://thedreamstress.com/2011/04/queen-victorias-wedding-dress-the-one-that-started-it-all/ Dreamstress blog posting on QV's wedding dress] has clear photos of her shoes. The Royal Collection description says, in part, &quot;Wedding dress ensemble of cream silk satin; comprising pointed boned bodice lined with silk, elbow length gathered sleeves; deep lace flounces at neck and sleeves and plain untrimmed skirt en suite, gathered into waist with unpressed pleats.&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot; /&gt; The color of the dress is definitely not white now, but the RCT description doesn't suggest that the color has changed. The materials are &quot;Cream silk satin with Honiton lace&quot; and &quot;silk (textile), satin, flowers, lace.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot; /&gt; The &quot;flowers&quot; perhaps explains the wreath of artificial orange blossoms that the mannequin is wearing; the description doesn't say whether the headdress was the one worn by QV at the wedding.
##QV's watercolor sketch of her design for the bridesmaids' dresses: &quot;a white dress trimmed with sprays of roses on the bodice and skirt. A matching spray of roses is shown in her hair. She is wearing white gloves and holding a handkerchief in one hand.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/13/collection/980021-o/design-for-queen-victorias-bridesmaids-dresses|title=Explore the Royal Collection online|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-20}}&lt;/ref&gt; Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/13/collection/980021-o/design-for-queen-victorias-bridesmaids-dresses.
#1840–1842: George Hayter's painting of the moment in the wedding when QV and Albert clasp hands
##1840 February 10 – 1842: George Hayter's wedding portrait at the moment they clasped hands (what was commissioned), sketched at the time, portraits and background filled in later, not an actual depiction of what the chapel looked like, the environment sketched in before the ceremony and the people during the ceremony, followed by people sitting for their individual portrait within the larger painting. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/407165/the-marriage-of-queen-victoria-10-february-1840. Wikimedia Commons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Marriage_of_Queen_Victoria#/media/File:Sir_George_Hayter_(1792-1871)_-_The_Marriage_of_Queen_Victoria,_10_February_1840_-_RCIN_407165_-_Royal_Collection.jpg. Along with almost everybody else, both QV and Albert posed later for the portraits in the painting, QV in March 1840 in, as she says, &quot; Bridal dress, veil, wreath &amp; all.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/407165/the-marriage-of-queen-victoria-10-february-1840|title=Sir George Hayter (1792-1871) - The Marriage of Queen Victoria, 10 February 1840|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-19}}&lt;/ref&gt;
##A number of reproductions of all or part of Hayter's painting were made. Engraving after Hayter's wedding portrait: amazingly tight outfit on Albert, QV has long train with ladies holding it; QV's dress off the shoulder, very lacy: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marriage_of_Queen_Victoria_MET_MM78359.jpg
#'''1840 c.''': miniature of QV by Franz Winterhalter, very idealized; QV is wearing a large pendant on a gold-bead necklace with matching earrings and jeweled fillet, strands of diamonds wrapped around the coiled hair high on the back of her head. Her off-the-shoulder dress is white lace with yellow bows, very girly with an unusual amount of frou-frou. She is wearing a blue sash across her chest from left to right, perhaps the ribbon of the Order of the Garter? Something puffy and pink — perhaps a shawl? — is over the dress. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_La_reine_Victoria.jpg
#'''1840 c.''': mezzotint print of QV by T. W. Huffam, may not have been drawn from life, and not perfectly realistic. QV is wearing a cap on the back of her head and perhaps a double row of what might be pearls across the top of her head, with pearl drop earrings. Off-the-shoulders cream-colored dress with pleating around the neckline and from the waist down. Broach at the center of the neckline, ring on her left hand; possible heavy chain bracelet on her left wrist. Colorful red-and-blue patterned shawl; what may be the Ribbon of the Order of the Garter, but on the wrong shoulder (and color is too dark, but the color may not be true); probably an odd wadded-up handkerchief in her right hand, with a lacy edge. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674795#?xywh=935%2C2586%2C2207%2C1324. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Gracious_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(4674795).jpg
#'''1840''': QV and Albert return from the wedding at St. James's Palace
##1840 February 10: engraving by S. Reynolds (after F. Lock). May not have been made from life, the dress QV is wearing does not match the descriptions of any of the dresses she wore that day. Albert is dressed more or less the way he was for the wedding. This is an image of how she was imagined by the artist or perceived by the public, not how she looked. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wedding_of_Queen_Victoria_and_Prince_Albert.jpg
##F. Lock
#'''1840''': not very realistic illustration of Edward Oxford's assassination attempt on QV (illustration by Ebenezer Landells; lithograph by J. R. Jobbins). We see QV in white, with a yellow bonnet and something white streaming, veil or shawl, protected by heroic male figure, Albert? or the driver? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edward_Oxford_tries_to_shoot_Queen_Victoria_in_1840_by_JR_Jobbins.jpg
#'''1840''': 2 versions of what looks like the same portrait of QV by John Partridge, one painting in Dublin Castle and another in the Royal Collection Trust, both apparently made by Partridge with sittings in September and October 1840.&lt;ref name=&quot;:16&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/403022/queen-victoria-1819-1901|title=John Partridge (1790-1872) - Queen Victoria (1819-1901)|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-02-27}}&lt;/ref&gt; QV is in black formal dress with red background and objects associating her with Albert. The RCT description: &quot;The Queen, in a black evening dress with a black and silver head-dress, wears the ribbon and star of the Garter and the Garter round her left arm. She stands with her hand resting on a letter on the table. The gilt metal inkstand set with semi-precious stones was a present from Prince Albert to the Queen on her birthday, 24 May 1840. The bracelet on her right arm is set with a miniature portrait of Prince Albert by Sir William Ross for which the Prince had sat in February and March 1840 and the locket round her neck was given to her by Prince Albert.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:16&quot; /&gt; QV's modest, black velvet, off-the-shoulder dress is very Romantic. The puffed sleeves have a separate, fine lace ruffle that is shorter over the front of the arm and longer in back. She is holding a large white lace handkerchief and a folding fan.
##The Royal Collection Trust painting may have been restored or conserved differently because it is lighter and the background is much brighter red. Besides the interesting black headdress with a silver fringe on two levels, attached possibly to a bun on the back of her head, she is wearing a [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Ferronnière|ferronnière]] with a large brooch-like jewel piece in the center front. This version of the painting was probably a gift to Albert for Christmas 1840.&lt;ref name=&quot;:16&quot; /&gt; https://www.rct.uk/collection/403022/queen-victoria-1819-1901. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Partridge_1840.jpg.
##The painting in Dublin Castle is much darker and QV's necklace and headdress are different. In this case, she is wearing the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#The Diamond Diadem|Diamond Diadem]] rather than the less-official ferronnière. Dublin Castle: https://dublincastle.ie/the-state-apartments/queen-victoria/. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Dublin_Castle.jpg.
#'''1841''': print of drawing of QV, stylish and romantic look, braids loops around her ears, off the shoulders, corseted, wearing honors, elbow-length lace-edged sleeves, full skirts, holding folding fan and lacy handkerchief in her left hand, very stylish pointed waist: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_victoria_by_DESMAISONS,_PIERRE_EMILIEN_-_GMII.jpg
#'''1841''': watercolor miniature by George Freeman of a pretty good likeness of QV for Mrs Andrew Stevenson, the wife of the American ambassador. QV is in white evening dress, red shawl with orange trim, ribbon of the Order of the Garter, tiara on the back of her head, miniature of Albert on her right wrist, wedding ring, hair in braided loops in front of the ears, very lacy at the elbows and top of bodice but otherwise no frou-frou. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/421456/queen-victoria-1819-1901. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Miniature_portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_(1819-1901),_1841.jpg.
#'''1841 March 21''': mezzotint print of QV and Vicky as a baby (Ellen Cole made the original art, G. H. Phillips made the messotint, printmaker Henry Graves &amp; Co.)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://wellcomecollection.org/works/wthk5hpy|title=Queen Victoria with the infant Princess Victoria on her lap. Mezzotint by G.H. Phillips after E. Cole, 1841.|website=Wellcome Collection|language=en|access-date=2025-10-15}}&lt;/ref&gt;, unclear what kind of dress QV is wearing, could be morning dress or even negligé, although she is wearing jewelry and a cap, appears to be wearing a corset, but the fabric of this loose and flowing dress is very likely silk, some sheer, very feminine, limp lace ruffles, unstiffened silk; could be a christening outfit?, Vicky is also wearing sheer flowing fabric, has a cap with stiffened ruffle, around the neck, unstiffened ruffle: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_the_infant_Princess_Victoria_Adelaide_Wellcome_V0048381.jpg
#1842: portrait by Winterhalter of QV in her wedding dress. This pose is a recreation; the lower half of the skirt is lace covered. QV is facing left, holding a length of lace and a small bouquet of flowers. Tiara on the back of her head, pendant on a gold chain around her neck, perhaps the sapphire brooch, and rings. QV sat for the painting &quot;in June and July 1842. The Queen wears a dress of heavy ivory satin, enhanced by a bertha and a deep flounce of lace like those on her wedding dress (see Figure 39). Her jewelry includes a diadem of sapphires and diamonds, the huge sapphire-and-diamond brooch given to her by Prince Albert on their wedding day, and the Order of the Garter insignia.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (15) &quot;The portrait was completed in August and set into the wall of the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle. Winterhalter was immediately commissioned to paint at least three copies, and a number of others exist, including enamel miniatures that the Queen had made up into bracelets for her friends.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (15)
#'''1843''': portrait by Winterhalter, bust of QV, bare shoulders, hair has fallen down, simple jewelry, sensual, sexual, romantic: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter_(1805-73)_-_Queen_Victoria_(1819-1901)_-_RCIN_406010_-_Royal_Collection.jpg.
#'''1843''': flattering, fashion-illustration-style portrait by Winterhalter, QV is wearing the Diamond Diadem created for George IV and standing with the Imperial State Crown near her right hand, which means it's not a coronation recreation. She is wearing the mantle of the Garter with its jeweled chain-like collar and St. George hanging from it with the Garter on her left arm. Winterhalter did a companion portrait of Albert at the same time, and they are hanging in the Garter Throne Room in Windsor Castle.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/404388/queen-victoria-1819-1901-0|title=Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-73) - Queen Victoria (1819-1901)|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-02-06}}&lt;/ref&gt; Queen Victoria is wearing the Turkish diamonds necklace and earrings. She has bare shoulders and arms, suggestive of court or evening dress; besides the mantle of the Garter, she is wearing a white dress with a complex overdress that is open at the waist. The skirt of the white dress has gold threads (that might be brocade) with 7 horizontal graduated rows of a soutache-like trim around the bottom 2/3. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/404388/queen-victoria-1819-1901-0. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_1843.jpg.
#'''1843''': line and stipple engraving (by Skelton and Hopwood) of a painting by Eugène Modeste Edmond Lepoittevin. QV visiting Helene, Duchesse d'Orléans at the Château d'Eu (Eu, Normandy, France). Two of the Duchesse d'Orléans' sons are with her in the portrait; she appears to be in mourning with a lot of frou-frou and touches of white. QV is wearing a stylish, romantic (off the shoulder) dress with a small white ruffle at the neck, lacy cuffs at the wrist; the sleeves are divided by 2 rows above the elbow of some kind of 3-dimensional trim; below the elbow the sleeves are fitted. The skirt is very full; her hair is simple, pulled in front of her ears into a bun in the back, with no headdress; she is wearing little or no jewelry. National Portrait Gallery: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw145636/Visit-of-Queen-Victoria-to-the-Duchesse-DOrlans?LinkID=mp93326&amp;role=sit&amp;rNo=0. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Visit_of_Queen_Victoria_to_the_Duchess_of_Orleans.jpg.
#'''1845''': photograph of QV and Vicky, earliest photograph of them, Description from Royal Collection Trust: &quot;They are shown in three quarter view, facing left. The queen is wearing a dark coloured silk gown, with a white lace fichu, adorned with a brooch. The Princess Royal looks directly at the viewer and leans against her mother, nestled under her right arm. She is wearing a dark coloured silk dress, trimmed with white lace. She is wearing a pendant on a black ribbon around her neck, and is holding a doll in her arms.&quot; White v-shaped bodice front connected to the rest of the bodice. Copy from the Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/-/collection/2931317-c (Wikimedia Commons copy: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_the_Princess_Royal_Victoria_c1844-5.png)
#'''1846''': Winterhalter portrait of QV with Bertie, one of a pair of portraits by Winterhalter of QV and Prince Albert. QV is wearing an unusual, off-the-shoulder outfit, no crown but a headdress that is black lace, sheer, ruffled, attached above her ears, with a rose on the left side, no necklace but bracelets and rings and the Order of the Garter ribbon and star. The top of this dress may be a bustier rather than a bodice, resting on rather than attached to the skirt; it is boned and very smooth and comes to a deep point in front, emphasizing her small waist. The skirt may be in two layers, pink satin (to match the bustier or bodice) covered by a sheer black lace-and-tulle overskirt. Bertie is in long pants and a belted &quot;loose Russian blouse&quot; that falls to his knees.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/406945/queen-victoria-with-the-prince-of-wales|title=Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-73) - Queen Victoria with the Prince of Wales|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-03-26}}&lt;/ref&gt; The portrait was a gift to Sir Robert Peel and shows QV in evening dress and Bertie (and Prince Albert in his separate portrait) as a family in nonregal clothing, what Peel called &quot;private society.&quot; Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/406945/queen-victoria-with-the-prince-of-wales. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_the_Prince_of_Wales.jpg.
#'''1846 October – 1847 January''', sittings for Winterhalter family portrait of QV and Albert and 5 children (Vicky, Bertie, Alice, Affie, Helena as a baby). QV is wearing a very ornate white dress with a smooth bodice, with a corset beneath: a lot of lace in her lap, either a large shawl coming around from the back or the top layer of her skirt (?), which is a series of 4 lacy ruffles starting at her knees and going down; gathers over her bust, sleeves are gathered; whole dress is a lot of frou-frou, very white, feminine, soft and flowing. She is wearing an emerald and diamond diadem, part of a parure of other emerald jewelry as well as a locket around her neck. (Albert designed the diadem in 1845, made by Joseph Kitching). Painting was exhibited in 1847 in St. James's Palace and released as an engraving in 1850. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/405413/the-royal-family-in-1846. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter_Family_of_Queen_Victoria.jpg. Engraving: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Queen_Victoria,_Prince_Albert_and_the_Royal_Family.png
#'''1847 February 24''': Winterhalter portrait of QV in a version of her at her wedding, wearing her wedding veil and wreath of orange blossoms in her hair and the sapphire brooch that &quot;Albert gave her on their wedding day and the ear-rings and necklace made from the Turkish diamonds given to her by the Sultan Mahmúd II in 1838.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/20/collection/400885/queen-victoria-1819-1901|title=Winterhalter Portrait of Queen Victoria, 1846|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-31}}&lt;/ref&gt; This portrait is dated 1847, so it is not a portrait of her at her wedding but an anniversary gift for Albert of her dressed as for her wedding. RCT: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/20/collection/400885/queen-victoria-1819-1901 Wikimedia: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1847.jpg
#'''1851 August 30''', line drawing of QV, Albert and Bertie visiting the opening (?) of a train station, published in the ILL. QV's clothing is approximate, but she is wearing a bonnet; we don't know if the artist drew her from life or from his expectation of what she would have looked like, stylish but not haute couture, she looks more middle class? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_visiting_the_GNR.jpg
#'''1854''', portrait Stephen Catterson Smith the Elder. QV in Order of St. Patrick, wearing crown, next to throne; white or cream-colored dress, which looks unironed? horizontal section of the skirt??, off the shoulder, lacy ruffles on top, not much frou-frou, not a cage. Bracelet on her right arm of Albert?, coronation necklace? Standing by the chair with lion's head on the armrest. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_the_sash_of_the_Order_of_St_Patrick,_1854.png
##'''1854''', engraving that is a copy of the Smith portrait. Royal Trust: https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/565054. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_victoria_indian_circlet.jpg. '''Indian circlet'''?
#'''1854''', photograph of QV, Albert, Duchess of Kent and 7 children, boys in kilts, women in what looks like cages, but probably petticoats: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_family.jpg
#'''1854''', photograph by Roger Fenton, QV seated, facing our right, holding a portrait of Albert, light very lacy dress, cap on the back of her head, can't see much detail of the dress: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_1854.jpg
#'''1854 May 11''': Roger Fenton photographs from a session showing either QV and Albert in court dress or one of the recreations of their wedding:
##QV standing, looking to her left, wearing a very floral, lacy light-colored dress that has been called her wedding dress, but the Royal Collection Trust says it's a court dress with a train.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Queen Victoria in court dress 1854.jpg.&quot; ''Wikimedia Commons''. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_in_court_dress_1854.jpg (retrieved March 2026).&lt;/ref&gt; She is wearing the ribbon of the Order of the Garter, a cap perched on top of her head above a wreath or crown of flowers, veil, romantic off-the-shoulder neckline with short puffy sleeves, something fluffy and translucent on the front of her dress (like an apron?), a white glove on her left hand, a bouquet of flowers, and it looks like actual flowers attached to the dress itself. More frou-frou than we've seen on her. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_in_court_dress_1854.jpg.
##Low-resolution photo of QV and Albert facing each other, bouquet on plinth, expensive long lace veil, shawl or big white lace collar?, dress has a lot of frou-frou (including flowers) and texture to break up the solid whiteness: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_victoria_and_Prince_Albert.jpg
#'''1854 May 22''': Roger Fenton photograph of QV, Albert and 7 children, one in a wagon, at Buckingham Palace. Albert is wearing a top hat although they seem to be indoors. QV wearing a bonnet tied under her chin with a big bow, a plaid skirt, thigh-length jacket. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Prince_Albert_%26_royal_children_at_Buckingham_Palace,_1854.jpg
#'''1854 June 30''', photograph by Roger Fenton, QV profile facing our left; very light-colored dress, embroidered (or stamped??) floral pattern on skirt, bodice and sleeves with additional 3-dimensional trim, and apron?, with a wide sash, translucent maybe linen fabric with very fine lace at the edge, very girly; at least one gathered flounce; brimless bonnet on the back of her head, lacy, ribbon, flowers?: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Roger_Fenton.jpg
#'''1855''', Winterhalter portrait: petticoats, lace and satin, a tiara, on the back of her head around the bun, not a symbol of of sovereignty, instead a beautiful decorative piece of jewelry that probably matched her eyes: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter.jpg. Rosie Harte says she is wearing the Sapphire Tiara designed for QV as a wedding present by Albert.
#'''1855 March 10''': Illustrated London News wood engraving showing QV and her entourage visiting wounded soldiers in a hospital. It shows how QV was perceived, not so much what she actually wore. She's shown wearing a bonnet, a thigh-length jacket; her tiered skirt has 3 large ruffles that we can see, dividing it horizontally. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_entourage_visiting_invalided_soldier_Wellcome_V0015776.jpg
#'''1855 April 19''', James Roberts painting of QV, Napoleon III, Eugénie and Albert at Covent Garden, from the perspective of the stage, or at least behind the orchestra. They are dressed formally; QV's white, off the shoulder young-person image, big jewelry; Eugénie looks like she's wearing a cage. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/46/collection/920055/the-queen-visiting-covent-garden-with-the-emperor-and-empress-of-the-french-19. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Napoleon_III_at_the_Royal_Opera_House_19_April_1855.jpg
#'''1856 May 10''', oval half-length portrait of QV by Winterhalter, finished after sittings on 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8 May.&lt;ref name=&quot;:17&quot; /&gt; QV, who thought the portrait was &quot;very like,&quot; is wearing a distinctive off-the-shoulder red velvet dress with burnt-velvet (?) ruffle, the Koh-i-nûr diamond set in a brooch, a necklace with large diamonds (the Coronation necklace? '''Queen Adelaide's necklace'''?) and the ribbon of the Order of the Garter. She is wearing a corset under the dress (the bodice is so smooth and it comes to a point below the waist), with lace at the décolletage and shoulder and possibly a shawl that matches the ruffle. '''The crown is not the Diamond State Diadem but another crown'''. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/406698/queen-victoria-1819-1901. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter_Queen_Victoria.jpg.
#'''1856 December 16''' (lithograph made in 1859), color lithograph of a William Simpson painting showing QV on board a ship being returned to the Brits by Americans. Full-length, winter dress with fur muff, bonnet, matching fur-trimmed coat over dark rich purple and green dress. Albert and some of their children are with her. Library of Congress: https://loc.gov/pictures/resource/pga.03087/. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Simpson_-_George_Zobel_-_England_and_America._The_visit_of_her_majesty_Queen_Victoria_to_the_Arctic_ship_Resolute_-_December_16th,_1856.jpg
#'''1857''': photo of QV and Vicky, Princess Royal, in dark dresses but not mourning, QV has very voluminous ruffled skirt, probably not a cage, wearing a cap: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_daughter_Victoria,_Princess_Royal.jpg
#'''1857''': large painting by George Housman Thomas of QV distributing the first Victoria Crosses in Hyde Park, 26 June 1857, shows large military display in a large field, QV giving out VCs to a long line of soldiers. Related to the 1859 Thomas painting, as QV is wearing another scarlet military jacket, waist is cinched, etc. (see the 1859 painting). If the awarding of the VCs occurred in 1857, this painting would have been later? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_presenting_VC_in_Hyde_Park_on_26_June_1857.jpg
#'''1858 Summer – 14 December 1861, between''', photograph by Southwell, &quot;photographist to the Queen,&quot; of QV wearing a light-colored plaid skirt over a cage and a large dark shawl, reading a piece of paper. (We dated this image between the time she first wore a cage and when Albert died.) She has a cap with a gathered edge under her light-colored bonnet, which has a wide band tied in a bow under her chin with long streamers that hang past her waist. The photograph has been damaged, so patterns on the fabric are impossible to see. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:England_Queen_Victoria.JPG
#'''1859''': Winterhalter portrait, 2 crowns, the one behind her is the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Imperial State Crown|Imperial State Crown]], &quot;coronation necklace and earrings?,&quot; a vast quantity of ermine, diamonds and gold, parliament in the distance. ArtUK: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/queen-victoria-18191901-187983. Wikimedia: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Winterhalter_1859.jpg, on Wikipedia page for &quot;Victorian Era&quot;: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_era. The off-the-shoulder look she wore when she was young, short sleeves, gold lace ruffles on the skirt. Another example of elaborate but not crowded frou-frou. Georg Koberwein made a copy of this painting in 1862.
#'''1859 June''': group photograph that includes QV, Albert, Bertie and Princess Alice (who is wearing a cage) as well as Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders; Infante Luís, Duke of Porto, later King Luís I of Portugal;  and King Leopold I of Belgium. Photograph attributed to Dudley FitzGerald-de Ros, 23rd Baron de Ros. QV is seated, facing her right, wearing a cape (can't tell if it has wide sleeves), a feathered hat that ties under her chin with a wide ribbon down the back, a 3-flounce skirt with dark stripes, wider at the bottom, probably over a cage, the 2 top flounces have gathered lace edging; white lace in her lap and over her right shoulder; holding an umbrella. Royal Collection Trust: https://albert.rct.uk/collections/photographs-collection/childrens-albums/group-portrait-with-prince-albert-leopold-i-and-queen-victoria-0?_ga=2.71530067.1155757026.1769614443-1044324474.1768234449. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Group_photograph_of_Queen_Victoria,_Prince_Albert,_Albert_Edward,_Prince_of_Wales,_Count_of_Flanders,_Princess_Alice,_Duke_of_Oporto,_and_King_Leopold_I_of_the_Belgians,_1859.jpg.
#'''1859 July 9''': 1859–1864 painting by George Housman Thomas of QV, Albert and attendants on horses at Aldershot, QV in military-style, with red jacket with trim at the cuffs collar (though technically the jacket is collarless), wearing sash, honors, white blouse with back necktie, white sleeves gathered at the wrist, sitting side saddle, hat with wide brim, low crown, feminized version of the helmet the men are wearing, complete with red and white feathers. Royal Collection Trust says she is wearing a &quot;scarlet military riding jacket with a General's sash and a General's plume in her riding hat&quot; link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/405295/queen-victoria-and-the-prince-consort-at-aldershot-9-july-1859. Wikimedia link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_the_Prince_Consort_at_Aldershot,_9_July_1859.jpg
#'''1860 May 15''': full-length photograph of QV by John Jabez Edwin Paisley Mayall. Dark dress, white ruffled cap and collar, ornate patchworky shawl with fringe and lace. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_JJE_Mayall,_1860.png
#'''Circa 1861''', photograph of QV, Albert and 9 children by John Jabez Edwin Mayall. Another portrait where Albert is really the center. The women and girls appear to be wearing hoops.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prince_Albert_of_Saxe-Coburg-Gotha,_Queen_Victoria_and_their_children_by_John_Jabez_Edwin_Mayall_(n%C3%A9e_Jabez_Meal).jpg
#'''1861''', full-length photograph of QV by C. Clifford of Madrid; QV is standing mostly profile facing her right, with her head turned slightly to us; state occasion, formal dress with crown and jewelry; short sleeves with light-colored, ornate trim above the elbows; the neckline is at the corner of the shoulder with lace inside, making it be less off-the-shoulder than it looks; cage under the full skirt, train attached at the waist, in the front the train is cut away, towards the back; very clearly a silk, shiny fabric that reflected a lot of light; color is unknown; which crown is this? Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/ppgcfuck/images?id=zbrn4cjm; Wiki Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HM_Queen_Victoria._Photograph_by_C._Clifford_of_Madrid,_1861_Wellcome_V0027547.jpg
#'''1861 March 1''', looks like a session with photographer John Jabez Edwin Paisley Mayall and QV, from while Albert was still alive, dark but not mourning dress, with what may be a large [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Moiré|moiré]] pattern in the fabric. Lots of frou-frou. 2 images from this session:
##Full-length photograph of QV by Mayall. Shiny dark satiny fabric, cage, large white-lace shawl, white collar, white cap on the back of her head, book in front of her on plinth: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria.jpg
##Full-length photograph of QV by Mayall. Shiny dark satiny dress fabric, cage but not the half-sphere, skirt is fuller than the cage, defined waist, more fullness in back, same white collar and cap, sleeve of jacket gets wider at the wrist, showing how full the lacy/ruffly sleeve of the blouse is, large black lace shawl. Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/yuuj2gdr/images?id=fpxwnbzg. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HM_Queen_Victoria,_Empress_of_India._Photograph._Wellcome_V0028492.jpg
#'''Circa 1862''', photo of QV seated with Prince Leopold standing next to her, QV is wearing a heavy cloak with a hood, which is up and covering what she's wearing on her head, which has a white and what may be a ruffled edge. The cloak has a wide band of what might be brocade stitched to the bottom of the cloak; the fabric of the cloak and hood and the skirt beneath may have a nap; she is not wearing a cage. Leopold is wearing short pants and gloves and carries a walking stick; his face may show bruises (or the photo is damaged): (Royal Trust link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2900563/queen-victoria-and-prince-leopold; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Leopold_of_Albany.jpg).
#'''1862''', drawing from a newspaper showing QV and Beatrice of how she was perceived, not how she was: highly idealized image of mother and child, clothing not presented realistically, QV's dress is plain and her identity is that of the loving mother. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Princess_Beatrice_as_baby.jpg
#'''1863''', photograph of QV seated, skirt is full, though she's not wearing hoops; white on head, collar and at wrists. She may not be wearing a corset (per Worsley), but the top is boned. 
##QV is facing our left, 3/4. The top part of her skirt and her sleeves are made of a fabric perhaps with a satin weave, though the bottom half of her skirt is still matte. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Queen_Victoria_in_1863.png.
##Same session, another pose, body still 3/4, but now she is facing the camera. The edges of the matte sections of her skirt and jacket are trimmed with rows of tiny ball fringe, oddly unobtrusive, especially from a distance. She is wearing a white blouse with puffed sleeves under the jacket. George Eastman Collection: https://www.flickr.com/photos/george_eastman_house/3333247605/. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_(3333247605).jpg.
#'''1863''', QV on horse with John Brown holding the bridle
##'''1863''', unattributed photograph of QV at Osborne seated on a horse, with Princess Louise and John Brown nearby. QV is seated side-saddle, has a cap with a hood over it; cap has white ruffled edge; white ruffles at her wrists. Louise is handing QV her whip? and wearing a cage; her skirt is short, ankle-length, several inches above the ground; she wears a thigh-length full jacket. Brown's back is to us, he wears a kilt. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Princess_Louise_and_John_Brown.jpg
##'''1863''', carte-de-visite photograph by George Washington Wilson, QV on Fyvie side-saddle; wearing a cap with a hood over it, cap has white ruffled edge; dark gloves; wide sleeves on the jacket. The black riding habit has a simple surface with little decoration.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_photographed_by_George_Washington_Wilson_(1863).jpg; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_on_%27Fyvie%27_with_John_Brown_at_Balmoral.jpg
#'''1864''', QV seated, holding the future Kaiser Wilhelm (Vicky's eldest), her 1st grandchild
##Willie looking at us, QV right arm around his shoulder, an early version of what became her uniform dress, this one is a winter outfit, and she's bundled up, wearing a white ruffled cap, black bonnet and veil, which may be tied under her chin; gloves; a thigh-length loose jacket with wide sleeves, a deep band of a different fabric for the bottom of her skirt; she may be wearing a brocade vest under the jacket that is not snug against her torso; it looks like she's wearing a corset (the edge near the top button of her vest). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_holding_her_eldest_grandchild_Willy.png
##Willie facing QV, very clear view of her bonnet with scarfy veil; jacket is thigh-length, sleeves widening toward the cuff, may be a blouse underneath, also with full, loose sleeves, edged in white; top part of the full skirt is shiny, deep band of fabric at the bottom is wooly looking, narrow trim between the two parts of the skirt, could be petticoats under the skirt.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_eldest_grandchild_Willy.png
#'''1865–1867''': Edwin Landseer painting of QV on horseback at Osborne, reading letters and dispatches, with John Brown, dressed formally in a kilt, holding the horse's head. (Aquatint print made in c. 1870 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_and_John_Brown_at_Osborne_House_(4674627).jpg&lt;nowiki/&gt;.) See &quot;1867 Spring&quot; in the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Timeline|Timeline]] for a discussion of the painting itself. Princesses Louise and Helena are seated on a park bench in the background. QV is wearing a bonnet tied under her chin with a large bow and a short hood-like veil. This does not look like a fitted riding habit, although the skirt is a riding skirt. The jacket is shorter than her usual thigh-length and has full sleeves that widen toward the wrist. The fitted cuffs of the sleeves of her white blouse extend beyond the jacket sleeve. She has white at her cuffs and on the cap under her bonnet. Except for a ring on her left hand, no jewelry shows. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/403580/queen-victoria-at-osborne. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sir_Edwin_Landseer_(1803-73)_-_Queen_Victoria_at_Osborne_-_RCIN_403580_-_Royal_Collection.jpg
#'''1867''': QV seated with Empress Victoria, both in mourning, but not full mourning, wearing a cage, some frou-frou, probably a cap on her head, because there's no brim, with a short dark veil over it. QV is wearing a [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Paletot|paletot]] with an overskirt with the same fabric and matching trim; the sleeves are not fitted but also not as wide at the wrists as some of her paletots. The bottom of the underskirt has a pleated ruffle. QV has quite a bit of light-colored fabric at her neck that falls down the front of her bodice, although she is not wearing the white shawl. The photograph was overexposed, so we have clarity in the black but the detail for the white parts is obliterated. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Empress_Victoria_Augusta.jpg
#'''1867''', photograph of QV seated, with her back towards us, and the Queen of Prussia (or the Empress Augusta of Germany?), both in mourning, with light-colored umbrella: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Queen_of_England_and_The_Queen_of_Prussia.jpg. Darker image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Empress_Augusta.jpg
#'''1867''', stylized drawing/painting by Takahashi Yūkei, doctor of the Japanese Embassy to Europe in 1862, so may have been drawn from life; black dress may have faded to this purple, honors sash draping is not understandable but it is beautiful; military (?) style hat with aigrette: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Japanese_doctor_Takahashi_Y%C5%ABkei_1862.png
#'''1867''', photograph of QV with border collie Sharp, outdoors, on rugs?. QV is wearing a bonnet with a veil-like scarf that ties under her chin with streamers down the front; the full, thigh-length jacket has long, full sleeves, and the jacket has no trim on it, apparently, at all. The skirt is held out smoothly by a cage, made in 2 fabrics, one satiny and the other wool or something not shiny, with 3-dimensional trim with faceted jet (?) in 3 rows. Shiny black leather gloves, with white ruffled cuffs. She looks heavier-set than she was, perhaps our sense that she was always big comes because she wasn't trying to look thin? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_dog_%22Sharp%22.jpg
#'''1868''', photograph of QV and John Brown by W. &amp; D. Downey. QV is wearing a riding habit and a hat tied under the chin, perhaps with a small plume, the jacket has some decoration. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_mounted_and_John_Brown_by_W._and_D._Downey.png
#'''1869–1879''', QV was in her 60s: &quot;At state occasions in her sixties, Victoria appeared in a black dress, black velvet train, pearls and a small diamond crown.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (480 of 786)
#'''c. 1870''', photograph by Andre-Adolphe-Eugene Disderi (probably not retouched) with QV seated, facing her left, 3/4 profile: that white cap pointed towards the forehead, covering the center part nearly completely, white flat-band collar, whites ruffles at cuffs, heavily trimmed black jacket with short peplum, including ball fringe and braid; the plain-from-a-distance, rich-up-close look: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_c.1870._(7936242480).jpg
#'''1871 September 10''', photograph of QV standing, almost full length, facing our right, with head turned our way, some books on the small table in front of her. The usual dark dress with white blouse with knife pleats and a cap covered with double ruffled lace and with veil down the back; heavy voluminous black shawl, looks like it's wool; it's probably a dress not a suit, with different textures, which are subtle Up close, the black ball-fringe (or bead fringe?) trim is 3-dimensional and different fabrics add another dimension. Skirt has wide band at the bottom, with ball fringe at the top. Wellcome Institute: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/x4hug3jt; Wiki Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria._Photograph._Wellcome_V0018085.jpg.
#'''1874–?''': photograph of QV and Princess Beatrice ice skating on a lake at Eastwell Park, home of Prince Alfred (who got the property in 1874). Can't tell, but QV might be in the sledge chair and Beatrice in the center standing on skates. That woman standing on skates in the center is wearing a cage, which holds her dress out and above the ground. 1874 is late for cages, but the British court was not fashion forward: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_skating_-_Eastwell_Park.jpg
#'''1875''': watercolor copy by Lady Julia Abercromby made in 1883 of an oil painting by Heinrich von Angeli showing QV before adopting the title Empress of India. This is a good example of a slightly formal version of her uniform. She is wearing the usual white cap and veil, clearly lace gathered into double ruffles; square-neck black bodice, sleeves are very wide at the wrists, black with complicated decorative angles layered over white, ruffly. The skirt has a horizontal division with satiny ribbon and wide ruffle (maybe pleated?) and then a border at the bottom that may be brocade; there is a train. Lots of jewelry, including double strand necklace of very large pearls, ribbon and badge of the Order of the Garter and the badge of the Order of Victoria and Albert, pearl brooch, bracelets and rings, holding a large white handkerchief. NPG: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw06517. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Julia_Abercromby.jpg.
#'''1876 May 1''': QV is declared Empress of India. Lytton Strachey says, &quot;On the day of the Delhi Proclamation, the new Earl of Beaconsfield went to Windsor to dine with the new Empress of India. That night the Faery, usually so homely in her attire, appeared in a glittering panoply of enormous uncut jewels, which had been presented to her by the reigning Princes of her Raj.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (414 of 555)
#'''1877 May''': photograph of QV, Princess Beatrice and the Duchess of Edinburgh (probably Maria Alexandrovna Romanova, Affie's wife) by Charles Bergamasco. Impossible to tell how the dress is layered, but it has a lot of frou-frou, but not a lot of lace except for the shawl and the cuffs of her blouse. QV's dress might have 2 different fabrics, like the Duchess's dress; it may have a jacket or vest or both. Her bodice looks like it is boned (assuming she's not wearing a corset). The frou-frou on the skirt are controlled pleated ruffles with tassels, which are more controlled than fringe. Visually very complex outfit, but from a distance, all that complexity would disappear. It would look textured, depending on the distance, at most. All 3 women have high-contrast lapels; 2 fabrics, matte and shiny; big buttons down the front; the 2 younger women have a row of ruffled lace at the neck; all wearing dark fabric, perhaps black. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_The_Duchess_of_Edinburg_and_Prince_Beatrice.jpg
#'''1879''', painting by Tito Conti of QV and Vicky at &quot;Napoleon's boudoir&quot;; Vicky is in mourning, having lost an 11-year-old child in March 1879; the two women are dressed in v different styles: Vicky is stylish, interest at the back of her dress, long train, narrow skirt, haute couture; QV is in her uniform, a hat? perched high on her head, a light-colored fichu? at her neck, black shawl; shorter train and fuller skirt, the shawl hiding how fitted the dress is. The point is the contrast between the 2 styles. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_eldest_daughter_Vicky,_German_Crown_Princess.jpg.
#'''1879 February''', QV seated with Hesse family (Alice's family, two months after her death and that of Marie, the youngest), everyone in full mourning. QV is wearing her &quot;uniform&quot; but no white anywhere; black cap with streamers? with what might be feathers down the back; heavy wool fringed shawl; jacket is lined and warm, possibly padded, may be long (thigh-length?); she may be wearing a corset or boning in her bodice here bc of the way the bodice drapes (there's an edge?); full skirt with deep tucked bands at the bottom: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_Ludwig_IV_240-011.jpg. Darker image from what looks like the same sitting by William &amp; Daniel (W. &amp; D.) Downey, without the father: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Hessian_children_with_their_grandmother,_Queen_Victoria.jpg
#'''1881''': Cabinet photograph by Arthur J. Melhuish of QV and Princess Beatrice, neither is in full mourning. QV is smiling and wearing her white widow's cap, at least 2 necklaces and perhaps one brooch, a black lace shawl. Beatrice is holding an umbrella over their heads.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_and_Princess_Beatrice.jpg
#'''1881 September 3''': woodcut engraving from the ''Illustrated London News'' of QV visiting the new Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh. Clear impression of QV's &quot;uniform,&quot; black dress with thigh-length jacket, edged with fur or velvet; skirt is divided horizontally with zigzag trim about knee level and a ruffle at the hem of the skirt. Unusual pillbox-like hat tied under her chin, trimmed with something light colored. Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/ev7tepmd/images?id=h8aq62mn. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_visiting_the_Royal_Infirmary_Edinburgh._Wellcome_L0000896.jpg
#'''1882 April 27''': 3 photographs of QV dressed for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Albany, probably from one session with Alexander Bassano. These photographs look like they have been retouched to smooth QV's skin and remove a double chin. The black satin-weave dress is complex, but cut as her &quot;uniform&quot; usually was. What makes this outfit different is how much white lace covers the skirt and train as well as how big a piece of lace the veil is and the unusual-for-QV berthe. Under the black jacket sleeve are two white (may or may not be a separate blouse, can't tell). QV is wearing her classic thigh-length jacket with 3/4-length sleeves, buttoned down the front, smoothly fitted to her shape but not tight fitting; she seems to be wearing a white lacy top under everything, a bodice that buttons and looks like it has a rows of fleur-de-lys diamonds operating somewhat like a stomacher comes down below her waist; over the bodice is a thigh-length jacket with thick fluffy fringe (chenille?) trimming the sleeves and bottom of the jacket and down the front on both sides. Those distinctive black jacket sleeves are cut very full at the bottom edge; they are short under her arm and have a long point below her elbow on the outside of her arm. The train is visible in 2 of the photographs and pulled around to QV's left, over some of the skirt. The skirt and train have a narrow box-pleated ruffle at the bottom. The full skirt and train are covered by a lace overskirt. QV is not wearing her wedding veil, but the veil looks like Honiton lace, as do the trim on the bodice, sleeves and skirt. The wide light-colored or white lace [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Berthe|berthe]] is slightly gathered and stitched to the neck of the bodice. A lacy white edge shows under the black jacket sleeve (may or may not be a separate blouse, can't tell), plus another white layer under that lacy sleeve edge. What looks like a chemise shows at the neckline; a row of diamonds separates the berthe from the chemise. She is holding a lacy handkerchief and a folding fan. She is wearing the Small Diamond Crown on top of the veil and a lot of diamond jewelry, including the Koh-I-Nor diamond as a brooch, the Coronation necklace and earrings, two wide diamond bracelets and rings as well as Family Honors and the ribbon of the Order of the Garter.
##'''1882''' Bassano photograph, official state portrait, reused in 1887 for Golden Jubilee as a postcard; close-up cropped bust. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Bassano_(3x4_close_cropped).jpg. Wikipedia page #1 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1887_postcard_of_Queen_Victoria.jpg. Different pose, same sitting, worse resolution: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_bw.jpg.
##'''1882''' Bassano photograph, same sitting, different pose, best image for analysis because it shows her whole body. This is not the lion-head chair, but we can see a lot of this throne-like chair. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/-/collection/2105818/portrait-photograph-of-queen-victoria-1819-1901-dressed-for-the-wedding-of-the; National Portrait Gallery cabinet card: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw119710; Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_1887.jpg. 
##'''1882 April 27''', photograph of QV and page Arthur Ponsonby, same dress as 1882, she is standing next to Ponsonby, who is holding some article of dress that seems to have more diamond fleurs-de-lys, perhaps to match the bodice. Royal Trust Collection: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2105757/queen-victoria-and-her-page-arthur-ponsonby; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_page,_Arthur_Ponsonby.jpg.
#'''1882 May''', Bassanno photograph of QV, same session, the first photograph (from a [[Social Victorians/Victorian Things#Cabinet Card|cabinet card]]) is a great deal easier to read because, even though the white is overexposed, the patterns in the black fabrics and fabric treatments are unusually easy to see, although the layers are still impossible to distinguish.
##QV is sitting on a chair and Princess Beatrice is sitting perhaps on the arm of the chair to QV's left. QV is wearing that fuzzy white widow's cap with veil edged with gathered tulle. The 3 main areas of white — the cap, neckline and the fan and cuffs — are so overexposed that the detail is obliterated. QV is wearing a ribbon necklace with a pendant that might be a cameo, painted portrait or a locket, a brooch on the center front of the neckline, small earrings (likely diamonds) and at least one bracelet and ring. She is holding a partially unfolded fan, and the front of the bodice shows either something like a pocket-watch chain attached to the 3rd button from the bottom, perhaps, or a flaw in the surface of the photograph. She is wearing a very large lace shawl over her shoulders and lap. The bodice/jacket garment buttons down the center, has QV's usual wide sleeves and may be built using a princess line. This garment is similar at the neckline and bottom of the sleeves and the overdress or jacket — it is trimmed with 2 rows of tightly pleated ruffles edged with an elaborate, 3-dimensional design that includes braid with reflective bits, perhaps jet, and gathered ruffles. Princess Beatrice is wearing a restrained, less-decorated style, with a narrow, pleated skirt, made of a moiré silk whose pattern provides visual interest (without the frou-frou associated with haute couture) and tight, tailored, princess-line jacket trimmed with the moiré silk. The jacket includes the unpatterned draped fabric that is pulled toward the back for a bustle. National Portrait Gallery: [https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw123930/Queen-Victoria-Princess-Beatrice-of-Battenberg#:~:text=The%20series%20gets%20its%20name%20from%20a,home%20match%20to%20Australia%20at%20the%20Oval. https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw123930/Queen-Victoria-Princess-Beatrice-of-Battenberg#:~:text=The%20series%20gets%20its%20name%20from%20a,home%20match%20to%20Australia%20at%20the%20Oval.] Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_Beatrice_Bassano.jpg.
##QV is holding granddaughter Margaret, Crown Princess of Sweden, eldest daughter of Prince Arthur (QV's 3rd son) and great-granddaughter Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia, who was born 15 January 1882.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-26|title=Princess Margaret of Connaught|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Margaret_of_Connaught&amp;oldid=1329585710|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; QV does not appear to be wearing a corset, buttoned bodice is not tight, dark shawl, that fuzzy white cap with veil/streamers, maybe ruffled lace. Black ribbon around her neck, white at collar and cuffs, wide sleeves on the jacket. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bassano_Victoria_and_Margaret.jpg 
#'''1883''': W. &amp;. D. Downey photograph of QV seated with baby great-grandson William (Vicky's grandson, Kaiser Wilhelm's son) on her knees. The usual black dress, with 3-dimensional, almost geometric trim, ruffled but not lacy. A very dramatic shawl with cording in 3 parallel lines at the edges, looks like the same fabric as dress. QV's face is kind looking at the baby. Black hat with white cap beneath it, shaped like the white one she often wore. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_great-grandson_Prince_William.jpg
#'''1884 May 2''', QV, Vicky, her daughter Charlotte and her daughter Princess Feodore of Saxe-Meiningen, 4 generations. QV not wearing bustle, the usual black on black for trim, black jacket, black shawl, black cap with black hangy-downy thing down the back: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VICTORIA_Queen_of_England_by_Carl_Backofen_of_Darmstadt.jpg
#'''1885 or so''': portrait published in the 1901 biography of QV by John, Duke of Argyll, probably from a photograph. That odd cap we've seen before with a point down to her hairline in front, this version with trimmed lappets (?) down the front: it's impossible to tell the layers, how things are attached and what the trim on this cap is made of, feathers or ruffles. White collar on bodice, white cuffs, black lace shawl around her shoulders, jacket or coat over a blouse; the frou-frou is the same color as what it trims, making it visually recede, but up close ppl would have been able to see how sophisticated and finely made it was: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:V._R._I._-_Queen_Victoria,_her_life_and_empire_(1901)_(14766746965).jpg
#1885: screen print bust from book ''Daughters of Genius'' by James Parson, showing unusually realistic face and detailed trim on the black; the usual white cap and a collar, locket on ribbon around her neck, small earrings. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Daughters_of_Genius_-_Queen_Victoria.png
#'''1885 May 16''', reproduction of a wood engraving showing QV visiting a soldier wounded in Sudan. Flattering drawing of QV, dress looks plain, unprepossessing, unostentatious Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/nhhej66v. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_visiting_a_wounded_soldier._Reproduction_of_a_Wellcome_V0015340.jpg
#'''1886''', Bassano photograph of QV, full-length, seated, holding the infant Alexander, Marquess of Carisbrooke, Beatrice's son. QV's uniform, ornate square-neck black dress, white blouse with ironed pleats shows at the neck; ruffles and 3-dimensional trim with jet beads on both sides of the front, with trim at the bottom as well, black ironed pleats; black lace shawl, white frothy cap that we've seen many times, with white veil. Royal Trust Collection link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2507501/queen-victoria-with-alexander-marquess-of-carisbrooke-as-a-baby; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Alexander,_Marquess_of_Carisbrooke.jpg. Elements of the Victorian frou-frou without looking over-trimmed or crowded.
#'''1888''', trading card from American tobacco company advertising cigarettes, QV in colorized image, white headdress with small crown; wearing Order of the Garter (?) sash and family honors, Link to MET collection: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/711888; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_of_England,_from_the_Rulers,_Flags,_and_Coats_of_Arms_series_(N126-1)_issued_by_W._Duke,_Sons_%26_Co._MET_DPB873774.jpg
#'''1889''', photographs by Byrne &amp; Co. from apparently the same session of QV and Vicky, both in mourning dress because Frederick III had died June 1888, but not full mourning. QV seated in the lion's-head chair and Vicky on her right. QV is wearing a black and frothy widow's cap that is made of '''something''' transparent, tightly gathered, that comes to a point over her forehead and that she wears on the back of her head. She has a black lace shawl over her shoulder, ornate under-bodice (with lots of jet?) with lacy sleeves and a lacy ruffle at the bottom, the under bodice longer than the outer bodice (or jacket) and outside the skirt, not tucked in; the outer bodice (or jacket) is tailored but not tightly fitted to the body or restrictive, skirt is not fussy; very fashionable suit, but the silhouette is not high fashion. Vicky's widow's cap has an obvious point halfway down her forehead, seems to be made of velvet with something piled on top. She also is wearing a transparent black veil, which may have 2 layers. 
##Vicky standing, hand on back of lion’s head chair, QV turned a little to her right, looking up at Vicky: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Empress_Frederick_with_her_mother_Queen_Victoria.jpg
##Vicky with hand on chair, slightly different angle, QV’s face more visible, facing our left. Royal Collection: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2904703/victoria-empress-frederick-of-germany-and-queen-victoria-1889-in-portraits-of. Wikimedia Commmons copy: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria,_Empress_Frederick_of_Germany,_and_Queen_Victoria,_1889.jpg
##QV w photo of Frederick III, looking to her right, Vicky seated (or kneeling?) and looking at the photo: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2105953/queen-victoria-with-victoria-princess-royal-when-empress-frederick-1889
##Vicky seated (?) looking at photo, QV into the distance to our right (Photo filename says 1888, but the photo is lower res and less clear): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Princess_Royal_1888.jpg
#'''1889 November''', photograph of QV and Beatrice and her family; QV is seated, wearing her uniform and that ubiquitous white fluffy cap; you can see the edge of the boning (in the bodice?), white lacy collar, white ruffle at the wrist, layers, lacy shawl, lace trim at the bottom of the skirt, bunched places on the skirt with black lace trim. Beatrice's sleeves are fitted with puffy shoulders, but QV's are not. Royal Trust link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2904837/queen-victoria-with-prince-and-princess-henry-of-battenberg-and-their-children; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Prince_and_Princess_Henry_of_Battenberg_and_their_children,_1889.jpg.
#'''1890''': Britannica #1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria. Photograph mid-thigh up, very lacy: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Victoria-queen-of-United-Kingdom. Different small crown.
#'''1890''': b/w photo, from the knees up, may be seated. Her hair is dark, so 1890 looks too late a date for this. White frill on her cap, has attached veil down the back, double ruffle at the neck, a few button, plain to another bit of trim around the skirt at knee level; jewelry looks personal, not ostentatious; white cuffs, lacy black shawl, square neck on dress, wrinkles in the bodice suggest she's not wearing a corset and the bodice is not heavily boned: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Queen_Victoria_in_1890.jpg
#'''c1890 (see 1882 Bassano portraits)''': Color portrait in official dress, with small crown with arch, a lot of white lace over and under sheer black, coronation parure, 1890s portrait in 1870s style: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_Portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_(1819-1901).JPG
#'''1892''': not-very-clear photograph of QV sitting, her arm on the lion's-head chair, black cap and veil; lots of jewelry, faceted jet or diamonds or something metal at her neck and wrists. She is wearing a black lace shawl over her shoulders and arms. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom,_c._1890.jpg
#'''1893''': watercolor portrait of QV by Josefine Swoboda, who had been made court painter in 1890.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2024-12-03|title=Josefine Swoboda|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Josefine_Swoboda&amp;oldid=1260867558|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Not unrealistic or unduly flattering, QV not in full mourning, wearing a white widow's cap and white jewelry. All we can see of what she is wearing is the shawl and a little bit of neck treatment. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Josefine_Swoboda_-_Queen_Victoria_1893.jpg
#'''1893''': VQ with &quot;Indian servant,&quot; seated working behind table, blanket or rug over her knees and feet, wearing a cloak and hat: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_an_Indian_servant.jpg
#'''1893, issued for the 1897 Diamond Jubilee''': Photograph by W. &amp; D. Downey taken for the wedding of George V and Mary. QV seated, facing our left, 3/4 front. Very large and ornate veil coming over her shoulder, possibly a lace overskirt? X claims that the white lace veil is QV's Honiton lace wedding veil and what looks like an apron or overskirt may be the 4x3/4 yards Honiton &quot;flounce&quot; on her wedding dress (ftnyc). A lot of light color on this for her, coronation parure? large light folding fan open on lap, small crown. Royal Trust Collection: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2912658/queen-victoria-1819-1901-diamond-jubilee-portrait. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_60._crownjubilee.jpg. Another copy: https://apollo-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/gm_342139EX2.jpg
#'''1893 August 12''': formal photograph of QV w George, Duke of York and Mary, Dss of York, who are very 1893 stylish; QV seated, profile, facing our left, holding a rose, black dress, bodice not heavily boned, no corset; white ruffle at cuffs and at the neck; black lacy shawl; white very fluffy brimless cap, may be her own style; from a distance very plain dress, but up close very rich, with tiny unostentatious details; moved on from all the frou-frou, but not in the haute couture way: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_the_Duchess_and_Duke_of_York.jpg
#'''1894''': QV with Beatrice, George and Mary at Balmoral, in a carriage, the women wearing stylish hats (Royal Collection Trust link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/2/collection/2300501/queen-victoria-princess-beatricenbspthe-duke-and-duchess-of-york-at-balmora) (Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Princess_Beatrice,_the_Duke_and_Duchess_of_York.jpg)
#'''1894 April 21''': QV in 30-person photograph &quot;following the wedding of Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Grand Duke Ernest of Hesse,&quot; QV seated, in shawl, all bundled up, &lt;ins&gt;from a distance, dress looks very plain, the richness is visible only up close;&lt;/ins&gt; white mohawk on head??: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_surrounded_by_her_family_-_Coburg,_1894_(1_of_2).jpg; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_surrounded_by_her_family_-_Coburg,_1894_(2_of_2).jpg
#'''1894 June 23, before,''' looks like a winter photograph, they're bundled up
##'''1894 June 23''', published in the ''Illustrated London News'', photograph of QV and Bertie, dressed warmly. Lots of beautiful, complex layers, as always; maybe skirt, vest, jacket, shawl, boa, hat and gloves, cane in her right hand and a handkerchief in her left?; the hat may be one of the &quot;timeless&quot; elements, shaped like one she wore a lot over the years but not locatable to a particular year or style. QV seated, Bertie standing behind her, both bundled up, she is wearing gloves, a shawl, a jacket and perhaps a vest; cap with white feathers and white poufs or flowers (?), cap is mostly black, comes down to cover her ears, tied in a lacy bow under her chin, black feather boa, wrapped closely around her neck like a scarf and falling down the front to the ground; cane in her right hand; brocade shawl, looks woolen: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_funeral_procession_of_Queen_Victoria_(5254840).jpg. Perhaps used again in later publications? Page says, &quot;By our Special Photographer, Mr. Russell of Baker Street London.&quot; Photo taken outdoors, on steps with rugs and a bearskin. Sword under Bertie's coat.
##Same session, slightly different pose; looks like a carte-de-visite, with &quot;Gunn &amp; Stuart, Richmond, Surrey,&quot; printed in logo form at the bottom. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_And_Prince_of_Wales_Edward.jpg
#'''1895''': photograph of QV published in Millicent Fawcett's ''Life of Her Majesty Queen Victoria'' in 1895, so the portrait predates it, though not by much. The white is overexposed, but the black is legible. QV is wearing her white widow's cap with a white veil made of tulle that is not transparent or even very translucent. The black shawl is very lacy and 3-dimensional, possibly made by crochet or knitting or bobbin lacemaking. The jacket with wide, kimono sleeves has a wide decorative cuff with a lacy edge and a 3-dimensional pattern. Between the cuff and the sleeve is a row of what may be faceted jet in some kind of ivy-like design. She is wearing a single strand of pearls and small round earrings that may be a gold ball with a small sparkly. This photo does not look retouched: the skin on her face and hands is wrinkled, and her hair is light; normal for a woman around 70. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Life_of_Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_-_Frontispiece.jpg.
#'''1895 May 21''': photograph by Mary Steen of QV and Princess Beatrice; QV appears to be making lace (either knitted or crocheted), Beatrice reading the newspaper, possibly to her; the Queen's Sitting Room at Windsor Castle. QV is wearing the white cap with the fluffy streamers, lacy white collar, white cuffs, black lace shawl, possibly a pattern at the bottom of her skirt. NPG: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw233741/Princess-Beatrice-of-Battenberg-Queen-Victoria?_gl=1*ii2xmh*_up*MQ..*_ga*NjAzODY0NTUyLjE3Njc2MjcxMDk.*_ga_3D53N72CHJ*czE3Njc2MjcxMDgkbzEkZzEkdDE3Njc2MjcxMTMkajU1JGwwJGgw. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Princess_Beatrice_of_Battenberg_and_Queen_Victoria.jpg.
#'''September 1895''': unusually clear photograph of QV with some family in Balmoral, QV is seated in a very well-made suit with rich trim and a loose, open jacket (rather than the fitted jackets worn by the younger women with big sleeves up by the shoulders), perhaps pelisse-adjacent, full at the bottoms of the sleeves, with a shawl-like collar, long lacy sleeves under the jacket's sleeves, coming down over her hand (perhaps held there by a loop?), stylish hat; her style is individualized with very stylish elements, so we know she's conscious of 1890s haute couture; but it also has a more timeless quality, the modified or updated pelisse, for example, not a memorializing of her early days, though that did sometimes happen, but an echo of styles she liked from the past? So her style is a fusing of up-to-date stylish and other elements that were more comfortable and practical but always well made of very high-quality materials. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_family_members.jpg
#'''1896 July''': QV photograph by Gunn &amp; Stuart and published as a cabinet card by Lea, Mohrstadt &amp; Co., Ltd., and used as an official image of her as sovereign for the 1897 Diamond Jubilee. Retouched at some point, her face is very smooth, no double chin, etc. Bracelet on right arm, with portrait of Albert (?) and a 4-diamond wide rivière band. Multiple bracelets on left arm, one may be a charm bracelet. Rings. Pointed small crown or tiara that is not the Small Diamond Crown, a veil (that is not her wedding veil but is likely Honiton lace) is pulled to the front over her left shoulder and appears to be coming out of the crown or tiara, many diamonds, some in brooches, coronation necklace and earrings, lots of diamonds. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom_(by_Gunn_%26_Stuart,_1897).jpg
#'''1897''': QV with Princess Victoria Eugénie of Battenburg, who is kneeling next to QV, who is seated, facing (her) right, unrelieved black except for white linen (?) veil; the solid and plain dress has some lace, but the veil is not; black lacy shawl, rings; something very frou-frou at the back of her skirt: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Princess_Victoria_Eug%C3%A9nie_of_Battenberg,_1897.jpg. Empress Eugénie was Princess Victoria Eugénie of Battenburg's godmother.
#'''1897''': painting onto ivory of QV in that white cap by M. H. Carlisle, profile, facing right, still can't tell what the fringy, feathery, lacy edge is: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/45/collection/421112/queen-victoria-1819-1901
#'''1897''': QV Elliott and Fry photograph: that cap, the meandering ruffles on the veil and lappets (?): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_(Elliott_%26_Fry).png
#'''1897''': realistic engraving or print of QV in a state occasion, receiving the address from the House of Lords, realistic enough that we can recognize faces. QV is seated, wearing a white cap with a veil, large lacy white collar, big cuffs, and a large panel of trim at the bottom of her skirt that looks similar to the pattern on her collar; ribbon of the Order of the Garter; no recognizable crown even though this is a state occasion. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_pictured_at_Buckingham_Palace_as_the_Lord_Chancellor_presents_the_adress_of_the_House_of_Lords.jpg
#'''1897 January 1''', unflattering political cartoon of QV in the context of India? (the language is Marathi according to Google Translate). Her face has an unpleasant expression, perhaps disapproval or skepticism? She is wearing a small state crown and the coronation jewels. [[commons:File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpg|https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpghttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpg]]
#1897 June 17, painting published in Vanity Fair of QV riding in a small open carriage with a canopy. QV is wearing a black dress with a ruffle and also black lace at the bottom edge (of the back of the skirt?) and a light-colored cape with black trim. The bow at her neck could be from the cape or her hat, which has a small brim, a large black decoration in front, small floral things along the side, and perhaps a veil around the brim to the back. This image was reproduced after QV's death as a monochrome print. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_Vanity_Fair_17_June_1897.jpg.
#'''1897 July 27''', photograph from a distance of QV in a carriage on the Isle of Wight. This is what she looked like from a distance on a not state occasion, you can't see any embellishments at all. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Princess_Beatrice,_Princess_Helena_Victoria_of_Schleswig-Holstein,_Cowes,_Isle_of_Wight.jpg
#'''1897 October 16''', photograph with Abdul Karim, in the Garden Cottage at Balmoral; white or light-colored mantle or cloak; stylish 1890s hat with feathers, etc.: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Abdul_Karim.jpg
#'''1898''': photograph by Robert Milne of QV and 3 great-grandchildren (the 3 eldest children of George and Mary), at Balmoral. QV is the Widow of Windsor with plain skirt and possibly a jacket with a pattern on the bodice and at the large cuffs. The usual white cap and veil. ('''find RCT copy''')https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Prince_Edward,_Prince_Albert_and_Princess_Mary_of_York,_Balmoral.jpg
#'''1898 January 16''': French political cartoon by Henri Meyer unflatteringly showing QV, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Czar Nicolas II, Chinese statesman Li Hongzhang, France and a Japanese samurai carving up China. Neither France nor Li Hongzhang have knives, but the rest of the figures do. QV is dressed for a state occasion, heavily jeweled and in her signature lacy veil and small crown. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:China_imperialism_cartoon.jpg
#'''1899''': Heinrich von Angeli portrait, copied in 1900 by (Angeli's student) Bertha Müller. QV portrait, with a lot of black, which makes it difficult to discern the layers and structure of what she is wearing. The top layer may have a stiffened, pleated chiffon layer that covers the arm of the chair and that she holds a bit of in her right hand. QV is wearing the ribbon and the Order of the Garter, the white widow's cap and generally pearl jewelry. The white at her neck and wrists frames her face and hands, which are slightly idealized and less wrinkly than one might expect. National Portrait Gallery: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw06522. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_after_Heinrich_von_Angeli.jpg
#'''c. 1899-1900''': photograph of QV with 3 children — Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (1887–1969), Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine (1895–1903) and Prince Maurice of Battenberg (1891–1914). The 2 older women are Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein (1870–1948) and Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1876–1936), possibly with Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, in the light-colored hat, on the right. QV is in an ornate version of her uniform: jacket, possibly a vest and a skirt, with lace and ruffles, and a hat (possibly a straw hat with something dark as trim on the edge of the brim) topped with a pile of light-colored flowers and probably an aigret or short feather. Royal Collection Trust: . Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VictoriaBattenbergsHessians.jpg.
#'''c. 1900''': QV photograph (reprinted from book), not or less retouched than the 1897 Jubilee photos, with feathered (or at least fluffier than the usual slightly fluffy widow's cap) headdress, sheer veil, can't really see anything else: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_old.jpg
#'''c. 1900''': print published in book of image by François Flameng showing QV in coronation robes, with ermine, and necklace, pointing to someplace NW of India on the globe, with Bertie and George behind her, portrait of her and Albert on the table with the scepter and the Imperial State crown, Koh-I-Noor diamond, ribbon of the Order of the Garter, lots of jewelry on her arms and fingers. She is standing and her legs are longer than they were in life, ruffled lace, perhaps, at neck and cuffs with a white lace flounce on the skirt, which is divided horizontally, the lace part making up the middle third. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Fran%C3%A7ois_Flameng.jpg
#'''1900 February 9''', a very unflattering but accurate political cartoon of QV and Paul Kruger playing chess, he appears to be winning, with a map of Africa in the back, published in an Argentinian periodical. QV's clothing is captured pretty realistically, including the small crown and distinctive Coronation (?) necklace and earrings, the cap and veil, ribbon of the Order of the Garter, white lace overskirt, short-sleeved jacket over a white blouse with lacy cuffs. We can see very clearly how she looked to people. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Paul_Kruger_by_Dem%C3%B3crito_(Eduardo_Sojo).jpg
#'''1901''', dated 1901, but QV went to Ireland in 1900, possibly commemorating her death in 1901? Could this be a card from a cigarette pack? She's inside a shamrock that is outlined in a light color; the white on her cloak may be beads and sequins? Could this be a photograph from the 1897 Diamond Jubilee, the cloak with the silver &quot;swirling&quot; sequins? She is seated on a chair, and the photograph of her seated is like pasted onto the shamrock. Her headdress is a hat (not a bonnet or a cap, so this is not the headdress from the Diamond Jubilee procession), with shamrocks on the hat and black plumes, and some other decoration that is too hard to distinguish. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_(HS85-10-12024%C2%BD).jpg

== QV's &quot;Uniform&quot; ==
After the 1st year of mourning QV writes Vicky that she will never wear color again (not counting honors and the sashes of the orders, etc.; also, Rosie Harte says she wore the Sapphire Tiara that Albert had had made for her as a wedding present, which would have matched her eyes). Her &quot;brand&quot; (Worsley) and what we call her &quot;uniform&quot; begins to develop and solidify, the Widow-of-Windsor look friendly to the middle classes, especially the upper middle class.

Early in her mourning, her clothing was not very ornate, with little frou-frou to interrupt the unrelieved blackness. As time passed, however, the blackness was relieved by white touches on her head and at her neck and wrists, but the biggest change was in the amount and kind of frou-frou, particularly black-on-black frou-frou, including how lacy it was. The quantity and type of frou-frou increased in scale over time, like the touches of white.

By the 1870s, her look is well established: plain from a distance; up close, very fine materials and beautiful needlework with non-contrasting frou-frou. According to Lucy Worsley, she did not wear a corset but depended on light boning in her bodices. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;Despite their sombre aspect, even her mourning gowns were finely made. She had settled into a series of very minor variations upon a square-necked bodice and skirt, customised with quirky little pockets for keys and seals, all cut pretty much the same to save her the trouble of fittings. On her head went a white cap, with streamers of lace, and round her neck a locket containing miniatures of two of her children: Alice, now lost to diphtheria [14 December 1878], and Leopold, to haemophilia [28 March 1884].&lt;sup&gt;16&lt;/sup&gt;&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|511 of 786; n. 16, p. 723: &quot;Princess Marie Louise (1956) p. 141&quot;}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

This design is her usual: a black dress or suit (it might be a dress with a bodice or a skirt and vest with a blouse under the jacket). Except in cases of full mourning, she typically wore a little white at the neckline and wrists, with sophisticated black trim not really visible from a distance. The wide skirt was often divided horizontally, with a deep band of a different fabric at the bottom. The divided skirt is a characteristic feature of QV's look, not the only way she did skirts but a design she often wore from before her accession to the end of her life.

She often wore a loose-fitting thigh-length jacket with wide sleeves, which sometimes divided the skirt visually. The jackets and bodices are not constricting or tight against her torso. The fitted suit was popular at the end of the century — [[Social Victorians/People/Dressmakers and Costumiers#Redfern|Redfern's]] (in Cowes on the Isle of Wight) and Worth's versions were all around her, and she had always liked a riding habit. The thigh-length jackets were loose-fitting but not shapeless even as early as the 1860s. She seems always to have had something on her head: caps, bonnets, hats, veils. She often wears a shawl.

We can see the ruling sovereign version of her style in the photographs of her for the 1887 Golden and the 1897 Diamond Jubilees. By the 1880s, Bertie's place in the aristocracy was also well established, and he and Alex had a very different sense of style, wearing haute couture and a stylishness typical of the House of Worth. 

By the end of her life, when she couldn't move very much on her own, her body had gotten pretty large, but our sense that she was generally fat is not borne out by her clothes (Worsley talks about the small waists and the weight she lost during crises in her life) or by the photographs of her ''en famille'' in which we can see that she is probably not wearing stays and is not wearing tight-fitting, constricting clothes.

=== Shawls ===

Caroline Goldthorpe says,&lt;blockquote&gt;The importance of visible royal patronage was not lost on commercial enterprise, and in 1863 the Norwich shawl manufacturers Clabburn Sons &amp; Crisp sent to Princess Alexandra of Denmark, as a gift on the occasion of her marriage to the Prince of Wales, a magnificent silk shawl woven in the Danish royal colors (figure 3). The Queen herself already patronized Norwich shawls, for in 1849 the ''Journal of Design'' had claimed: &quot;The shawls of Norwich now equal the richest production of the looms of France. The successs which attended the exhibition of Norwich shawls ... [sic] may fairly be considered the result of Her Majesty's direct regard.&quot; Another splendid silk shawl by Clabburn Sons &amp; Crisp was displayed at the International Exhibition of 1862 (figure 4), but it was not eligible for a prize because William Clabburn himself was on the panel of judges.&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (17)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Elizabeth Jane Timmons says that QV's black was relieved only&lt;blockquote&gt;by white cuffs, scarfs, trimmings, or the ubiquitous patterned shawls which the Queen wore and which were the subject of comment by at least two of her granddaughters, Princess Louis of Battenberg and Princess Alix of Hesse, who helped her change them when they accompanied her driving out.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot;&gt;Timms, Elizabeth Jane. &quot;Queen Victoria's Widow's Cap.&quot; ''Royal Central'' 31 October 2018. https://royalcentral.co.uk/features/queen-victorias-widows-cap-111104/ (retrieved February 2026).&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Headdresses ==

=== Bonnets, Caps, Hats ===
We discuss the headdresses QV wears in each portrait in the detailed description in the &quot;[[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Her Dresses|Her Dresses]]&quot; section of the Timeline.

In some photographs, QV has a mourning hood over her bonnet and tied under her chin, worn sort of as if it were a veil on her bonnet. It looks like it would be warm in cold weather.

[[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Wedding Veil|QV's wedding veil]] is handled separately, as are the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Crowns|crowns]].

==== Bonnet ====
'''1887''', QV wore a bonnet in her public carriage ride to Westminster Abbey for her Golden Jubilee. Inside the Abbey, &quot;she sat on top of the scarlet and ermine robes draped over her coronation chair in Westminster Abbey — but, pointedly, 'in no way wore them around her person.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (760)&lt;blockquote&gt;The queen did make one concession: for the first time in twenty-five years she trimmed her bonnet with white lace and rimmed it with diamonds. Within days, fashionable women of London were wearing similar diamond-bedecked bonnets. One reporter noted this trend disapprovingly at a royal garden party at Buckingham Palace in July, the month after the Jubilee: &quot;Her Majesty and the Princesses at the Abbey wore their bonnets so trimmed in lieu of wearing coronets. It is quite a different matter for ladies to make bejeweled bonnets their wear at garden-parties.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (761)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1893 July 5''', (was there another garden party at Marlborough House between the 5th and the 15th?), from the ''Pall Mall Gazette'' by &quot;The Wares of Autolycus,&quot; possibly Alice Meynell says that QV preferred bonnets for full-dress occasions:&lt;blockquote&gt;It was noticeable at the Marlborough House garden party the other day, that many of the younger married women, and, indeed, some of the unmarried girls, wore bonnets instead of hats. This was in deference to the Queen's taste. Her Majesty is not fond of hats, except for girls in the schoolroom, and considers that bonnets are more suitable for full dress occasions.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Wares of Autolycus, The.&quot; ''Pall Mall Gazette'' 15 July 1893, Saturday: p. 5 [of 12], Col. 1a. ''British Newspaper Archive''. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000098/18930715/016/0005 (accessed April 2015).&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
'''1897 June 22, Monday''', the bonnet QV wore for the Diamond Jubilee Procession was decorated with diamonds, from the ''Lady's Pictorial'':&lt;blockquote&gt;I HEAR on reliable authority that, although the fact has hitherto escaped the notice of all the describers of the Diamond Jubilee Procession, the bonnet worn by the Queen on that occasion was liberally adorned with diamonds. It is a tiny bit of flotsam, but worth rescuing, as every detail of the historic pageant will one day be of even greater interest than it is now.&lt;ref name=&quot;:14&quot;&gt;Miranda. &quot;Boudoir Gossip.&quot; ''Lady's Pictorial'' 10 July 1897, Saturday: 24 [of 92], Col. 3c [of 3]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0005980/18970710/281/0024. Print title same, p. 40.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
[[File:Queen Victoria white mourning head-dress.JPG|alt=A museum photograph of a sheer, frilly cap with streamers|thumb|Queen Victoria's White Widow's Cap]]

==== Widow's Cap ====
The distinctive white or sometimes black cap QV wore with &quot;crinkled crape&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:9&quot;&gt;Strasdin, Kate. ''The Dress Diary: Secrets from a Victorian Woman's Wardrobe''. Pegasus, 2023.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|734 of 1124}} is a [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Widow's Cap|widow's cap]], sometimes called a mourning bonnet or mourning headdress. The now-damaged, once-white widow's cap (right) is said to have belonged to Queen Victoria. It is a cap with two streamers, like lappets, that have been decorated with meandering clumps of ruffled tulle matching the cap itself. The streamers would have been a consistent width, suggesting that the tulle background is torn.

Describing some point in time after Albert's death, Elizabeth Jane Timms says,&lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen began to be photographed in her white peaked caps, spinning; an occupation that the Queen took up, which perhaps underlined her solitary state and one which, like her painting box, enabled creativity within that solitude. Sir Joseph Boehm sketched the Queen in 1869 spinning, by which time a spinning wheel had been placed in her sitting room .... Again, Boehm shows her wearing her mourning weeds and her white cap, tantamount now to a type of widow’s uniform. She also wore the caps engaged in another solitary occupation, knitting or crochet work.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

What Princess Beatrice called ''Ma's sad caps'',&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt; Queen Victoria's white widow's caps&lt;blockquote&gt;were made of tulle, although where they were manufactured is not clear. By the late 1880s, she wore them pinned higher up than the rather sunken fashion of the 1860s, when they were worn close to the head, creating a flat impression. In later years, these ornate creations had evolved into deep, stately frills of tulle or silk with streamers and may have been supported by wires ....

Only one of the Queen’s white widow’s caps was apparently known to have survived and was preserved at the Museum of London. A fragile survivor, it is loaded with Queen Victoria’s personal symbolism and dates from around 1899. It is extremely rare and may have been discarded when it ceased to be in wearable condition.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
[[File:Four Generations (by William Quiller Orchardson) – Government Art Collection, Lancaster House.jpg|alt=Dark painting showing an old woman and 2 men dressed in black and a small boy dressed in white and holding a big bouquet of roses|left|thumb|Four Generations: Queen Victoria and Her Descendants]]
Although Timms says that only one of Queen Victoria's widow's caps has survived, at least two and possibly three can be found. One widow's cap, said to have belonged to Queen Victoria, is &quot;displayed in a glass case at Kensington Palace, listed as Historic Royal Palaces 3502037, ‘''Widow’s Cap, 1864-1899, Tulle''.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;

Sir William Quiller Orchardson was given what seems to be a different white widow's cap to use for his 1899 ''Four Generations: Queen Victoria and Her Descendants'' (left). His widow donated this cap, also said to have belonged to Queen Victoria, to the Museum of London in 1917.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt; Timms says that the cap in the Museum of London is dated about 1899, &quot;contains far more tulle frills&quot; and &quot;is considerably more fragile ... because it has been washed.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;

What may be a separate, third cap (above right), which is called a &quot;white mourning head-dress [Trauer Kopfbedeckung]&quot; belonging to Queen Victoria, is dated &quot;from 1883 [von 1883].&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Citation|title=English:  white mourning headdress of Queen Victoria from 1883Deutsch:  Trauer Kopfbedeckung Königin Victoria von 1883|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_white_mourning_head-dress.JPG|date=2015-03-22|accessdate=2026-02-20|last=Jula2812}}&lt;/ref&gt; (The only information that might be considered provenance in the description of this third cap is that the person who uploaded the image into Wikimedia Commons titled it in German.)[[File:Queen Victoria (1887).jpg|thumb|Queen Victoria wearing the Small Diamond Crown, the Coronation Necklace and Earrings and the Koh-i-Noor brooch, 1897]]

=== Crowns ===
The Royal Collection Trust has a page on [https://www.rct.uk/collection/stories/the-crown-jewels-coronation-regalia The Crown Jewels: Coronation Regalia]. Two crowns are worn for the coronation ceremony, not counting the Consort Crown&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-05-17|title=Consort crown|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Consort_crown&amp;oldid=1290790447|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;: the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#St. Edward's Crown|St. Edward's Crown]] and the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Imperial State Crown|Imperial State Crown]].

The parts of a crown: the band, fleur-de-lys, cross pattée, the cap, arch, monde (the globe on top of the arches), the cross (on top of the monde)

==== Small Crowns ====
The Small Diamond Crown, photograph by Bassano (right): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1887_postcard_of_Queen_Victoria.jpg, was made in March 1870 by Garrard and Co. to fit over QV's widow's cap and to serve as an official crown.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-03-12|title=Small Diamond Crown of Queen Victoria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Small_Diamond_Crown_of_Queen_Victoria&amp;oldid=1280094126|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; The Royal Collection Trust has 3 views of this crown (https://www.rct.uk/collection/31705/queen-victorias-small-diamond-crown). Its discussion of the Small Diamond Crown is here:&lt;blockquote&gt;The priorities in creating the design were lightness and comfort and the crown may have been based on Queen Charlotte's nuptial crown which had been returned to Hanover earlier in the reign. Queen Victoria wore this crown for the first time at the opening of Parliament on 9 February 1871, and frequently used it after that date for State occasions, and for receiving guests at formal Drawing-rooms. It was also her choice for many of the portraits of her later reign, sometimes worn without the arches. By the time of her death, the small crown had become so closely associated with the image of the Queen, that it was placed on her coffin at Osborne.&lt;ref name=&quot;:10&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/31705/queen-victorias-small-diamond-crown|title=Garrard &amp; Co - Queen Victoria's Small Diamond Crown|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-01-20}}&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;This crown was on the catafalque for her funeral procession along with the Imperial State Crown, the Orb and the Sceptre.

An 1897 political cartoon in Hindi shows QV wearing the Small Diamond Crown, veil and lappets, which might be a symbolic rather than a literal representation (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpg).

The Royal Collection Trust's technical description of the Small Diamond Crown is here: &lt;blockquote&gt;The crown comprises an openwork silver frame set with 1,187 brilliant-cut and rose-cut diamonds in open-backed collet mounts. The band is formed with a frieze of lozenges and ovals in oval apertures, between two rows of single diamonds, supporting four crosses-pattée and four fleurs-de-lis, with four half-arches above, surmounted by a monde and a further cross-pattée.&lt;ref name=&quot;:10&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
These small crowns are not part of the collection of official coronation wear, but they were part of what QV wore as sovereign or monarch. She is not wearing them in the photographs of her ''en famille''. [[File:Saint Edward's Crown.jpg|alt=Gold bejeweled crown with purple velvet and fur around the rim|thumb|St Edward's Crown, traditionally used at the moment of coronation]]

==== St. Edward's Crown ====
Putting the St. Edward's Crown on the monarch's head marks the moment of the coronation. This crown is used once in a monarch's lifetime.&lt;ref name=&quot;:7&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/stories/the-crown-jewels-coronation-regalia|title=The Crown Jewels: Coronation Regalia|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-27}}&lt;/ref&gt; The current St. Edward's Crown (right) was made in 1661, for the coronation of Charles II, and it was most recently used in the coronation of Charles III.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-29|title=St Edward's Crown|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=St_Edward%27s_Crown&amp;oldid=1330156300|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

Because of its weight, the St. Edward's Crown has not always used for coronations. In the period between the coronation of William III (William of Orange) in 1689&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-02|title=William III of England|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_III_of_England&amp;oldid=1325339468|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; and that of George V in 1911, new monarchs did not use the St. Edward's Crown but had new crowns made for the ceremony.

Lucy Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;St Edward’s Crown, traditionally used at the climax of the ceremony, had been made for Charles II, a man over 6 feet tall and well able to bear its 5-lb weight. But here [for Victoria's coronation] problems had been anticipated. A new and smaller ‘Crown of State’ had been specially made ‘according to the Model approved by the Queen’ at a cost of £1,000.45{{rp|45 TNA LC 2/67, p. 66}} ...

Her new crown weighed less than half the load of St Edward’s Crown, but it still gave Victoria a headache. She’d had it made to fit her head extra tightly, so that ‘accident or misadventure’ could not cause it to fall off.&lt;sup&gt;47:&quot;47 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) pp. 83–4&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; The jewellers Rundell, Bridge &amp; Rundell had made the new crown, and during the build-up towards the coronation it had become the focus [173–174] of an angry controversy. Mr Bridge had displayed his firm’s finished handiwork to the public in his shop on Ludgate Hill. This was much to the dismay of the touchy Mr Swifte, Keeper of the Regalia at the Tower of London. It was Mr Swifte’s privilege to display the Crown Jewels kept at the Tower to anyone who wanted to see them, for one shilling each, and he’d been counting on a lucrative flood of visitors to pay for the feeding of his numerous and sickly infants. But the new crown proved a greater attraction, and hundreds of people went to Mr Bridge’s shop, Mr Swifte complained, when they would otherwise have come to the Tower. Mr Bridges was not very sympathetic about stealing Mr Swifte’s business. ‘If we were to close our Doors,’ he claimed, ‘I fear they would be forced.’&lt;sup&gt;48&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;48 TNA LC 2/68 (22 June 1838)&quot;}}

Victoria later confessed that her firmly fitting crown had hurt her ‘a good deal’, but nevertheless she had to sit on her throne in it, while the peers came up one by one to swear loyalty and kiss her hand.&lt;sup&gt;49&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|49 RA QVJ/1838: 28}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|173–174; nn. 45, 47, 48, 49, p. 661}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
==== Imperial State Crown ====
[[File:Imperial State Crown.png|alt=Gold bejeweled crown with purple velvet and many large colorful gemmstones|thumb|The Current Imperial State Crown (digitally edited image)|left]][[File:Imperial State Crown of Queen Victoria (2).jpg|alt=Gold bejeweled crown with velvet cap and ermine rim|thumb|Drawing of the Imperial State Crown of Queen Victoria, 1838]]The new monarch wears a different crown from the St. Edward's Crown as he or she leaves Westminster Abbey after the coronation. This crown is used for very formal state occasions like appearing in public after the coronation and for the State Opening of Parliament. Used relatively frequently, it has had to be replaced in the past when it gets damaged or begins to show wear.

Victoria had the Imperial State Crown (right) made for her coronation on 28 June 1838. It was broken in a procession in 1845 (dropped by the Duke of Argyll), so it no longer exists (which is why this image is a drawing). What is now the current Imperial State Crown (left) was rebuilt after the 1845 accident, altered to accommodate the Cullinan II diamond in 1909, copied and remade in 1937 for the coronation of George IV.&lt;ref name=&quot;:7&quot; /&gt; Then it was redesigned slightly for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-08-14|title=Imperial State Crown|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Imperial_State_Crown&amp;oldid=1305824792|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;[[File:Victoria in her Coronation (cropped).jpg|alt=Old painting of a white woman very richly dressed, wearing a crown|thumb|Queen Victoria wearing the State Diadem, Winterhalter 1858]]
==== The Diamond Diadem ====
The Diamond Diadem was made for the coronation of George IV and worn by every queen — regnant or consort — since. Called the Diadem by Queen Victoria and the Diamond Diadem or the George IV State Diadem now, this crown (right, on Queen Victoria's head) is a circlet of two rows of pearls enclosing a row of diamonds.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-02|title=Diamond Diadem|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diamond_Diadem&amp;oldid=1330716296|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; On top are 4 crosses pattée and 4 bouquets of the national emblems of the thistle, the shamrock and the rose.&lt;ref&gt;{{Citation|title=The Diamond Diadem|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmDAYqKiGZM|date=2022-05-12|accessdate=2026-02-04|last=Royal Collection Trust}}&lt;/ref&gt;

Queen Victoria wore it on some official state occasions before the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Small Crowns|Small Diamond Crown]] was made in 1871.

==== Diadems, Tiaras ====
A diadem is may be simpler than a crown, or it may be a simple crown. Crowns and diadems have a band that is a full circle.

A Tiara is a semi-circular headpiece, typically a piece of jewelry, that can sit on top of the head or on the forehead. Worn by women at white tie, very formal events.

A Coronet of Rank in the UK is a kind of crown that signifies rank and whose design indicates which rank in the nobility the wearer holds. A coronet does not have the high arches that crowns have. Coronets of rank indicate non-royal rank.

Something called the State Diadem was designed by Albert in 1845? and made by Joseph Kitching.

== QV's Wedding ==
Ideas about QV's wedding dress are encrusted with misinformation: 

# QV was not the first royal (or first woman) to wear a white wedding dress.
# She did not wear white to signal her virginity and purity.
# Everybody has not worn white since then because she did.

None of this is true, and some of it is easy to set aside. It is not true that Queen Victoria invented the white wedding dress. The first record of a white wedding dress in what is now the UK is the early 15th century, and they appear to be popular both in Europe and North America among royals as well as upper middle class in the mid century.

Princess Charlotte, the last royal woman to wed (?), in 1816, wore gold cloth &quot;with three layers of machine-made lace.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/71997/princess-charlottes-wedding-dress|title=Mrs Triaud (active 1816) - Princess Charlotte's Wedding Dress|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-31}}&lt;/ref&gt; Her dress is in the Royal Collection Trust (https://www.rct.uk/collection/71997/princess-charlottes-wedding-dress).

Royals were expected to appear regal. Gold and silver cloth and adornments would not have been surprising for a monarch, so QV's choice is worth examining, regardless of the actual color. Given that churches in 1840 were lit with candles and torches and rooms were warmed by coal or wood, white would have been difficult to maintain. So it expressed status and wealth (the association between the white dress and virginity may have arisen in the mid-20th century in the context of widely available birth control and the sexual revolution). White was not uncommon, however, for dresses in the mid-19th century, particular in cotton and particularly for warmer weather.&lt;ref name=&quot;:9&quot; /&gt;

Violet Paget writing as Vernon Lee addresses the Victorian moral implications in the colors white and black in her 1895 ''Fortnightly Review'' article &quot;Beauty and Insanity.&quot; She is not talking about race, and she does not mention brides [does she talk about Victoria?]. She regards as an aesthetic cultural imposition the association between whiteness and purity, virginity and heterosexuality, and between blackness and evil.&lt;ref&gt;Renes, Liz. “Vernon Lee’s ‘Beauty and Sanity’ and 1895: Color and Cultural Response.” Academica.edu https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/41271981/LeeText-libre.pdf?1452968345=&amp;response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DVernon_Lees_Beauty_and_Sanity_and_1895_C.pdf&amp;Expires=1767736568&amp;Signature=SvA5MHz3LY7x~GCxwa6pSRVwF5scY-jOgI6QAEvRyp1j5tk4uy8MWI1pj0kdJOJDLP~XMUwXuLMIVkwPwCxFut6~uLf5PI5~CnZ3arxlKFeK-LWGL1vlF7QeIzRqTkNDnyXitYiJ83DVsidWCJ8DyIHHajtl0Dk0gGzb0L-I547s-EIM~lEmWxchyLqyCnhG4o0fmEcTZqUEaJ84uImLfmosdnphQKUAIEfNai9cEdh33~wfWWfirM29CfEgtsIkoZRvsioM7fKcO79VSVsYecYySCg7GvRikf9zJ~dtJ2NNpjvtXO0tnVmv8lvVbtRM8m1fQ7jZ-hrhgF-nUOVKaQ__&amp;Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA (retrieved January 2026).&lt;/ref&gt; 

It is true, however, that the press coverage of QV's wedding likely increased the popularity of white for weddings.

=== White Wedding Dress ===
The Royal Collection has QV's wedding dress, in 3 views. It says the dress is made of cream-colored silk satin. It doesn't say the color has yellowed. In her journals, QV describes her dress as &quot;a white satin gown, with a very deep flounce of Honiton lace, imitation of old.&quot;&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;21 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (238)

&quot;Onlookers,&quot; Worsley says, commenting on the wedding and Victoria's dress, said Victoria and her party looked like &quot;village girls, presumably rather than a monarch and her ladies in waiting.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (244 [of 786], citing Wyndham, ed. (1912) p. 297). Others saw the simplicity of the wedding dress similarly, though less negatively. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;'I saw the Queen’s dress at the palace,’ wrote one eager letter-writer, ‘the lace was beautiful, as fine as a cobweb.’ She wore no jewels at all, this person’s account continues, ‘only a bracelet with Prince Albert’s picture’.&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;28 Mundy, ed. (1885) p. 413}} This was in fact [240–241] completely incorrect. Albert had given her a huge sapphire brooch, which she wore along with her ‘Turkish diamond necklace and earrings’.&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;29 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February}} It was the beginning of a lifetime trend for Victoria’s clothes to be reported as simpler, plainer, less ostentatious than they really were. The reality was that they were not quite as ostentatious as people expected for a queen.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt; (240–241)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Is it possible that ''white'' actually was used for a range of very light colors? Certainly, not all whites are the same color, and not all viewers are precise with their language.

==== What Was White Used For? ====
The layers worn under dresses were sometimes white. Undergarments would generally have been made of cotton by the 1890s, although some wool and linen was still in use. Mechanical bleaches were available, so fabric could be made pale enough to have been called white. Kate Strasdin quotes a mid-19th-century use of &quot;snow white&quot; to distinguish it from other kinds of white.&lt;ref name=&quot;:9&quot; /&gt; 

Debutants being presented to the monarch wore white, it was court dress [confirm this], and the train added to Victoria's dress raised it into court dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (239? [22 Staniland (1997) p. 118])

Perhaps what was striking about Victoria's white dress was not just its color but its simplicity. When the &quot;onlookers&quot; at Victoria's wedding compare her bridal party to village girls, they are not suggesting that the bridal party is wearing underwear indecently or that they're in court dress. The touchstone here is class — they don't look like the ruling class or the upper class.

But Victoria's white dress was influential nonetheless. Lucy Worsley says it &quot;launched a million subsequent white weddings.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt; (238) However, other women were wearing white around the same time, including Mary Todd's sister Frances and Sophie of Württembert, Queen of the Netherlands in 1839. Mary Todd is said to have worn white at her wedding to Abraham Lincoln because they married quickly, so she just borrowed her sisters dress.

# 1839 May 21: Frances Todd's wedding dress was white; she later loaned it to her sister, Mary Todd, for her wedding.
# 1839 June 18: Sophie of Württembert, Queen of the Netherlands wore white.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-02|title=Sophie of Württemberg|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sophie_of_W%C3%BCrttemberg&amp;oldid=1325386567|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; She knew Napoleon III and QV; was progressive politically, favoring democracy; was buried in her wedding dress.
# '''1840 February 10''': QV's wedding dress was white.
# 1842 November 4: Mary Todd wore her sister Frances's white satin wedding dress.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-05|title=Mary Todd Lincoln|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Todd_Lincoln&amp;oldid=1325904504|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1853 January 30: Eugénie of France wore white.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-11-18|title=Eugénie de Montijo|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eug%C3%A9nie_de_Montijo&amp;oldid=1322973534|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1854 April 24: Empress Elisabeth of Austria wore white for her wedding.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-17|title=Empress Elisabeth of Austria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Empress_Elisabeth_of_Austria&amp;oldid=1327984118|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1858 January 25: Victoria the Princess Royal&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-22|title=Victoria, Princess Royal|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Victoria,_Princess_Royal&amp;oldid=1328868015|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1863 March 10: Alexandra of Denmark&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-14|title=Alexandra of Denmark|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alexandra_of_Denmark&amp;oldid=1327524766|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

All royal clothing is deliberately &quot;symbolic&quot; — or semiotic — to some degree. Lucy Worsley interprets the simple white dress as Victoria marrying as a woman rather than as &quot;Her Majesty the Queen.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (239) Kay Staniland and Santina M. Levey (and the [https://thedreamstress.com/2011/04/queen-victorias-wedding-dress-the-one-that-started-it-all/ Dreamstress blog]) claim that the salient article from QV's wedding dress was the Honiton lace, which the dress showcased, which they decided should be white, which is why her dress was white.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://thedreamstress.com/2011/04/queen-victorias-wedding-dress-the-one-that-started-it-all/|title=Queen Victoria's wedding dress: the one that started it all|last=Dreamstress|first=The|date=2011-04-17|website=The Dreamstress|language=en-US|access-date=2025-12-17}}&lt;/ref&gt;
[[File:Queen Victoria's Wedding Lace Veil c.1889-91 Detail.jpg|alt=Old photograph of a square of fine fabric edged with ornate white lace, with a wreath of small artificial flowers on the side|thumb|Queen Victoria's Wedding Veil, c. 1889–91]]

=== Wedding Veil ===
The late-19th-century image of QV's veil (right) makes it look a lot smaller than it is. The circlet to its right, which is a wreath of artificial flowers worn around the head over the veil, suggests its scale.

A contemporary (1855) photograph of 1840 QV's wedding veil and wreath is in the Royal Trust collection (https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/34/collection/2905584/veil-worn-by-queen-victoria-at-her-marriage), from a page in a scrapbook that includes 2 photos of paintings made after the wedding, one photo of the veil, showing its lace, and one photo of the bonnet she wore after the wedding.

The veil and [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Flounce|flounce]] on QV's wedding dress were made of Honiton lace, in Devon, partly designed &quot;by the Pre-Raphaelite artist William Dyce&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot; /&gt; and attached to a very fine netting. QV seems to have saved both the dress and the veil. She used both until the end of her life as well as other pieces of lace using the same Dyce design.

Elizabeth Abbott, in her ''A History of Marriage'', says her veil was&lt;blockquote&gt;one and half yards of diamond-studded Honiton lace draped over her shoulders and back. ... The flounce of the dress was also Honiton lace, four yards of it, specially made in the village of Beer by over two hundred lace workers, at a cost of more than £1,000.&lt;ref&gt;Abbott, Elizabeth. ''A History of Marriage''. Duckworth Overlook, 2011. Internet Archive [[iarchive:historyofmarriag0000abbo_w6u8/page/76/mode/2up|https://archive.org/details/historyofmarriag0000abbo_w6u8]].&lt;/ref&gt; (76)&lt;/blockquote&gt;

N. Hudson Moore's 1904 ''Lace Book'' describes (perhaps a touch hyperbolically) the Honiton lace used on Victoria's coronation and wedding dresses as well as her &quot;body linen&quot; and the dresses of Alexandra, Princess of Wales and the Princess Alice:&lt;blockquote&gt;
The wedding trousseau of Queen Victoria was trimmed with English laces only, and this set such a fashion for their use that the market could not be supplied, and the prices paid were fabulous. The patterns were most jealously guarded, and each village and sometimes separate families were noted for their particular designs, which could not be obtained elsewhere. Such laces as these were what were used on Queen Victoria’s body linen. Her coronation gown was of white satin with a deep flounce of Honiton lace, and with trimmings of the same lace on elbow sleeves and about the low neck. Her mantle was of cloth of gold trimmed with bullion fringe and enriched with the rose, the thistle, and other significant emblems. This cloth of gold is woven in one town in England. The present Queen’s mantle was made there also. Queen Victoria's wedding dress was composed entirely [sic] of Honiton lace, and was made in the small fishing village of Beers. It cost £1,000 ($5,000) and after the dress was made the patterns were destroyed. Royalty has done all it could to promote the use of this lace, and the wedding dresses of the Princess Alice and of Queen Alexandra were of Honiton also, the pattern of the latter showing the design of the Prince of Wales’s feathers and ferns.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/lacebook0000nhud|title=The lace book|last=N. Hudson Moore|date=1904|publisher=Frederick A. Stokes Company|others=Internet Archive}}&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|184}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
QV wore her wedding veil to all her children's christenings.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|492 of 786}} Beatrice wore that veil at her own wedding, a sign that QV had relented and agreed to Beatrice marrying. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;Beatrice could only squint at her groom-to-be through the folds of the very same Devon lace veil her mother had worn when she'd married Albert. This was hugely significant. Victoria attached great importance to clothes, and a well-informed source tells us that ‘almost without exception, her wardrobe woman can produce the gown, bonnet, or mantle she wore on any particular occasion.'&lt;sup&gt;47&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|&quot;47 Anon. 'Private Life' (1897; 1901 edition) p. 69&quot;}} The veil was one of the most precious items in the Albertian reliquary. ‘I look upon it as a holy charm,’ Victoria wrote, ‘as it was under that veil our union was blessed forever.’&lt;sup&gt;48&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;48 RA QVJ/1843: 19 May; Bartley (2016) p. 82&quot;}} Her loan of it to Beatrice was an important act of blessing.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|500 of 786; n. 47, 48, p. 721 of 786}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Sartorial Style ==
In clothing and perhaps also in jewelry but not in furnishings or architecture. When matters.
* She had her own sense of style, influenced as she may have been by her maids, dressers and modistes, over time and through events in her life. The evolution of her sense of style changed as her life changed and she aged. She was never haute couture, although before she married Albert, she wore French fashion and Brussels lace. But she never really did glamour? Early on, a lot of bare shoulders. A construction of a feminine identity in all that frou-frou, from girly to romantic to maternal to widowed to regal. She came out of her depression with a changed identity.
* She liked frills, layers and decorative trim, and some frou-frou, especially perhaps while Albert was still alive. But over her life, her general look was a simple dress made in sophisticated ways with very high-quality fabrics, laces and trim. After she developed her &quot;uniform,&quot; the frou-frou can be hard to see and impossible to see from a distance. In a way, she was beyond haute couture, her style was classic and less mutable, decorative elements were often sentimental.
** Albert's role
*** QV told people that &quot;she 'had no taste, ... used only to listen to him,'&quot; Albert. Taste here is probably art and architecture, as the context is Osborne House.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|318 of 786 [n. 26, p. 689: &quot;Quoted in Marsden, ed. (2012) p. 12&quot;]}}
*** QV &quot;and Albert — '''for Albert must approve every outfit''' — were conservative in their taste [in clothing]. A Frenchman found her frumpy, and laughed at her old-fashioned handbag 'on which was embroidered a fat poodle in gold'.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|311 of 786}} Something sentimental made by Vicky?
*** Elizabeth Jane Timms says, &quot;Prince Albert had played an essential role in the Queen’s wardrobe, on whose highly refined artistic taste the Queen relied. In her own words: ‘''He did everything – everywhere… the designing and ordering of Jewellery, the buying of a dress or a bonnet… all was done together''…’ [sic ital].&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;
*** 1861 January at Osborne after the servants' ball:&lt;blockquote&gt;As she and Albert passed the time ‘talking over the company’, Victoria also gives details of how her ‘maids would come in and begin to undress me – and he would go on talking, and would make his observations on my jewels and ornaments and give my people good advice as to how to keep them or would occasionally reprimand if anything had not been carefully attended to’.&lt;sup&gt;50&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|327 of 786; n. 50, p. 590: &quot;RA VIC/MAIN/RA/491 (January 1861)&quot;}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
* We know some things about her dressers, modistes, dressmakers, etc.
* She had a couple of &quot;uniforms&quot;: the Widow of Windsor and the riding habit with the red coat.
* She like fine, complex laces. Even when laces were typically machine made, hers were not.
* She liked tartan. Many of her clothing choices were emotional or sentimental: favorite and meaningful veils, shawls, tartan.
* Shape of skirt (see [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Hoops|Hoops]] for one photograph that shows the style of fabric moving to the back). When she visited Paris in 1855 she wasn't wearing hoops yet, though Eugénie was. The French women thought she was dowdy. Her shawl clashed with her dress.
* Alexandra, Princess of Wales had a very different sense of style and moved in very different social networks, regardless of her own official responsibilities. She wore haute couture and at one event — a [[Social Victorians/Timeline/1889#The Shah at a Covent Garden Opera Performance|performance at Covent Garden attended by the Shah]] — wore a red dress, which was reported on without moralizing comment. She wore dresses made by designers outside the UK.
* The contexts for how Victoria dressed:
** expectations for royalty and wives
** her relationships with the middle classes and the aristocracy
*** set herself up in opposition to the aristocracy and haute couture, and Bertie's side of the aristocracy.
*** The aristocracy did not look to her as fashion leader, but did the middle classes? Was she dressing more like some of them rather than them like her?
*** Middle-class perspective on aristocracy: Harriet Martineau attended QV's coronation, disapproved of how the peeresses were dressed and &quot;would have preferred 'the decent differences of dress which, according to middle-class custom, pertain to contrasting periods of life’. She particularly criticised the peers’ wives, ‘old hags, with their dyed or false hair’, their bare arms and necks so ‘wrinkled as to make one sick’.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|180 of 786}}
*** Her sense of style spoke to the middle classes and the mainstream ideas of many of her subjects.
*** Worsley says of Randall Davidson, new Dean of Windsor, later Archbishop of Canterbury, &quot;Unlike Albert, unlike even the Ponsonbys, Davidson appreciated her talent for identifying how mainstream opinion among her subjects would respond to almost any issue. Elsewhere in Europe, when revolutions succeeded, it was because middle-class people and the oppressed workers made common cause. In Britain, though, this never quite happened. Perhaps it was because the middle classes somehow believed that the middlebrow queen was ‘on their side’.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|478 of 786}}
*** Her identification with the middle class helped her monarchy survive. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette: completely identified with smaller and smaller elements only of the aristocracy; similarly Franz Josef and Elisabeth of Austria fell for similar reasons, especially his and his mother Sophia's identification with the aristocracy; Nicholas II and Alexandra of Russia; Napoleon III and Eugenie in France.
** the two main approaches to corseting, tight lacing and &quot;artistic&quot; dress (She didn't do the Worth-house style tight laced &quot;traditional&quot; look (in the 1880s Frith painting) or the &quot;aesthetic&quot; or &quot;artistic&quot; style associated with artists and socialists.)
** the practices around mourning (Kate Strasdin's ''The Dress Diary'' summarizes the mourning practices, at least for mid-century, and perhaps for the aspiring middle classes)
* Neither Eugenie of France nor Elisabeth of Austria were regarded as beautiful as children.
* Empress Eugénie's influence on fashion: &quot;when Mrs. Lincoln first arrived in Washington, she made a point of patterning her gowns after the empress’s wardrobe.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;Goldstone, Nancy. ''The Rebel Empresses: Elisabeth of Austria and Eugénie of France, Power and Glamour in the Struggle for Europe''. Little Brown, 2025.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|566, n. iii}}

*According to Lucy Worsley, QV developed some practices early to &quot;memorialise&quot; her life, including writing &quot;the millions of words eventually embodied in the journals that she would keep lifelong, ... keeping significant dresses from her wardrobe, ... the compulsive taking and collecting of photographs,&quot; even maintaining &quot;certain rooms of her palaces ... with their furniture unchanged as shrines to earlier times.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|91 of 786}} Another form of memorialization was the books she wrote or had written.
*1856: there is a &quot;surviving day dress of lilac silk ..., which has grey silk ribbons running between waist and hem inside so that the skirt can be drawn up for convenient walking,&quot; as QV might have done in Scotland, although in the 1856 trip to Scotland, she was pregnant with Beatrice.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|346 of 786; n. 45, p. 693: &quot;'''Madeleine Ginsburg, ‘The Young Queen and Her Clothes'''’, ''Costume'', vol. 3 (Sprint) (1969) p. 42&quot;}}

== Class ==
Early in their marriage, QV and Albert &quot;had a powerful and popular domestic image and were often seen at home wearing ‘ordinary’ clothes, further appealing to the middle classes.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/collections/london-stories/marriage-queen-victoria-prince-albert/|title=The marriage of Queen Victoria &amp; Prince Albert|website=London Museum|language=en-gb|access-date=2026-02-16}}&lt;/ref&gt;

After the 1870 Mordaunt divorce case, according to Lytton Strachey, speaking at first from QV's perspective,&lt;blockquote&gt;It was clear that the heir to the throne had been mixing with people of whom she did not at all approve. What was to be done? She saw that it was not only her son that was to blame﻿ — that it was the whole system of society; and so she despatched a letter to Mr. Delane, the editor of ''The Times'', asking him if he would &quot;frequently write articles pointing out the immense danger and evil of the wretched frivolity and levity of the views and lives of the Higher Classes.&quot; And five years later Mr. Delane did write an article upon that very subject.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (424 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;The upper-middle-class Florence Nightingale &quot;had developed a great fondness for Victoria, shy in 'her shabby little black silk gown'&quot; by the time of Albert's death.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (592 of 1203) She had visited Balmoral during the Crimean War and&lt;blockquote&gt;had been struck by the difference between the bored, frivolous court members and Victoria and Albert, both consumed with thoughts of war, foreign policy, and &quot;all things of importance.&quot; Even before Albert’s death, she thought Victoria conscientious &quot;but so mistrustful of herself, so afraid of not doing her best, that her spirits are lowered by it.&quot; With Albert gone, &quot;now she is even doubting whether she is right or wrong from the habit of consulting him.&quot; Nightingale found this touching, a sign that &quot;she has not been spoilt by power.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (592 of 1203)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Lucy Worsley sees this lack of self-confidence on Victoria's part as one of the effects of Albert's critical, controlling treatment of her.

The general election of 1886, according to Lytton Strachey, &quot;the majority of the nation&quot;&lt;blockquote&gt;showed decisively that Victoria’s politics were identical with theirs by casting forth the contrivers of Home Rule﻿ — that abomination of desolation﻿ — into outer darkness, and placing Lord Salisbury in power. Victoria’s satisfaction was profound.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (439–440 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Prime Minister Salisbury believed that the queen had an uncanny ability to reflect the view of the public; he felt that when he knew [736–737] Victoria’s opinion, he &quot;knew pretty certainly what views her subjects would take, and especially the middle class of her subjects.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (736–737 of 1203)

Summing up her reign, Strachey says,&lt;blockquote&gt;The middle classes, firm in the triple brass of their respectability, rejoiced with a special joy over the most respectable of Queens. They almost claimed her, indeed, as one of themselves; but this would have been an exaggeration. For, though many of her characteristics were most often found among the middle classes, in other respects﻿ — in her manners, for instance﻿ — Victoria was decidedly aristocratic. And, in one important particular, she was neither aristocratic nor middle-class: her attitude toward herself was simply regal.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (478 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;
== Proposals ==
Queen Victoria's Sense of Style, her taste in clothes and jewelry

To talk about her sartorial style is to address both jewelry (which includes crowns, diadems and tiaras) and clothing (including accessories like shawls, veils and caps, bonnets and hats).

One of the secrets of her style was that she wore elements of Victorian frou-frou without looking over-trimmed or visually busy, mostly because it was black on black (or, before Albert's death, white on white, but also because the materials and work were so fine. What she selected of the frou-frou was very fashionable, but the trim is not high contrast, as for example what a Worth gown might have. The silhouette was not high-fashion, but elements were: she knew what was fashionable, she or her dressmakers, etc.

The close-up/far-away thing contrasts with Bertie, who understood ceremony and pageantry differently and probably better.

Periods in her sartorial styles, but made more complex by state occasions vs less formal, many of them in-family occasions:

# Before she came to the throne, she may not have been in control of her own look.
# After her accession and before her marriage, she had control as well as an experienced Mistress of the Robes and experienced maids and dressmakers. She experimented, wore for example a dark tartan dress to meet Albert and his brother and chose simple styles, like village girls, at the wedding; expectations for what a monarch would wear; she seems to have liked an off-the-shoulder look when she was young, and very formal dress later might be off the shoulder.
# Marriage to Albert: he had a lot of say, though she resisted in some ways, but her identity was tied up in his, as his wife; he attempted to constrain her clothing budget was not successful long term; influenced by styles, but not at the front edge; crinoline cage 3 years later than Eugenie and Elisabeth of Austria (Mary Todd Lincoln?). Photographs, so a medium different from the official portraits documenting empire and sovereignty, more candid, more at-home, less formal, modest, but would any of her subjects have seen them? Change as well as memorializing (Worsley). Some changes she adopted: double pommel side saddle, photography, cage (not immediately, but ...) Her friends in the monarchy, Eugénie, Elisabeth of Austria and Mary Todd Lincoln were all very fashion forward. A. N. Wilson says QV was parsimonious &quot;in such matters as heating and wardrobe.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (609 of 1204)
# The 1st year, 2 1/2 years (Strasdin), and then decade of mourning, then she decides never to wear color again (not counting honors and order), and her &quot;brand&quot; begins to develop and solidify, a look friendly to the middle classes, especially the upper middle class. The Widow of Windsor. At the beginning her black thigh-length jackets were largely untrimmed, sometimes completely; a large band at the bottom of her skirt, with trim between that and the more satiny fabric above, but otherwise very little or no other trim. White around her face, including neck and headdress, and at her cuffs, but not much and not a lot of frou-frou, perhaps a ruffle.
# In 1871, under pressure from her ministers and newspapers, she had the Small Diamond Crown made and wore it to open Parliament. So she was missing from the public for about a decade. Her grief was profound, possibly compound because of the death of her mother earlier in the same year as the death of Albert. She may have been vulnerable to depression, sometimes finding pregnancies difficult to recover from. But also, her Widow of Windsor look is not just her being &quot;gloomy&quot; or being stuck in grief, though she may have been, this is her brand, her nuance on her regal identity.
# By the 1880s, her look is well established: plain from a distance; up close, very fine materials and beautiful needlework. Her clothing has trim, but generally black on black or white on white, not contrasting on a field of one color. Not wearing a corset, depending on not-very-heavy boning in her bodices, caps, shawls, At this point, Bertie's place in the aristocracy is also well established, and he and Alex are set up with a very different sense of style, wearing haute couture, House of Worth type stylishness.
# By the Jubilees and the end of the century, &quot;Despite their sombre aspect, even her mourning gowns were finely made. She had settled into a series of very minor variations upon a square-necked bodice and skirt, customised with quirky little pockets for keys and seals, all cut pretty much the same to save her the trouble of fittings. On her head went a white cap, with streamers of lace, and round her neck a locket containing miniatures of two of her children: Alice, now lost to diphtheria, and Leopold, to haemophilia.16&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (511 of 786; n. 16, p. 723: &quot;Princess Marie Louise (1956) p. 141&quot;) One design we see a lot is the usual black with a little white at neckline and wrists, with sophisticated black trim not really visible from a distance. The wide skirt with a deep band of a different fabric at the bottom, a thigh-length jacket with wide sleeves; might be dress with a bodice or a vest and blouse under the jacket.
# Jubilees, end of life and her funeral, which she had planned in detail. 

=== CFPs ===

* Uniform Mourning
* After Prince Albert's death death in 1861, Victoria returned to her earlier project of experimenting and finding sartorial styles that served not only as self-expression but that also communicated how she expected to be treated in what role. The extreme mourning was a reflection of how she felt and her identity as a faithful, grieving widow, but it was also performative and communicative, depending on who was looking and from what distance.
* In her private sphere, in the unofficial and family-centered photographs, in her journals (including Princess Beatrice's revision of her journals) and the preserved clothing, and in the accounts in the papers written by reporters familiar with fashion and dressmaking, we see a sophisticated understanding of fashion and subtle, complex  dresses. The materials and dressmaking are rich and fine. Victoria aligned her appearance with respectable matrons of the growing middle classes, but the quality of the materials used in her clothing aligned her with those in her private sphere, including other royals and aristocrats.
* This opposition between the private and public spheres is falsely simple because, for example, Victoria &quot;memorialized&quot; herself (Worsley), preserving elements of her personal life exactly because she was monarch. The different versions of herself was a complexity present in her lifetime and useful to her.
* Also, her sense of self changed over time, especially after she acceded to the throne, after she married and after she was widowed.
* Focusing on Victoria's clothes and sense of style leads us to see some understandings of her and her reign differently: her periods of seclusion and her absences from governmental and state occasions; the loss of power for the monarchy as well as the survival of the constitutional monarchy when almost every other monarchy in Europe was falling; the ways she managed her relationships with the aristocracy, the middle classes, the press; her mood and mental health; the white wedding dress and her influence in the wedding dresses of her daughters and Alex; Albert's nature; even what we believe to be the rules and conventions around mourning dress; and the size of her body.
* To study Queen Victoria's sartorial sense of style, we look at painted and drawn portraits and at photographs of her, we read the few accounts from biographers and fashion historians, especially those who have looked at the clothing and accessories preserved by Victoria herself and now in the Royal Trust Collection, the London Museum and so on, we read her own accounts (or Princess Beatrice's construction of her mother in her revision of her journals her as well as Esher's books about her based on the journals before Beatrice revised them), and we read accounts of her public appearances in contemporary periodicals, especially newspapers that employed reporters knowledgeable about fashion and dressmaking as well as those more focused on news and, perhaps, a male readership. These sources represent different versions of Victoria and her subjects, a complexity that was already occurring in Victoria's lifetime, that looks to have been deliberate and that was, I argue, very useful to her. These different versions of Victoria and different audiences lead to different readings of her senses of style as they evolved over time and what they might be signaling. The journals and many of the photographs existed in what we might call Victoria's private sphere, by which we mean in the presence of some aristocrats (who worked in government, who attended her and who were ministers), of people who were employed as servants and of her family, which was quite extensive and whose edges were porous, especially toward the end of the century and the end of her life, as well as the small number of people she &quot;adopted&quot; like Duleep Singh and XX [African girl]. The preservation of Victoria's clothing belongs to this &quot;private sphere,&quot; although much of it was worn during public or official events like her coronation or wedding; some, though, like the chemise she wore for the birth of all of her children, was more or less but not completely private, and the &quot;memorializing&quot; (Worsley) of herself entailed in this preservation was done in her role as monarch. The paintings and newspaper accounts depict the public Victoria, and from this distance Victoria looked plain — even dowdy — and clearly unaristocratic: she looks like a middle-class or upper-middle-class widow, the Widow of Windsor. Up close, though, we see complex and sophisticated dresses and dressing. Albert had tastes and preferences for how he wanted her to look, some of which were about looking familiar to the growing middle classes, and after he died and she very deliberately turned her widow's weeds into a uniform, the bifurcation between what she looked like from a distance and to the public and what she looked like up close and to those in her private circles gets clearer. Looking at her as monarch and daughter, wife, mother and grandmother through the lens of her clothing reopens some questions that up to now have seemed settled. Focusing on Victoria's clothes and sense of style causes us to see some uncontroversial and &quot;well-understood&quot; summaries of her and her reign differently: her periods of seclusion, such as they were, and her absences from governmental and state occasions; the loss of power for the monarchy as well as the survival of the constitutional monarchy when almost every other monarchy in Europe was falling; the ways she managed her relationships with the aristocracy, the middle classes, the press; her mood and mental health (the regal, disinterested face, which isn't really gloomy the way it is usually described); the white wedding dress and her influence in the wedding dresses of her daughters and Alex; Albert's nature; the size and shape of her body.
* Many of the newspaper reports of her dress are in descriptions of events involving aristocrats and oligarchs at official social events like garden parties, state balls and, of course, processions, especially for her Golden and Diamond Jubilees. The reports in the news-reporting papers, not the ladies' papers or papers with a lot of fashion reporting, seem to have been written by reporters who did not know how to describe sophisticated clothing, fabrics, trim and techniques; they do not use the technical vocabulary required to report on fashion, or if they attempt it, they end up being confusing. Often, these news reports list only the names of those invited. Garden parties might have as many as 6000 invitées listed; the most said about the queen would list who was attending. Occasionally, we hear a very general description of what she wore and perhaps if she did or did not seem to have difficulty walking, but the reporters seem to have been at a distance and may not know the names of fabrics or dressmaking techniques.
* The reports in the newspapers vs reports written by fashion specialists in women's newspapers (and magazines?).
* Both Oscar Wilde and Jack the Ripper are understood in the context of their &quot;management&quot; (or not) of the media, but Victoria's sense of her identity as a celebrity and public person was at least as sophisticated as theirs. She &quot;memorialized&quot; herself and important moments in her life in her extremely prolific use of photographs as well as painted and drawn images; in her keeping rooms in the palaces frozen in time; in her X millions words recorded in her journals; and in her clothing, both for formal as well as more candid images (Worsley). Her awareness of her responsibility to memorialize herself had to have included the newspapers as well. Politically, her absence from politics after Alfred's death until 1871, when she wore the Small Diamond Crown to open Parliament for the first time, was notable and noted, but a carte de visite with her portrait on it sold X million copies (Worsley) and kept her present in the mind of the citizenry at the same time that she was being criticized for her political absence in the newspapers and among her ministers and the members of Parliament, some of whom questioned the value of an absent monarch. Lytton Strachey says that monarchs up to Victoria's time did not attempt to be fashionable or belong to the fashionable &quot;set,&quot; except, tellingly, George IV. But Victoria's fashion choices occurred in a content different from that of George IV, both politically and journalistically. Especially as Albert's influence waned and Bertie's own social identity developed, the direction of Victoria's sartorial gestures was to the middle classes, especially the upper middle classes, but not the aristocracy, not the fashionable world of haute couture, like, for instance, what the House of Worth might provide. In this 1881 image by Frith, in fact, we see the two main streams of fashion in the economic and cultural elite, but this is not Victoria.
* Alex and her sister Dagmar (who became the mother of Czar Nicolas II) were raised to make their own clothing (their father was not wealthy), so Alex knew a lot about building dresses, already had a wedding dress when she arrived in England but didn't wear it.
* Although she was widely criticized for her absence at state occasions in the press, Parliament and among her ministers, her widely circulated photographic portraits and her books — memoirs mostly of her family life with Albert and their children, her love of Scotland and Balmoral, and later the biographical works she asked and then helped courtiers close to her to write — she was present for the mass of her subjects who bought cartes de visite and read books.
* Worsley says some of her always wearing mourning was to arrange the world so she was treated more gently, with a dispensation; there were other benefits to the &quot;uniform&quot; she developed, but this one suggests she saw herself as marginal and weakened by grief.
* The newspapers described her clothing, but by the end of her life never the way the clothing of women (and occasionally men) wearing haute couture was described? Does the close-up/far-away thing pertain here?

==== '''MVSA: Due 5 January''' (email 4 December, from Laura Fiss) ====
The Underground: Prohibition, Abolition, Expression,  '''April 10-12, 2026''', hosted by Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio

Style and Sensibility: Victoria, Eugénie, Elisabeth and Mary Todd and Their Dressmakers (383 words)

Looking at Queen Victoria's sartorial sense of style troubles some conclusions we have reached about her, her reign, her &quot;private&quot; life and her body. Her style became strongly individuated and intentionally symbolic. The &quot;uniform&quot; worn by the Widow of Windsor — that all-black dress with the touches of white at her neckline and cuffs — made her instantly recognizable, even in a crowd and from a distance, and allied her with the middle class rather than the aristocracy. Up close (in the hundreds of personal photographs, her journals, and the clothing she saved) is a sophisticated and nuanced sense of style and self.

Putting Victoria's use of dress (and jewelry) in the context of a social network of political women that includes Empress Eugénie of France, Elisabeth of Bavaria, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, and Mary Todd Lincoln removes her from the usual social isolation scholarly scrutiny gives her, emphasizing what clothing did for her, although few biographies and histories see Victoria in this way.

These women knew each other, wrote to each other and had friends in common. They thought about what message their clothing choices sent and made those choices in the context of community, not only of who saw them but also each other and the modistes and couturiers who dressed them. Victoria patronized establishments with shops in London, Paris and New York, and a complex staff made what she wore, dressed her in it and looked after it. Both Eugénie and Elisabeth were clients of the British Frederick Worth of Paris. Lincoln's modiste was the brilliant, elegant, formerly enslaved Elizabeth Keckley, who had also — with her 20-seamstress staff — dressed Mrs. Robert E. Lee, Mrs. Stephen Douglas, Mrs. Jefferson Davis, and the daughter of General Sumner. Mary Anna Lee's dress was for a dinner in honor of the Prince of Wales in 1860. (Keckley introduced Abraham Lincoln to Sojourner Truth, but she also cut his hair and made his dressing gown.)

The class alliances these women's dress signaled had implications for their lives and their reigns. Designed to work from a distance, Queen Victoria’s identity as the Widow of Windsor in her barely relieved black was a valuable construction. Face to face and in the personal photographs, the complexities of the dresses are as fine as the eye can see.

They all wore white wedding gowns (unexpected for monarchs at this time).

Family relations and threats and instability for the monarchies in Europe kept QV in touch with fashion in Europe. Not so much underground or rebellious or revolutionary as crosswise. In some ways, QV's style of dress was '''covert''', looking subtly rich and stylish up close but plain and dowdy from a distance: the Widow of Windsor. Speaking to different groups of her subjects differently, a polyvocal style.

QV chose not to do haute courture. She adopted the cage 1858, for example, well after Eugénie and Elisabeth of Austria, and vest and suit coat in the 1890s?, but she's not wearing the vest and suit coat the way Alexandra is, it's not the up-to-the-minute silhouette, but some of the element are.

Queen Victoria helped the two European monarchs with difficult and dangerous moments, sometimes contributing to saving their lives, sometimes directly and sometimes through friends. 

Her relationships with Eugénie, Empress of France; Elisabeth of Austria, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire and Mary Todd Lincoln are based on shared understanding of themselves as public female leaders.

Mary Todd Lincoln's wedding skirt: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1314628790709593&amp;set=pcb.1314628920709580, closeup: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1314628800709592&amp;set=pcb.1314628920709580; in museum case: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1314628814042924&amp;set=pcb.1314628920709580

Turney, Thomas J. &quot;'Lincoln: A Life and Legacy' Opens at Presidential Museum in Springfield.&quot; ''The State Journal Register'' 30 September 2025 https://www.sj-r.com/picture-gallery/news/2025/09/30/new-lincoln-exhibit-opens-at-presidential-museum-in-springfield/86353769007/.

== Self-Memorializing ==
The term is really Lucy Worsley's, QV memorialising herself, but because QV deliberately saved so much, other biographers noticed it as well. A. N. Wilson says,&lt;blockquote&gt;In a recent study, Yvonne M. Ward calculated that Victoria wrote as many as 60 million words.&lt;sup&gt;6&lt;/sup&gt; (6 &quot;Yvonne M. Ward, ''Censoring Queen Victoria'', p. 9.&quot;) Giles St Aubyn, in his biography of the Queen, said that had she been a novelist, her outpouring of written words would have equalled 700 volumes.&lt;sup&gt;7&lt;/sup&gt; (7 &quot;Giles St Aubyn, ''Queen Victoria: A Portrait'', p. 601.&quot;) Her diaries were those of a compulsive recorder, and she sometimes would write as many as 2,500 words of her journal in one day.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (33 of 1204. nn. 6, 7, p. 1057)&lt;/blockquote&gt;If an average Victorian novel is 150,000 words, then Victoria's &quot;outpouring&quot; would equal about 400 volumes, not 700.
* Queen Victoria's journals
* Her personal letters
* Her official letters and memoranda
* Saved clothing and accessories
* Portraits and photographs
* Anniversaries and important dates
* Preserved rooms, including all the stuff she collected over the years and the policy of keeping it in exactly the same place, recorded by photographs and albums
* Works and memoirs, both commanded and self-written
*# 1862: Sir Arthur Helps, &quot;a collection of [Prince Albert's] speeches and addresses&quot; &lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (363 of 555), a &quot;weighty tome.&quot; (364 of 505)
*# 1866: General Grey, &quot;an account of the Prince’s early years﻿ — from his birth to his marriage; she herself laid down the design of the book, contributed a number of confidential documents, and added numerous notes.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (364 of 505)
*# 1868: QV published her ''Leaves from the Journal of Our Life in the Highlands from 1848 to 1861''.&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;
*# 1874–1880: Theodore Martin, it took him 14 years to write an Albert's biography, the 1st volume came out in 1874, the last 1880. He got a knighthood, but the books were not popular, the image of Albert was not popular, too idealized and beatified.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (364 of 505)
*# Poet Laureate
*# 1884: QV published her ''More Leaves from the Journal of Our Life in the Highlands from 1862 to 1882''.&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;

=== Preserved Rooms and Possessions ===
Strachey says,&lt;blockquote&gt;She gave orders that nothing should be thrown away﻿ — and nothing was. There, in drawer after drawer, in wardrobe after wardrobe, reposed the dresses of seventy years. But not only the dresses﻿ — the furs and the mantles and subsidiary frills and the muffs and the parasols and the bonnets﻿ — all were ranged in chronological order, dated and complete. A great cupboard was devoted to the dolls; in the china room at Windsor a special table held the mugs of her childhood, and her children’s mugs as well. Mementoes of the past surrounded her in serried accumulations. In every room the tables were powdered thick with the photographs of relatives; their portraits, revealing them at all ages, covered the walls; their figures, in solid marble, rose up from pedestals, or gleamed from brackets in the form of gold and silver statuettes. The dead, in every shape﻿ — in miniatures, in porcelain, in enormous life-size oil-paintings﻿ — were perpetually about her. John Brown stood upon her writing-table in solid [460–461] gold. Her favourite horses and dogs, endowed with a new durability, crowded round her footsteps. Sharp, in silver gilt, dominated the dinner table; Boy and Boz lay together among unfading flowers, in bronze. And it was not enough that each particle of the past should be given the stability of metal or of marble: the whole collection, in its arrangement, no less than its entity, should be immutably fixed. There might be additions, but there might never be alterations. No chintz might change, no carpet, no curtain, be replaced by another; or, if long use at last made it necessary, the stuffs and the patterns must be so identically reproduced that the keenest eye might not detect the difference. No new picture could be hung upon the walls at Windsor, for those already there had been put in their places by Albert, whose decisions were eternal. So, indeed, were Victoria’s. To ensure that they should be the aid of the camera was called in. Every single article in the Queen’s possession was photographed from several points of view. These photographs were submitted to Her Majesty, and when, after careful inspection, she [461–462] had approved of them, they were placed in a series of albums, richly bound. Then, opposite each photograph, an entry was made, indicating the number of the article, the number of the room in which it was kept, its exact position in the room and all its principal characteristics. The fate of every object which had undergone this process was henceforth irrevocably sealed. The whole multitude, once and for all, took up its steadfast station. And Victoria, with a gigantic volume or two of the endless catalogue always beside her, to look through, to ponder upon, to expatiate over, could feel, with a double contentment, that the transitoriness of this world had been arrested by the amplitude of her might.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (460–462 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Demographics ==
*Nationality: English
=== Residences ===
== Questions and Notes ==
#

== Bibliography ==

# Anon. &quot;One of Her Majesty's Servants,&quot; the Private Life of Queen Victoria. London, 1897, 1901.
# Fawcett, Millicent Garrett. ''Life of Her Majesty Queen Victoria''. Roberts Bros., 1895. WikiSource copy: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Index:Life_of_Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(IA_lifeofhermajesty01fawc).pdf.
# Homans, Margaret. &quot;'To the Queen's Private Apartments': Royal Family Portraiture and the Construction of Victoria's Sovereign Obedience.&quot; ''Victorian Studies'' vol. 37, no. 1 (1993) pp. 1–41.
# Homans, Margaret. 1998.
# Mitchell, Rebecca Nicole, editor. ''Fashioning the Victorians: A Critical Sourcebook''. Bloomsbury visual arts, 2018. OCLC # [https://search.worldcat.org/title/1085349620 1085349620] .
# Staniland, Kay. ''In Royal Fashion: The Clothes of Princess Charlotte of Wales and Queen Victoria 1796-1901''. London, 1997.
# Staniland, Kay, and Santina M. Levey. ''Queen Victoria's Wedding Dress and Lace''. Museum of London, 1983?. OCLC # [https://search.worldcat.org/title/473453762 473453762] . [Repr. from ''Costume, The Journal of the Costume Society'' (17:1983), pp. 1–32.]
# Wackerl, Luise. ''Royal Style: A History of Aristocratic Fashion Icons.'' Peribo, 2012. [T.C. Magrath Library: Quarto GT1754 .W33 2012]

== References ==
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      <sha1>2zogk0wbwwh41ydby2uzibk3edqmku6</sha1>
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      <text bytes="235653" sha1="21didws0dfp5d5epnzzwss1x9cxh4aq" xml:space="preserve">== Overview ==
According to the Museum of London, Queen Victoria was 4'8&quot; by the end of her life.&lt;ref&gt;Austin, Emily. &quot;Mounting Queen Victoria's mourning dress.&quot; 13 August 2020 ''London Museum''. [https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/blog/mounting-queen-victorias-mourning-dress/#:~:text=Comprising%20a%20bodice%20and%20skirt,a%20certain%20stage%20of%20mourning. https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/blog/mounting-queen-victorias-mourning-dress/#:~:text=Comprising%20a%20bodice%20and%20skirt,a%20certain%20stage%20of%20mourning.] Retrieved 2026-03-09.&lt;/ref&gt; Most people say she was about 5 feet tall at her tallest, although sometimes some will say 5'2&quot;.

Lytton Strachey describes the shrinking of Queen Victoria's power over the course of her reign, attributing it to her inability to think clearly about the constitution or constitutional monarchy:&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria’s comprehension of the spirit of her age has been constantly asserted. It was for long the custom for courtly historians and polite politicians to compliment the Queen upon the correctness of her attitude towards the Constitution. But such praises seem hardly to be justified by the facts. ... The complex and delicate principles of the Constitution cannot be said to have come within the compass of her mental faculties; and in the actual developments which it underwent during her reign she [472–473] played a passive part. From 1840 to 1861 the power of the Crown steadily increased in England; from 1861 to 1901 it steadily declined. The first process was due to the influence of the Prince Consort, the second to that of a series of great Ministers. During the first Victoria was in effect a mere accessory; during the second the threads of power, which Albert had so laboriously collected, inevitably fell from her hands into the vigorous grasp of Mr. Gladstone, Lord Beaconsfield, and Lord Salisbury. Perhaps, absorbed as she was in routine, and difficult as she found it to distinguish at all clearly between the trivial and the essential, she was only dimly aware of what was happening. Yet, at the end of her reign, the Crown was weaker than at any other time in English history. Paradoxically enough, Victoria received the highest eulogiums for assenting to a political evolution, which, had she completely realised its import, would have filled her with supreme displeasure.

Nevertheless it must not be supposed that she was a second George III. Her desire to impose her will, vehement as it was, and unlimited by [473–474] any principle, was yet checked by a certain shrewdness.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot;&gt;Strachey, Lytton. ''Queen Victoria''. Standard Ebooks, 2025 (2020). [http://standardebooks.org/ebooks/lytton-strachey/queen-victoria standardebooks.org/ebooks/lytton-strachey/queen-victoria]. Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/queen-victoria/id6444770015.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|472–474 of 555}}
&lt;/blockquote&gt;

The American writer Henry James on Queen Victoria's death:&lt;blockquote&gt;the ensuing mood [was] &quot;strange and indescribable&quot;: people spoke in whispers, as though scared of something. He was surprised at the reaction, because her death was not sudden or unusual: it was &quot;a simple running down of the old used up watch,&quot; the death of an old widow who had thrown &quot;her good fat weight into the scales of general decency.&quot; Yet in the following days, the American-born writer felt unexpectedly distressed. He, like so many, mourned the &quot;safe and motherly old middle-class Queen, who held the nation warm under the fold of her big, hideous Scotch-plaid shawl.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|846 of 1203}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

According to A. N. Wilson, Queen Victoria's reputation for prudishness is not quite deserved. The &quot;raffishness&quot; of George IV, for example, or most of the other children of George III, was distasteful, but&lt;blockquote&gt;Having been brought up by a [324–325] widow was different from being brought up, as Albert was, in a home broken by adultery; so her distaste for raffishness, though she would loyally echo her husband’s strong moral line, lacked the pathological edge which it possessed in his case.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|324–325 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

And Wilson says of her enduring liking for the &quot;poor relation&quot; cousin George Cambridge, 2nd Duke of Cambridge,&lt;blockquote&gt;Although all her biographers stress Victoria’s need, in marrying the virtuous Prince Albert, to escape the dissipations and clumsiness of her ‘wicked uncles’, there was always a distinctly Hanoverian side to her. George Cambridge was a throwback to the world of William IV and George IV, to a lack of stiffness and a lack of side which was always part of Victoria’s character also.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|879 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

Wilson says of the distance between the actual woman and the external perception of her,&lt;blockquote&gt;Arthur C. Benson and the 1st Viscount Esher, both homosexual men of a certain limited outlook determined by their class and disposition, were the pair entrusted with the task of editing the earliest published letters. It is a magnificent achievement, but they chose to concentrate on Victoria’s public life, omitting the thousands of letters she wrote relating to health, to children, to sex and marriage, to feelings and the ‘inner woman’. It perhaps comforted them, and others who revered the memory of the Victorian era, to place a posthumous gag on Victoria’s emotions. The extreme paradox arose that one of the most passionate, expressive, humorous and unconventional women who ever lived was paraded before the public as a [39–40] stiff, pompous little person, the ‘figurehead’ to an all-male imperial enterprise.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|39–40 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

Besides what some say was a German accent, Queen Victoria spoke in what A. N. Wilson calls&lt;blockquote&gt;an unreformed Regency English. In Osborne, on Christmas Day 1891, she asked Sir Henry Ponsonby, 'Why the blazes don't Mr Macdonnell telegraph hear the results of the election? He used to do so and now he don’t.' ... If William IV had lived in the age of the telegraph, it is just the sort of question, with 'don't' for 'doesn't', and the blunt 'why the blazes' which he would have asked. One sees here [857–858] how much she had in common with her cousin the Duke of Cambridge, who likewise appeared in many ways to be a pre-Victorian. During a drought, he went to church and the parson prayed for rain. The duke involuntarily exclaimed, 'Oh God! My dear man, how can you expect rain with wind in the east?' When the chaplain, later in the service, said, 'Let us pray,' the duke replied, 'By all means.'&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|857–858 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Also Known As ==
*Victoria Regina
*Family name: Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
*Nickname, as a child: Drina
*Alexandrina Victoria

== Family ==
*Victoria — Alexandrina Victoria (24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901)&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;
*Albert, Prince Consort — Franz August Karl Albert Emanuel (26 August 1819 – 14 December 1861)&lt;ref name=&quot;:2&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-04|title=Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prince_Albert_of_Saxe-Coburg_and_Gotha&amp;oldid=1315065374|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa, &quot;Vicky,&quot; German Empress, Empress Frederick (21 November 1840 – 5 August 1901)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-08|title=Victoria, Princess Royal|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Victoria,_Princess_Royal&amp;oldid=1315724049|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Albert Edward, Prince of Wales | Albert Edward, &quot;Teddy,&quot; King Edward VII]] (4 November 1841 – 6 May 1910)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-23|title=Edward VII|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edward_VII&amp;oldid=1318322588|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Princess Alice | Alice Maud Mary, Princess Alice]], Grand Duchess of Hesse (25 April 1843 – 14 December 1878)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-02|title=Princess Alice of the United Kingdom|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Alice_of_the_United_Kingdom&amp;oldid=1314683419|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Alfred of Edinburgh | Alfred Ernest Albert, &quot;Affie&quot;]]: Duke of Edinburgh — (6 August 1844 – 30 July 1900),&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-20|title=Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alfred,_Duke_of_Saxe-Coburg_and_Gotha&amp;oldid=1317824547|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Duke of Saxe-Coburg (24 May 1866 – 30 July 1900) and Gotha (2 August 1893 – 30 July 1900)
#[[Social Victorians/People/Christian of Schleswig-Holstein | Helena Augusta Victoria, &quot;Lenchen,&quot;]] Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (25 May 1846 – 9 June 1923)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-26|title=Princess Helena of the United Kingdom|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Helena_of_the_United_Kingdom&amp;oldid=1318943746|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Princess Louise | Louise Caroline Alberta, Princess Louise]], Marchioness of Lorne, [[Social Victorians/People/Argyll | Duchess of Argyle]] (18 March 1848 – 3 December 1939)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-09-25|title=Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Louise,_Duchess_of_Argyll&amp;oldid=1313272998|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Connaught | Arthur William Patrick Albert]], Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (1 May 1850 – 16 January 1942)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-03|title=Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prince_Arthur,_Duke_of_Connaught_and_Strathearn&amp;oldid=1314802923|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Leopold | Leopold George Duncan Albert]], Duke of Albany (7 April 1853 – 28 March 1884)&lt;ref name=&quot;:1&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-19|title=Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prince_Leopold,_Duke_of_Albany&amp;oldid=1317724959|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#Beatrice Mary Victoria Feodore, Princess Henry of Battenberg (14 April 1857 – 26 October 1944)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-21|title=Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Beatrice_of_the_United_Kingdom&amp;oldid=1318045123|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

=== &quot;Adopted&quot; Godchildren ===

# Victoria Gouramma, of Coorg (c. 1841–), brought to London in 1852 at 11, QV stood as godmother 1 July 1852.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (346 of 1204)
# Maharajah Duleep Singh, the Lion of the Punjab, presented to QV in July 1854.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (350 of 1204)

=== Relations ===

== Acquaintances, Friends and Enemies ==
=== Acquaintances ===
=== Friends ===

* Lord Melbourne — Henry William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (15 March 1779 – 24 November 1848)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-09-25|title=William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Lamb,_2nd_Viscount_Melbourne&amp;oldid=1313293647|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-09|title=Benjamin Disraeli|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Benjamin_Disraeli&amp;oldid=1315865798|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* Harriet, Duchess of Sutherland, [[Social Victorians/Victoria/Queen's Household#Mistress of the Robes|Mistress of the Robes]] 1837 and 1861, very close friend.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-03-13|title=Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harriet_Sutherland-Leveson-Gower,_Duchess_of_Sutherland&amp;oldid=1343226719|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; The Duchess of Sutherland was an abolitionist, personally criticized by Karl Marx for her mother's clearing of the Sutherland lands for sheep grazing.
* Anne Murray, Duchess of Atholl, [[Social Victorians/Victoria/Queen's Household#Mistress of the Robes|Mistress of the Robes]] 1852–1853 and then Lady of the Bedchamber until 1892, when she and the Duchess of Roxburghe shared the duties of the Mistress of the Robes, among her closest of friends&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-25|title=Anne Murray, Duchess of Atholl|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anne_Murray,_Duchess_of_Atholl&amp;oldid=1334678470|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* [[Social Victorians/People/Sophie of Wurttemberg|Sophie of Württemberg, Queen of the Netherlands]] (17 June 1818 – 3 June 1877)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-02|title=Sophie of Württemberg|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sophie_of_W%C3%BCrttemberg&amp;oldid=1325386567|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

*[[Social Victorians/People/Mary Todd Lincoln|Mary Todd Lincoln]] (December 13, 1818 – July 16, 1882)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-08|title=Mary Todd Lincoln|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Todd_Lincoln&amp;oldid=1331838569|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
*[[Social Victorians/People/Eugenie of France|Empress Eugénie of France]] (5 May 1826 – 11 July 1920)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-11-18|title=Eugénie de Montijo|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eug%C3%A9nie_de_Montijo&amp;oldid=1322973534|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* [[Social Victorians/People/Elisabeth of Austria|Empress Elisabeth of Austria]] (24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-09|title=Empress Elisabeth of Austria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Empress_Elisabeth_of_Austria&amp;oldid=1332040784|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* &quot;Lady Augusta Bruce, lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria’s mother, and already [by 1853] a great friend of the Queen’s, attended [Eugénie and Napoleon's] wedding at Notre-Dame&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot;&gt;Wilson, A. N. ''Victoria: A Life''. Penguin, 2014. Apple Books:  https://books.apple.com/us/book/victoria/id828766078.&lt;/ref&gt; (325 of 1204)

=== Enemies ===

== Organizations ==
[[Social Victorians/Victoria/Queen's Household|Queen's Household]]

== Pastimes ==
* [[Social Victorians/Royals Amateur Theatricals | Amateur Theatricals with the Royal Family]], often at Balmoral or Osborne

== Timeline ==
This Timeline includes both a list of signal events in Queen Victoria's social life and a separate [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Her Dresses|chronological list of the dresses]] as they appear in her painted and photographed portraits. Information about what she wore at particular events might be in both places.

'''1835''', Rosie Harte in ''The Royal Wardrobe'' says,&lt;blockquote&gt;In 1835, Victoria first met the French Princess Louise, who had recently married her uncle Leopold and whose continental wardrobe fascinated the young Princess. Victoria’s addiction to French wares began with little gifts and accessories, before eventually Louise was supplying her with full outfits of pastel-toned silk dresses and matching bonnets, which Victoria swooned over in her diary: ‘They are quite lovely. They are so well made and so very elegant.’&lt;sup&gt;18&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;sup&gt;&quot;18 RA VIC/MAIN/QVJ (W) 17 September 1836.&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;ref&gt;Harte, Rosie. ''The Royal Wardrobe: Peek into the Wardrobes of History's Most Fashionable Royals''. &lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|270 of 595}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1836 May 18''', Victoria and Albert met for the first time. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;On this particular day that Albert first set eyes upon her, there’s also cause to suspect that we can identify the very gown Victoria was wearing. The reason is that she was a great hoarder of the clothes worn on significant occasions, and the Royal Collection today still contains a high-waisted, dark-coloured, tartan velvet dress. With short puffed sleeves worn just off the shoulder, its style dates it to exactly the right period.&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;21 Staniland (1997) p. 92&quot;}} [new paragraph] The tartan was important, for despite the fact she had never been there Victoria had fallen passionately in love with the country of [129–130] Scotland. This had happened four months previously when she’d devoured Sir Walter Scott’s ''The Bride of Lammermoor''. In it, a fearsome Scottish lord feasts upon the human flesh of his tenants, shocking observers when he throws back ‘the tartan plaid with which he had screened his grim and ferocious visage’.&lt;sup&gt;22&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;22 Scott (1819; 1858 edition) p. 368&quot;}} ‘Oh!’ Victoria panted in her journal, ‘Walter Scott is my beau ideal of a Poet; I do so admire him both in Poetry and Prose!’&lt;sup&gt;23&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;23 RA QVJ/1836: 1 November&quot;}} ‘Grim and ferocious’ does not sound like a particularly winsome look. Yet Victoria, at odds with the authority figures in her life, wanted to demonstrate independence and maturity through her dark, tartan gown. Casting aside the white or pink muslin dresses that had previously dominated her wardrobe, she was going through a phase and adopting a look that in our own times we might call goth.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot;&gt;Worsley, Lucy. ''Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life''. St. Martin's Press, Hodder &amp; Stoughton, 2018.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|129–130 of 786; nn. 21, 22, 23, p. 653}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1837 June 20''', Victoria acceded to the throne.&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-09-28|title=Queen Victoria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Queen_Victoria&amp;oldid=1313837777|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; She put on a white dressing gown to hear the news, and then she changed to a black dress, because she was in mourning for the death of William IV, to begin her work. Worsley says that in spite of contemporary reports, Victoria did not cry:&lt;blockquote&gt;'The Queen was not overwhelmed,’ Victoria [later] claimed, and was ‘rather full of courage, she may say. She took things as they came, as she knew they must be.’&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;28 Theodore Martin, Queen Victoria as I Knew Her, London (1901) p. 65&quot;}} [new paragraph] Even her grief for her uncle had to be kept measured. ‘Poor old man,’ she thought, ‘I feel sorry for him, he was always personally kind to me.’&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;29 RA VIC/MAIN/QVLB/19 June 1837&quot;}} Yet there was no time to mourn. Victoria quickly returned to her maid’s room to be dressed. She already had a black mourning gown just waiting to be put on. Still remaining at Kensington Palace to this day, this dress is a tiny garment, with an extraordinarily small waist and cuffs. With it, she wore a white collar and, as usual, ‘her light hair’ was ‘simply parted over the forehead’.&lt;sup&gt;30&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;30 Anon., The Annual Register and Chronicle for the Year 1837, London (1838) p. 65&quot;}} Her girlish appearance explains quite a lot of the indulgence and romance with which her reign was greeted. It also meant that she would consistently be underestimated.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|148 of 786; nn. 28, 29, 30, p. 656}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1838 June 28, Victoria's Coronation'''. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;For her journey to Westminster Abbey, Victoria was wearing red robes over a stiff white satin dress with gold embroidery. She had a ‘circlet of splendid diamonds’ on her head. Her long crimson velvet cloak, with its gold lace and ermine, flowed out so far behind her little figure that it became a ‘very ponderous appendage’.&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;2 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 82&quot;}} Harriet, the beautiful and statuesque Duchess of Sutherland, Mistress of the Robes, was responsible for Victoria’s appearance. This ‘ponderous’ mantle must have made her anxious, and indeed it would get in the way and cause kerfuffle all day long. The stately duchess rather dwarfed the queen when they stood side by side, and Victoria was slightly jealous of Harriet’s habit of flirting with Melbourne. But she did trust her surer dress sense. Onto [160–161] Victoria’s little feet went flat white satin slippers fastened with ribbons.&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;3 Staniland (1997) p. 114&quot;}}&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|160–161; nn. 2, 3, p. 659}}

Victoria gasped at the sight that met her within. Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, one of the young ladies carrying the queen’s train, noticed that ‘the colour mounted to her cheeks, brow and even neck, and her breath came quickly.’&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;29 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 82&quot;}} ‘Splendid’, Victoria thought the congregation, many of them, like herself, swathed in red velvet, ‘the bank of Peeresses quite beautiful, all in their robes’.&lt;sup&gt;30&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;30 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}} Among a host of impressive outfits, that of the Austrian ambassador was particularly noteworthy. Even the heels of his boots were bejewelled. One lady thought that he looked like he’d ‘been caught out in a rain of diamonds, and had come in dripping!’&lt;sup&gt;31&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;31 Grace Greenwood, ''Queen Victoria, Her Girlhood and Womanhood'', London (1883) p. 117&quot;}}

Victoria was accompanied not only by the young ladies who were to carry her train, but also by the Duchess of Sutherland as Mistress of the Robes, who ‘walked, or rather stalked up the Abbey like Juno; she was full of her situation.’&lt;sup&gt;32&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;32 Ralph Disraeli, ed., ''Lord Beaconsfield’s Correspondence with His Sister'', London (1886 edition) p. 109&quot;}} Throughout the whole ceremony the Bishop of Durham stood near to the queen, supposedly to guide her through the ritual. But he proved to be hopelessly unreliable. The unfortunate bishop ‘never could tell me’, Victoria recorded later, [169–170] what was to take place’. At one point, he was supposed to hand her the orb, but when he noticed that she had already got it, he was left, once again, ‘so confused and puzzled’.&lt;sup&gt;33&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;33 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}}

Another hindrance came in the form of the trainbearers’ dresses. Their ‘little trains were serious annoyances’, wrote one of their number, ‘for it was impossible to avoid treading upon them … there certainly should have been some previous rehearsing, for we carried the Queen’s train very jerkily and badly, never keeping step properly’.&lt;sup&gt;34&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;34 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 82&quot;}} It was the Duchess of Richmond, not the stylish Sutherland, who had signed off the design of the bearers’ dresses, and she found herself ‘much condemned by some of the young ladies for it’. But the Duchess of Richmond had decreed that she would ‘have no discussion with their Mammas’ about what they were to wear. An executive decision was the only way to get the design agreed.&lt;sup&gt;35&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;35 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|169–170 of 786; nn. 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, p. 660–661}}

[After the peers swore homage] it was now time for a change of dress, to mark the beginning of Victoria’s transformation from girl to sovereign. Retreating to a special robing room, she took off her crimson cloak and put on ‘a singular sort of little gown of linen trimmed with lace’. This white dress represented her purified, prepared state.

When she re-entered the abbey, she did so bare-headed. ... Then at last came the very moment of ‘the Crown being placed on my head – which was, I must own, a most beautiful impressive moment; all the Peers and Peeresses put on their Coronets at the same instant.’&lt;sup&gt;41&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;41 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}} The sound of this moment of the lifting of the coronets had been heard at coronations going back to the Middle Ages, and was once exquisitely described as ‘a sort of feathered, silken thunder’.&lt;sup&gt;42&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;42 Benjamin Robert Haydon, ''The Diary of Benjamin Robert Haydon'', Cambridge, MA (1960) p. 350&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|172 of 786; nn. 41, 42, p. 661}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

Her coronation robes were &quot;specially woven in the Spitalfields silk-weaving area of London,&quot; like her wedding dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot;&gt;Goldthorpe, Caroline. ''From Queen to Empress: Victorian Dress 1837–1877''. An Exhibition at The Costume Institute 15 December 1988 – 16 April 1989. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1988. ''Google Books'': https://www.google.com/books/edition/From_Queen_to_Empress/UJLxwwrVEyoC.&lt;/ref&gt; (15)

'''1840 February 10''', Victoria and Albert married at the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-07-11|title=Wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wedding_of_Queen_Victoria_and_Prince_Albert&amp;oldid=1300012890|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;She had her hair dressed in loops upon her cheeks, and a ‘wreath of orange flowers put on.’ Her dress was ‘a white satin gown, with a very deep flounce of Honiton lace, imitation of old’.&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|1=&quot;21 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February [QVJ = Queen Victoria's Journals]&quot;}}

This simple cream gown of Victoria’s was a dress that launched a million subsequent white weddings. She broke with monarchical [238–239] convention by rejecting royal robes in favour of a plain dress, with just a little train from the waist at the back to make it appropriate for court wear.&lt;sup&gt;22&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;22 Staniland (1997) p. 118&quot;}} It was a signal that on this day she wasn’t Her Majesty the Queen, but an ordinary woman. She wore imitation orange blossom [sic] in her hair in place of the expected circlet of diamonds. She’d had the lace for the dress created by her mother’s favoured lacemakers of Honiton, in Devon, as opposed to the better-known artisans of Brussels. A royal commission like this was a welcome boost – then as now – to British industry.&lt;sup&gt;23&lt;/sup&gt; &quot;{{rp|23 Ibid., p. 120&quot;}} This piece of lace would become totemic for Victoria. She would preserve it, treasure it and indeed wear it until the end of her life.

Victoria had personally designed the dresses of her bridesmaids, giving a sketch to her Mistress of the Robes, still Harriet, Duchess of Sutherland.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|238–239 of 786; nn. 21, 22, 23, p. 674}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

=== Formatting ===
The Royal Collection has the sketch Victoria made.&lt;blockquote&gt;The bridesmaids wore white roses around their heads, with further blooms pinned to the tulle overskirts of their dresses. Victoria’s opinion was that they ‘had a beautiful effect’, but others disagreed.&lt;sup&gt;36&lt;/sup&gt; [36 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February] Used to seeing golden tassels, velvet robes and colourful jewels at royal ceremonies, onlookers thought that the trainbearers ‘looked like village girls’.&lt;sup&gt;37&lt;/sup&gt; &quot;37 Wyndham, ed. (1912) p. 297&quot; &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|243–244 of 786; nn. 36, 37, p. 674}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;The aristocrat who thought the bridesmaids &quot;looked like village girls&quot; was Sarah Spencer, Lady Lyttelton.&lt;ref&gt;The Hon. Mrs Hugh Wyndham, ed., ''The Correspondence of Sarah Spencer, Lady Lyttelton, 1787–1870''. London, 1912. Cited in Worsley, p. 629 [of 786].&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;

At the coronation her train had been too long to handle, but now there was the opposite problem. The long back part of Victoria’s white satin skirt, trimmed with orange blossom, was ‘rather too short for the number of young ladies who carried it’ and they ended up ‘kicking each other’s heels and treading on each other’s gowns’.&lt;sup&gt;50&lt;/sup&gt; [50 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 112]&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|246 of 786; n. 50, p. 675}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;Victoria changed from the wedding dress to something for her trip back to Buckingham Palace [check that it's Buckingham]:&lt;blockquote&gt;Then [after the ceremony] she went to change, putting on ‘a white [249–250] silk gown trimmed with swansdown’, and a going-away bonnet trimmed with false orange flowers that still survives to this day at Kensington Palace.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|249–250 of 786}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;The 1855 photograph of QV's 1840 going-away bonnet is in the Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/58/collection/2905582/bonnet-worn-by-queen-victoria-at-her-marriage]. Victoria changed to a different dress for the evening.&lt;blockquote&gt;The gown that Victoria wore that evening was possibly the plainer, and very slender, cream silk one surviving in the Royal Collection with a traditional association with her wedding evening. If she did wear it for that first dinner together, then she could hardly have eaten a thing. It laced even tighter than her wedding dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|251 of 786}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;QV was sick by the time the long day of highly formal ritual was over:&lt;blockquote&gt;But there would be no ritual undoing by the groom of his bride’s ethereal gown. That, as always, had to be done by Victoria’s dressers. ‘At ½ p.10 I went and undressed and was very sick,’ she says. These women, the bedrock of her life, ever present, ever watchful, must have been with her as she finished retching and went into the bedchamber, where ‘we both went to bed; (of course in one bed), to lie by his side, and in his arms, and on his dear bosom’.&lt;sup&gt;72&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;72 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|252 of 786; n. 72, p. 676}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
The separation between how finely QV was dressed and what it looked like to people, including both the effect of physical distance and the effect of the distance between what people expected a queen to wear and what QV wore. Also, QV's appeal &quot;to the respectable slice of opinion at society’s upper middle&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;'I saw the Queen’s dress at the palace,’ wrote one eager letter-writer, ‘the lace was beautiful, as fine as a cobweb.’ She wore no jewels at all, this person’s account continues, ‘only a bracelet with Prince Albert’s picture’.&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;28 Mundy, ed. (1885) p. 413}} This was in fact [240–241] completely incorrect. Albert had given her a huge sapphire brooch, which she wore along with her ‘Turkish diamond necklace and earrings’.&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;29 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February}} '''It was the beginning of a lifetime trend for Victoria’s clothes to be reported as simpler, plainer, less ostentatious than they really were. The reality was that they were not quite as ostentatious as people expected for a queen.''' This is really what they meant by their descriptions of her clothes as austere, and pleasingly middle-class. In other countries, members of the middle classes would join the working classes on streets and at barricades and bring monarchies tumbling down. '''But in Britain, part of the reason this did not happen is that Victoria, her values and her low-key style appealed with peculiar power to the respectable slice of opinion at society’s upper middle.''' And so, dressed but not overdressed, the unqueenly looking queen was ready for her wedding day to begin.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|240–241; nn. 28, 29; p. 674}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;Her wedding dress was &quot;specially woven in the Spitalfields silk-weaving area of London,&quot; like her coronation robes.&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt;{{rp|15}}&lt;p&gt;

'''1840''', QV's first pregnancy, with Vicky, and a relic petticoat with blood from her first birth:&lt;blockquote&gt;She had left off wearing stays, becoming ‘more like a barrel than anything else’.&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;21 Stratfield Saye MS, quoted in Longford (1966) p. 76&quot;}} Victoria herself, although she felt well, ‘unhappily’ had to admit that she was ‘a great size’.&lt;sup&gt;22&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;22 RA VIC/MAIN/QVLB/10 November 1840&quot;}} '''A fine cotton lawn petticoat from this early married period''', which once had the same dimensions as her wedding dress, shows evidence of having been let out around its high empire waist, quite possibly to accommodate this pregnancy.&lt;sup&gt;23&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;23 In the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection, Historic Royal Palaces.&quot;}} The work was done with tiny stitches as if by the needle of a fairy. There were many hands available in Victoria’s wardrobe department, and indeed no shortage of clothes either. '''This particular petticoat survives because it was given away after becoming soiled with blood.''' She also had an expandable dressing gown for pregnancy, of thin white cotton, with ‘gauging tapes’ to widen the waist as pregnancy progressed.&lt;sup&gt;24&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;Staniland (1997) p. 126&quot;}}&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|262 of 786; nn. 21, 22, 23, 24, p. 678}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1840 November 21''', Victoria went into labor with Vicky.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|255 of 786}} Her dress:&lt;blockquote&gt;Early on in labour, Victoria would have been given a dose of castor oil to empty her bowels, to avoid ‘exceedingly disagreeable’ consequences later. She would have worn her loose dressing gown over a chemise and bedgown ‘folded up smoothly to the waist’ and beneath that, ‘a petticoat’. Stays were absent, despite the common belief among women that wearing them during labour would ‘assist’, by ‘affording support’. The latest medical advice was that this was ‘improper’.&lt;sup&gt;36&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;36 Bull (1837) pp. 130–2&quot;}} The chemise that Victoria was wearing would acquire special lucky significance for her. Nine childbirths later, she’d still insist upon donning the exact same one.&lt;sup&gt;37&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;37 Dennison (2007) p. 2&quot;}}&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|265 of 7886; nn. 36, 37, p. 679}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1843, around''', Albert &quot;cut [Victoria's] dress expenditure down from £5,000 to £2,000 a year&quot; in order to put money away for later.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|299 of 786}}

'''1843 May 19''', QV wrote in her journal that she dressed &quot;all in white and had my wedding veil on, as a shawl,&quot; for Vicky's christening.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|270 of 786; n. 63, p. 681 of 786}}

'''1849''', Duleep Singh &quot;surrendered&quot; the Koh-i-nûr necklace to England.&lt;ref name=&quot;:17&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/406698/queen-victoria-1819-1901|title=Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-73) - Queen Victoria (1819-1901)|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-03-06}}&lt;/ref&gt;

'''1854''', Queen &quot;Victoria's spending on her wardrobe had crept up again, to roughly £6,000 annually, or six times a very good annual income for a professional gentleman.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|311 of 786}}

'''1854''', when QV met Duleep Singh, &quot;the woman the Maharaja saw before him still looked younger than her [310–311] thirty-five years. In the photograph, at least, her hair shines, she hardly looks like a mother of eight and her white dress is demure and girlish.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|310–311}}

'''1855 April 16–''', Empress Eugénie and Napoleon III of France began a 5-day visit to the U.K.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot;&gt;Goldstone, Nancy. ''The Rebel Empresses: Elisabeth of Austria and Eugénie of France, Power and Glamour in the Struggle for Europe''. Little, Brown, 2025.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|276}}

'''1855 August 18–28 or so''', Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, Princess Royal Vicky and Prince of Wales Bertie visited Paris and the Exposition Universelle.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt;{{rp|287}} Caroline Goldthorpe says,&lt;blockquote&gt;For the state entry of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert into Paris in 1855, the Queen wore a dress of white Spitalfields silk, its design representing an English flower garden (figure 2). While in Paris, however, she attended a ball at the Hôtel de Ville, wearing &quot;my diamond diadem with the Koh-i-noor in it, a white net dress, embroidered with gold and (as were all my dresses) very full. It was very much admired by the Emperor and the ladies. The Emperor asked if it was English; I said No, it had been made on purpose in Paris.&quot; In addition / to the ball gown, made in France as a diplomatic gesture, she evidently wore both English and French silks for less public occasions.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (15, 17) [The English-made Spitalfields-silk dress is at tthe Museum of London.]&lt;/blockquote&gt;A. N. Wilson suggests that the sense that Victoria was dowdy is down in part to &quot;the exacting standards of Parisian journalists&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;They went to the opera and displayed the difference between a true-born queen and a parvenue empress. When the national anthems had been played, the Empress looked behind her to make sure that her chair was in place. The Queen of England, confident that the chair would be there, sat down without turning. Mary Bulteel, her Maid of Honour who noticed this detail, was also able to reassure Eugénie’s baffled entourage that the Queen was always ‘badly dressed’. It did not prevent Victoria from being unaffectedly enraptured by Eugénie’s range of gorgeous outfits. Victoria adored the Empress and it was a friendship which lasted for life. ‘Altogether,’ she told her diary, ‘I am delighted to see how much my Albert likes and admires her, as it is so seldom I see him do so with any woman.’&lt;sup&gt;27&lt;/sup&gt; (&quot;27 Quoted Edith Saunders, ''A Distant Summer'', p. 49.&quot;) Perhaps it was so, or perhaps he was being polite. The Queen’s dowdiness and (by the exacting standards of Parisian journalists) poor dress sense were more than outshone by the splendour of her jewels.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (365 of 1204)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1857 August 6–''', Eugénie and Napoleon visit QV again. QV describes how Eugénie is dressed. Wilson says of the admiring precision of QV's descriptions of Eugénie's dresses,
&lt;blockquote&gt;The wistfulness with which Victoria described Eugénie’s outfits whenever the two met is touching. She was the Queen of England and could have afforded the finest couturier; but she was tiny, increasingly rotund, much of the time depressed or petulant. Her homely dress sense reflected a growing dissatisfaction with her appearance: clothes were for swathing a body which was by any ordinary standards a very peculiar shape, not for adorning it or drawing it to people’s attention.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (389 of 1204)&lt;/blockquote&gt;
And maybe she just wasn't very good at style. Evidence from later suggests she had an appreciation for fine fabrics and laces.

'''1858, June''', when Victoria began wearing a crinoline cage. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;She had attended reviews of her troops increasingly often as they came shipping back from Crimea. For the purpose, she often wore the superbly tailored outdoor wear that suited her much better than frou-frou evening gowns. Her self-adopted ‘uniform’ was a scarlet, made-to-measure military-style jacket combined with the skirt of a riding habit. Albert had a matching outfit too, its chest padded out to simulate the muscles that his sedentary lifestyle had failed to give him. [361–362] [new paragraph] Today, though, as she was travelling by carriage, Victoria wore a dark cloak over her now-customary daywear of the crinolined skirt. She’d held out until the end of the 1850s before adopting this novel steel structure to puff out the skirt, which was widely thought to be an ‘indelicate, expensive, hideous and dangerous article’.&lt;sup&gt;19&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;19 ''Punch, Or the London Charivari'' (8 August 1863) p. 59&quot;}} A crinoline, or ‘cage’, could swing the skirts out so unexpectedly that they caught fire, or got stuck in carriage wheels. But the stylish Empress Eugénie, whom Victoria much admired, is said to have popularised the crinoline during an 1855 visit to England. ‘Carter’s Crinoline Saloon’ opened soon afterwards, offering London ladies not only the crinoline but also the new ‘elastic stays … as worn by the Empress of the French’.&lt;sup&gt;20&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;20 “Adburgham (1964) p. 93&quot;}} Victoria nevertheless resisted the fashion until a heatwave three years later made her feel that her customary stiff muslin petticoats were ‘unbearable’. ‘Imagine!’ she wrote, to her married daughter in Germany, ‘since 6 weeks I wear a “Cage”!!! What do you say?’&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;21 RA VIC/ADDU/32, p. 178 (21 July 1858)&quot;}} Having realised how convenient it was, she now only took her crinoline off to go sailing.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|361–362, nn. 19, 20, 21, p. 696}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1861 December 14''', Prince Albert, Prince Consort died.&lt;ref name=&quot;:2&quot; /&gt; According to Julia Baird&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria decreed that the entire court would mourn for an unprecedented official period of two years. (When this ended, her ladies and daughters could discard the black and wear half mourning, which was gray, white, or light purple shades.) Many of her subjects decided to join them in mourning. Her ladies were draped in jet jewelry and crêpe, a thick black rustling material made of silk, crimped to make it look dull.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot;&gt;Baird, Julia. ''Victoria the Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire''. Random House, 2016. Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/victoria-the-queen/id953835024.&lt;/ref&gt; (585 of 1203)&lt;/blockquote&gt;After Albert's death Queen &quot;Victoria never attended or held another public ball.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (592 of 1203)

'''1863 March 10''', Bertie (Albert Edward, Prince of Wales) and Alix (Alexandra) married in St. George's Chapel, Windsor. QV, who sat high up and out of the way, wore widow's weeds,  &quot;the blue sash and star of the Order of the Garter&quot; and (according to Lord Clarendon) &quot;a cap ‘more hideous than any I have yet seen.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|495 of 1204}}

'''1865 April 15''', Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Eugénie's was among the first letters of condolence from a head of state that Mary Todd Lincoln got; Victoria's was dated the day after Eugénie's.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt;{{rp|555 of 909}}

'''1866–1871''', [[Social Victorians/People/Princess Louise | Princess Louise]] was Victoria's private secretary.

'''1866 February''', QV opened Parliament for the first time since Albert's death.&lt;blockquote&gt;She wore plain evening dress, with a small diamond and sapphire coronet on top of her widow’s cap. The wind whipped her veil as she rode silently in an open carriage past curious crowds, many of whom had not glimpsed her for years.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (609 of 1203)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1866 February 6''', Princess Helena's wedding to Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. QV wrote in her journal that it &quot;was 'an ''execution''&lt;nowiki/&gt;' to which she was 'dragged in ''deep mourning''.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot;&gt;Longford, Elizabeth. ''Queen Victoria''. The History Press, 2011 (1999). Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/queen-victoria-essential-biographies/id1142259733.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|118 of 223}} Instead of a crown she wore a black widow's cap. 

'''1867 Spring''', annual exhibition at the Royal Academy, which included a large canvas by Sir Edwin Landseer that QV had commissioned as &quot;Shadow&quot; to show her grief. It was called ''Her Majesty at Osborne, 1866''. The center of this painting is dominated by black.&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In it, the queen [sits] sidesaddle on a sleek dark horse, dressed in her customary black. She [is] reading a letter from the dispatch box on the ground, next to her dogs. Opposite [is] a tall figure in a black kilt and jacket solemnly holding [634–635] the horse’s bridle. ...&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;It caused a scandal. The ''Saturday Review'' art critic wrote: &quot;If anyone will stand by this picture for a quarter of an hour and listen to the comments of visitors he will learn how great an imprudence has been committed.&quot; It was not long before the gossip became crude: Were the queen and Mr. Brown lovers? Was she pregnant with his child? Had they secretly married? In 1868, an American visitor said he was gobsmacked by constant, crass jokes about the queen commonly referred to as &quot;Mrs. Brown.&quot; &quot;I have been told,&quot; he wrote, &quot;that the Queen was insane, and John Brown was her keeper; the Queen was a spiritualist, and John Brown was her medium.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Victoria adored the painting and ordered an engraving.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (634–635 of 1203)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1871 March 21''', Princess Louise and John Campbell, Marquis of Lorne, were married.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Supplement.&quot; ''The London Gazette'' 24 March 1871 (23720) Friday: 1587 https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/23720/page/1587.&lt;/ref&gt; QV wore rubies as well as diamonds.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|644 of 1203}}

'''1871, end of, around the time of Bertie's illness with typhoid, by this time''', according to Lucy Worseley, QV had decided never to wear color again (a decision she had made after the first year of full mourning Albert's death?) and had developed her &quot;brand.&quot; She had not made many personal appearances, but because of her photographs, the carte-de-visite with Albert, and her memoirs about the Highlands, she was known to her subjects:&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria was extraordinary in her dedication to black. If wearing mourning was a [413–414] demand for greater-than-usual understanding, it’s certainly true that she felt entitled to it for the rest of her life. Mourning was turned into a sort of disguise for her. It indicated that she was a victim, bereaved, which was a way of pre-empting criticism. And within the conventions of black, Victoria insisted that her clothes be cut in a way that she found comfortable and convenient: a bodice with only light boning, a skirt with capacious pockets. She no longer followed fashion; she had created a fashion all her own. [new paragraph] Victoria’s black clothing also had terrific ‘brand value’ in creating a recognisable royal image. Although she rarely appeared in person, Victoria’s physical appearance was more widely known than ever before. In 1860, she and Albert had taken the decision to allow photographs of themselves to be published on cartes de visite, highly collectible little rectangles of illustrated cardboard. Within two years, between three and four million of these cards depicting the queen had been sold. &lt;sup&gt;27&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|27 Plunkett (2003) p. 156.&quot;}} The people who bought them understood that they were in possession of something more potent than a lithograph or an engraving. The effect, in terms of making the queen’s subjects feel they ‘knew’ her, has been compared by the Royal Collection’s photography curator to the sensational 1969 television [414–415] documentary series, Royal Family.&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;28 Dimond and Taylor (1987) p. 20&quot;}} So even if Victoria had been bodily absent from public life for the last decade, in paper form she had been more present than ever.&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;29 ''The Photographic News'' (28 February 1862) quoted in Dimond and Taylor (1987) p. 22&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|413–414, nn. 27, 28. 29, p. 707}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1872 February 27''', thanksgiving service for Bertie's survival in St. Paul's Cathedral:&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria was bored in the church, and found St. Paul’s &quot;cold, dreary and dingy,&quot; but the roars of millions who stood outside in the cold under a lead-colored sky made her triumphant, and she pressed Bertie’s hand in a dramatic flourish. It was &quot;a great holy day&quot; for the people of London, ''The Times'' declared gravely. They wished to show the queen she was as beloved as ever. Their delight at seeing her in person was as much a cause for celebration as Bertie’s recovery.

This moment revealed something that Bertie would quickly grasp though his mother had not: the British public requires ceremony and pageantry, and the chance to glimpse a sovereign in finery. It was not a republic her subjects were hankering for, but a visible queen. As Lord Halifax said, people wanted their queen to look like a queen, with a crown and scepter: &quot;They want the gilding for their money.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|655 of 1203}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1878 December 14''', Princess Alice died.

'''1879 June 1''',&lt;ref name=&quot;:32&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-11-29|title=Louis-Napoléon, Prince Imperial|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Louis-Napol%C3%A9on,_Prince_Imperial&amp;oldid=1324821881|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Louis Napoleon, son of Eugénie, &quot;to whom Victoria ... had become devotedly attached, was killed in the Zulu War.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt;{{rp|432 of 555}}

'''1880 February 5''', Queen Victoria attended the state opening of Parliament. She wrote in her journal&lt;blockquote&gt;I wore the same dress, black velvet, trimmed with minniver, my small diamond crown &amp; long veil. Got in, at the Great Entrance, &amp; went in the new state coach which is very handsome with much gilding, a crown at the top, &amp; a great deal of glass, which enables the people to see me. ... Beatrice stood to my right, Leopold to my left. Bertie, Affie &amp; Arthur were all there.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (707 of 1204)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1881 April 19''', Benjamin Disraeli, Lord Beaconsfield died.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|title=Benjamin Disraeli|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Benjamin_Disraeli&amp;oldid=1335428395|journal=Wikipedia|date=2026-01-29|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

'''1882 March 2''',&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt; (152 of 223) the 7th and last assassination attempt on QV, by Roderick Maclean, another adolescent male possibly not intent on killer her, although his pistol was loaded.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt;{{rp|433 of 555}}

'''1882 April 27''', Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and Princess Helen of Waldeck married. &quot;The Queen celebrated by wearing white over her black dress for the first time since Albert’s death – it was her own white wedding veil.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|154 of 223}}

'''1883 March 17''', QV fell down stairs in Windsor, probably some marble stairs. She was &quot;lame until July.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;

'''1883 March 27''', QV's Scots servant John Brown died.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|title=John Brown (servant)|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Brown_(servant)&amp;oldid=1312942175|journal=Wikipedia|date=2025-09-23|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

'''1884 March 28''', Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany died.&lt;ref name=&quot;:1&quot; /&gt;

'''1886''', the general election of 1886, according to Lytton Strachey, &quot;the majority of the nation&quot; voted down Home Rule and Gladstone&lt;blockquote&gt;and placing Lord Salisbury in power. Victoria’s satisfaction was profound. A flood of new unwonted hopefulness swept over her, stimulating her vital spirits with a surprising force. Her habit of life was suddenly altered; abandoning the long seclusion which Disraeli’s persuasions had only momentarily interrupted, she threw herself vigorously into a multitude of public activities. She appeared at drawing-rooms, at concerts, at reviews; she laid foundation-stones; she went to Liverpool to open an international exhibition, driving through the streets in her open carriage in heavy rain amid vast applauding crowds. Delighted by the welcome which met her everywhere, she warmed to her work.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt;{{rp|439–440 of 555}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1887''', the Golden Jubilee. Strachey says that QV had begun wearing the color violet in her bonnet by now:&lt;blockquote&gt;Little by little it was noticed that the outward vestiges of Albert’s posthumous domination grew less complete. At Court the stringency of mourning was relaxed. As the Queen drove through the Park in her open carriage with her [444–445] Highlanders behind her, nursery-maids canvassed eagerly the growing patch of violet velvet in the bonnet with its jet appurtenances on the small bowing head.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (444–445 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;

QV wore a bonnet rather than a crown or widow's cap.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (822 of 1204) At dinner on the day of the procession, QV wore a dress, as she says, with &quot;the rose, thistle &amp; shamrock embroidered in silver on it, &amp; my large diamonds.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (824 of 1204)

'''1888 June 15''', Vicky's husband Emperor Frederick (Fritz) died.

'''1890 July 15''', Garden Party at Marlborough House with QV as the most important guest, with some description of QV's dress, more details in the descriptions of the dresses of some of the other women:&lt;blockquote&gt;But if not favoured with model &quot;Queen's weather,&quot; a good imitation set in as the Life Guards struck up &quot;God Save the Queen,&quot; and her Majesty descended the flight of steps on the Prince of Wales's arm, and slowly passed through the eager ranks of her assembled subjects. Her Majesty was conducted to a canopy at the lower end of the garden, and was soon surrounded by children and grandchildren; she walked with the aid of a stick, but did not appear to be troubled by rheumatism, and moved without difficulty. The Queen's dress was of black striped [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Broché|broché]], a lace shawl, and black bonnet, trimmed with white roses. She talked to people to right and left, and looked smiling and happy. ...

AN ACCOUNT OF SOME OF THE DRESSES.

Her Majesty was attired completely in black, with the slight relief of white flowers in her black bonnet.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;From One Who Was There.&quot; &quot;The Marlborough House Garden Party.&quot; ''Pall Mall Gazette'' 15 July 1890 (Tuesday): p. 5, Col. 1. ''British Newspaper Archive'' http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000098/18900715/016/0006 (Accessed April 2015).&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1891 January 14''', Albert Victor (Eddy), Bertie's and Alex's son, died of pneumonia.&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|190 of 223}}

'''1893 February 28, Tuesday, 3:00 p.m''', QV hosted a Queen's drawing-room at Buckingham Palace:&lt;blockquote&gt;Her Majesty wore a dress and train of rich black silk, trimmed with crape and chenille. Headdress and coronet of diamonds and pearls. Ornaments — Pearls. Her Majesty wore the Star and Ribbon of the Garter, the Orders of Victoria and Albert, the Crown of India, the Prussian Order, the Spanish and Portuguese Orders, the Russian Order of St. Catherine, and the Hessian and Bulgarian Orders.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;The Queen's Drawing Room.&quot; ''Morning Post'' 1 March 1893, Wednesday: 7 [of 12], Col. 6a–7c [of 7]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000174/18930301/072/0007. Same print title and p.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1895 December 14''', George and May's 2nd son, who would become Elizabeth II's father, was born. Thinking of the anniversary of Albert's and Alice's deaths, QV &quot;said that the child might be a gift of God.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|191 of 223}}

'''1896 September 26''', QV wrote in her journal, &quot;Today is the day on which I have reigned longer, by a day, than any English sovereign.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|191 of 223}}

'''1897 April 4''', QV vacations in Nice, as she did almost every year, and a little on her &quot;uniform&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;The pattern of her hotel days in Cimiez, an upmarket suburb on a hill behind Nice, was undemanding. She was dressed by the servants who were almost a second family. One of her wardrobe maids spent the night on call in the dressing room just next door to her bedroom.&lt;sup&gt;12&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;12 Stoney and Weltzien, eds. (1994) pp. 11–12&quot;}} At half past seven, the maid on the next shift would come into Victoria’s bedroom to open the green silk blinds and shutters. Her silver hairbrush, hot water, folded towels and sponges were all laid out by these wardrobe maids. Her pharmacist’s account book records the purchase of beauty products such as ‘lavender water’, ‘Mr Saunders’ Tooth Tincture’ and ‘cakes of soap for bath’.&lt;sup&gt;13&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;13 Royal Pharmaceutical Society, account book for ‘The Queen’ (1861–1869)&quot;}} [new paragraph] Victoria’s clothes were handled by the dressers, who were better paid than the maids. Their duties, ran Victoria’s instructions, included ‘scrupulous tidiness and exactness in looking over everything that Her Majesty takes [510–511] off … to think over well everything that is wanted or may be wanted’.&lt;sup&gt;14&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;14 Staniland (1997) p. 186&quot;}} Her black silk stockings with white soles had for decades been woven by one John Meakin, while Anne Birkin embroidered the garments with ‘VR’.&lt;sup&gt;15&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;15 Quoted in King (2007) p. 100&quot;}} Victoria grew fond of faithful servants like Anne, and even had Birkin’s portrait among her collection of photographs. Despite their sombre aspect, even her mourning gowns were finely made. She had settled into a series of very minor variations upon a square-necked bodice and skirt, customised with quirky little pockets for keys and seals, all cut pretty much the same to save her the trouble of fittings. On her head went a white cap, with streamers of lace, and round her neck a locket containing miniatures of two of her children: Alice, now lost to diphtheria, and Leopold, to haemophilia.&lt;sup&gt;16&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;16 Princess Marie Louise (1956) p. 141&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; {{rp|510–511; nn. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, p. 722}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
[[File:Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Service, 22 June 1897.jpg|alt=Old painting of very large crowd and an old woman dressed in black in a carriage in the center|thumb|Diamond Jubilee Thanksgiving Service on the Steps of St. Paul's]]

==== Diamond Jubilee ====
'''1897 June 22, Diamond Jubilee''', with Thanksgiving service on the steps of St. Paul's, painted in 1899 by Andrew Carrick Gow (right; better image at https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/queen-victorias-diamond-jubilee-service-22-june-1897-51041). QV stayed in the carriage for the service.

Worsley says, QV's dress had &quot;decorative 'panels of grey satin veiled with black net &amp; steel embroideries, &amp; some black lace'&quot;&lt;blockquote&gt;Rising from her bed, Victoria dressed, as always, in black. The crowds who saw her today would consider her ‘dress of black silk’ to be [532–533] modest and widowly, almost dingy. Her taste in clothing had become ever more subdued. Departing from Windsor Castle to travel to Buckingham Palace for these few days of the Jubilee, she’d been worried about the stains the sooty train to Paddington might leave on her outfit. ‘I could have cried,’ said the woman who ran the draper’s shop in Windsor, ‘to see Her Majesty start for the Jubilee in her second-best “mantle” – after all the beautiful things I had sent her.’7{{rp|7 Weintraub (1987) p. 581}}

If you’d had the chance to examine the queen’s outfit closely, though, you’d’ve seen that it was in fact sombrely splendid, her black cape embroidered with swirling silver sequins, huge pearls hanging from each ear and upon the gown itself decorative 'panels of grey satin veiled with black net &amp; steel embroideries, &amp; some black lace'.

Round her neck now went a ‘lovely diamond chain’, a Jubilee present from her younger children, while her ‘bonnet was trimmed with creamy white flowers &amp; white aigrette’.&lt;sup&gt;8&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|8 RA QVJ/1897: 22 June}} This bonnet, worn with resolution, had caused some upset. Her government had asked its queen to appear more … queenly. ‘The symbol that unites this vast Empire is a Crown not a bonnet,’ complained Lord Rosebery. But Victoria stoutly refused, and ‘the bonnet triumphed’. She would [533–534] wear it today, just as she’d worn it at her Golden Jubilee a decade before.&lt;sup&gt;9&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;9 Ponsonby (1942) p. 79&quot;}} The queen looked just like a ‘wee little old lady’. The only touch of colour about her black-clad figure was her ‘wonderful, blue, childlike eyes’.&lt;sup&gt;10&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|10 Smyth (1921) p. 99}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|532–534 of 786; nn. 7, 8, 9, 10, p. 727}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

One source somewhere, however, says there was some purple in her bonnet.

She carried &quot;a black chiffon parasol. It was a gift from the House of Commons, presented to her two days earlier by its oldest member, who was ninety-five.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|539 of 786}}

According to A. N. Wilson, QV was &quot;dressed in grey and black&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;In the case of Queen Victoria, the intensity of crowd reaction was especially strong, because she made public parade of herself so seldom. The emotional atmosphere was overpowering on that hot, sunny day. The Queen, dressed in grey and black, but smiling and bowing, held a parasol above her and bowed her smiling head to left and right as the landau passed through the streets of London – Constitution Hill, to Hyde Park Corner; then along [976–977] Piccadilly, down St James's Street to Pall Mall, past all the clubs, into Trafalgar Square, up the Strand and into Ludgate Hill to St Paul’s.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|976–977 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

The bonnet QV wore for the Diamond Jubilee Procession was decorated with diamonds according the ''Lady's Pictorial'':&lt;blockquote&gt;I HEAR on reliable authority that, although the fact has hitherto escaped the notice of all the describers of the Diamond Jubilee Procession, the bonnet worn by the Queen on that occasion was liberally adorned with diamonds. It is a tiny bit of flotsam, but worth rescuing, as every detail of the historic pageant will one day be of even greater interest than it is now.&lt;ref name=&quot;:14&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;At least 3 official photographs show QV and made available as cabinet cards (2 anyhow) for this Jubilee:

# One was made in 1893 at the time of George and Mary's wedding. It was made by W. &amp; D. Downey and is in the Royal Collection (https://www.rct.uk/collection/2912658/queen-victoria-1819-1901-diamond-jubilee-portrait)
# One was made in July 1896 by Gunn &amp; Stuart and published as a cabinet card by  Lea, Mohrstadt &amp; Co. (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom_(by_Gunn_%26_Stuart,_1897).jpg&lt;nowiki/&gt;)
# One was made 5 days after the Jubilee Procession (so, on 27 June 1897).
# One was made by Mullen (according to the Royal Trust [#4]

'''1897 June 27, Sunday''' (or 5 days after the Jubilee procession), QV's official Jubilee photograph.&lt;blockquote&gt;at Osborne, Victoria had an official Jubilee photograph taken, wearing her Jubilee dress and, of course, her wedding lace.&lt;sup&gt;71:&quot;71 RA QVJ/1885: 27 July&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; The whole royal family was becoming familiar with manipulating its photographic image. In 1863, ''The Times'' reported that Vicky and Alice had themselves retouched their brother Bertie’s [551–552] wedding photos.&lt;sup&gt;72&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;:&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;sup&gt;&quot;72The Times, London (9 April 1863) p. 7, quoted in Plunkett (2003) p. 189&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; (The princesses really preferred sitting to an old-fashioned artist, like a sculptor, who excelled in ‘making them look like ladies, while the Photographs are common indeed’.&lt;sup&gt;73&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;: &quot;73 “RA VIC/ADDX/2/211, p. 29&quot;&lt;/sup&gt;) After each new photographic sitting, Victoria ‘carefully criticised’ the results.&lt;sup&gt;74&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;: &quot;74 “Private Life (1897; 1901 edition) p. 69&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; In her later photographs, like this Diamond Jubilee portrait, she was heavily retouched, a double chin removed, inches shaved off her waist. The Photographic News criticised a photo from her Golden Jubilee for making her look as if she had ‘oedematous disease’, a condition where the body bloats up with excess fluid. Her skin had been smoothed to the extent that she looked like a waxwork.&lt;sup&gt;75&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;: &quot;75 “Plunkett (2003) p. 192&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; &lt;sup&gt;fn 771, 72, 73, 74, 75, p. 731&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1897 June 28, Monday''', the Jubilee Garden Party at Buckingham Palace took place, with good weather and about 6,000 attendees.

The ''Lady's Pictorial'' gives detai about QV's dress:&lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen, whom every one delighted to see looking well and bright, evidently not at all the worse for the great doings of last week, was attired in black silk. The front of her dress was veiled with white chiffon, over which was a single tissue of black silken embroidered muslin, the embroidery in a small floral design, with inserted bands of openwork lace. The bodice was of black grenadine with tucks at either side, bordering a front of white chiffon veiled with black embroidered muslin, and the basque finished with a frill of pleated black chiffon. Round the hem were two frills of black chiffon festooned on, and each headed by a tiny puffing. Her Majesty’s cape was of black chiffon over white silk, fitting in slightly at the back to the figure, and finished in front with fichu ends. Round the cape were frills of white silk with over frills of black chiffon. The Queen’s bonnet was black relieved with white, and her Majesty had the sunshade presented to her by her oldest Parliamentary member, Mr. C. Villiers. It was of black satin draped with very fine real Chantilly lace, and with a frill of the same all round. It was lined with soft white silk, and the ebony handle terminated in a gun metal ball, on which was a crown and &quot;V. R. I.&quot; in diamonds.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;The Queen's Garden Party.&quot; ''Lady's Pictorial'' 3 July 1897, Saturday: 55 [of 76], Col. 2a [of 3]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005980/18970703/126/0055. Same print title, p. 27.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

The ''Globe'' described her with perhaps slightly less detail than the other women:&lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen appeared about half-past five in a carriage drawn by two cream-coloured ponies, and '''attended one''' outrider. The Princess of Wales was seated beside the Queen, and the Earl of Lathom walked beside the carriage. Her Majesty drove very slowly twice round the lawn, frequently stopping to speak to one or other of the guests.

The Queen was in black, with a good deal of jet on her mantle, and wore a white lace bonnet, and carried a black parasol, almost covered with white lace. The Princess of Wales was in white silk veiled in mousseline soie, worked over in silver and lace applique, and a mauve tulle toque with flowers to match. After driving round, the Queen entered the Royal tent, where refreshments were served by the Indian attendants. Her Majesty had on her right hand the Grand Duchess of Hesse, dressed in white, with black velvet and ribbons, and a large Tuscan hat, with black and white plumes; on her left the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, in mauve satin, and white aigrette in her bonnet. The Empress Frederick’s black broché gown had a collar of white lace, and her black bonnet was relieved by white flowers, and tied with white tulle strings.&lt;ref name=&quot;:22&quot;&gt;“The Queen’s Garden Party. Brilliant Scene at Buckingham Palace.” ''Globe'' 29 June 1897, Tuesday: 6 [of 8], Col. 3a–c [of 5]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001652/18970629/050/0006. Print p. 6.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|Col. 3b–c}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;From the ''North British Daily Mail'', &lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen was evidently in excellent health, and there was no trace whatever of the fatigues which she has recently undergone. Indeed she walked with greater ease than usual, and really had no need of the proffered help of her attendants. ... The Queen and her daughter were dressed in black, but the former had upon her bonnet a little trimming of delicate white lace, which somewhat toned down the sombre effect of the mourning. Two Highland attendants having taken their places in the rumble, one of them handed to the Queen a black and white parasol, and then the signal to start was given.&lt;ref name=&quot;:02&quot;&gt;&quot;Jubilee Festivities. The Queen Again in London. Interesting Functions. A Visit to Kensington. The Garden Party.&quot; ''North British Daily Mail'' 29 June 1897, Tuesday: 5 [of 8], Col. 3a–7b [of 9]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002683/18970629/083/0005. Print p. 5.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|Col. 3c}} ...

The Queen wore a black gauze gown over white, and a white lace bonnet.

The Princess of Wales wore white muslin over silk embroidered in silver and lace.

The Empress Frederick wore a black silk dress with a good deal of white lace about the bodice, and a black bonnet with white plumes.&lt;ref name=&quot;:02&quot; /&gt;{{rp|Col. 5c}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1897 June 30, Wednesday''', Royal Banquet at Buckingham Palace, with the Queen in a very ornate dress, with gold and jewels as well as the colors brought by the orders and ribbon of the Garter:&lt;blockquote&gt;over eighty Royal guests. The Queen herself was magnificent!y attired in black renaiscance moiré antique (it is a curious fact that her Majesty never wears satin or velvet, having an antipathy to touching these materials). The whole of the front of the dress was embroidered in a magnificent design with real gold thread. There was a waved band of gold in the pattern, enclosing suns and stars, all of gold, raised from the surlace of the silk; the suns had centres of jewels, and the whole design was richly jewelled, and was bordered at either side by coquillés of real lace. This embroidery was all wrought at Agra. The bodice was finished with a pointed stomacher of the gold and jewelled work, and across it her Majesty wore the blue riband of the Garter and many magnificent Orders.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Court &amp; Society Notes.&quot; ''Lady's Pictorial'' 3 July 1897, Saturday: 56 [of 76], Col. 2c [of 3]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005980/18970703/282/0056. Print title same, p. 28.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;The assertion that she never wore satin or velvet doesn't seem right (e.g., see Bassano 1882 dress).

'''1899''', Susan B. Anthony attended a reception at Windsor Castle and met QV: to look at &quot;her wonderful face&quot; was a &quot;thrill.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|852 of 1203}}

=== Her Dresses ===
#'''1822''': Wikipedia page #2, painting (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria), Victoria and her mother, Duchess of Kent, by William Beechey. Victoire is in mourning, Victoria is holding a portrait of her father. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/407169/victoria-duchess-of-kent-1786-1861-with-princess-victoria-1819-1901.
##&quot;After William Beechey.&quot; Wikimedia Commons, possibly a contemporary copy of the painting: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sir_William_Beechey_(1753-1839)_-_Victoria,_Duchess_of_Kent,_(1786-1861)_with_Princess_Victoria,_(1819-1901)_-_RCIN_407169_-_Royal_Collection.jpg
#'''1827''', an engraving of a bust of Victoria (from a 1908 book) by Plant, after Stewart's painted miniature: she is wearing family honors on the left shoulder of her dress; she is about 6 years old in this image; she looks like a princess. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Letters_Of_Queen_Victoria,_vol_1_-_H.R.H._The_Princess_Victoria,_1827.png
#'''1835 August 10 [maybe 1837?]''': print portrait of a teenaged QV published in Chapter 2 of Millicent Garrett Fawcett's 1895 ''Life of Her Majesty Queen Victoria'' (but possibly published in 1835 in a magazine?). QV's dress is in the off-the-shoulder romantic style with a high, Empire waist. She is wearing a 4-strand necklace, probably pearls, and large dangling earrings, with a 4-strand pearl bracelet on her right arm. She has a glove on her left hand, not elbow length but definitely longer than wrist length, and she is wearing a wire net-like headdress on the top of her head that contracted to contain and shape her hair. A very similar image was published in ''The Graphic'' on 26 January 1901 claiming that QV was 17; the image is not identical, but must have been made from the same sitting (the 1901 image is full length and her left hand is empty). The caption for the image from ''The Graphic'' — &quot;The Queen at the Age of Seventeen&quot; — says that it came from a painting by George Hayter.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://viewer.library.wales/5254866#?xywh=-3550,-523,12266,7776|title=The Life of Queen Victoria ... National Library of Wales Viewer|website=viewer.library.wales|language=en|access-date=2026-03-18}}&lt;/ref&gt; Wikimedia Commons 1895 image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Life_of_Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_-_Victoria_Aug_10th_1835.png. 1901 ''Graphic'' image, National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/5254866#?xywh=-3550%2C-523%2C12266%2C7776. Wikimedia Commons ''Graphic'' 1901 image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_life_of_Queen_Victoria_Claremont,_where_the_Queen_spent_the_happiest_days_of_her_childhood_-_the_South_side,_the_view_from_the_ballroom_;_the_Queen_at_the_age_of_seventeen_(from_the_painting_by_Sir_George_Hayter)_(5254866).jpg.
#'''1836''': print of Winterhalter portrait, QV surrounded by books, empire dress and jewelry. Very stylish and up-to-date fashion, off the shoulder, with some frou-frou, but not contrasting colors for the frou-frou. The skirt is divided into 2 parts at about the knees by a wide band of trim. This design with the divided skirt and non-contrasting frou-frou lasted her entire life (maybe with a break when Albert was alive?). She did it a lot but not exclusively, but enough for it to be characteristic. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Princess_Victoria_in_1836.png
#'''1837''': print of watercolor portrait&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2024-09-04|title=John Deffett Francis|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Deffett_Francis&amp;oldid=1244015737|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; by John Deffett Francis of Victoria, who was not queen yet: print &quot;to William 4th &amp; Leopold, King of Belgium&quot;; V is wearing a cap with a lacy edge around her face, with a wide-brimmed bonnet, trimmed with ribbon and a veil; no jewelry, dress is off the shoulder, fabric appears to be silk, with gathers, with a dark shawl trimmed with dark lace; she is holding a folding fan; dark slippers. Dash romping at her feet. Unostentatious outfit but appears to be exquisitely made with quality materials. Not loaded up with frou-frou, simply made but high-quality. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674631#?xywh=-1346%2C976%2C7852%2C4710; Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Most_Gracious_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(4674631).jpg
#'''1837 Summer''', probably: print by Richard James Lane of a watercolor by Alfred Edward Chalon. Idealized portrait of QV between the accession and the coronation. The portrait has her features but is not a good likeness. The British Museum description says, &quot;seated to left looking to right; wearing a lace collar, ruffled cape and black satin apron said to have been embroidered by herself, holding letter and handkerchief; on terrace with view of St George’s chapel, Windsor.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Her Majesty the Queen.&quot; O'Donoghue 1908-25 / Catalogue of Engraved British Portraits preserved in the Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum (108). Object: 1912,1012.76. 

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1912-1012-76&lt;/ref&gt; The bodice has huge sleeves, narrow at the wrist but puffing out over the elbows. The fabric of the dress looks like moiré. The black apron on her lap, though she may have embroidered it, seems odd, like why would the new queen wear an apron, even a decorative one? The plain hairstyle, the apron and what may be a bonnet on the tile floor to her left do not present her as regal but as simple and girly, perhaps as a contrast to the excesses of the prior courts. British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1912-1012-76. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Her_Majesty_the_Queen_(BM_1912,1012.76).jpg.
#'''1837 November''': portrait of QV standing in the royal box at the Drury Lane Theatre by Edmund Thomas Parris (this image is a contemporary copy of Parris's painting). Not a very strong likeness and so highly idealized that her clothing isn't readable. Also, the color may not be true; this copy may be too red. She has decorative gauntlets on her gloves, a transparent black lace shawl, the ribbon of the Order of the Garter, some tiara or diadem that could be the Fringe Tiara except that the metal is wrong, complicated lace things with dags at the turned-back cuffs. She is holding a few flowers in a bouquet holder and a lace-trimmed handkerchief; on the ledge in front of her are the program, with a bookmark, a folded fan and a folded material that might be supposed to be ermine? can't tell. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_at_the_theatre.jpg. This image was published in the 21 May 1887 ''Supplement to Pen and Pencil'': https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_in_1837_(BM_1902,1011.8639).jpg.
#'''1838''': etching of QV riding side saddle, caption says, &quot;Her Majesty the Queen on Her Favourite Charger '''Thxxx'''&quot;; published in 1840, after a painting by Ed. Curcould; etching by Fredk A. Heath; riding habit and top hat with veil, falling collar, tie may be 4-in-hand (Wikimedia Commons copy, from L. Strachey's 1921 biog: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Queen_Victoria_in_1838.png). British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/image/1454391001
#'''1838''', stipple engraving of a waist-up portrait of QV by James Thomson, yet another idealized coronation portrait not drawn from life. Filet in her hair with pendant pearl at the center part, pearl earrings and necklace we've never seen before. Neck length is highly flattering. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Majesty_the_Queen_Victoria_(4674629).jpg
#'''1838''': stipple engraving of a flattering portrait of QV by Frederick Christian Lewis, probably not drawn from life. She is wearing a bonnet with a large brim over a cap with lace ruffles, the brim is covered with gathered fabric, sort of a halo effect. The off-the-shoulder style of the dress was fashionable, as are the sloped shoulders. Dark shawl over a light dress. She is wearing light gloves. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674631#?xywh=2044%2C1782%2C928%2C588. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Most_Gracious_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(4674631).jpg
#'''1838''': 2 George Hayter portraits of QV, plus a painting of the coronation: 
##Portrait of QV with her hand on a Bible and light shining on her upturned face, wearing the white dress worn after the peers swore allegiance and before the crown is placed on her head. The St. Edward's crown is on 2 pillows with the scepter. She is wearing an enormous elaborate robe over a sheer, lacy white dress, but the complexity of the layers and perhaps the artistic license make it impossible to really describe how the garments were constructed. The gold brocade robe with fringed edges is spectacular but does not match Worsley's description of the robe QV wore as she entered the Abbey. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_taking_the_Coronation_Oath_by_George_Hayter_1838.jpg 
##in Wikimedia Commons called ''Queen Victoria Enthroned in the House of Lords''. It may not have been drawn from life; Hayter's painting of the wedding cannot really be seen as a historical record of what occurred, and so this may not have been what she wore at the coronation. QV seated on the lion's head chair or throne, with the St. Edward's crown on a table to her right. She is wearing the Diamond Diadem and the coronation necklace and earrings. She is wearing an ermine-lined red velvet robe tied together at the waist with a tasseled gold cord. A jeweled &quot;collar&quot; falls from her right shoulder to her waist and then goes back up to her left shoulder. Her dress is not the dress she wore to the coronation, white satin with gold embroidery. This one appears to be a silver and gold brocade with a deep gold fringe at the bottom. She is traditionally corseted. She has a white glove on her left hand, which rests on the other glove. The gloves are decorated with a double row of gathered lace. The heavily jeweled bodice is off the shoulder. The point of one satin slipper peeks out from under her skirt on the low footrest. Art UK: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/queen-victoria-18191901-enthroned-in-the-house-of-lords-50933. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_Throne.png.
##''The Coronation of Queen Victoria in Westminster Abbey, 28 June 1838,'' Hayter's large painting of the coronation, completed 1840.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/405409/the-coronation-of-queen-victoria-in-westminster-abbey-28-june-1838|title=Sir George Hayter (1792-1871) - The Coronation of Queen Victoria in Westminster Abbey, 28 June 1838|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-04-22}}&lt;/ref&gt; Hayter made drawings during the coronation ceremony and then recreated Westminster Abbey as he preferred, rather than painting what the Abbey actually looked like. QV is wearing the Imperial Crown of State, but this is the moment after the coronation when the peers put on their coronets. The painting has 64 individual portraits painted in their gowns and robes by Hayter later. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/405409/the-coronation-of-queen-victoria-in-westminster-abbey-28-june-1838; Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coronation_of_Queen_Victoria_28_June_1838_by_Sir_George_Hayter.jpg.
#'''1838''': Thomas Sully portrait of QV
##'''1838 May 15''': study for the full-length portrait by Thomas Sully, bust, bare shoulders, no clothing for analysis, but romantic and sensual, crown, possibly coronation necklace. &quot;This oil sketch was painted '''from during''' several sittings in the spring of 1838, just before the coronation, in preparation for a full-length portrait. Victoria, who wears a diamond diadem, earrings, and necklace, is said to have considered this a nice picture.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (11) Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/12702. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_MET_DT5422.jpg
##Full-length portrait, which QV sat for and which Sully finished after having returned to the US. Not sure which crown this is, neither of the coronation crowns. Very flattering of Victoria, who is in her state robe with a white dress. Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/14826. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Thomas_Sully_in_the_Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art.jpg.
##Copy from the Sully full-length portrait of head and bust by W. Warman, though not a faithful copy, as if he was copying the painting without having it in front of him. National Portrait Gallery: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw06507/Queen-Victoria. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_by_W._Warman_after_Thomas_Sully.jpg.
#'''1838''': engraved mezzotint print from a painting by Agostino Aglio the Elder (https://www.lelandlittle.com/items/384935/antique-portrait-of-a-young-queen-victoria/), which cannot have been painted from life. QV is dressed as if for her coronation, with the St. Edward's crown and the throne in the background. The face does not look like Victoria's, the dress with its ermine hem is not a representation of any dresses we're aware of, and the robe with its transparent falling sleeves is not the official coronation robe. The mezzotint by James Scott shows detail more clearly than the painting does, which is dark. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Queen_of_the_United_Kingdom.jpg
#'''1838 August 5''': engraving of QV, published in ''The News'' on this date, may not have been taken from life. She may be wearing the white satin with gold embroidery dress she wore to Westminster Abbey; the crown on her head is not the Imperial State Crown; she is wearing long earrings (which we've never seen before) and no necklace. The cape has a shorter layer on top, trimmed in bands of gold, it looks like, which we've also never seen before. Her right hand is wearing a glove, probably silk, pushed down to 3/4 length. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674621#?xywh=-2124%2C-568%2C8542%2C7730. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_(4674621).jpg  
#'''1839''': engraving of Edwin Landseer portrait of QV in a very flattering and fashionable riding habit, less masculine than some, ribbon and badge of the Order of the Garter, top hat with veil, corseted, with the jacket fitted, large sleeves to the elbow, fitted below the elbow; a peplum may be part of the jacket, can't tell; she may be riding side-saddle with the newly invented horn to stabilize the rider. It's a good likeness of Victoria. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Majesty_the_Queen-_1839_(4672716).jpg.  
#1840 February 10: QV's Wedding
##QV's wedding dress on a mannequin. Royal Collection Trust, 3 photos: https://www.rct.uk/collection/71975. Mary Bettans, QV's &quot;longest serving dressmaker,&quot; probably made this wedding dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/71975|title=Mary Bettans - Queen Victoria's wedding dress|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-15}}&lt;/ref&gt; The [https://thedreamstress.com/2011/04/queen-victorias-wedding-dress-the-one-that-started-it-all/ Dreamstress blog posting on QV's wedding dress] has clear photos of her shoes. The Royal Collection description says, in part, &quot;Wedding dress ensemble of cream silk satin; comprising pointed boned bodice lined with silk, elbow length gathered sleeves; deep lace flounces at neck and sleeves and plain untrimmed skirt en suite, gathered into waist with unpressed pleats.&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot; /&gt; The color of the dress is definitely not white now, but the RCT description doesn't suggest that the color has changed. The materials are &quot;Cream silk satin with Honiton lace&quot; and &quot;silk (textile), satin, flowers, lace.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot; /&gt; The &quot;flowers&quot; perhaps explains the wreath of artificial orange blossoms that the mannequin is wearing; the description doesn't say whether the headdress was the one worn by QV at the wedding.
##QV's watercolor sketch of her design for the bridesmaids' dresses: &quot;a white dress trimmed with sprays of roses on the bodice and skirt. A matching spray of roses is shown in her hair. She is wearing white gloves and holding a handkerchief in one hand.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/13/collection/980021-o/design-for-queen-victorias-bridesmaids-dresses|title=Explore the Royal Collection online|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-20}}&lt;/ref&gt; Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/13/collection/980021-o/design-for-queen-victorias-bridesmaids-dresses.
#1840–1842: George Hayter's painting of the moment in the wedding when QV and Albert clasp hands
##1840 February 10 – 1842: George Hayter's wedding portrait at the moment they clasped hands (what was commissioned), sketched at the time, portraits and background filled in later, not an actual depiction of what the chapel looked like, the environment sketched in before the ceremony and the people during the ceremony, followed by people sitting for their individual portrait within the larger painting. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/407165/the-marriage-of-queen-victoria-10-february-1840. Wikimedia Commons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Marriage_of_Queen_Victoria#/media/File:Sir_George_Hayter_(1792-1871)_-_The_Marriage_of_Queen_Victoria,_10_February_1840_-_RCIN_407165_-_Royal_Collection.jpg. Along with almost everybody else, both QV and Albert posed later for the portraits in the painting, QV in March 1840 in, as she says, &quot; Bridal dress, veil, wreath &amp; all.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/407165/the-marriage-of-queen-victoria-10-february-1840|title=Sir George Hayter (1792-1871) - The Marriage of Queen Victoria, 10 February 1840|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-19}}&lt;/ref&gt;
##A number of reproductions of all or part of Hayter's painting were made. Engraving after Hayter's wedding portrait: amazingly tight outfit on Albert, QV has long train with ladies holding it; QV's dress off the shoulder, very lacy: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marriage_of_Queen_Victoria_MET_MM78359.jpg
#'''1840 c.''': miniature of QV by Franz Winterhalter, very idealized; QV is wearing a large pendant on a gold-bead necklace with matching earrings and jeweled fillet, strands of diamonds wrapped around the coiled hair high on the back of her head. Her off-the-shoulder dress is white lace with yellow bows, very girly with an unusual amount of frou-frou. She is wearing a blue sash across her chest from left to right, perhaps the ribbon of the Order of the Garter? Something puffy and pink — perhaps a shawl? — is over the dress. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_La_reine_Victoria.jpg
#'''1840 c.''': mezzotint print of QV by T. W. Huffam, may not have been drawn from life, and not perfectly realistic. QV is wearing a cap on the back of her head and perhaps a double row of what might be pearls across the top of her head, with pearl drop earrings. Off-the-shoulders cream-colored dress with pleating around the neckline and from the waist down. Broach at the center of the neckline, ring on her left hand; possible heavy chain bracelet on her left wrist. Colorful red-and-blue patterned shawl; what may be the Ribbon of the Order of the Garter, but on the wrong shoulder (and color is too dark, but the color may not be true); probably an odd wadded-up handkerchief in her right hand, with a lacy edge. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674795#?xywh=935%2C2586%2C2207%2C1324. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Gracious_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(4674795).jpg
#'''1840''': QV and Albert return from the wedding at St. James's Palace
##1840 February 10: engraving by S. Reynolds (after F. Lock). May not have been made from life, the dress QV is wearing does not match the descriptions of any of the dresses she wore that day. Albert is dressed more or less the way he was for the wedding. This is an image of how she was imagined by the artist or perceived by the public, not how she looked. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wedding_of_Queen_Victoria_and_Prince_Albert.jpg
##F. Lock
#'''1840''': not very realistic illustration of Edward Oxford's assassination attempt on QV (illustration by Ebenezer Landells; lithograph by J. R. Jobbins). We see QV in white, with a yellow bonnet and something white streaming, veil or shawl, protected by heroic male figure, Albert? or the driver? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edward_Oxford_tries_to_shoot_Queen_Victoria_in_1840_by_JR_Jobbins.jpg
#'''1840''': 2 versions of what looks like the same portrait of QV by John Partridge, one painting in Dublin Castle and another in the Royal Collection Trust, both apparently made by Partridge with sittings in September and October 1840.&lt;ref name=&quot;:16&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/403022/queen-victoria-1819-1901|title=John Partridge (1790-1872) - Queen Victoria (1819-1901)|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-02-27}}&lt;/ref&gt; QV is in black formal dress with red background and objects associating her with Albert. The RCT description: &quot;The Queen, in a black evening dress with a black and silver head-dress, wears the ribbon and star of the Garter and the Garter round her left arm. She stands with her hand resting on a letter on the table. The gilt metal inkstand set with semi-precious stones was a present from Prince Albert to the Queen on her birthday, 24 May 1840. The bracelet on her right arm is set with a miniature portrait of Prince Albert by Sir William Ross for which the Prince had sat in February and March 1840 and the locket round her neck was given to her by Prince Albert.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:16&quot; /&gt; QV's modest, black velvet, off-the-shoulder dress is very Romantic. The puffed sleeves have a separate, fine lace ruffle that is shorter over the front of the arm and longer in back. She is holding a large white lace handkerchief and a folding fan.
##The Royal Collection Trust painting may have been restored or conserved differently because it is lighter and the background is much brighter red. Besides the interesting black headdress with a silver fringe on two levels, attached possibly to a bun on the back of her head, she is wearing a [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Ferronnière|ferronnière]] with a large brooch-like jewel piece in the center front. This version of the painting was probably a gift to Albert for Christmas 1840.&lt;ref name=&quot;:16&quot; /&gt; https://www.rct.uk/collection/403022/queen-victoria-1819-1901. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Partridge_1840.jpg.
##The painting in Dublin Castle is much darker and QV's necklace and headdress are different. In this case, she is wearing the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#The Diamond Diadem|Diamond Diadem]] rather than the less-official ferronnière. Dublin Castle: https://dublincastle.ie/the-state-apartments/queen-victoria/. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Dublin_Castle.jpg.
#'''1841''': print of drawing of QV, stylish and romantic look, braids loops around her ears, off the shoulders, corseted, wearing honors, elbow-length lace-edged sleeves, full skirts, holding folding fan and lacy handkerchief in her left hand, very stylish pointed waist: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_victoria_by_DESMAISONS,_PIERRE_EMILIEN_-_GMII.jpg
#'''1841''': watercolor miniature by George Freeman of a pretty good likeness of QV for Mrs Andrew Stevenson, the wife of the American ambassador. QV is in white evening dress, red shawl with orange trim, ribbon of the Order of the Garter, tiara on the back of her head, miniature of Albert on her right wrist, wedding ring, hair in braided loops in front of the ears, very lacy at the elbows and top of bodice but otherwise no frou-frou. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/421456/queen-victoria-1819-1901. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Miniature_portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_(1819-1901),_1841.jpg.
#'''1841 March 21''': mezzotint print of QV and Vicky as a baby (Ellen Cole made the original art, G. H. Phillips made the messotint, printmaker Henry Graves &amp; Co.)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://wellcomecollection.org/works/wthk5hpy|title=Queen Victoria with the infant Princess Victoria on her lap. Mezzotint by G.H. Phillips after E. Cole, 1841.|website=Wellcome Collection|language=en|access-date=2025-10-15}}&lt;/ref&gt;, unclear what kind of dress QV is wearing, could be morning dress or even negligé, although she is wearing jewelry and a cap, appears to be wearing a corset, but the fabric of this loose and flowing dress is very likely silk, some sheer, very feminine, limp lace ruffles, unstiffened silk; could be a christening outfit?, Vicky is also wearing sheer flowing fabric, has a cap with stiffened ruffle, around the neck, unstiffened ruffle: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_the_infant_Princess_Victoria_Adelaide_Wellcome_V0048381.jpg
#1842: portrait by Winterhalter of QV in her wedding dress. This pose is a recreation; the lower half of the skirt is lace covered. QV is facing left, holding a length of lace and a small bouquet of flowers. Tiara on the back of her head, pendant on a gold chain around her neck, perhaps the sapphire brooch, and rings. QV sat for the painting &quot;in June and July 1842. The Queen wears a dress of heavy ivory satin, enhanced by a bertha and a deep flounce of lace like those on her wedding dress (see Figure 39). Her jewelry includes a diadem of sapphires and diamonds, the huge sapphire-and-diamond brooch given to her by Prince Albert on their wedding day, and the Order of the Garter insignia.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (15) &quot;The portrait was completed in August and set into the wall of the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle. Winterhalter was immediately commissioned to paint at least three copies, and a number of others exist, including enamel miniatures that the Queen had made up into bracelets for her friends.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (15)
#'''1843''': portrait by Winterhalter, bust of QV, bare shoulders, hair has fallen down, simple jewelry, sensual, sexual, romantic: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter_(1805-73)_-_Queen_Victoria_(1819-1901)_-_RCIN_406010_-_Royal_Collection.jpg.
#'''1843''': flattering, fashion-illustration-style portrait by Winterhalter, QV is wearing the Diamond Diadem created for George IV and standing with the Imperial State Crown near her right hand, which means it's not a coronation recreation. She is wearing the mantle of the Garter with its jeweled chain-like collar and St. George hanging from it with the Garter on her left arm. Winterhalter did a companion portrait of Albert at the same time, and they are hanging in the Garter Throne Room in Windsor Castle.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/404388/queen-victoria-1819-1901-0|title=Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-73) - Queen Victoria (1819-1901)|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-02-06}}&lt;/ref&gt; Queen Victoria is wearing the Turkish diamonds necklace and earrings. She has bare shoulders and arms, suggestive of court or evening dress; besides the mantle of the Garter, she is wearing a white dress with a complex overdress that is open at the waist. The skirt of the white dress has gold threads (that might be brocade) with 7 horizontal graduated rows of a soutache-like trim around the bottom 2/3. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/404388/queen-victoria-1819-1901-0. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_1843.jpg.
#'''1843''': line and stipple engraving (by Skelton and Hopwood) of a painting by Eugène Modeste Edmond Lepoittevin. QV visiting Helene, Duchesse d'Orléans at the Château d'Eu (Eu, Normandy, France). Two of the Duchesse d'Orléans' sons are with her in the portrait; she appears to be in mourning with a lot of frou-frou and touches of white. QV is wearing a stylish, romantic (off the shoulder) dress with a small white ruffle at the neck, lacy cuffs at the wrist; the sleeves are divided by 2 rows above the elbow of some kind of 3-dimensional trim; below the elbow the sleeves are fitted. The skirt is very full; her hair is simple, pulled in front of her ears into a bun in the back, with no headdress; she is wearing little or no jewelry. National Portrait Gallery: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw145636/Visit-of-Queen-Victoria-to-the-Duchesse-DOrlans?LinkID=mp93326&amp;role=sit&amp;rNo=0. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Visit_of_Queen_Victoria_to_the_Duchess_of_Orleans.jpg.
#'''1845''': photograph of QV and Vicky, earliest photograph of them, Description from Royal Collection Trust: &quot;They are shown in three quarter view, facing left. The queen is wearing a dark coloured silk gown, with a white lace fichu, adorned with a brooch. The Princess Royal looks directly at the viewer and leans against her mother, nestled under her right arm. She is wearing a dark coloured silk dress, trimmed with white lace. She is wearing a pendant on a black ribbon around her neck, and is holding a doll in her arms.&quot; White v-shaped bodice front connected to the rest of the bodice. Copy from the Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/-/collection/2931317-c (Wikimedia Commons copy: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_the_Princess_Royal_Victoria_c1844-5.png)
#'''1846''': Winterhalter portrait of QV with Bertie, one of a pair of portraits by Winterhalter of QV and Prince Albert. QV is wearing an unusual, off-the-shoulder outfit, no crown but a headdress that is black lace, sheer, ruffled, attached above her ears, with a rose on the left side, no necklace but bracelets and rings and the Order of the Garter ribbon and star. The top of this dress may be a bustier rather than a bodice, resting on rather than attached to the skirt; it is boned and very smooth and comes to a deep point in front, emphasizing her small waist. The skirt may be in two layers, pink satin (to match the bustier or bodice) covered by a sheer black lace-and-tulle overskirt. Bertie is in long pants and a belted &quot;loose Russian blouse&quot; that falls to his knees.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/406945/queen-victoria-with-the-prince-of-wales|title=Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-73) - Queen Victoria with the Prince of Wales|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-03-26}}&lt;/ref&gt; The portrait was a gift to Sir Robert Peel and shows QV in evening dress and Bertie (and Prince Albert in his separate portrait) as a family in nonregal clothing, what Peel called &quot;private society.&quot; Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/406945/queen-victoria-with-the-prince-of-wales. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_the_Prince_of_Wales.jpg.
#'''1846 October – 1847 January''', sittings for Winterhalter family portrait of QV and Albert and 5 children (Vicky, Bertie, Alice, Affie, Helena as a baby). QV is wearing a very ornate white dress with a smooth bodice, with a corset beneath: a lot of lace in her lap, either a large shawl coming around from the back or the top layer of her skirt (?), which is a series of 4 lacy ruffles starting at her knees and going down; gathers over her bust, sleeves are gathered; whole dress is a lot of frou-frou, very white, feminine, soft and flowing. She is wearing an emerald and diamond diadem, part of a parure of other emerald jewelry as well as a locket around her neck. (Albert designed the diadem in 1845, made by Joseph Kitching). Painting was exhibited in 1847 in St. James's Palace and released as an engraving in 1850. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/405413/the-royal-family-in-1846. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter_Family_of_Queen_Victoria.jpg. Engraving: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Queen_Victoria,_Prince_Albert_and_the_Royal_Family.png
#'''1847 February 24''': Winterhalter portrait of QV in a version of her at her wedding, wearing her wedding veil and wreath of orange blossoms in her hair and the sapphire brooch that &quot;Albert gave her on their wedding day and the ear-rings and necklace made from the Turkish diamonds given to her by the Sultan Mahmúd II in 1838.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/20/collection/400885/queen-victoria-1819-1901|title=Winterhalter Portrait of Queen Victoria, 1846|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-31}}&lt;/ref&gt; This portrait is dated 1847, so it is not a portrait of her at her wedding but an anniversary gift for Albert of her dressed as for her wedding. RCT: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/20/collection/400885/queen-victoria-1819-1901 Wikimedia: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1847.jpg
#'''1851 August 30''', line drawing of QV, Albert and Bertie visiting the opening (?) of a train station, published in the ILL. QV's clothing is approximate, but she is wearing a bonnet; we don't know if the artist drew her from life or from his expectation of what she would have looked like, stylish but not haute couture, she looks more middle class? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_visiting_the_GNR.jpg
#'''1854''', portrait Stephen Catterson Smith the Elder. QV in Order of St. Patrick, wearing crown, next to throne; white or cream-colored dress, which looks unironed? horizontal section of the skirt??, off the shoulder, lacy ruffles on top, not much frou-frou, not a cage. Bracelet on her right arm of Albert?, coronation necklace? Standing by the chair with lion's head on the armrest. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_the_sash_of_the_Order_of_St_Patrick,_1854.png
##'''1854''', engraving that is a copy of the Smith portrait. Royal Trust: https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/565054. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_victoria_indian_circlet.jpg. '''Indian circlet'''?
#'''1854''', photograph of QV, Albert, Duchess of Kent and 7 children, boys in kilts, women in what looks like cages, but probably petticoats: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_family.jpg
#'''1854''', photograph by Roger Fenton, QV seated, facing our right, holding a portrait of Albert, light very lacy dress, cap on the back of her head, can't see much detail of the dress: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_1854.jpg
#'''1854 May 11''': Roger Fenton photographs from a session showing either QV and Albert in court dress or one of the recreations of their wedding:
##QV standing, looking to her left, wearing a very floral, lacy light-colored dress that has been called her wedding dress, but the Royal Collection Trust says it's a court dress with a train.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Queen Victoria in court dress 1854.jpg.&quot; ''Wikimedia Commons''. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_in_court_dress_1854.jpg (retrieved March 2026).&lt;/ref&gt; She is wearing the ribbon of the Order of the Garter, a cap perched on top of her head above a wreath or crown of flowers, veil, romantic off-the-shoulder neckline with short puffy sleeves, something fluffy and translucent on the front of her dress (like an apron?), a white glove on her left hand, a bouquet of flowers, and it looks like actual flowers attached to the dress itself. More frou-frou than we've seen on her. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_in_court_dress_1854.jpg.
##Low-resolution photo of QV and Albert facing each other, bouquet on plinth, expensive long lace veil, shawl or big white lace collar?, dress has a lot of frou-frou (including flowers) and texture to break up the solid whiteness: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_victoria_and_Prince_Albert.jpg
#'''1854 May 22''': Roger Fenton photograph of QV, Albert and 7 children, one in a wagon, at Buckingham Palace. Albert is wearing a top hat although they seem to be indoors. QV wearing a bonnet tied under her chin with a big bow, a plaid skirt, thigh-length jacket. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Prince_Albert_%26_royal_children_at_Buckingham_Palace,_1854.jpg
#'''1854 June 30''', photograph by Roger Fenton, QV profile facing our left; very light-colored dress, embroidered (or stamped??) floral pattern on skirt, bodice and sleeves with additional 3-dimensional trim, and apron?, with a wide sash, translucent maybe linen fabric with very fine lace at the edge, very girly; at least one gathered flounce; brimless bonnet on the back of her head, lacy, ribbon, flowers?: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Roger_Fenton.jpg
#'''1855''', Winterhalter portrait: petticoats, lace and satin, a tiara, on the back of her head around the bun, not a symbol of of sovereignty, instead a beautiful decorative piece of jewelry that probably matched her eyes: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter.jpg. Rosie Harte says she is wearing the Sapphire Tiara designed for QV as a wedding present by Albert.
#'''1855 March 10''': Illustrated London News wood engraving showing QV and her entourage visiting wounded soldiers in a hospital. It shows how QV was perceived, not so much what she actually wore. She's shown wearing a bonnet, a thigh-length jacket; her tiered skirt has 3 large ruffles that we can see, dividing it horizontally. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_entourage_visiting_invalided_soldier_Wellcome_V0015776.jpg
#'''1855 April 19''', James Roberts painting of QV, Napoleon III, Eugénie and Albert at Covent Garden, from the perspective of the stage, or at least behind the orchestra. They are dressed formally; QV's white, off the shoulder young-person image, big jewelry; Eugénie looks like she's wearing a cage. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/46/collection/920055/the-queen-visiting-covent-garden-with-the-emperor-and-empress-of-the-french-19. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Napoleon_III_at_the_Royal_Opera_House_19_April_1855.jpg
#'''1856 May 10''', oval half-length portrait of QV by Winterhalter, finished after sittings on 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8 May.&lt;ref name=&quot;:17&quot; /&gt; QV, who thought the portrait was &quot;very like,&quot; is wearing a distinctive off-the-shoulder red velvet dress with burnt-velvet (?) ruffle, the Koh-i-nûr diamond set in a brooch, a necklace with large diamonds (the Coronation necklace? '''Queen Adelaide's necklace'''?) and the ribbon of the Order of the Garter. She is wearing a corset under the dress (the bodice is so smooth and it comes to a point below the waist), with lace at the décolletage and shoulder and possibly a shawl that matches the ruffle. '''The crown is not the Diamond State Diadem but another crown'''. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/406698/queen-victoria-1819-1901. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter_Queen_Victoria.jpg.
#'''1856 December 16''' (lithograph made in 1859), color lithograph of a William Simpson painting showing QV on board a ship being returned to the Brits by Americans. Full-length, winter dress with fur muff, bonnet, matching fur-trimmed coat over dark rich purple and green dress. Albert and some of their children are with her. Library of Congress: https://loc.gov/pictures/resource/pga.03087/. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Simpson_-_George_Zobel_-_England_and_America._The_visit_of_her_majesty_Queen_Victoria_to_the_Arctic_ship_Resolute_-_December_16th,_1856.jpg
#'''1857''': photo of QV and Vicky, Princess Royal, in dark dresses but not mourning, QV has very voluminous ruffled skirt, probably not a cage, wearing a cap: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_daughter_Victoria,_Princess_Royal.jpg
#'''1857''': large painting by George Housman Thomas of QV distributing the first Victoria Crosses in Hyde Park, 26 June 1857, shows large military display in a large field, QV giving out VCs to a long line of soldiers. Related to the 1859 Thomas painting, as QV is wearing another scarlet military jacket, waist is cinched, etc. (see the 1859 painting). If the awarding of the VCs occurred in 1857, this painting would have been later? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_presenting_VC_in_Hyde_Park_on_26_June_1857.jpg
#'''1858 Summer – 14 December 1861, between''', photograph by Southwell, &quot;photographist to the Queen,&quot; of QV wearing a light-colored plaid skirt over a cage and a large dark shawl, reading a piece of paper. (We dated this image between the time she first wore a cage and when Albert died.) She has a cap with a gathered edge under her light-colored bonnet, which has a wide band tied in a bow under her chin with long streamers that hang past her waist. The photograph has been damaged, so patterns on the fabric are impossible to see. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:England_Queen_Victoria.JPG
#'''1859''': Winterhalter portrait, 2 crowns, the one behind her is the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Imperial State Crown|Imperial State Crown]], &quot;coronation necklace and earrings?,&quot; a vast quantity of ermine, diamonds and gold, parliament in the distance. ArtUK: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/queen-victoria-18191901-187983. Wikimedia: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Winterhalter_1859.jpg, on Wikipedia page for &quot;Victorian Era&quot;: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_era. The off-the-shoulder look she wore when she was young, short sleeves, gold lace ruffles on the skirt. Another example of elaborate but not crowded frou-frou. Georg Koberwein made a copy of this painting in 1862.
#'''1859 June''': group photograph that includes QV, Albert, Bertie and Princess Alice (who is wearing a cage) as well as Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders; Infante Luís, Duke of Porto, later King Luís I of Portugal;  and King Leopold I of Belgium. Photograph attributed to Dudley FitzGerald-de Ros, 23rd Baron de Ros. QV is seated, facing her right, wearing a cape (can't tell if it has wide sleeves), a feathered hat that ties under her chin with a wide ribbon down the back, a 3-flounce skirt with dark stripes, wider at the bottom, probably over a cage, the 2 top flounces have gathered lace edging; white lace in her lap and over her right shoulder; holding an umbrella. Royal Collection Trust: https://albert.rct.uk/collections/photographs-collection/childrens-albums/group-portrait-with-prince-albert-leopold-i-and-queen-victoria-0?_ga=2.71530067.1155757026.1769614443-1044324474.1768234449. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Group_photograph_of_Queen_Victoria,_Prince_Albert,_Albert_Edward,_Prince_of_Wales,_Count_of_Flanders,_Princess_Alice,_Duke_of_Oporto,_and_King_Leopold_I_of_the_Belgians,_1859.jpg.
#'''1859 July 9''': 1859–1864 painting by George Housman Thomas of QV, Albert and attendants on horses at Aldershot, QV in military-style, with red jacket with trim at the cuffs collar (though technically the jacket is collarless), wearing sash, honors, white blouse with back necktie, white sleeves gathered at the wrist, sitting side saddle, hat with wide brim, low crown, feminized version of the helmet the men are wearing, complete with red and white feathers. Royal Collection Trust says she is wearing a &quot;scarlet military riding jacket with a General's sash and a General's plume in her riding hat&quot; link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/405295/queen-victoria-and-the-prince-consort-at-aldershot-9-july-1859. Wikimedia link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_the_Prince_Consort_at_Aldershot,_9_July_1859.jpg
#'''1860 May 15''': full-length photograph of QV by John Jabez Edwin Paisley Mayall. Dark dress, white ruffled cap and collar, ornate patchworky shawl with fringe and lace. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_JJE_Mayall,_1860.png
#'''Circa 1861''', photograph of QV, Albert and 9 children by John Jabez Edwin Mayall. Another portrait where Albert is really the center. The women and girls appear to be wearing hoops.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prince_Albert_of_Saxe-Coburg-Gotha,_Queen_Victoria_and_their_children_by_John_Jabez_Edwin_Mayall_(n%C3%A9e_Jabez_Meal).jpg
#'''1861''', full-length photograph of QV by C. Clifford of Madrid; QV is standing mostly profile facing her right, with her head turned slightly to us; state occasion, formal dress with crown and jewelry; short sleeves with light-colored, ornate trim above the elbows; the neckline is at the corner of the shoulder with lace inside, making it be less off-the-shoulder than it looks; cage under the full skirt, train attached at the waist, in the front the train is cut away, towards the back; very clearly a silk, shiny fabric that reflected a lot of light; color is unknown; which crown is this? Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/ppgcfuck/images?id=zbrn4cjm; Wiki Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HM_Queen_Victoria._Photograph_by_C._Clifford_of_Madrid,_1861_Wellcome_V0027547.jpg
#'''1861 March 1''', looks like a session with photographer John Jabez Edwin Paisley Mayall and QV, from while Albert was still alive, dark but not mourning dress, with what may be a large [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Moiré|moiré]] pattern in the fabric. Lots of frou-frou. 2 images from this session:
##Full-length photograph of QV by Mayall. Shiny dark satiny fabric, cage, large white-lace shawl, white collar, white cap on the back of her head, book in front of her on plinth: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria.jpg
##Full-length photograph of QV by Mayall. Shiny dark satiny dress fabric, cage but not the half-sphere, skirt is fuller than the cage, defined waist, more fullness in back, same white collar and cap, sleeve of jacket gets wider at the wrist, showing how full the lacy/ruffly sleeve of the blouse is, large black lace shawl. Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/yuuj2gdr/images?id=fpxwnbzg. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HM_Queen_Victoria,_Empress_of_India._Photograph._Wellcome_V0028492.jpg
#'''Circa 1862''', photo of QV seated with Prince Leopold standing next to her, QV is wearing a heavy cloak with a hood, which is up and covering what she's wearing on her head, which has a white and what may be a ruffled edge. The cloak has a wide band of what might be brocade stitched to the bottom of the cloak; the fabric of the cloak and hood and the skirt beneath may have a nap; she is not wearing a cage. Leopold is wearing short pants and gloves and carries a walking stick; his face may show bruises (or the photo is damaged): (Royal Trust link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2900563/queen-victoria-and-prince-leopold; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Leopold_of_Albany.jpg).
#'''1862''', drawing from a newspaper showing QV and Beatrice of how she was perceived, not how she was: highly idealized image of mother and child, clothing not presented realistically, QV's dress is plain and her identity is that of the loving mother. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Princess_Beatrice_as_baby.jpg
#'''1863''', photograph of QV seated, skirt is full, though she's not wearing hoops; white on head, collar and at wrists. She may not be wearing a corset (per Worsley), but the top is boned. 
##QV is facing our left, 3/4. The top part of her skirt and her sleeves are made of a fabric perhaps with a satin weave, though the bottom half of her skirt is still matte. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Queen_Victoria_in_1863.png.
##Same session, another pose, body still 3/4, but now she is facing the camera. The edges of the matte sections of her skirt and jacket are trimmed with rows of tiny ball fringe, oddly unobtrusive, especially from a distance. She is wearing a white blouse with puffed sleeves under the jacket. George Eastman Collection: https://www.flickr.com/photos/george_eastman_house/3333247605/. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_(3333247605).jpg.
#'''1863''', QV on horse with John Brown holding the bridle
##'''1863''', unattributed photograph of QV at Osborne seated on a horse, with Princess Louise and John Brown nearby. QV is seated side-saddle, has a cap with a hood over it; cap has white ruffled edge; white ruffles at her wrists. Louise is handing QV her whip? and wearing a cage; her skirt is short, ankle-length, several inches above the ground; she wears a thigh-length full jacket. Brown's back is to us, he wears a kilt. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Princess_Louise_and_John_Brown.jpg
##'''1863''', carte-de-visite photograph by George Washington Wilson, QV on Fyvie side-saddle; wearing a cap with a hood over it, cap has white ruffled edge; dark gloves; wide sleeves on the jacket. The black riding habit has a simple surface with little decoration.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_photographed_by_George_Washington_Wilson_(1863).jpg; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_on_%27Fyvie%27_with_John_Brown_at_Balmoral.jpg
#'''1864''', QV seated, holding the future Kaiser Wilhelm (Vicky's eldest), her 1st grandchild
##Willie looking at us, QV right arm around his shoulder, an early version of what became her uniform dress, this one is a winter outfit, and she's bundled up, wearing a white ruffled cap, black bonnet and veil, which may be tied under her chin; gloves; a thigh-length loose jacket with wide sleeves, a deep band of a different fabric for the bottom of her skirt; she may be wearing a brocade vest under the jacket that is not snug against her torso; it looks like she's wearing a corset (the edge near the top button of her vest). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_holding_her_eldest_grandchild_Willy.png
##Willie facing QV, very clear view of her bonnet with scarfy veil; jacket is thigh-length, sleeves widening toward the cuff, may be a blouse underneath, also with full, loose sleeves, edged in white; top part of the full skirt is shiny, deep band of fabric at the bottom is wooly looking, narrow trim between the two parts of the skirt, could be petticoats under the skirt.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_eldest_grandchild_Willy.png
#'''1865–1867''': Edwin Landseer painting of QV on horseback at Osborne, reading letters and dispatches, with John Brown, dressed formally in a kilt, holding the horse's head. (Aquatint print made in c. 1870 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_and_John_Brown_at_Osborne_House_(4674627).jpg&lt;nowiki/&gt;.) See &quot;1867 Spring&quot; in the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Timeline|Timeline]] for a discussion of the painting itself. Princesses Louise and Helena are seated on a park bench in the background. QV is wearing a bonnet tied under her chin with a large bow and a short hood-like veil. This does not look like a fitted riding habit, although the skirt is a riding skirt. The jacket is shorter than her usual thigh-length and has full sleeves that widen toward the wrist. The fitted cuffs of the sleeves of her white blouse extend beyond the jacket sleeve. She has white at her cuffs and on the cap under her bonnet. Except for a ring on her left hand, no jewelry shows. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/403580/queen-victoria-at-osborne. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sir_Edwin_Landseer_(1803-73)_-_Queen_Victoria_at_Osborne_-_RCIN_403580_-_Royal_Collection.jpg
#'''1867''': QV seated with Empress Victoria, both in mourning, but not full mourning, wearing a cage, some frou-frou, probably a cap on her head, because there's no brim, with a short dark veil over it. QV is wearing a [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Paletot|paletot]] with an overskirt with the same fabric and matching trim; the sleeves are not fitted but also not as wide at the wrists as some of her paletots. The bottom of the underskirt has a pleated ruffle. QV has quite a bit of light-colored fabric at her neck that falls down the front of her bodice, although she is not wearing the white shawl. The photograph was overexposed, so we have clarity in the black but the detail for the white parts is obliterated. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Empress_Victoria_Augusta.jpg
#'''1867''', photograph of QV seated, with her back towards us, and the Queen of Prussia (or the Empress Augusta of Germany?), both in mourning, with light-colored umbrella: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Queen_of_England_and_The_Queen_of_Prussia.jpg. Darker image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Empress_Augusta.jpg
#'''1867''', stylized drawing/painting by Takahashi Yūkei, doctor of the Japanese Embassy to Europe in 1862, so may have been drawn from life; black dress may have faded to this purple, honors sash draping is not understandable but it is beautiful; military (?) style hat with aigrette: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Japanese_doctor_Takahashi_Y%C5%ABkei_1862.png
#'''1867''', photograph of QV with border collie Sharp, outdoors, on rugs?. QV is wearing a bonnet with a veil-like scarf that ties under her chin with streamers down the front; the full, thigh-length jacket has long, full sleeves, and the jacket has no trim on it, apparently, at all. The skirt is held out smoothly by a cage, made in 2 fabrics, one satiny and the other wool or something not shiny, with 3-dimensional trim with faceted jet (?) in 3 rows. Shiny black leather gloves, with white ruffled cuffs. She looks heavier-set than she was, perhaps our sense that she was always big comes because she wasn't trying to look thin? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_dog_%22Sharp%22.jpg
#'''1868''', photograph of QV and John Brown by W. &amp; D. Downey. QV is wearing a riding habit and a hat tied under the chin, perhaps with a small plume, the jacket has some decoration. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_mounted_and_John_Brown_by_W._and_D._Downey.png
#'''1869–1879''', QV was in her 60s: &quot;At state occasions in her sixties, Victoria appeared in a black dress, black velvet train, pearls and a small diamond crown.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (480 of 786)
#'''c. 1870''', photograph by Andre-Adolphe-Eugene Disderi (probably not retouched) with QV seated, facing her left, 3/4 profile: that white cap pointed towards the forehead, covering the center part nearly completely, white flat-band collar, whites ruffles at cuffs, heavily trimmed black jacket with short peplum, including ball fringe and braid; the plain-from-a-distance, rich-up-close look: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_c.1870._(7936242480).jpg
#'''1871 September 10''', photograph of QV standing, almost full length, facing our right, with head turned our way, some books on the small table in front of her. The usual dark dress with white blouse with knife pleats and a cap covered with double ruffled lace and with veil down the back; heavy voluminous black shawl, looks like it's wool; it's probably a dress not a suit, with different textures, which are subtle Up close, the black ball-fringe (or bead fringe?) trim is 3-dimensional and different fabrics add another dimension. Skirt has wide band at the bottom, with ball fringe at the top. Wellcome Institute: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/x4hug3jt; Wiki Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria._Photograph._Wellcome_V0018085.jpg.
#'''1874–?''': photograph of QV and Princess Beatrice ice skating on a lake at Eastwell Park, home of Prince Alfred (who got the property in 1874). Can't tell, but QV might be in the sledge chair and Beatrice in the center standing on skates. That woman standing on skates in the center is wearing a cage, which holds her dress out and above the ground. 1874 is late for cages, but the British court was not fashion forward: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_skating_-_Eastwell_Park.jpg
#'''1875''': watercolor copy by Lady Julia Abercromby made in 1883 of an oil painting by Heinrich von Angeli showing QV before adopting the title Empress of India. This is a good example of a slightly formal version of her uniform. She is wearing the usual white cap and veil, clearly lace gathered into double ruffles; square-neck black bodice, sleeves are very wide at the wrists, black with complicated decorative angles layered over white, ruffly. The skirt has a horizontal division with satiny ribbon and wide ruffle (maybe pleated?) and then a border at the bottom that may be brocade; there is a train. Lots of jewelry, including double strand necklace of very large pearls, ribbon and badge of the Order of the Garter and the badge of the Order of Victoria and Albert, pearl brooch, bracelets and rings, holding a large white handkerchief. NPG: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw06517. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Julia_Abercromby.jpg.
#'''1876 May 1''': QV is declared Empress of India. Lytton Strachey says, &quot;On the day of the Delhi Proclamation, the new Earl of Beaconsfield went to Windsor to dine with the new Empress of India. That night the Faery, usually so homely in her attire, appeared in a glittering panoply of enormous uncut jewels, which had been presented to her by the reigning Princes of her Raj.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (414 of 555)
#'''1877 May''': photograph of QV, Princess Beatrice and the Duchess of Edinburgh (probably Maria Alexandrovna Romanova, Affie's wife) by Charles Bergamasco. Impossible to tell how the dress is layered, but it has a lot of frou-frou, but not a lot of lace except for the shawl and the cuffs of her blouse. QV's dress might have 2 different fabrics, like the Duchess's dress; it may have a jacket or vest or both. Her bodice looks like it is boned (assuming she's not wearing a corset). The frou-frou on the skirt are controlled pleated ruffles with tassels, which are more controlled than fringe. Visually very complex outfit, but from a distance, all that complexity would disappear. It would look textured, depending on the distance, at most. All 3 women have high-contrast lapels; 2 fabrics, matte and shiny; big buttons down the front; the 2 younger women have a row of ruffled lace at the neck; all wearing dark fabric, perhaps black. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_The_Duchess_of_Edinburg_and_Prince_Beatrice.jpg
#'''1879''', painting by Tito Conti of QV and Vicky at &quot;Napoleon's boudoir&quot;; Vicky is in mourning, having lost an 11-year-old child in March 1879; the two women are dressed in v different styles: Vicky is stylish, interest at the back of her dress, long train, narrow skirt, haute couture; QV is in her uniform, a hat? perched high on her head, a light-colored fichu? at her neck, black shawl; shorter train and fuller skirt, the shawl hiding how fitted the dress is. The point is the contrast between the 2 styles. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_eldest_daughter_Vicky,_German_Crown_Princess.jpg.
#'''1879 February''', QV seated with Hesse family (Alice's family, two months after her death and that of Marie, the youngest), everyone in full mourning. QV is wearing her &quot;uniform&quot; but no white anywhere; black cap with streamers? with what might be feathers down the back; heavy wool fringed shawl; jacket is lined and warm, possibly padded, may be long (thigh-length?); she may be wearing a corset or boning in her bodice here bc of the way the bodice drapes (there's an edge?); full skirt with deep tucked bands at the bottom: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_Ludwig_IV_240-011.jpg. Darker image from what looks like the same sitting by William &amp; Daniel (W. &amp; D.) Downey, without the father: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Hessian_children_with_their_grandmother,_Queen_Victoria.jpg
#'''1881''': Cabinet photograph by Arthur J. Melhuish of QV and Princess Beatrice, neither is in full mourning. QV is smiling and wearing her white widow's cap, at least 2 necklaces and perhaps one brooch, a black lace shawl. Beatrice is holding an umbrella over their heads.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_and_Princess_Beatrice.jpg
#'''1881 September 3''': woodcut engraving from the ''Illustrated London News'' of QV visiting the new Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh. Clear impression of QV's &quot;uniform,&quot; black dress with thigh-length jacket, edged with fur or velvet; skirt is divided horizontally with zigzag trim about knee level and a ruffle at the hem of the skirt. Unusual pillbox-like hat tied under her chin, trimmed with something light colored. Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/ev7tepmd/images?id=h8aq62mn. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_visiting_the_Royal_Infirmary_Edinburgh._Wellcome_L0000896.jpg
#'''1882 April 27''': 3 photographs of QV dressed for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Albany, probably from one session with Alexander Bassano. These photographs look like they have been retouched to smooth QV's skin and remove a double chin. The black satin-weave dress is complex, but cut as her &quot;uniform&quot; usually was. What makes this outfit different is how much white lace covers the skirt and train as well as how big a piece of lace the veil is and the unusual-for-QV berthe. Under the black jacket sleeve are two white (may or may not be a separate blouse, can't tell). QV is wearing her classic thigh-length jacket with 3/4-length sleeves, buttoned down the front, smoothly fitted to her shape but not tight fitting; she seems to be wearing a white lacy top under everything, a bodice that buttons and looks like it has a rows of fleur-de-lys diamonds operating somewhat like a stomacher comes down below her waist; over the bodice is a thigh-length jacket with thick fluffy fringe (chenille?) trimming the sleeves and bottom of the jacket and down the front on both sides. Those distinctive black jacket sleeves are cut very full at the bottom edge; they are short under her arm and have a long point below her elbow on the outside of her arm. The train is visible in 2 of the photographs and pulled around to QV's left, over some of the skirt. The skirt and train have a narrow box-pleated ruffle at the bottom. The full skirt and train are covered by a lace overskirt. QV is not wearing her wedding veil, but the veil looks like Honiton lace, as do the trim on the bodice, sleeves and skirt. The wide light-colored or white lace [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Berthe|berthe]] is slightly gathered and stitched to the neck of the bodice. A lacy white edge shows under the black jacket sleeve (may or may not be a separate blouse, can't tell), plus another white layer under that lacy sleeve edge. What looks like a chemise shows at the neckline; a row of diamonds separates the berthe from the chemise. She is holding a lacy handkerchief and a folding fan. She is wearing the Small Diamond Crown on top of the veil and a lot of diamond jewelry, including the Koh-I-Nor diamond as a brooch, the Coronation necklace and earrings, two wide diamond bracelets and rings as well as Family Honors and the ribbon of the Order of the Garter.
##'''1882''' Bassano photograph, official state portrait, reused in 1887 for Golden Jubilee as a postcard; close-up cropped bust. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Bassano_(3x4_close_cropped).jpg. Wikipedia page #1 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1887_postcard_of_Queen_Victoria.jpg. Different pose, same sitting, worse resolution: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_bw.jpg.
##'''1882''' Bassano photograph, same sitting, different pose, best image for analysis because it shows her whole body. This is not the lion-head chair, but we can see a lot of this throne-like chair. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/-/collection/2105818/portrait-photograph-of-queen-victoria-1819-1901-dressed-for-the-wedding-of-the; National Portrait Gallery cabinet card: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw119710; Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_1887.jpg. 
##'''1882 April 27''', photograph of QV and page Arthur Ponsonby, same dress as 1882, she is standing next to Ponsonby, who is holding some article of dress that seems to have more diamond fleurs-de-lys, perhaps to match the bodice. Royal Trust Collection: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2105757/queen-victoria-and-her-page-arthur-ponsonby; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_page,_Arthur_Ponsonby.jpg.
#'''1882 May''', Bassanno photograph of QV, same session, the first photograph (from a [[Social Victorians/Victorian Things#Cabinet Card|cabinet card]]) is a great deal easier to read because, even though the white is overexposed, the patterns in the black fabrics and fabric treatments are unusually easy to see, although the layers are still impossible to distinguish.
##QV is sitting on a chair and Princess Beatrice is sitting perhaps on the arm of the chair to QV's left. QV is wearing that fuzzy white widow's cap with veil edged with gathered tulle. The 3 main areas of white — the cap, neckline and the fan and cuffs — are so overexposed that the detail is obliterated. QV is wearing a ribbon necklace with a pendant that might be a cameo, painted portrait or a locket, a brooch on the center front of the neckline, small earrings (likely diamonds) and at least one bracelet and ring. She is holding a partially unfolded fan, and the front of the bodice shows either something like a pocket-watch chain attached to the 3rd button from the bottom, perhaps, or a flaw in the surface of the photograph. She is wearing a very large lace shawl over her shoulders and lap. The bodice/jacket garment buttons down the center, has QV's usual wide sleeves and may be built using a princess line. This garment is similar at the neckline and bottom of the sleeves and the overdress or jacket — it is trimmed with 2 rows of tightly pleated ruffles edged with an elaborate, 3-dimensional design that includes braid with reflective bits, perhaps jet, and gathered ruffles. Princess Beatrice is wearing a restrained, less-decorated style, with a narrow, pleated skirt, made of a moiré silk whose pattern provides visual interest (without the frou-frou associated with haute couture) and tight, tailored, princess-line jacket trimmed with the moiré silk. The jacket includes the unpatterned draped fabric that is pulled toward the back for a bustle. National Portrait Gallery: [https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw123930/Queen-Victoria-Princess-Beatrice-of-Battenberg#:~:text=The%20series%20gets%20its%20name%20from%20a,home%20match%20to%20Australia%20at%20the%20Oval. https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw123930/Queen-Victoria-Princess-Beatrice-of-Battenberg#:~:text=The%20series%20gets%20its%20name%20from%20a,home%20match%20to%20Australia%20at%20the%20Oval.] Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_Beatrice_Bassano.jpg.
##QV is holding granddaughter Margaret, Crown Princess of Sweden, eldest daughter of Prince Arthur (QV's 3rd son) and great-granddaughter Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia, who was born 15 January 1882.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-26|title=Princess Margaret of Connaught|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Margaret_of_Connaught&amp;oldid=1329585710|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; QV does not appear to be wearing a corset, buttoned bodice is not tight, dark shawl, that fuzzy white cap with veil/streamers, maybe ruffled lace. Black ribbon around her neck, white at collar and cuffs, wide sleeves on the jacket. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bassano_Victoria_and_Margaret.jpg 
#'''1883''': W. &amp;. D. Downey photograph of QV seated with baby great-grandson William (Vicky's grandson, Kaiser Wilhelm's son) on her knees. The usual black dress, with 3-dimensional, almost geometric trim, ruffled but not lacy. A very dramatic shawl with cording in 3 parallel lines at the edges, looks like the same fabric as dress. QV's face is kind looking at the baby. Black hat with white cap beneath it, shaped like the white one she often wore. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_great-grandson_Prince_William.jpg
#'''1884 May 2''', QV, Vicky, her daughter Charlotte and her daughter Princess Feodore of Saxe-Meiningen, 4 generations. QV not wearing bustle, the usual black on black for trim, black jacket, black shawl, black cap with black hangy-downy thing down the back: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VICTORIA_Queen_of_England_by_Carl_Backofen_of_Darmstadt.jpg
#'''1885 or so''': portrait published in the 1901 biography of QV by John, Duke of Argyll, probably from a photograph. That odd cap we've seen before with a point down to her hairline in front, this version with trimmed lappets (?) down the front: it's impossible to tell the layers, how things are attached and what the trim on this cap is made of, feathers or ruffles. White collar on bodice, white cuffs, black lace shawl around her shoulders, jacket or coat over a blouse; the frou-frou is the same color as what it trims, making it visually recede, but up close ppl would have been able to see how sophisticated and finely made it was: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:V._R._I._-_Queen_Victoria,_her_life_and_empire_(1901)_(14766746965).jpg
#1885: screen print bust from book ''Daughters of Genius'' by James Parson, showing unusually realistic face and detailed trim on the black; the usual white cap and a collar, locket on ribbon around her neck, small earrings. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Daughters_of_Genius_-_Queen_Victoria.png
#'''1885 May 16''', reproduction of a wood engraving showing QV visiting a soldier wounded in Sudan. Flattering drawing of QV, dress looks plain, unprepossessing, unostentatious Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/nhhej66v. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_visiting_a_wounded_soldier._Reproduction_of_a_Wellcome_V0015340.jpg
#'''1886''', Bassano photograph of QV, full-length, seated, holding the infant Alexander, Marquess of Carisbrooke, Beatrice's son. QV's uniform, ornate square-neck black dress, white blouse with ironed pleats shows at the neck; ruffles and 3-dimensional trim with jet beads on both sides of the front, with trim at the bottom as well, black ironed pleats; black lace shawl, white frothy cap that we've seen many times, with white veil. Royal Trust Collection link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2507501/queen-victoria-with-alexander-marquess-of-carisbrooke-as-a-baby; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Alexander,_Marquess_of_Carisbrooke.jpg. Elements of the Victorian frou-frou without looking over-trimmed or crowded.
#'''1888''', trading card from American tobacco company advertising cigarettes, QV in colorized image, white headdress with small crown; wearing Order of the Garter (?) sash and family honors, Link to MET collection: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/711888; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_of_England,_from_the_Rulers,_Flags,_and_Coats_of_Arms_series_(N126-1)_issued_by_W._Duke,_Sons_%26_Co._MET_DPB873774.jpg
#'''1889''', photographs by Byrne &amp; Co. from apparently the same session of QV and Vicky, both in mourning dress because Frederick III had died June 1888, but not full mourning. QV seated in the lion's-head chair and Vicky on her right. QV is wearing a black and frothy widow's cap that is made of '''something''' transparent, tightly gathered, that comes to a point over her forehead and that she wears on the back of her head. She has a black lace shawl over her shoulder, ornate under-bodice (with lots of jet?) with lacy sleeves and a lacy ruffle at the bottom, the under bodice longer than the outer bodice (or jacket) and outside the skirt, not tucked in; the outer bodice (or jacket) is tailored but not tightly fitted to the body or restrictive, skirt is not fussy; very fashionable suit, but the silhouette is not high fashion. Vicky's widow's cap has an obvious point halfway down her forehead, seems to be made of velvet with something piled on top. She also is wearing a transparent black veil, which may have 2 layers. 
##Vicky standing, hand on back of lion’s head chair, QV turned a little to her right, looking up at Vicky: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Empress_Frederick_with_her_mother_Queen_Victoria.jpg
##Vicky with hand on chair, slightly different angle, QV’s face more visible, facing our left. Royal Collection: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2904703/victoria-empress-frederick-of-germany-and-queen-victoria-1889-in-portraits-of. Wikimedia Commmons copy: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria,_Empress_Frederick_of_Germany,_and_Queen_Victoria,_1889.jpg
##QV w photo of Frederick III, looking to her right, Vicky seated (or kneeling?) and looking at the photo: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2105953/queen-victoria-with-victoria-princess-royal-when-empress-frederick-1889
##Vicky seated (?) looking at photo, QV into the distance to our right (Photo filename says 1888, but the photo is lower res and less clear): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Princess_Royal_1888.jpg
#'''1889 November''', photograph of QV and Beatrice and her family; QV is seated, wearing her uniform and that ubiquitous white fluffy cap; you can see the edge of the boning (in the bodice?), white lacy collar, white ruffle at the wrist, layers, lacy shawl, lace trim at the bottom of the skirt, bunched places on the skirt with black lace trim. Beatrice's sleeves are fitted with puffy shoulders, but QV's are not. Royal Trust link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2904837/queen-victoria-with-prince-and-princess-henry-of-battenberg-and-their-children; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Prince_and_Princess_Henry_of_Battenberg_and_their_children,_1889.jpg.
#'''1890''': Britannica #1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria. Photograph mid-thigh up, very lacy: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Victoria-queen-of-United-Kingdom. Different small crown.
#'''1890''': b/w photo, from the knees up, may be seated. Her hair is dark, so 1890 looks too late a date for this. White frill on her cap, has attached veil down the back, double ruffle at the neck, a few button, plain to another bit of trim around the skirt at knee level; jewelry looks personal, not ostentatious; white cuffs, lacy black shawl, square neck on dress, wrinkles in the bodice suggest she's not wearing a corset and the bodice is not heavily boned: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Queen_Victoria_in_1890.jpg
#'''c1890 (see 1882 Bassano portraits)''': Color portrait in official dress, with small crown with arch, a lot of white lace over and under sheer black, coronation parure, 1890s portrait in 1870s style: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_Portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_(1819-1901).JPG
#'''1892''': not-very-clear photograph of QV sitting, her arm on the lion's-head chair, black cap and veil; lots of jewelry, faceted jet or diamonds or something metal at her neck and wrists. She is wearing a black lace shawl over her shoulders and arms. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom,_c._1890.jpg
#'''1893''': watercolor portrait of QV by Josefine Swoboda, who had been made court painter in 1890.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2024-12-03|title=Josefine Swoboda|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Josefine_Swoboda&amp;oldid=1260867558|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Not unrealistic or unduly flattering, QV not in full mourning, wearing a white widow's cap and white jewelry. All we can see of what she is wearing is the shawl and a little bit of neck treatment. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Josefine_Swoboda_-_Queen_Victoria_1893.jpg
#'''1893''': VQ with &quot;Indian servant,&quot; seated working behind table, blanket or rug over her knees and feet, wearing a cloak and hat: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_an_Indian_servant.jpg
#'''1893, issued for the 1897 Diamond Jubilee''': Photograph by W. &amp; D. Downey taken for the wedding of George V and Mary. QV seated, facing our left, 3/4 front. Very large and ornate veil coming over her shoulder, possibly a lace overskirt? X claims that the white lace veil is QV's Honiton lace wedding veil and what looks like an apron or overskirt may be the 4x3/4 yards Honiton &quot;flounce&quot; on her wedding dress (ftnyc). A lot of light color on this for her, coronation parure? large light folding fan open on lap, small crown. Royal Trust Collection: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2912658/queen-victoria-1819-1901-diamond-jubilee-portrait. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_60._crownjubilee.jpg. Another copy: https://apollo-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/gm_342139EX2.jpg
#'''1893 August 12''': formal photograph of QV w George, Duke of York and Mary, Dss of York, who are very 1893 stylish; QV seated, profile, facing our left, holding a rose, black dress, bodice not heavily boned, no corset; white ruffle at cuffs and at the neck; black lacy shawl; white very fluffy brimless cap, may be her own style; from a distance very plain dress, but up close very rich, with tiny unostentatious details; moved on from all the frou-frou, but not in the haute couture way: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_the_Duchess_and_Duke_of_York.jpg
#'''1894''': QV with Beatrice, George and Mary at Balmoral, in a carriage, the women wearing stylish hats (Royal Collection Trust link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/2/collection/2300501/queen-victoria-princess-beatricenbspthe-duke-and-duchess-of-york-at-balmora) (Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Princess_Beatrice,_the_Duke_and_Duchess_of_York.jpg)
#'''1894 April 21''': QV in 30-person photograph &quot;following the wedding of Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Grand Duke Ernest of Hesse,&quot; QV seated, in shawl, all bundled up, &lt;ins&gt;from a distance, dress looks very plain, the richness is visible only up close;&lt;/ins&gt; white mohawk on head??: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_surrounded_by_her_family_-_Coburg,_1894_(1_of_2).jpg; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_surrounded_by_her_family_-_Coburg,_1894_(2_of_2).jpg
#'''1894 June 23, before,''' looks like a winter photograph, they're bundled up
##'''1894 June 23''', published in the ''Illustrated London News'', photograph of QV and Bertie, dressed warmly. Lots of beautiful, complex layers, as always; maybe skirt, vest, jacket, shawl, boa, hat and gloves, cane in her right hand and a handkerchief in her left?; the hat may be one of the &quot;timeless&quot; elements, shaped like one she wore a lot over the years but not locatable to a particular year or style. QV seated, Bertie standing behind her, both bundled up, she is wearing gloves, a shawl, a jacket and perhaps a vest; cap with white feathers and white poufs or flowers (?), cap is mostly black, comes down to cover her ears, tied in a lacy bow under her chin, black feather boa, wrapped closely around her neck like a scarf and falling down the front to the ground; cane in her right hand; brocade shawl, looks woolen: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_funeral_procession_of_Queen_Victoria_(5254840).jpg. Perhaps used again in later publications? Page says, &quot;By our Special Photographer, Mr. Russell of Baker Street London.&quot; Photo taken outdoors, on steps with rugs and a bearskin. Sword under Bertie's coat.
##Same session, slightly different pose; looks like a carte-de-visite, with &quot;Gunn &amp; Stuart, Richmond, Surrey,&quot; printed in logo form at the bottom. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_And_Prince_of_Wales_Edward.jpg
#'''1895''': photograph of QV published in Millicent Fawcett's ''Life of Her Majesty Queen Victoria'' in 1895, so the portrait predates it, though not by much. The white is overexposed, but the black is legible. QV is wearing her white widow's cap with a white veil made of tulle that is not transparent or even very translucent. The black shawl is very lacy and 3-dimensional, possibly made by crochet or knitting or bobbin lacemaking. The jacket with wide, kimono sleeves has a wide decorative cuff with a lacy edge and a 3-dimensional pattern. Between the cuff and the sleeve is a row of what may be faceted jet in some kind of ivy-like design. She is wearing a single strand of pearls and small round earrings that may be a gold ball with a small sparkly. This photo does not look retouched: the skin on her face and hands is wrinkled, and her hair is light; normal for a woman around 70. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Life_of_Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_-_Frontispiece.jpg.
#'''1895 May 21''': photograph by Mary Steen of QV and Princess Beatrice; QV appears to be making lace (either knitted or crocheted), Beatrice reading the newspaper, possibly to her; the Queen's Sitting Room at Windsor Castle. QV is wearing the white cap with the fluffy streamers, lacy white collar, white cuffs, black lace shawl, possibly a pattern at the bottom of her skirt. NPG: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw233741/Princess-Beatrice-of-Battenberg-Queen-Victoria?_gl=1*ii2xmh*_up*MQ..*_ga*NjAzODY0NTUyLjE3Njc2MjcxMDk.*_ga_3D53N72CHJ*czE3Njc2MjcxMDgkbzEkZzEkdDE3Njc2MjcxMTMkajU1JGwwJGgw. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Princess_Beatrice_of_Battenberg_and_Queen_Victoria.jpg.
#'''September 1895''': unusually clear photograph of QV with some family in Balmoral, QV is seated in a very well-made suit with rich trim and a loose, open jacket (rather than the fitted jackets worn by the younger women with big sleeves up by the shoulders), perhaps pelisse-adjacent, full at the bottoms of the sleeves, with a shawl-like collar, long lacy sleeves under the jacket's sleeves, coming down over her hand (perhaps held there by a loop?), stylish hat; her style is individualized with very stylish elements, so we know she's conscious of 1890s haute couture; but it also has a more timeless quality, the modified or updated pelisse, for example, not a memorializing of her early days, though that did sometimes happen, but an echo of styles she liked from the past? So her style is a fusing of up-to-date stylish and other elements that were more comfortable and practical but always well made of very high-quality materials. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_family_members.jpg
#'''1896 July''': QV photograph by Gunn &amp; Stuart and published as a cabinet card by Lea, Mohrstadt &amp; Co., Ltd., and used as an official image of her as sovereign for the 1897 Diamond Jubilee. Retouched at some point, her face is very smooth, no double chin, etc. Bracelet on right arm, with portrait of Albert (?) and a 4-diamond wide rivière band. Multiple bracelets on left arm, one may be a charm bracelet. Rings. Pointed small crown or tiara that is not the Small Diamond Crown, a veil (that is not her wedding veil but is likely Honiton lace) is pulled to the front over her left shoulder and appears to be coming out of the crown or tiara, many diamonds, some in brooches, coronation necklace and earrings, lots of diamonds. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom_(by_Gunn_%26_Stuart,_1897).jpg
#'''1897''': QV with Princess Victoria Eugénie of Battenburg, who is kneeling next to QV, who is seated, facing (her) right, unrelieved black except for white linen (?) veil; the solid and plain dress has some lace, but the veil is not; black lacy shawl, rings; something very frou-frou at the back of her skirt: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Princess_Victoria_Eug%C3%A9nie_of_Battenberg,_1897.jpg. Empress Eugénie was Princess Victoria Eugénie of Battenburg's godmother.
#'''1897''': painting onto ivory of QV in that white cap by M. H. Carlisle, profile, facing right, still can't tell what the fringy, feathery, lacy edge is: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/45/collection/421112/queen-victoria-1819-1901
#'''1897''': QV Elliott and Fry photograph: that cap, the meandering ruffles on the veil and lappets (?): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_(Elliott_%26_Fry).png
#'''1897''': realistic engraving or print of QV in a state occasion, receiving the address from the House of Lords, realistic enough that we can recognize faces. QV is seated, wearing a white cap with a veil, large lacy white collar, big cuffs, and a large panel of trim at the bottom of her skirt that looks similar to the pattern on her collar; ribbon of the Order of the Garter; no recognizable crown even though this is a state occasion. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_pictured_at_Buckingham_Palace_as_the_Lord_Chancellor_presents_the_adress_of_the_House_of_Lords.jpg
#'''1897 January 1''', unflattering political cartoon of QV in the context of India? (the language is Marathi according to Google Translate). Her face has an unpleasant expression, perhaps disapproval or skepticism? She is wearing a small state crown and the coronation jewels. [[commons:File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpg|https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpghttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpg]]
#1897 June 17, painting published in Vanity Fair of QV riding in a small open carriage with a canopy. QV is wearing a black dress with a ruffle and also black lace at the bottom edge (of the back of the skirt?) and a light-colored cape with black trim. The bow at her neck could be from the cape or her hat, which has a small brim, a large black decoration in front, small floral things along the side, and perhaps a veil around the brim to the back. This image was reproduced after QV's death as a monochrome print. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_Vanity_Fair_17_June_1897.jpg.
#'''1897 July 27''', photograph from a distance of QV in a carriage on the Isle of Wight. This is what she looked like from a distance on a not state occasion, you can't see any embellishments at all. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Princess_Beatrice,_Princess_Helena_Victoria_of_Schleswig-Holstein,_Cowes,_Isle_of_Wight.jpg
#'''1897 October 16''', photograph with Abdul Karim, in the Garden Cottage at Balmoral; white or light-colored mantle or cloak; stylish 1890s hat with feathers, etc.: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Abdul_Karim.jpg
#'''1898''': photograph by Robert Milne of QV and 3 great-grandchildren (the 3 eldest children of George and Mary), at Balmoral. QV is the Widow of Windsor with plain skirt and possibly a jacket with a pattern on the bodice and at the large cuffs. The usual white cap and veil. ('''find RCT copy''')https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Prince_Edward,_Prince_Albert_and_Princess_Mary_of_York,_Balmoral.jpg
#'''1898 January 16''': French political cartoon by Henri Meyer unflatteringly showing QV, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Czar Nicolas II, Chinese statesman Li Hongzhang, France and a Japanese samurai carving up China. Neither France nor Li Hongzhang have knives, but the rest of the figures do. QV is dressed for a state occasion, heavily jeweled and in her signature lacy veil and small crown. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:China_imperialism_cartoon.jpg
#'''1899''': Heinrich von Angeli portrait, copied in 1900 by (Angeli's student) Bertha Müller. QV portrait, with a lot of black, which makes it difficult to discern the layers and structure of what she is wearing. The top layer may have a stiffened, pleated chiffon layer that covers the arm of the chair and that she holds a bit of in her right hand. QV is wearing the ribbon and the Order of the Garter, the white widow's cap and generally pearl jewelry. The white at her neck and wrists frames her face and hands, which are slightly idealized and less wrinkly than one might expect. National Portrait Gallery: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw06522. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_after_Heinrich_von_Angeli.jpg
#'''c. 1899-1900''': photograph of QV with 3 children — Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (1887–1969), Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine (1895–1903) and Prince Maurice of Battenberg (1891–1914). The 2 older women are Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein (1870–1948) and Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1876–1936), possibly with Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, in the light-colored hat, on the right. QV is in an ornate version of her uniform: jacket, possibly a vest and a skirt, with lace and ruffles, and a hat (possibly a straw hat with something dark as trim on the edge of the brim) topped with a pile of light-colored flowers and probably an aigret or short feather. Royal Collection Trust: . Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VictoriaBattenbergsHessians.jpg.
#'''c. 1900''': QV photograph (reprinted from book), not or less retouched than the 1897 Jubilee photos, with feathered (or at least fluffier than the usual slightly fluffy widow's cap) headdress, sheer veil, can't really see anything else: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_old.jpg
#'''c. 1900''': print published in book of image by François Flameng showing QV in coronation robes, with ermine, and necklace, pointing to someplace NW of India on the globe, with Bertie and George behind her, portrait of her and Albert on the table with the scepter and the Imperial State crown, Koh-I-Noor diamond, ribbon of the Order of the Garter, lots of jewelry on her arms and fingers. She is standing and her legs are longer than they were in life, ruffled lace, perhaps, at neck and cuffs with a white lace flounce on the skirt, which is divided horizontally, the lace part making up the middle third. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Fran%C3%A7ois_Flameng.jpg
#'''1900 February 9''', a very unflattering but accurate political cartoon of QV and Paul Kruger playing chess, he appears to be winning, with a map of Africa in the back, published in an Argentinian periodical. QV's clothing is captured pretty realistically, including the small crown and distinctive Coronation (?) necklace and earrings, the cap and veil, ribbon of the Order of the Garter, white lace overskirt, short-sleeved jacket over a white blouse with lacy cuffs. We can see very clearly how she looked to people. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Paul_Kruger_by_Dem%C3%B3crito_(Eduardo_Sojo).jpg
#'''1901''', dated 1901, but QV went to Ireland in 1900, possibly commemorating her death in 1901? Could this be a card from a cigarette pack? She's inside a shamrock that is outlined in a light color; the white on her cloak may be beads and sequins? Could this be a photograph from the 1897 Diamond Jubilee, the cloak with the silver &quot;swirling&quot; sequins? She is seated on a chair, and the photograph of her seated is like pasted onto the shamrock. Her headdress is a hat (not a bonnet or a cap, so this is not the headdress from the Diamond Jubilee procession), with shamrocks on the hat and black plumes, and some other decoration that is too hard to distinguish. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_(HS85-10-12024%C2%BD).jpg

== QV's &quot;Uniform&quot; ==
After the 1st year of mourning QV writes Vicky that she will never wear color again (not counting honors and the sashes of the orders, etc.; also, Rosie Harte says she wore the Sapphire Tiara that Albert had had made for her as a wedding present, which would have matched her eyes). Her &quot;brand&quot; (Worsley) and what we call her &quot;uniform&quot; begins to develop and solidify, the Widow-of-Windsor look friendly to the middle classes, especially the upper middle class.

Early in her mourning, her clothing was not very ornate, with little frou-frou to interrupt the unrelieved blackness. As time passed, however, the blackness was relieved by white touches on her head and at her neck and wrists, but the biggest change was in the amount and kind of frou-frou, particularly black-on-black frou-frou, including how lacy it was. The quantity and type of frou-frou increased in scale over time, like the touches of white.

By the 1870s, her look is well established: plain from a distance; up close, very fine materials and beautiful needlework with non-contrasting frou-frou. According to Lucy Worsley, she did not wear a corset but depended on light boning in her bodices. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;Despite their sombre aspect, even her mourning gowns were finely made. She had settled into a series of very minor variations upon a square-necked bodice and skirt, customised with quirky little pockets for keys and seals, all cut pretty much the same to save her the trouble of fittings. On her head went a white cap, with streamers of lace, and round her neck a locket containing miniatures of two of her children: Alice, now lost to diphtheria [14 December 1878], and Leopold, to haemophilia [28 March 1884].&lt;sup&gt;16&lt;/sup&gt;&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|511 of 786; n. 16, p. 723: &quot;Princess Marie Louise (1956) p. 141&quot;}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

This design is her usual: a black dress or suit (it might be a dress with a bodice or a skirt and vest with a blouse under the jacket). Except in cases of full mourning, she typically wore a little white at the neckline and wrists, with sophisticated black trim not really visible from a distance. The wide skirt was often divided horizontally, with a deep band of a different fabric at the bottom. The divided skirt is a characteristic feature of QV's look, not the only way she did skirts but a design she often wore from before her accession to the end of her life.

She often wore a loose-fitting thigh-length jacket with wide sleeves, which sometimes divided the skirt visually. The jackets and bodices are not constricting or tight against her torso. The fitted suit was popular at the end of the century — [[Social Victorians/People/Dressmakers and Costumiers#Redfern|Redfern's]] (in Cowes on the Isle of Wight) and Worth's versions were all around her, and she had always liked a riding habit. The thigh-length jackets were loose-fitting but not shapeless even as early as the 1860s. She seems always to have had something on her head: caps, bonnets, hats, veils. She often wears a shawl.

We can see the ruling sovereign version of her style in the photographs of her for the 1887 Golden and the 1897 Diamond Jubilees. By the 1880s, Bertie's place in the aristocracy was also well established, and he and Alex had a very different sense of style, wearing haute couture and a stylishness typical of the House of Worth. 

By the end of her life, when she couldn't move very much on her own, her body had gotten pretty large, but our sense that she was generally fat is not borne out by her clothes (Worsley talks about the small waists and the weight she lost during crises in her life) or by the photographs of her ''en famille'' in which we can see that she is probably not wearing stays and is not wearing tight-fitting, constricting clothes.

=== Shawls ===

Caroline Goldthorpe says,&lt;blockquote&gt;The importance of visible royal patronage was not lost on commercial enterprise, and in 1863 the Norwich shawl manufacturers Clabburn Sons &amp; Crisp sent to Princess Alexandra of Denmark, as a gift on the occasion of her marriage to the Prince of Wales, a magnificent silk shawl woven in the Danish royal colors (figure 3). The Queen herself already patronized Norwich shawls, for in 1849 the ''Journal of Design'' had claimed: &quot;The shawls of Norwich now equal the richest production of the looms of France. The successs which attended the exhibition of Norwich shawls ... [sic] may fairly be considered the result of Her Majesty's direct regard.&quot; Another splendid silk shawl by Clabburn Sons &amp; Crisp was displayed at the International Exhibition of 1862 (figure 4), but it was not eligible for a prize because William Clabburn himself was on the panel of judges.&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (17)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Elizabeth Jane Timmons says that QV's black was relieved only&lt;blockquote&gt;by white cuffs, scarfs, trimmings, or the ubiquitous patterned shawls which the Queen wore and which were the subject of comment by at least two of her granddaughters, Princess Louis of Battenberg and Princess Alix of Hesse, who helped her change them when they accompanied her driving out.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot;&gt;Timms, Elizabeth Jane. &quot;Queen Victoria's Widow's Cap.&quot; ''Royal Central'' 31 October 2018. https://royalcentral.co.uk/features/queen-victorias-widows-cap-111104/ (retrieved February 2026).&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Headdresses ==

=== Bonnets, Caps, Hats ===
We discuss the headdresses QV wears in each portrait in the detailed description in the &quot;[[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Her Dresses|Her Dresses]]&quot; section of the Timeline.

In some photographs, QV has a mourning hood over her bonnet and tied under her chin, worn sort of as if it were a veil on her bonnet. It looks like it would be warm in cold weather.

[[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Wedding Veil|QV's wedding veil]] is handled separately, as are the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Crowns|crowns]].

==== Bonnet ====
'''1887''', QV wore a bonnet in her public carriage ride to Westminster Abbey for her Golden Jubilee. Inside the Abbey, &quot;she sat on top of the scarlet and ermine robes draped over her coronation chair in Westminster Abbey — but, pointedly, 'in no way wore them around her person.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (760)&lt;blockquote&gt;The queen did make one concession: for the first time in twenty-five years she trimmed her bonnet with white lace and rimmed it with diamonds. Within days, fashionable women of London were wearing similar diamond-bedecked bonnets. One reporter noted this trend disapprovingly at a royal garden party at Buckingham Palace in July, the month after the Jubilee: &quot;Her Majesty and the Princesses at the Abbey wore their bonnets so trimmed in lieu of wearing coronets. It is quite a different matter for ladies to make bejeweled bonnets their wear at garden-parties.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (761)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1893 July 5''', (was there another garden party at Marlborough House between the 5th and the 15th?), from the ''Pall Mall Gazette'' by &quot;The Wares of Autolycus,&quot; possibly Alice Meynell says that QV preferred bonnets for full-dress occasions:&lt;blockquote&gt;It was noticeable at the Marlborough House garden party the other day, that many of the younger married women, and, indeed, some of the unmarried girls, wore bonnets instead of hats. This was in deference to the Queen's taste. Her Majesty is not fond of hats, except for girls in the schoolroom, and considers that bonnets are more suitable for full dress occasions.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Wares of Autolycus, The.&quot; ''Pall Mall Gazette'' 15 July 1893, Saturday: p. 5 [of 12], Col. 1a. ''British Newspaper Archive''. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000098/18930715/016/0005 (accessed April 2015).&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
'''1897 June 22, Monday''', the bonnet QV wore for the Diamond Jubilee Procession was decorated with diamonds, from the ''Lady's Pictorial'':&lt;blockquote&gt;I HEAR on reliable authority that, although the fact has hitherto escaped the notice of all the describers of the Diamond Jubilee Procession, the bonnet worn by the Queen on that occasion was liberally adorned with diamonds. It is a tiny bit of flotsam, but worth rescuing, as every detail of the historic pageant will one day be of even greater interest than it is now.&lt;ref name=&quot;:14&quot;&gt;Miranda. &quot;Boudoir Gossip.&quot; ''Lady's Pictorial'' 10 July 1897, Saturday: 24 [of 92], Col. 3c [of 3]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0005980/18970710/281/0024. Print title same, p. 40.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
[[File:Queen Victoria white mourning head-dress.JPG|alt=A museum photograph of a sheer, frilly cap with streamers|thumb|Queen Victoria's White Widow's Cap]]

==== Widow's Cap ====
The distinctive white or sometimes black cap QV wore with &quot;crinkled crape&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:9&quot;&gt;Strasdin, Kate. ''The Dress Diary: Secrets from a Victorian Woman's Wardrobe''. Pegasus, 2023.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|734 of 1124}} is a [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Widow's Cap|widow's cap]], sometimes called a mourning bonnet or mourning headdress. The now-damaged, once-white widow's cap (right) is said to have belonged to Queen Victoria. It is a cap with two streamers, like lappets, that have been decorated with meandering clumps of ruffled tulle matching the cap itself. The streamers would have been a consistent width, suggesting that the tulle background is torn.

Describing some point in time after Albert's death, Elizabeth Jane Timms says,&lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen began to be photographed in her white peaked caps, spinning; an occupation that the Queen took up, which perhaps underlined her solitary state and one which, like her painting box, enabled creativity within that solitude. Sir Joseph Boehm sketched the Queen in 1869 spinning, by which time a spinning wheel had been placed in her sitting room .... Again, Boehm shows her wearing her mourning weeds and her white cap, tantamount now to a type of widow’s uniform. She also wore the caps engaged in another solitary occupation, knitting or crochet work.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

What Princess Beatrice called ''Ma's sad caps'',&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt; Queen Victoria's white widow's caps&lt;blockquote&gt;were made of tulle, although where they were manufactured is not clear. By the late 1880s, she wore them pinned higher up than the rather sunken fashion of the 1860s, when they were worn close to the head, creating a flat impression. In later years, these ornate creations had evolved into deep, stately frills of tulle or silk with streamers and may have been supported by wires ....

Only one of the Queen’s white widow’s caps was apparently known to have survived and was preserved at the Museum of London. A fragile survivor, it is loaded with Queen Victoria’s personal symbolism and dates from around 1899. It is extremely rare and may have been discarded when it ceased to be in wearable condition.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
[[File:Four Generations (by William Quiller Orchardson) – Government Art Collection, Lancaster House.jpg|alt=Dark painting showing an old woman and 2 men dressed in black and a small boy dressed in white and holding a big bouquet of roses|left|thumb|Four Generations: Queen Victoria and Her Descendants]]
Although Timms says that only one of Queen Victoria's widow's caps has survived, at least two and possibly three can be found. One widow's cap, said to have belonged to Queen Victoria, is &quot;displayed in a glass case at Kensington Palace, listed as Historic Royal Palaces 3502037, ‘''Widow’s Cap, 1864-1899, Tulle''.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;

Sir William Quiller Orchardson was given what seems to be a different white widow's cap to use for his 1899 ''Four Generations: Queen Victoria and Her Descendants'' (left). His widow donated this cap, also said to have belonged to Queen Victoria, to the Museum of London in 1917.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt; Timms says that the cap in the Museum of London is dated about 1899, &quot;contains far more tulle frills&quot; and &quot;is considerably more fragile ... because it has been washed.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;

What may be a separate, third cap (above right), which is called a &quot;white mourning head-dress [Trauer Kopfbedeckung]&quot; belonging to Queen Victoria, is dated &quot;from 1883 [von 1883].&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Citation|title=English:  white mourning headdress of Queen Victoria from 1883Deutsch:  Trauer Kopfbedeckung Königin Victoria von 1883|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_white_mourning_head-dress.JPG|date=2015-03-22|accessdate=2026-02-20|last=Jula2812}}&lt;/ref&gt; (The only information that might be considered provenance in the description of this third cap is that the person who uploaded the image into Wikimedia Commons titled it in German.)[[File:Queen Victoria (1887).jpg|thumb|Queen Victoria wearing the Small Diamond Crown, the Coronation Necklace and Earrings and the Koh-i-Noor brooch, 1897]]

=== Crowns ===
The Royal Collection Trust has a page on [https://www.rct.uk/collection/stories/the-crown-jewels-coronation-regalia The Crown Jewels: Coronation Regalia]. Two crowns are worn for the coronation ceremony, not counting the Consort Crown&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-05-17|title=Consort crown|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Consort_crown&amp;oldid=1290790447|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;: the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#St. Edward's Crown|St. Edward's Crown]] and the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Imperial State Crown|Imperial State Crown]].

The parts of a crown: the band, fleur-de-lys, cross pattée, the cap, arch, monde (the globe on top of the arches), the cross (on top of the monde)

==== Small Crowns ====
The Small Diamond Crown, photograph by Bassano (right): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1887_postcard_of_Queen_Victoria.jpg, was made in March 1870 by Garrard and Co. to fit over QV's widow's cap and to serve as an official crown.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-03-12|title=Small Diamond Crown of Queen Victoria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Small_Diamond_Crown_of_Queen_Victoria&amp;oldid=1280094126|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; The Royal Collection Trust has 3 views of this crown (https://www.rct.uk/collection/31705/queen-victorias-small-diamond-crown). Its discussion of the Small Diamond Crown is here:&lt;blockquote&gt;The priorities in creating the design were lightness and comfort and the crown may have been based on Queen Charlotte's nuptial crown which had been returned to Hanover earlier in the reign. Queen Victoria wore this crown for the first time at the opening of Parliament on 9 February 1871, and frequently used it after that date for State occasions, and for receiving guests at formal Drawing-rooms. It was also her choice for many of the portraits of her later reign, sometimes worn without the arches. By the time of her death, the small crown had become so closely associated with the image of the Queen, that it was placed on her coffin at Osborne.&lt;ref name=&quot;:10&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/31705/queen-victorias-small-diamond-crown|title=Garrard &amp; Co - Queen Victoria's Small Diamond Crown|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-01-20}}&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;This crown was on the catafalque for her funeral procession along with the Imperial State Crown, the Orb and the Sceptre.

An 1897 political cartoon in Hindi shows QV wearing the Small Diamond Crown, veil and lappets, which might be a symbolic rather than a literal representation (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpg).

The Royal Collection Trust's technical description of the Small Diamond Crown is here: &lt;blockquote&gt;The crown comprises an openwork silver frame set with 1,187 brilliant-cut and rose-cut diamonds in open-backed collet mounts. The band is formed with a frieze of lozenges and ovals in oval apertures, between two rows of single diamonds, supporting four crosses-pattée and four fleurs-de-lis, with four half-arches above, surmounted by a monde and a further cross-pattée.&lt;ref name=&quot;:10&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
These small crowns are not part of the collection of official coronation wear, but they were part of what QV wore as sovereign or monarch. She is not wearing them in the photographs of her ''en famille''. [[File:Saint Edward's Crown.jpg|alt=Gold bejeweled crown with purple velvet and fur around the rim|thumb|St Edward's Crown, traditionally used at the moment of coronation]]

==== St. Edward's Crown ====
Putting the St. Edward's Crown on the monarch's head marks the moment of the coronation. This crown is used once in a monarch's lifetime.&lt;ref name=&quot;:7&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/stories/the-crown-jewels-coronation-regalia|title=The Crown Jewels: Coronation Regalia|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-27}}&lt;/ref&gt; The current St. Edward's Crown (right) was made in 1661, for the coronation of Charles II, and it was most recently used in the coronation of Charles III.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-29|title=St Edward's Crown|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=St_Edward%27s_Crown&amp;oldid=1330156300|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

Because of its weight, the St. Edward's Crown has not always used for coronations. In the period between the coronation of William III (William of Orange) in 1689&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-02|title=William III of England|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_III_of_England&amp;oldid=1325339468|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; and that of George V in 1911, new monarchs did not use the St. Edward's Crown but had new crowns made for the ceremony.

Lucy Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;St Edward’s Crown, traditionally used at the climax of the ceremony, had been made for Charles II, a man over 6 feet tall and well able to bear its 5-lb weight. But here [for Victoria's coronation] problems had been anticipated. A new and smaller ‘Crown of State’ had been specially made ‘according to the Model approved by the Queen’ at a cost of £1,000.45{{rp|45 TNA LC 2/67, p. 66}} ...

Her new crown weighed less than half the load of St Edward’s Crown, but it still gave Victoria a headache. She’d had it made to fit her head extra tightly, so that ‘accident or misadventure’ could not cause it to fall off.&lt;sup&gt;47:&quot;47 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) pp. 83–4&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; The jewellers Rundell, Bridge &amp; Rundell had made the new crown, and during the build-up towards the coronation it had become the focus [173–174] of an angry controversy. Mr Bridge had displayed his firm’s finished handiwork to the public in his shop on Ludgate Hill. This was much to the dismay of the touchy Mr Swifte, Keeper of the Regalia at the Tower of London. It was Mr Swifte’s privilege to display the Crown Jewels kept at the Tower to anyone who wanted to see them, for one shilling each, and he’d been counting on a lucrative flood of visitors to pay for the feeding of his numerous and sickly infants. But the new crown proved a greater attraction, and hundreds of people went to Mr Bridge’s shop, Mr Swifte complained, when they would otherwise have come to the Tower. Mr Bridges was not very sympathetic about stealing Mr Swifte’s business. ‘If we were to close our Doors,’ he claimed, ‘I fear they would be forced.’&lt;sup&gt;48&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;48 TNA LC 2/68 (22 June 1838)&quot;}}

Victoria later confessed that her firmly fitting crown had hurt her ‘a good deal’, but nevertheless she had to sit on her throne in it, while the peers came up one by one to swear loyalty and kiss her hand.&lt;sup&gt;49&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|49 RA QVJ/1838: 28}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|173–174; nn. 45, 47, 48, 49, p. 661}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
==== Imperial State Crown ====
[[File:Imperial State Crown.png|alt=Gold bejeweled crown with purple velvet and many large colorful gemmstones|thumb|The Current Imperial State Crown (digitally edited image)|left]][[File:Imperial State Crown of Queen Victoria (2).jpg|alt=Gold bejeweled crown with velvet cap and ermine rim|thumb|Drawing of the Imperial State Crown of Queen Victoria, 1838]]The new monarch wears a different crown from the St. Edward's Crown as he or she leaves Westminster Abbey after the coronation. This crown is used for very formal state occasions like appearing in public after the coronation and for the State Opening of Parliament. Used relatively frequently, it has had to be replaced in the past when it gets damaged or begins to show wear.

Victoria had the Imperial State Crown (right) made for her coronation on 28 June 1838. It was broken in a procession in 1845 (dropped by the Duke of Argyll), so it no longer exists (which is why this image is a drawing). What is now the current Imperial State Crown (left) was rebuilt after the 1845 accident, altered to accommodate the Cullinan II diamond in 1909, copied and remade in 1937 for the coronation of George IV.&lt;ref name=&quot;:7&quot; /&gt; Then it was redesigned slightly for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-08-14|title=Imperial State Crown|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Imperial_State_Crown&amp;oldid=1305824792|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;[[File:Victoria in her Coronation (cropped).jpg|alt=Old painting of a white woman very richly dressed, wearing a crown|thumb|Queen Victoria wearing the State Diadem, Winterhalter 1858]]
==== The Diamond Diadem ====
The Diamond Diadem was made for the coronation of George IV and worn by every queen — regnant or consort — since. Called the Diadem by Queen Victoria and the Diamond Diadem or the George IV State Diadem now, this crown (right, on Queen Victoria's head) is a circlet of two rows of pearls enclosing a row of diamonds.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-02|title=Diamond Diadem|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diamond_Diadem&amp;oldid=1330716296|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; On top are 4 crosses pattée and 4 bouquets of the national emblems of the thistle, the shamrock and the rose.&lt;ref&gt;{{Citation|title=The Diamond Diadem|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmDAYqKiGZM|date=2022-05-12|accessdate=2026-02-04|last=Royal Collection Trust}}&lt;/ref&gt;

Queen Victoria wore it on some official state occasions before the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Small Crowns|Small Diamond Crown]] was made in 1871.

==== Diadems, Tiaras ====
A diadem is may be simpler than a crown, or it may be a simple crown. Crowns and diadems have a band that is a full circle.

A Tiara is a semi-circular headpiece, typically a piece of jewelry, that can sit on top of the head or on the forehead. Worn by women at white tie, very formal events.

A Coronet of Rank in the UK is a kind of crown that signifies rank and whose design indicates which rank in the nobility the wearer holds. A coronet does not have the high arches that crowns have. Coronets of rank indicate non-royal rank.

Something called the State Diadem was designed by Albert in 1845? and made by Joseph Kitching.

== QV's Wedding ==
Ideas about QV's wedding dress are encrusted with misinformation: 

# QV was not the first royal (or first woman) to wear a white wedding dress.
# She did not wear white to signal her virginity and purity.
# Everybody has not worn white since then because she did.

None of this is true, and some of it is easy to set aside. It is not true that Queen Victoria invented the white wedding dress. The first record of a white wedding dress in what is now the UK is the early 15th century, and they appear to be popular both in Europe and North America among royals as well as upper middle class in the mid century.

Princess Charlotte, the last royal woman to wed (?), in 1816, wore gold cloth &quot;with three layers of machine-made lace.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/71997/princess-charlottes-wedding-dress|title=Mrs Triaud (active 1816) - Princess Charlotte's Wedding Dress|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-31}}&lt;/ref&gt; Her dress is in the Royal Collection Trust (https://www.rct.uk/collection/71997/princess-charlottes-wedding-dress).

Royals were expected to appear regal. Gold and silver cloth and adornments would not have been surprising for a monarch, so QV's choice is worth examining, regardless of the actual color. Given that churches in 1840 were lit with candles and torches and rooms were warmed by coal or wood, white would have been difficult to maintain. So it expressed status and wealth (the association between the white dress and virginity may have arisen in the mid-20th century in the context of widely available birth control and the sexual revolution). White was not uncommon, however, for dresses in the mid-19th century, particular in cotton and particularly for warmer weather.&lt;ref name=&quot;:9&quot; /&gt;

Violet Paget writing as Vernon Lee addresses the Victorian moral implications in the colors white and black in her 1895 ''Fortnightly Review'' article &quot;Beauty and Insanity.&quot; She is not talking about race, and she does not mention brides [does she talk about Victoria?]. She regards as an aesthetic cultural imposition the association between whiteness and purity, virginity and heterosexuality, and between blackness and evil.&lt;ref&gt;Renes, Liz. “Vernon Lee’s ‘Beauty and Sanity’ and 1895: Color and Cultural Response.” Academica.edu https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/41271981/LeeText-libre.pdf?1452968345=&amp;response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DVernon_Lees_Beauty_and_Sanity_and_1895_C.pdf&amp;Expires=1767736568&amp;Signature=SvA5MHz3LY7x~GCxwa6pSRVwF5scY-jOgI6QAEvRyp1j5tk4uy8MWI1pj0kdJOJDLP~XMUwXuLMIVkwPwCxFut6~uLf5PI5~CnZ3arxlKFeK-LWGL1vlF7QeIzRqTkNDnyXitYiJ83DVsidWCJ8DyIHHajtl0Dk0gGzb0L-I547s-EIM~lEmWxchyLqyCnhG4o0fmEcTZqUEaJ84uImLfmosdnphQKUAIEfNai9cEdh33~wfWWfirM29CfEgtsIkoZRvsioM7fKcO79VSVsYecYySCg7GvRikf9zJ~dtJ2NNpjvtXO0tnVmv8lvVbtRM8m1fQ7jZ-hrhgF-nUOVKaQ__&amp;Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA (retrieved January 2026).&lt;/ref&gt; 

It is true, however, that the press coverage of QV's wedding likely increased the popularity of white for weddings.

=== White Wedding Dress ===
The Royal Collection has QV's wedding dress, in 3 views. It says the dress is made of cream-colored silk satin. It doesn't say the color has yellowed. In her journals, QV describes her dress as &quot;a white satin gown, with a very deep flounce of Honiton lace, imitation of old.&quot;&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;21 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (238)

&quot;Onlookers,&quot; Worsley says, commenting on the wedding and Victoria's dress, said Victoria and her party looked like &quot;village girls, presumably rather than a monarch and her ladies in waiting.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (244 [of 786], citing Wyndham, ed. (1912) p. 297). Others saw the simplicity of the wedding dress similarly, though less negatively. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;'I saw the Queen’s dress at the palace,’ wrote one eager letter-writer, ‘the lace was beautiful, as fine as a cobweb.’ She wore no jewels at all, this person’s account continues, ‘only a bracelet with Prince Albert’s picture’.&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;28 Mundy, ed. (1885) p. 413}} This was in fact [240–241] completely incorrect. Albert had given her a huge sapphire brooch, which she wore along with her ‘Turkish diamond necklace and earrings’.&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;29 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February}} It was the beginning of a lifetime trend for Victoria’s clothes to be reported as simpler, plainer, less ostentatious than they really were. The reality was that they were not quite as ostentatious as people expected for a queen.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt; (240–241)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Is it possible that ''white'' actually was used for a range of very light colors? Certainly, not all whites are the same color, and not all viewers are precise with their language.

==== What Was White Used For? ====
The layers worn under dresses were sometimes white. Undergarments would generally have been made of cotton by the 1890s, although some wool and linen was still in use. Mechanical bleaches were available, so fabric could be made pale enough to have been called white. Kate Strasdin quotes a mid-19th-century use of &quot;snow white&quot; to distinguish it from other kinds of white.&lt;ref name=&quot;:9&quot; /&gt; 

Debutants being presented to the monarch wore white, it was court dress [confirm this], and the train added to Victoria's dress raised it into court dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (239? [22 Staniland (1997) p. 118])

Perhaps what was striking about Victoria's white dress was not just its color but its simplicity. When the &quot;onlookers&quot; at Victoria's wedding compare her bridal party to village girls, they are not suggesting that the bridal party is wearing underwear indecently or that they're in court dress. The touchstone here is class — they don't look like the ruling class or the upper class.

But Victoria's white dress was influential nonetheless. Lucy Worsley says it &quot;launched a million subsequent white weddings.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt; (238) However, other women were wearing white around the same time, including Mary Todd's sister Frances and Sophie of Württembert, Queen of the Netherlands in 1839. Mary Todd is said to have worn white at her wedding to Abraham Lincoln because they married quickly, so she just borrowed her sisters dress.

# 1839 May 21: Frances Todd's wedding dress was white; she later loaned it to her sister, Mary Todd, for her wedding.
# 1839 June 18: Sophie of Württembert, Queen of the Netherlands wore white.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-02|title=Sophie of Württemberg|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sophie_of_W%C3%BCrttemberg&amp;oldid=1325386567|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; She knew Napoleon III and QV; was progressive politically, favoring democracy; was buried in her wedding dress.
# '''1840 February 10''': QV's wedding dress was white.
# 1842 November 4: Mary Todd wore her sister Frances's white satin wedding dress.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-05|title=Mary Todd Lincoln|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Todd_Lincoln&amp;oldid=1325904504|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1853 January 30: Eugénie of France wore white.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-11-18|title=Eugénie de Montijo|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eug%C3%A9nie_de_Montijo&amp;oldid=1322973534|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1854 April 24: Empress Elisabeth of Austria wore white for her wedding.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-17|title=Empress Elisabeth of Austria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Empress_Elisabeth_of_Austria&amp;oldid=1327984118|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1858 January 25: Victoria the Princess Royal&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-22|title=Victoria, Princess Royal|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Victoria,_Princess_Royal&amp;oldid=1328868015|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1863 March 10: Alexandra of Denmark&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-14|title=Alexandra of Denmark|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alexandra_of_Denmark&amp;oldid=1327524766|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

All royal clothing is deliberately &quot;symbolic&quot; — or semiotic — to some degree. Lucy Worsley interprets the simple white dress as Victoria marrying as a woman rather than as &quot;Her Majesty the Queen.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (239) Kay Staniland and Santina M. Levey (and the [https://thedreamstress.com/2011/04/queen-victorias-wedding-dress-the-one-that-started-it-all/ Dreamstress blog]) claim that the salient article from QV's wedding dress was the Honiton lace, which the dress showcased, which they decided should be white, which is why her dress was white.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://thedreamstress.com/2011/04/queen-victorias-wedding-dress-the-one-that-started-it-all/|title=Queen Victoria's wedding dress: the one that started it all|last=Dreamstress|first=The|date=2011-04-17|website=The Dreamstress|language=en-US|access-date=2025-12-17}}&lt;/ref&gt;
[[File:Queen Victoria's Wedding Lace Veil c.1889-91 Detail.jpg|alt=Old photograph of a square of fine fabric edged with ornate white lace, with a wreath of small artificial flowers on the side|thumb|Queen Victoria's Wedding Veil, c. 1889–91]]

=== Wedding Veil ===
The late-19th-century image of QV's veil (right) makes it look a lot smaller than it is. The circlet to its right, which is a wreath of artificial flowers worn around the head over the veil, suggests its scale.

A contemporary (1855) photograph of 1840 QV's wedding veil and wreath is in the Royal Trust collection (https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/34/collection/2905584/veil-worn-by-queen-victoria-at-her-marriage), from a page in a scrapbook that includes 2 photos of paintings made after the wedding, one photo of the veil, showing its lace, and one photo of the bonnet she wore after the wedding.

The veil and [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Flounce|flounce]] on QV's wedding dress were made of Honiton lace, in Devon, partly designed &quot;by the Pre-Raphaelite artist William Dyce&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot; /&gt; and attached to a very fine netting. QV seems to have saved both the dress and the veil. She used both until the end of her life as well as other pieces of lace using the same Dyce design.

Elizabeth Abbott, in her ''A History of Marriage'', says her veil was&lt;blockquote&gt;one and half yards of diamond-studded Honiton lace draped over her shoulders and back. ... The flounce of the dress was also Honiton lace, four yards of it, specially made in the village of Beer by over two hundred lace workers, at a cost of more than £1,000.&lt;ref&gt;Abbott, Elizabeth. ''A History of Marriage''. Duckworth Overlook, 2011. Internet Archive [[iarchive:historyofmarriag0000abbo_w6u8/page/76/mode/2up|https://archive.org/details/historyofmarriag0000abbo_w6u8]].&lt;/ref&gt; (76)&lt;/blockquote&gt;

N. Hudson Moore's 1904 ''Lace Book'' describes (perhaps a touch hyperbolically) the Honiton lace used on Victoria's coronation and wedding dresses as well as her &quot;body linen&quot; and the dresses of Alexandra, Princess of Wales and the Princess Alice:&lt;blockquote&gt;
The wedding trousseau of Queen Victoria was trimmed with English laces only, and this set such a fashion for their use that the market could not be supplied, and the prices paid were fabulous. The patterns were most jealously guarded, and each village and sometimes separate families were noted for their particular designs, which could not be obtained elsewhere. Such laces as these were what were used on Queen Victoria’s body linen. Her coronation gown was of white satin with a deep flounce of Honiton lace, and with trimmings of the same lace on elbow sleeves and about the low neck. Her mantle was of cloth of gold trimmed with bullion fringe and enriched with the rose, the thistle, and other significant emblems. This cloth of gold is woven in one town in England. The present Queen’s mantle was made there also. Queen Victoria's wedding dress was composed entirely [sic] of Honiton lace, and was made in the small fishing village of Beers. It cost £1,000 ($5,000) and after the dress was made the patterns were destroyed. Royalty has done all it could to promote the use of this lace, and the wedding dresses of the Princess Alice and of Queen Alexandra were of Honiton also, the pattern of the latter showing the design of the Prince of Wales’s feathers and ferns.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/lacebook0000nhud|title=The lace book|last=N. Hudson Moore|date=1904|publisher=Frederick A. Stokes Company|others=Internet Archive}}&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|184}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
QV wore her wedding veil to all her children's christenings.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|492 of 786}} Beatrice wore that veil at her own wedding, a sign that QV had relented and agreed to Beatrice marrying. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;Beatrice could only squint at her groom-to-be through the folds of the very same Devon lace veil her mother had worn when she'd married Albert. This was hugely significant. Victoria attached great importance to clothes, and a well-informed source tells us that ‘almost without exception, her wardrobe woman can produce the gown, bonnet, or mantle she wore on any particular occasion.'&lt;sup&gt;47&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|&quot;47 Anon. 'Private Life' (1897; 1901 edition) p. 69&quot;}} The veil was one of the most precious items in the Albertian reliquary. ‘I look upon it as a holy charm,’ Victoria wrote, ‘as it was under that veil our union was blessed forever.’&lt;sup&gt;48&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;48 RA QVJ/1843: 19 May; Bartley (2016) p. 82&quot;}} Her loan of it to Beatrice was an important act of blessing.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|500 of 786; n. 47, 48, p. 721 of 786}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Sartorial Style ==
In clothing and perhaps also in jewelry but not in furnishings or architecture. When matters.
* She had her own sense of style, influenced as she may have been by her maids, dressers and modistes, over time and through events in her life. The evolution of her sense of style changed as her life changed and she aged. She was never haute couture, although before she married Albert, she wore French fashion and Brussels lace. But she never really did glamour? Early on, a lot of bare shoulders. A construction of a feminine identity in all that frou-frou, from girly to romantic to maternal to widowed to regal. She came out of her depression with a changed identity.
* She liked frills, layers and decorative trim, and some frou-frou, especially perhaps while Albert was still alive. But over her life, her general look was a simple dress made in sophisticated ways with very high-quality fabrics, laces and trim. After she developed her &quot;uniform,&quot; the frou-frou can be hard to see and impossible to see from a distance. In a way, she was beyond haute couture, her style was classic and less mutable, decorative elements were often sentimental.
** Albert's role
*** QV told people that &quot;she 'had no taste, ... used only to listen to him,'&quot; Albert. Taste here is probably art and architecture, as the context is Osborne House.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|318 of 786 [n. 26, p. 689: &quot;Quoted in Marsden, ed. (2012) p. 12&quot;]}}
*** QV &quot;and Albert — '''for Albert must approve every outfit''' — were conservative in their taste [in clothing]. A Frenchman found her frumpy, and laughed at her old-fashioned handbag 'on which was embroidered a fat poodle in gold'.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|311 of 786}} Something sentimental made by Vicky?
*** Elizabeth Jane Timms says, &quot;Prince Albert had played an essential role in the Queen’s wardrobe, on whose highly refined artistic taste the Queen relied. In her own words: ‘''He did everything – everywhere… the designing and ordering of Jewellery, the buying of a dress or a bonnet… all was done together''…’ [sic ital].&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;
*** 1861 January at Osborne after the servants' ball:&lt;blockquote&gt;As she and Albert passed the time ‘talking over the company’, Victoria also gives details of how her ‘maids would come in and begin to undress me – and he would go on talking, and would make his observations on my jewels and ornaments and give my people good advice as to how to keep them or would occasionally reprimand if anything had not been carefully attended to’.&lt;sup&gt;50&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|327 of 786; n. 50, p. 590: &quot;RA VIC/MAIN/RA/491 (January 1861)&quot;}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
* We know some things about her dressers, modistes, dressmakers, etc.
* She had a couple of &quot;uniforms&quot;: the Widow of Windsor and the riding habit with the red coat.
* She like fine, complex laces. Even when laces were typically machine made, hers were not.
* She liked tartan. Many of her clothing choices were emotional or sentimental: favorite and meaningful veils, shawls, tartan.
* Shape of skirt (see [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Hoops|Hoops]] for one photograph that shows the style of fabric moving to the back). When she visited Paris in 1855 she wasn't wearing hoops yet, though Eugénie was. The French women thought she was dowdy. Her shawl clashed with her dress.
* Alexandra, Princess of Wales had a very different sense of style and moved in very different social networks, regardless of her own official responsibilities. She wore haute couture and at one event — a [[Social Victorians/Timeline/1889#The Shah at a Covent Garden Opera Performance|performance at Covent Garden attended by the Shah]] — wore a red dress, which was reported on without moralizing comment. She wore dresses made by designers outside the UK.
* The contexts for how Victoria dressed:
** expectations for royalty and wives
** her relationships with the middle classes and the aristocracy
*** set herself up in opposition to the aristocracy and haute couture, and Bertie's side of the aristocracy.
*** The aristocracy did not look to her as fashion leader, but did the middle classes? Was she dressing more like some of them rather than them like her?
*** Middle-class perspective on aristocracy: Harriet Martineau attended QV's coronation, disapproved of how the peeresses were dressed and &quot;would have preferred 'the decent differences of dress which, according to middle-class custom, pertain to contrasting periods of life’. She particularly criticised the peers’ wives, ‘old hags, with their dyed or false hair’, their bare arms and necks so ‘wrinkled as to make one sick’.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|180 of 786}}
*** Her sense of style spoke to the middle classes and the mainstream ideas of many of her subjects.
*** Worsley says of Randall Davidson, new Dean of Windsor, later Archbishop of Canterbury, &quot;Unlike Albert, unlike even the Ponsonbys, Davidson appreciated her talent for identifying how mainstream opinion among her subjects would respond to almost any issue. Elsewhere in Europe, when revolutions succeeded, it was because middle-class people and the oppressed workers made common cause. In Britain, though, this never quite happened. Perhaps it was because the middle classes somehow believed that the middlebrow queen was ‘on their side’.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|478 of 786}}
*** Her identification with the middle class helped her monarchy survive. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette: completely identified with smaller and smaller elements only of the aristocracy; similarly Franz Josef and Elisabeth of Austria fell for similar reasons, especially his and his mother Sophia's identification with the aristocracy; Nicholas II and Alexandra of Russia; Napoleon III and Eugenie in France.
** the two main approaches to corseting, tight lacing and &quot;artistic&quot; dress (She didn't do the Worth-house style tight laced &quot;traditional&quot; look (in the 1880s Frith painting) or the &quot;aesthetic&quot; or &quot;artistic&quot; style associated with artists and socialists.)
** the practices around mourning (Kate Strasdin's ''The Dress Diary'' summarizes the mourning practices, at least for mid-century, and perhaps for the aspiring middle classes)
* Neither Eugenie of France nor Elisabeth of Austria were regarded as beautiful as children.
* Empress Eugénie's influence on fashion: &quot;when Mrs. Lincoln first arrived in Washington, she made a point of patterning her gowns after the empress’s wardrobe.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;Goldstone, Nancy. ''The Rebel Empresses: Elisabeth of Austria and Eugénie of France, Power and Glamour in the Struggle for Europe''. Little Brown, 2025.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|566, n. iii}}

*According to Lucy Worsley, QV developed some practices early to &quot;memorialise&quot; her life, including writing &quot;the millions of words eventually embodied in the journals that she would keep lifelong, ... keeping significant dresses from her wardrobe, ... the compulsive taking and collecting of photographs,&quot; even maintaining &quot;certain rooms of her palaces ... with their furniture unchanged as shrines to earlier times.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|91 of 786}} Another form of memorialization was the books she wrote or had written.
*1856: there is a &quot;surviving day dress of lilac silk ..., which has grey silk ribbons running between waist and hem inside so that the skirt can be drawn up for convenient walking,&quot; as QV might have done in Scotland, although in the 1856 trip to Scotland, she was pregnant with Beatrice.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|346 of 786; n. 45, p. 693: &quot;'''Madeleine Ginsburg, ‘The Young Queen and Her Clothes'''’, ''Costume'', vol. 3 (Sprint) (1969) p. 42&quot;}}

== Class ==
Early in their marriage, QV and Albert &quot;had a powerful and popular domestic image and were often seen at home wearing ‘ordinary’ clothes, further appealing to the middle classes.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/collections/london-stories/marriage-queen-victoria-prince-albert/|title=The marriage of Queen Victoria &amp; Prince Albert|website=London Museum|language=en-gb|access-date=2026-02-16}}&lt;/ref&gt;

After the 1870 Mordaunt divorce case, according to Lytton Strachey, speaking at first from QV's perspective,&lt;blockquote&gt;It was clear that the heir to the throne had been mixing with people of whom she did not at all approve. What was to be done? She saw that it was not only her son that was to blame﻿ — that it was the whole system of society; and so she despatched a letter to Mr. Delane, the editor of ''The Times'', asking him if he would &quot;frequently write articles pointing out the immense danger and evil of the wretched frivolity and levity of the views and lives of the Higher Classes.&quot; And five years later Mr. Delane did write an article upon that very subject.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (424 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;The upper-middle-class Florence Nightingale &quot;had developed a great fondness for Victoria, shy in 'her shabby little black silk gown'&quot; by the time of Albert's death.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (592 of 1203) She had visited Balmoral during the Crimean War and&lt;blockquote&gt;had been struck by the difference between the bored, frivolous court members and Victoria and Albert, both consumed with thoughts of war, foreign policy, and &quot;all things of importance.&quot; Even before Albert’s death, she thought Victoria conscientious &quot;but so mistrustful of herself, so afraid of not doing her best, that her spirits are lowered by it.&quot; With Albert gone, &quot;now she is even doubting whether she is right or wrong from the habit of consulting him.&quot; Nightingale found this touching, a sign that &quot;she has not been spoilt by power.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (592 of 1203)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Lucy Worsley sees this lack of self-confidence on Victoria's part as one of the effects of Albert's critical, controlling treatment of her.

The general election of 1886, according to Lytton Strachey, &quot;the majority of the nation&quot;&lt;blockquote&gt;showed decisively that Victoria’s politics were identical with theirs by casting forth the contrivers of Home Rule﻿ — that abomination of desolation﻿ — into outer darkness, and placing Lord Salisbury in power. Victoria’s satisfaction was profound.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (439–440 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Prime Minister Salisbury believed that the queen had an uncanny ability to reflect the view of the public; he felt that when he knew [736–737] Victoria’s opinion, he &quot;knew pretty certainly what views her subjects would take, and especially the middle class of her subjects.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (736–737 of 1203)

Summing up her reign, Strachey says,&lt;blockquote&gt;The middle classes, firm in the triple brass of their respectability, rejoiced with a special joy over the most respectable of Queens. They almost claimed her, indeed, as one of themselves; but this would have been an exaggeration. For, though many of her characteristics were most often found among the middle classes, in other respects﻿ — in her manners, for instance﻿ — Victoria was decidedly aristocratic. And, in one important particular, she was neither aristocratic nor middle-class: her attitude toward herself was simply regal.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (478 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;
== Proposals ==
Queen Victoria's Sense of Style, her taste in clothes and jewelry

To talk about her sartorial style is to address both jewelry (which includes crowns, diadems and tiaras) and clothing (including accessories like shawls, veils and caps, bonnets and hats).

One of the secrets of her style was that she wore elements of Victorian frou-frou without looking over-trimmed or visually busy, mostly because it was black on black (or, before Albert's death, white on white, but also because the materials and work were so fine. What she selected of the frou-frou was very fashionable, but the trim is not high contrast, as for example what a Worth gown might have. The silhouette was not high-fashion, but elements were: she knew what was fashionable, she or her dressmakers, etc.

The close-up/far-away thing contrasts with Bertie, who understood ceremony and pageantry differently and probably better.

Periods in her sartorial styles, but made more complex by state occasions vs less formal, many of them in-family occasions:

# Before she came to the throne, she may not have been in control of her own look.
# After her accession and before her marriage, she had control as well as an experienced Mistress of the Robes and experienced maids and dressmakers. She experimented, wore for example a dark tartan dress to meet Albert and his brother and chose simple styles, like village girls, at the wedding; expectations for what a monarch would wear; she seems to have liked an off-the-shoulder look when she was young, and very formal dress later might be off the shoulder.
# Marriage to Albert: he had a lot of say, though she resisted in some ways, but her identity was tied up in his, as his wife; he attempted to constrain her clothing budget was not successful long term; influenced by styles, but not at the front edge; crinoline cage 3 years later than Eugenie and Elisabeth of Austria (Mary Todd Lincoln?). Photographs, so a medium different from the official portraits documenting empire and sovereignty, more candid, more at-home, less formal, modest, but would any of her subjects have seen them? Change as well as memorializing (Worsley). Some changes she adopted: double pommel side saddle, photography, cage (not immediately, but ...) Her friends in the monarchy, Eugénie, Elisabeth of Austria and Mary Todd Lincoln were all very fashion forward. A. N. Wilson says QV was parsimonious &quot;in such matters as heating and wardrobe.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (609 of 1204)
# The 1st year, 2 1/2 years (Strasdin), and then decade of mourning, then she decides never to wear color again (not counting honors and order), and her &quot;brand&quot; begins to develop and solidify, a look friendly to the middle classes, especially the upper middle class. The Widow of Windsor. At the beginning her black thigh-length jackets were largely untrimmed, sometimes completely; a large band at the bottom of her skirt, with trim between that and the more satiny fabric above, but otherwise very little or no other trim. White around her face, including neck and headdress, and at her cuffs, but not much and not a lot of frou-frou, perhaps a ruffle.
# In 1871, under pressure from her ministers and newspapers, she had the Small Diamond Crown made and wore it to open Parliament. So she was missing from the public for about a decade. Her grief was profound, possibly compound because of the death of her mother earlier in the same year as the death of Albert. She may have been vulnerable to depression, sometimes finding pregnancies difficult to recover from. But also, her Widow of Windsor look is not just her being &quot;gloomy&quot; or being stuck in grief, though she may have been, this is her brand, her nuance on her regal identity.
# By the 1880s, her look is well established: plain from a distance; up close, very fine materials and beautiful needlework. Her clothing has trim, but generally black on black or white on white, not contrasting on a field of one color. Not wearing a corset, depending on not-very-heavy boning in her bodices, caps, shawls, At this point, Bertie's place in the aristocracy is also well established, and he and Alex are set up with a very different sense of style, wearing haute couture, House of Worth type stylishness.
# By the Jubilees and the end of the century, &quot;Despite their sombre aspect, even her mourning gowns were finely made. She had settled into a series of very minor variations upon a square-necked bodice and skirt, customised with quirky little pockets for keys and seals, all cut pretty much the same to save her the trouble of fittings. On her head went a white cap, with streamers of lace, and round her neck a locket containing miniatures of two of her children: Alice, now lost to diphtheria, and Leopold, to haemophilia.16&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (511 of 786; n. 16, p. 723: &quot;Princess Marie Louise (1956) p. 141&quot;) One design we see a lot is the usual black with a little white at neckline and wrists, with sophisticated black trim not really visible from a distance. The wide skirt with a deep band of a different fabric at the bottom, a thigh-length jacket with wide sleeves; might be dress with a bodice or a vest and blouse under the jacket.
# Jubilees, end of life and her funeral, which she had planned in detail. 

=== CFPs ===

* Uniform Mourning
* After Prince Albert's death death in 1861, Victoria returned to her earlier project of experimenting and finding sartorial styles that served not only as self-expression but that also communicated how she expected to be treated in what role. The extreme mourning was a reflection of how she felt and her identity as a faithful, grieving widow, but it was also performative and communicative, depending on who was looking and from what distance.
* In her private sphere, in the unofficial and family-centered photographs, in her journals (including Princess Beatrice's revision of her journals) and the preserved clothing, and in the accounts in the papers written by reporters familiar with fashion and dressmaking, we see a sophisticated understanding of fashion and subtle, complex  dresses. The materials and dressmaking are rich and fine. Victoria aligned her appearance with respectable matrons of the growing middle classes, but the quality of the materials used in her clothing aligned her with those in her private sphere, including other royals and aristocrats.
* This opposition between the private and public spheres is falsely simple because, for example, Victoria &quot;memorialized&quot; herself (Worsley), preserving elements of her personal life exactly because she was monarch. The different versions of herself was a complexity present in her lifetime and useful to her.
* Also, her sense of self changed over time, especially after she acceded to the throne, after she married and after she was widowed.
* Focusing on Victoria's clothes and sense of style leads us to see some understandings of her and her reign differently: her periods of seclusion and her absences from governmental and state occasions; the loss of power for the monarchy as well as the survival of the constitutional monarchy when almost every other monarchy in Europe was falling; the ways she managed her relationships with the aristocracy, the middle classes, the press; her mood and mental health; the white wedding dress and her influence in the wedding dresses of her daughters and Alex; Albert's nature; even what we believe to be the rules and conventions around mourning dress; and the size of her body.
* To study Queen Victoria's sartorial sense of style, we look at painted and drawn portraits and at photographs of her, we read the few accounts from biographers and fashion historians, especially those who have looked at the clothing and accessories preserved by Victoria herself and now in the Royal Trust Collection, the London Museum and so on, we read her own accounts (or Princess Beatrice's construction of her mother in her revision of her journals her as well as Esher's books about her based on the journals before Beatrice revised them), and we read accounts of her public appearances in contemporary periodicals, especially newspapers that employed reporters knowledgeable about fashion and dressmaking as well as those more focused on news and, perhaps, a male readership. These sources represent different versions of Victoria and her subjects, a complexity that was already occurring in Victoria's lifetime, that looks to have been deliberate and that was, I argue, very useful to her. These different versions of Victoria and different audiences lead to different readings of her senses of style as they evolved over time and what they might be signaling. The journals and many of the photographs existed in what we might call Victoria's private sphere, by which we mean in the presence of some aristocrats (who worked in government, who attended her and who were ministers), of people who were employed as servants and of her family, which was quite extensive and whose edges were porous, especially toward the end of the century and the end of her life, as well as the small number of people she &quot;adopted&quot; like Duleep Singh and XX [African girl]. The preservation of Victoria's clothing belongs to this &quot;private sphere,&quot; although much of it was worn during public or official events like her coronation or wedding; some, though, like the chemise she wore for the birth of all of her children, was more or less but not completely private, and the &quot;memorializing&quot; (Worsley) of herself entailed in this preservation was done in her role as monarch. The paintings and newspaper accounts depict the public Victoria, and from this distance Victoria looked plain — even dowdy — and clearly unaristocratic: she looks like a middle-class or upper-middle-class widow, the Widow of Windsor. Up close, though, we see complex and sophisticated dresses and dressing. Albert had tastes and preferences for how he wanted her to look, some of which were about looking familiar to the growing middle classes, and after he died and she very deliberately turned her widow's weeds into a uniform, the bifurcation between what she looked like from a distance and to the public and what she looked like up close and to those in her private circles gets clearer. Looking at her as monarch and daughter, wife, mother and grandmother through the lens of her clothing reopens some questions that up to now have seemed settled. Focusing on Victoria's clothes and sense of style causes us to see some uncontroversial and &quot;well-understood&quot; summaries of her and her reign differently: her periods of seclusion, such as they were, and her absences from governmental and state occasions; the loss of power for the monarchy as well as the survival of the constitutional monarchy when almost every other monarchy in Europe was falling; the ways she managed her relationships with the aristocracy, the middle classes, the press; her mood and mental health (the regal, disinterested face, which isn't really gloomy the way it is usually described); the white wedding dress and her influence in the wedding dresses of her daughters and Alex; Albert's nature; the size and shape of her body.
* Many of the newspaper reports of her dress are in descriptions of events involving aristocrats and oligarchs at official social events like garden parties, state balls and, of course, processions, especially for her Golden and Diamond Jubilees. The reports in the news-reporting papers, not the ladies' papers or papers with a lot of fashion reporting, seem to have been written by reporters who did not know how to describe sophisticated clothing, fabrics, trim and techniques; they do not use the technical vocabulary required to report on fashion, or if they attempt it, they end up being confusing. Often, these news reports list only the names of those invited. Garden parties might have as many as 6000 invitées listed; the most said about the queen would list who was attending. Occasionally, we hear a very general description of what she wore and perhaps if she did or did not seem to have difficulty walking, but the reporters seem to have been at a distance and may not know the names of fabrics or dressmaking techniques.
* The reports in the newspapers vs reports written by fashion specialists in women's newspapers (and magazines?).
* Both Oscar Wilde and Jack the Ripper are understood in the context of their &quot;management&quot; (or not) of the media, but Victoria's sense of her identity as a celebrity and public person was at least as sophisticated as theirs. She &quot;memorialized&quot; herself and important moments in her life in her extremely prolific use of photographs as well as painted and drawn images; in her keeping rooms in the palaces frozen in time; in her X millions words recorded in her journals; and in her clothing, both for formal as well as more candid images (Worsley). Her awareness of her responsibility to memorialize herself had to have included the newspapers as well. Politically, her absence from politics after Alfred's death until 1871, when she wore the Small Diamond Crown to open Parliament for the first time, was notable and noted, but a carte de visite with her portrait on it sold X million copies (Worsley) and kept her present in the mind of the citizenry at the same time that she was being criticized for her political absence in the newspapers and among her ministers and the members of Parliament, some of whom questioned the value of an absent monarch. Lytton Strachey says that monarchs up to Victoria's time did not attempt to be fashionable or belong to the fashionable &quot;set,&quot; except, tellingly, George IV. But Victoria's fashion choices occurred in a content different from that of George IV, both politically and journalistically. Especially as Albert's influence waned and Bertie's own social identity developed, the direction of Victoria's sartorial gestures was to the middle classes, especially the upper middle classes, but not the aristocracy, not the fashionable world of haute couture, like, for instance, what the House of Worth might provide. In this 1881 image by Frith, in fact, we see the two main streams of fashion in the economic and cultural elite, but this is not Victoria.
* Alex and her sister Dagmar (who became the mother of Czar Nicolas II) were raised to make their own clothing (their father was not wealthy), so Alex knew a lot about building dresses, already had a wedding dress when she arrived in England but didn't wear it.
* Although she was widely criticized for her absence at state occasions in the press, Parliament and among her ministers, her widely circulated photographic portraits and her books — memoirs mostly of her family life with Albert and their children, her love of Scotland and Balmoral, and later the biographical works she asked and then helped courtiers close to her to write — she was present for the mass of her subjects who bought cartes de visite and read books.
* Worsley says some of her always wearing mourning was to arrange the world so she was treated more gently, with a dispensation; there were other benefits to the &quot;uniform&quot; she developed, but this one suggests she saw herself as marginal and weakened by grief.
* The newspapers described her clothing, but by the end of her life never the way the clothing of women (and occasionally men) wearing haute couture was described? Does the close-up/far-away thing pertain here?

==== '''MVSA: Due 5 January''' (email 4 December, from Laura Fiss) ====
The Underground: Prohibition, Abolition, Expression,  '''April 10-12, 2026''', hosted by Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio

Style and Sensibility: Victoria, Eugénie, Elisabeth and Mary Todd and Their Dressmakers (383 words)

Looking at Queen Victoria's sartorial sense of style troubles some conclusions we have reached about her, her reign, her &quot;private&quot; life and her body. Her style became strongly individuated and intentionally symbolic. The &quot;uniform&quot; worn by the Widow of Windsor — that all-black dress with the touches of white at her neckline and cuffs — made her instantly recognizable, even in a crowd and from a distance, and allied her with the middle class rather than the aristocracy. Up close (in the hundreds of personal photographs, her journals, and the clothing she saved) is a sophisticated and nuanced sense of style and self.

Putting Victoria's use of dress (and jewelry) in the context of a social network of political women that includes Empress Eugénie of France, Elisabeth of Bavaria, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, and Mary Todd Lincoln removes her from the usual social isolation scholarly scrutiny gives her, emphasizing what clothing did for her, although few biographies and histories see Victoria in this way.

These women knew each other, wrote to each other and had friends in common. They thought about what message their clothing choices sent and made those choices in the context of community, not only of who saw them but also each other and the modistes and couturiers who dressed them. Victoria patronized establishments with shops in London, Paris and New York, and a complex staff made what she wore, dressed her in it and looked after it. Both Eugénie and Elisabeth were clients of the British Frederick Worth of Paris. Lincoln's modiste was the brilliant, elegant, formerly enslaved Elizabeth Keckley, who had also — with her 20-seamstress staff — dressed Mrs. Robert E. Lee, Mrs. Stephen Douglas, Mrs. Jefferson Davis, and the daughter of General Sumner. Mary Anna Lee's dress was for a dinner in honor of the Prince of Wales in 1860. (Keckley introduced Abraham Lincoln to Sojourner Truth, but she also cut his hair and made his dressing gown.)

The class alliances these women's dress signaled had implications for their lives and their reigns. Designed to work from a distance, Queen Victoria’s identity as the Widow of Windsor in her barely relieved black was a valuable construction. Face to face and in the personal photographs, the complexities of the dresses are as fine as the eye can see.

They all wore white wedding gowns (unexpected for monarchs at this time).

Family relations and threats and instability for the monarchies in Europe kept QV in touch with fashion in Europe. Not so much underground or rebellious or revolutionary as crosswise. In some ways, QV's style of dress was '''covert''', looking subtly rich and stylish up close but plain and dowdy from a distance: the Widow of Windsor. Speaking to different groups of her subjects differently, a polyvocal style.

QV chose not to do haute courture. She adopted the cage 1858, for example, well after Eugénie and Elisabeth of Austria, and vest and suit coat in the 1890s?, but she's not wearing the vest and suit coat the way Alexandra is, it's not the up-to-the-minute silhouette, but some of the element are.

Queen Victoria helped the two European monarchs with difficult and dangerous moments, sometimes contributing to saving their lives, sometimes directly and sometimes through friends. 

Her relationships with Eugénie, Empress of France; Elisabeth of Austria, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire and Mary Todd Lincoln are based on shared understanding of themselves as public female leaders.

Mary Todd Lincoln's wedding skirt: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1314628790709593&amp;set=pcb.1314628920709580, closeup: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1314628800709592&amp;set=pcb.1314628920709580; in museum case: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1314628814042924&amp;set=pcb.1314628920709580

Turney, Thomas J. &quot;'Lincoln: A Life and Legacy' Opens at Presidential Museum in Springfield.&quot; ''The State Journal Register'' 30 September 2025 https://www.sj-r.com/picture-gallery/news/2025/09/30/new-lincoln-exhibit-opens-at-presidential-museum-in-springfield/86353769007/.

== Self-Memorializing ==
The term is really Lucy Worsley's, QV memorialising herself, but because QV deliberately saved so much, other biographers noticed it as well. A. N. Wilson says,&lt;blockquote&gt;In a recent study, Yvonne M. Ward calculated that Victoria wrote as many as 60 million words.&lt;sup&gt;6&lt;/sup&gt; (6 &quot;Yvonne M. Ward, ''Censoring Queen Victoria'', p. 9.&quot;) Giles St Aubyn, in his biography of the Queen, said that had she been a novelist, her outpouring of written words would have equalled 700 volumes.&lt;sup&gt;7&lt;/sup&gt; (7 &quot;Giles St Aubyn, ''Queen Victoria: A Portrait'', p. 601.&quot;) Her diaries were those of a compulsive recorder, and she sometimes would write as many as 2,500 words of her journal in one day.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (33 of 1204. nn. 6, 7, p. 1057)&lt;/blockquote&gt;If an average Victorian novel is 150,000 words, then Victoria's &quot;outpouring&quot; would equal about 400 volumes, not 700.
* Queen Victoria's journals
* Her personal letters
* Her official letters and memoranda
* Saved clothing and accessories
* Portraits and photographs
* Anniversaries and important dates
* Preserved rooms, including all the stuff she collected over the years and the policy of keeping it in exactly the same place, recorded by photographs and albums
* Works and memoirs, both commanded and self-written
*# 1862: Sir Arthur Helps, &quot;a collection of [Prince Albert's] speeches and addresses&quot; &lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (363 of 555), a &quot;weighty tome.&quot; (364 of 505)
*# 1866: General Grey, &quot;an account of the Prince’s early years﻿ — from his birth to his marriage; she herself laid down the design of the book, contributed a number of confidential documents, and added numerous notes.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (364 of 505)
*# 1868: QV published her ''Leaves from the Journal of Our Life in the Highlands from 1848 to 1861''.&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;
*# 1874–1880: Theodore Martin, it took him 14 years to write an Albert's biography, the 1st volume came out in 1874, the last 1880. He got a knighthood, but the books were not popular, the image of Albert was not popular, too idealized and beatified.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (364 of 505)
*# Poet Laureate
*# 1884: QV published her ''More Leaves from the Journal of Our Life in the Highlands from 1862 to 1882''.&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;

=== Preserved Rooms and Possessions ===
Strachey says,&lt;blockquote&gt;She gave orders that nothing should be thrown away﻿ — and nothing was. There, in drawer after drawer, in wardrobe after wardrobe, reposed the dresses of seventy years. But not only the dresses﻿ — the furs and the mantles and subsidiary frills and the muffs and the parasols and the bonnets﻿ — all were ranged in chronological order, dated and complete. A great cupboard was devoted to the dolls; in the china room at Windsor a special table held the mugs of her childhood, and her children’s mugs as well. Mementoes of the past surrounded her in serried accumulations. In every room the tables were powdered thick with the photographs of relatives; their portraits, revealing them at all ages, covered the walls; their figures, in solid marble, rose up from pedestals, or gleamed from brackets in the form of gold and silver statuettes. The dead, in every shape﻿ — in miniatures, in porcelain, in enormous life-size oil-paintings﻿ — were perpetually about her. John Brown stood upon her writing-table in solid [460–461] gold. Her favourite horses and dogs, endowed with a new durability, crowded round her footsteps. Sharp, in silver gilt, dominated the dinner table; Boy and Boz lay together among unfading flowers, in bronze. And it was not enough that each particle of the past should be given the stability of metal or of marble: the whole collection, in its arrangement, no less than its entity, should be immutably fixed. There might be additions, but there might never be alterations. No chintz might change, no carpet, no curtain, be replaced by another; or, if long use at last made it necessary, the stuffs and the patterns must be so identically reproduced that the keenest eye might not detect the difference. No new picture could be hung upon the walls at Windsor, for those already there had been put in their places by Albert, whose decisions were eternal. So, indeed, were Victoria’s. To ensure that they should be the aid of the camera was called in. Every single article in the Queen’s possession was photographed from several points of view. These photographs were submitted to Her Majesty, and when, after careful inspection, she [461–462] had approved of them, they were placed in a series of albums, richly bound. Then, opposite each photograph, an entry was made, indicating the number of the article, the number of the room in which it was kept, its exact position in the room and all its principal characteristics. The fate of every object which had undergone this process was henceforth irrevocably sealed. The whole multitude, once and for all, took up its steadfast station. And Victoria, with a gigantic volume or two of the endless catalogue always beside her, to look through, to ponder upon, to expatiate over, could feel, with a double contentment, that the transitoriness of this world had been arrested by the amplitude of her might.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (460–462 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Demographics ==
*Nationality: English
=== Residences ===
== Questions and Notes ==
#

== Bibliography ==

# Anon. &quot;One of Her Majesty's Servants,&quot; the Private Life of Queen Victoria. London, 1897, 1901.
# Fawcett, Millicent Garrett. ''Life of Her Majesty Queen Victoria''. Roberts Bros., 1895. WikiSource copy: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Index:Life_of_Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(IA_lifeofhermajesty01fawc).pdf.
# Homans, Margaret. &quot;'To the Queen's Private Apartments': Royal Family Portraiture and the Construction of Victoria's Sovereign Obedience.&quot; ''Victorian Studies'' vol. 37, no. 1 (1993) pp. 1–41.
# Homans, Margaret. 1998.
# Mitchell, Rebecca Nicole, editor. ''Fashioning the Victorians: A Critical Sourcebook''. Bloomsbury visual arts, 2018. OCLC # [https://search.worldcat.org/title/1085349620 1085349620] .
# Staniland, Kay. ''In Royal Fashion: The Clothes of Princess Charlotte of Wales and Queen Victoria 1796-1901''. London, 1997.
# Staniland, Kay, and Santina M. Levey. ''Queen Victoria's Wedding Dress and Lace''. Museum of London, 1983?. OCLC # [https://search.worldcat.org/title/473453762 473453762] . [Repr. from ''Costume, The Journal of the Costume Society'' (17:1983), pp. 1–32.]
# Wackerl, Luise. ''Royal Style: A History of Aristocratic Fashion Icons.'' Peribo, 2012. [T.C. Magrath Library: Quarto GT1754 .W33 2012]

== References ==
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      <text bytes="235666" sha1="ifj5owufb3hbvi1j1q1825l3tfs5ia4" xml:space="preserve">== Overview ==
According to the Museum of London, Queen Victoria was 4'8&quot; by the end of her life.&lt;ref&gt;Austin, Emily. &quot;Mounting Queen Victoria's mourning dress.&quot; 13 August 2020 ''London Museum''. [https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/blog/mounting-queen-victorias-mourning-dress/#:~:text=Comprising%20a%20bodice%20and%20skirt,a%20certain%20stage%20of%20mourning. https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/blog/mounting-queen-victorias-mourning-dress/#:~:text=Comprising%20a%20bodice%20and%20skirt,a%20certain%20stage%20of%20mourning.] Retrieved 2026-03-09.&lt;/ref&gt; Most people say she was about 5 feet tall at her tallest, although sometimes some will say 5'2&quot;.

Lytton Strachey describes the shrinking of Queen Victoria's power over the course of her reign, attributing it to her inability to think clearly about the constitution or constitutional monarchy:&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria’s comprehension of the spirit of her age has been constantly asserted. It was for long the custom for courtly historians and polite politicians to compliment the Queen upon the correctness of her attitude towards the Constitution. But such praises seem hardly to be justified by the facts. ... The complex and delicate principles of the Constitution cannot be said to have come within the compass of her mental faculties; and in the actual developments which it underwent during her reign she [472–473] played a passive part. From 1840 to 1861 the power of the Crown steadily increased in England; from 1861 to 1901 it steadily declined. The first process was due to the influence of the Prince Consort, the second to that of a series of great Ministers. During the first Victoria was in effect a mere accessory; during the second the threads of power, which Albert had so laboriously collected, inevitably fell from her hands into the vigorous grasp of Mr. Gladstone, Lord Beaconsfield, and Lord Salisbury. Perhaps, absorbed as she was in routine, and difficult as she found it to distinguish at all clearly between the trivial and the essential, she was only dimly aware of what was happening. Yet, at the end of her reign, the Crown was weaker than at any other time in English history. Paradoxically enough, Victoria received the highest eulogiums for assenting to a political evolution, which, had she completely realised its import, would have filled her with supreme displeasure.

Nevertheless it must not be supposed that she was a second George III. Her desire to impose her will, vehement as it was, and unlimited by [473–474] any principle, was yet checked by a certain shrewdness.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot;&gt;Strachey, Lytton. ''Queen Victoria''. Standard Ebooks, 2025 (2020). [http://standardebooks.org/ebooks/lytton-strachey/queen-victoria standardebooks.org/ebooks/lytton-strachey/queen-victoria]. Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/queen-victoria/id6444770015.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|472–474 of 555}}
&lt;/blockquote&gt;

The American writer Henry James on Queen Victoria's death:&lt;blockquote&gt;the ensuing mood [was] &quot;strange and indescribable&quot;: people spoke in whispers, as though scared of something. He was surprised at the reaction, because her death was not sudden or unusual: it was &quot;a simple running down of the old used up watch,&quot; the death of an old widow who had thrown &quot;her good fat weight into the scales of general decency.&quot; Yet in the following days, the American-born writer felt unexpectedly distressed. He, like so many, mourned the &quot;safe and motherly old middle-class Queen, who held the nation warm under the fold of her big, hideous Scotch-plaid shawl.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|846 of 1203}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

According to A. N. Wilson, Queen Victoria's reputation for prudishness is not quite deserved. The &quot;raffishness&quot; of George IV, for example, or most of the other children of George III, was distasteful, but&lt;blockquote&gt;Having been brought up by a [324–325] widow was different from being brought up, as Albert was, in a home broken by adultery; so her distaste for raffishness, though she would loyally echo her husband’s strong moral line, lacked the pathological edge which it possessed in his case.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|324–325 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

And Wilson says of her enduring liking for the &quot;poor relation&quot; cousin George Cambridge, 2nd Duke of Cambridge,&lt;blockquote&gt;Although all her biographers stress Victoria’s need, in marrying the virtuous Prince Albert, to escape the dissipations and clumsiness of her ‘wicked uncles’, there was always a distinctly Hanoverian side to her. George Cambridge was a throwback to the world of William IV and George IV, to a lack of stiffness and a lack of side which was always part of Victoria’s character also.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|879 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

Wilson says of the distance between the actual woman and the external perception of her,&lt;blockquote&gt;Arthur C. Benson and the 1st Viscount Esher, both homosexual men of a certain limited outlook determined by their class and disposition, were the pair entrusted with the task of editing the earliest published letters. It is a magnificent achievement, but they chose to concentrate on Victoria’s public life, omitting the thousands of letters she wrote relating to health, to children, to sex and marriage, to feelings and the ‘inner woman’. It perhaps comforted them, and others who revered the memory of the Victorian era, to place a posthumous gag on Victoria’s emotions. The extreme paradox arose that one of the most passionate, expressive, humorous and unconventional women who ever lived was paraded before the public as a [39–40] stiff, pompous little person, the ‘figurehead’ to an all-male imperial enterprise.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|39–40 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

Besides what some say was a German accent, Queen Victoria spoke in what A. N. Wilson calls&lt;blockquote&gt;an unreformed Regency English. In Osborne, on Christmas Day 1891, she asked Sir Henry Ponsonby, 'Why the blazes don't Mr Macdonnell telegraph hear the results of the election? He used to do so and now he don’t.' ... If William IV had lived in the age of the telegraph, it is just the sort of question, with 'don't' for 'doesn't', and the blunt 'why the blazes' which he would have asked. One sees here [857–858] how much she had in common with her cousin the Duke of Cambridge, who likewise appeared in many ways to be a pre-Victorian. During a drought, he went to church and the parson prayed for rain. The duke involuntarily exclaimed, 'Oh God! My dear man, how can you expect rain with wind in the east?' When the chaplain, later in the service, said, 'Let us pray,' the duke replied, 'By all means.'&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|857–858 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Also Known As ==
*Victoria Regina
*Family name: Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
*Nickname, as a child: Drina
*Alexandrina Victoria

== Family ==
*Victoria — Alexandrina Victoria (24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901)&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;
*Albert, Prince Consort — Franz August Karl Albert Emanuel (26 August 1819 – 14 December 1861)&lt;ref name=&quot;:2&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-04|title=Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prince_Albert_of_Saxe-Coburg_and_Gotha&amp;oldid=1315065374|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa, &quot;Vicky,&quot; German Empress, Empress Frederick (21 November 1840 – 5 August 1901)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-08|title=Victoria, Princess Royal|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Victoria,_Princess_Royal&amp;oldid=1315724049|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Albert Edward, Prince of Wales | Albert Edward, &quot;Teddy,&quot; King Edward VII]] (4 November 1841 – 6 May 1910)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-23|title=Edward VII|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edward_VII&amp;oldid=1318322588|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Princess Alice | Alice Maud Mary, Princess Alice]], Grand Duchess of Hesse (25 April 1843 – 14 December 1878)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-02|title=Princess Alice of the United Kingdom|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Alice_of_the_United_Kingdom&amp;oldid=1314683419|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Alfred of Edinburgh | Alfred Ernest Albert, &quot;Affie&quot;]]: Duke of Edinburgh — (6 August 1844 – 30 July 1900),&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-20|title=Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alfred,_Duke_of_Saxe-Coburg_and_Gotha&amp;oldid=1317824547|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Duke of Saxe-Coburg (24 May 1866 – 30 July 1900) and Gotha (2 August 1893 – 30 July 1900)
#[[Social Victorians/People/Christian of Schleswig-Holstein | Helena Augusta Victoria, &quot;Lenchen,&quot;]] Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (25 May 1846 – 9 June 1923)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-26|title=Princess Helena of the United Kingdom|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Helena_of_the_United_Kingdom&amp;oldid=1318943746|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Princess Louise | Louise Caroline Alberta, Princess Louise]], Marchioness of Lorne, [[Social Victorians/People/Argyll | Duchess of Argyle]] (18 March 1848 – 3 December 1939)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-09-25|title=Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Louise,_Duchess_of_Argyll&amp;oldid=1313272998|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Connaught | Arthur William Patrick Albert]], Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (1 May 1850 – 16 January 1942)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-03|title=Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prince_Arthur,_Duke_of_Connaught_and_Strathearn&amp;oldid=1314802923|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Leopold | Leopold George Duncan Albert]], Duke of Albany (7 April 1853 – 28 March 1884)&lt;ref name=&quot;:1&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-19|title=Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prince_Leopold,_Duke_of_Albany&amp;oldid=1317724959|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#Beatrice Mary Victoria Feodore, Princess Henry of Battenberg (14 April 1857 – 26 October 1944)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-21|title=Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Beatrice_of_the_United_Kingdom&amp;oldid=1318045123|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

=== &quot;Adopted&quot; Godchildren ===

# Victoria Gouramma, of Coorg (c. 1841–), brought to London in 1852 at 11, QV stood as godmother 1 July 1852.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (346 of 1204)
# Maharajah Duleep Singh, the Lion of the Punjab, presented to QV in July 1854.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (350 of 1204)

=== Relations ===

== Acquaintances, Friends and Enemies ==
=== Acquaintances ===
=== Friends ===

* Lord Melbourne — Henry William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (15 March 1779 – 24 November 1848)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-09-25|title=William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Lamb,_2nd_Viscount_Melbourne&amp;oldid=1313293647|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-09|title=Benjamin Disraeli|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Benjamin_Disraeli&amp;oldid=1315865798|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* Harriet, Duchess of Sutherland, [[Social Victorians/Victoria/Queen's Household#Mistress of the Robes|Mistress of the Robes]] 1837 and 1861, very close friend.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-03-13|title=Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harriet_Sutherland-Leveson-Gower,_Duchess_of_Sutherland&amp;oldid=1343226719|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; The Duchess of Sutherland was an abolitionist, personally criticized by Karl Marx for her mother's clearing of the Sutherland lands for sheep grazing.
* Anne Murray, Duchess of Atholl, [[Social Victorians/Victoria/Queen's Household#Mistress of the Robes|Mistress of the Robes]] 1852–1853 and then Lady of the Bedchamber until 1892, when she and the Duchess of Roxburghe shared the duties of the Mistress of the Robes, among her closest of friends&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-25|title=Anne Murray, Duchess of Atholl|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anne_Murray,_Duchess_of_Atholl&amp;oldid=1334678470|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* [[Social Victorians/People/Sophie of Wurttemberg|Sophie of Württemberg, Queen of the Netherlands]] (17 June 1818 – 3 June 1877)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-02|title=Sophie of Württemberg|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sophie_of_W%C3%BCrttemberg&amp;oldid=1325386567|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

*[[Social Victorians/People/Mary Todd Lincoln|Mary Todd Lincoln]] (December 13, 1818 – July 16, 1882)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-08|title=Mary Todd Lincoln|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Todd_Lincoln&amp;oldid=1331838569|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
*[[Social Victorians/People/Eugenie of France|Empress Eugénie of France]] (5 May 1826 – 11 July 1920)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-11-18|title=Eugénie de Montijo|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eug%C3%A9nie_de_Montijo&amp;oldid=1322973534|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* [[Social Victorians/People/Elisabeth of Austria|Empress Elisabeth of Austria]] (24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-09|title=Empress Elisabeth of Austria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Empress_Elisabeth_of_Austria&amp;oldid=1332040784|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* &quot;Lady Augusta Bruce, lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria’s mother, and already [by 1853] a great friend of the Queen’s, attended [Eugénie and Napoleon's] wedding at Notre-Dame&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot;&gt;Wilson, A. N. ''Victoria: A Life''. Penguin, 2014. Apple Books:  https://books.apple.com/us/book/victoria/id828766078.&lt;/ref&gt; (325 of 1204)

=== Enemies ===

== Organizations ==
[[Social Victorians/Victoria/Queen's Household|Queen's Household]]

== Pastimes ==
* [[Social Victorians/Royals Amateur Theatricals | Amateur Theatricals with the Royal Family]], often at Balmoral or Osborne

== Timeline ==
This Timeline includes both a list of signal events in Queen Victoria's social life and a separate [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Her Dresses|chronological list of the dresses]] as they appear in her painted and photographed portraits. Information about what she wore at particular events might be in both places.

'''1835''', Rosie Harte in ''The Royal Wardrobe'' says,&lt;blockquote&gt;In 1835, Victoria first met the French Princess Louise, who had recently married her uncle Leopold and whose continental wardrobe fascinated the young Princess. Victoria’s addiction to French wares began with little gifts and accessories, before eventually Louise was supplying her with full outfits of pastel-toned silk dresses and matching bonnets, which Victoria swooned over in her diary: ‘They are quite lovely. They are so well made and so very elegant.’&lt;sup&gt;18&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;sup&gt;&quot;18 RA VIC/MAIN/QVJ (W) 17 September 1836.&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;ref&gt;Harte, Rosie. ''The Royal Wardrobe: Peek into the Wardrobes of History's Most Fashionable Royals''. &lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|270 of 595}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1836 May 18''', Victoria and Albert met for the first time. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;On this particular day that Albert first set eyes upon her, there’s also cause to suspect that we can identify the very gown Victoria was wearing. The reason is that she was a great hoarder of the clothes worn on significant occasions, and the Royal Collection today still contains a high-waisted, dark-coloured, tartan velvet dress. With short puffed sleeves worn just off the shoulder, its style dates it to exactly the right period.&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;21 Staniland (1997) p. 92&quot;}} [new paragraph] The tartan was important, for despite the fact she had never been there Victoria had fallen passionately in love with the country of [129–130] Scotland. This had happened four months previously when she’d devoured Sir Walter Scott’s ''The Bride of Lammermoor''. In it, a fearsome Scottish lord feasts upon the human flesh of his tenants, shocking observers when he throws back ‘the tartan plaid with which he had screened his grim and ferocious visage’.&lt;sup&gt;22&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;22 Scott (1819; 1858 edition) p. 368&quot;}} ‘Oh!’ Victoria panted in her journal, ‘Walter Scott is my beau ideal of a Poet; I do so admire him both in Poetry and Prose!’&lt;sup&gt;23&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;23 RA QVJ/1836: 1 November&quot;}} ‘Grim and ferocious’ does not sound like a particularly winsome look. Yet Victoria, at odds with the authority figures in her life, wanted to demonstrate independence and maturity through her dark, tartan gown. Casting aside the white or pink muslin dresses that had previously dominated her wardrobe, she was going through a phase and adopting a look that in our own times we might call goth.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot;&gt;Worsley, Lucy. ''Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life''. St. Martin's Press, Hodder &amp; Stoughton, 2018.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|129–130 of 786; nn. 21, 22, 23, p. 653}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1837 June 20''', Victoria acceded to the throne.&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-09-28|title=Queen Victoria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Queen_Victoria&amp;oldid=1313837777|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; She put on a white dressing gown to hear the news, and then she changed to a black dress, because she was in mourning for the death of William IV, to begin her work. Worsley says that in spite of contemporary reports, Victoria did not cry:&lt;blockquote&gt;'The Queen was not overwhelmed,’ Victoria [later] claimed, and was ‘rather full of courage, she may say. She took things as they came, as she knew they must be.’&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;28 Theodore Martin, Queen Victoria as I Knew Her, London (1901) p. 65&quot;}} [new paragraph] Even her grief for her uncle had to be kept measured. ‘Poor old man,’ she thought, ‘I feel sorry for him, he was always personally kind to me.’&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;29 RA VIC/MAIN/QVLB/19 June 1837&quot;}} Yet there was no time to mourn. Victoria quickly returned to her maid’s room to be dressed. She already had a black mourning gown just waiting to be put on. Still remaining at Kensington Palace to this day, this dress is a tiny garment, with an extraordinarily small waist and cuffs. With it, she wore a white collar and, as usual, ‘her light hair’ was ‘simply parted over the forehead’.&lt;sup&gt;30&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;30 Anon., The Annual Register and Chronicle for the Year 1837, London (1838) p. 65&quot;}} Her girlish appearance explains quite a lot of the indulgence and romance with which her reign was greeted. It also meant that she would consistently be underestimated.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|148 of 786; nn. 28, 29, 30, p. 656}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1838 June 28, Victoria's Coronation'''. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;For her journey to Westminster Abbey, Victoria was wearing red robes over a stiff white satin dress with gold embroidery. She had a ‘circlet of splendid diamonds’ on her head. Her long crimson velvet cloak, with its gold lace and ermine, flowed out so far behind her little figure that it became a ‘very ponderous appendage’.&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;2 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 82&quot;}} Harriet, the beautiful and statuesque Duchess of Sutherland, Mistress of the Robes, was responsible for Victoria’s appearance. This ‘ponderous’ mantle must have made her anxious, and indeed it would get in the way and cause kerfuffle all day long. The stately duchess rather dwarfed the queen when they stood side by side, and Victoria was slightly jealous of Harriet’s habit of flirting with Melbourne. But she did trust her surer dress sense. Onto [160–161] Victoria’s little feet went flat white satin slippers fastened with ribbons.&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;3 Staniland (1997) p. 114&quot;}}&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|160–161; nn. 2, 3, p. 659}}

Victoria gasped at the sight that met her within. Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, one of the young ladies carrying the queen’s train, noticed that ‘the colour mounted to her cheeks, brow and even neck, and her breath came quickly.’&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;29 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 82&quot;}} ‘Splendid’, Victoria thought the congregation, many of them, like herself, swathed in red velvet, ‘the bank of Peeresses quite beautiful, all in their robes’.&lt;sup&gt;30&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;30 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}} Among a host of impressive outfits, that of the Austrian ambassador was particularly noteworthy. Even the heels of his boots were bejewelled. One lady thought that he looked like he’d ‘been caught out in a rain of diamonds, and had come in dripping!’&lt;sup&gt;31&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;31 Grace Greenwood, ''Queen Victoria, Her Girlhood and Womanhood'', London (1883) p. 117&quot;}}

Victoria was accompanied not only by the young ladies who were to carry her train, but also by the Duchess of Sutherland as Mistress of the Robes, who ‘walked, or rather stalked up the Abbey like Juno; she was full of her situation.’&lt;sup&gt;32&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;32 Ralph Disraeli, ed., ''Lord Beaconsfield’s Correspondence with His Sister'', London (1886 edition) p. 109&quot;}} Throughout the whole ceremony the Bishop of Durham stood near to the queen, supposedly to guide her through the ritual. But he proved to be hopelessly unreliable. The unfortunate bishop ‘never could tell me’, Victoria recorded later, [169–170] what was to take place’. At one point, he was supposed to hand her the orb, but when he noticed that she had already got it, he was left, once again, ‘so confused and puzzled’.&lt;sup&gt;33&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;33 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}}

Another hindrance came in the form of the trainbearers’ dresses. Their ‘little trains were serious annoyances’, wrote one of their number, ‘for it was impossible to avoid treading upon them … there certainly should have been some previous rehearsing, for we carried the Queen’s train very jerkily and badly, never keeping step properly’.&lt;sup&gt;34&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;34 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 82&quot;}} It was the Duchess of Richmond, not the stylish Sutherland, who had signed off the design of the bearers’ dresses, and she found herself ‘much condemned by some of the young ladies for it’. But the Duchess of Richmond had decreed that she would ‘have no discussion with their Mammas’ about what they were to wear. An executive decision was the only way to get the design agreed.&lt;sup&gt;35&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;35 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|169–170 of 786; nn. 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, p. 660–661}}

[After the peers swore homage] it was now time for a change of dress, to mark the beginning of Victoria’s transformation from girl to sovereign. Retreating to a special robing room, she took off her crimson cloak and put on ‘a singular sort of little gown of linen trimmed with lace’. This white dress represented her purified, prepared state.

When she re-entered the abbey, she did so bare-headed. ... Then at last came the very moment of ‘the Crown being placed on my head – which was, I must own, a most beautiful impressive moment; all the Peers and Peeresses put on their Coronets at the same instant.’&lt;sup&gt;41&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;41 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}} The sound of this moment of the lifting of the coronets had been heard at coronations going back to the Middle Ages, and was once exquisitely described as ‘a sort of feathered, silken thunder’.&lt;sup&gt;42&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;42 Benjamin Robert Haydon, ''The Diary of Benjamin Robert Haydon'', Cambridge, MA (1960) p. 350&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|172 of 786; nn. 41, 42, p. 661}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

Her coronation robes were &quot;specially woven in the Spitalfields silk-weaving area of London,&quot; like her wedding dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot;&gt;Goldthorpe, Caroline. ''From Queen to Empress: Victorian Dress 1837–1877''. An Exhibition at The Costume Institute 15 December 1988 – 16 April 1989. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1988. ''Google Books'': https://www.google.com/books/edition/From_Queen_to_Empress/UJLxwwrVEyoC.&lt;/ref&gt; (15)

'''1840 February 10''', Victoria and Albert married at the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-07-11|title=Wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wedding_of_Queen_Victoria_and_Prince_Albert&amp;oldid=1300012890|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;She had her hair dressed in loops upon her cheeks, and a ‘wreath of orange flowers put on.’ Her dress was ‘a white satin gown, with a very deep flounce of Honiton lace, imitation of old’.&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|1=&quot;21 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February [QVJ = Queen Victoria's Journals]&quot;}}

This simple cream gown of Victoria’s was a dress that launched a million subsequent white weddings. She broke with monarchical [238–239] convention by rejecting royal robes in favour of a plain dress, with just a little train from the waist at the back to make it appropriate for court wear.&lt;sup&gt;22&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;22 Staniland (1997) p. 118&quot;}} It was a signal that on this day she wasn’t Her Majesty the Queen, but an ordinary woman. She wore imitation orange blossom [sic] in her hair in place of the expected circlet of diamonds. She’d had the lace for the dress created by her mother’s favoured lacemakers of Honiton, in Devon, as opposed to the better-known artisans of Brussels. A royal commission like this was a welcome boost – then as now – to British industry.&lt;sup&gt;23&lt;/sup&gt; &quot;{{rp|23 Ibid., p. 120&quot;}} This piece of lace would become totemic for Victoria. She would preserve it, treasure it and indeed wear it until the end of her life.

Victoria had personally designed the dresses of her bridesmaids, giving a sketch to her Mistress of the Robes, still Harriet, Duchess of Sutherland.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|238–239 of 786; nn. 21, 22, 23, p. 674}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

=== Formatting ===
The Royal Collection has the sketch Victoria made.&lt;blockquote&gt;The bridesmaids wore white roses around their heads, with further blooms pinned to the tulle overskirts of their dresses. Victoria’s opinion was that they ‘had a beautiful effect’, but others disagreed.&lt;sup&gt;36&lt;/sup&gt; [36 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February] Used to seeing golden tassels, velvet robes and colourful jewels at royal ceremonies, onlookers thought that the trainbearers ‘looked like village girls’.&lt;sup&gt;37&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;37 Wyndham, ed. (1912) p. 297&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|243–244 of 786; nn. 36, 37, p. 674}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;The aristocrat who thought the bridesmaids &quot;looked like village girls&quot; was Sarah Spencer, Lady Lyttelton.&lt;ref&gt;The Hon. Mrs Hugh Wyndham, ed., ''The Correspondence of Sarah Spencer, Lady Lyttelton, 1787–1870''. London, 1912. Cited in Worsley, p. 629 [of 786].&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;

At the coronation her train had been too long to handle, but now there was the opposite problem. The long back part of Victoria’s white satin skirt, trimmed with orange blossom, was ‘rather too short for the number of young ladies who carried it’ and they ended up ‘kicking each other’s heels and treading on each other’s gowns’.&lt;sup&gt;50&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|50 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 112}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|246 of 786; n. 50, p. 675}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;Victoria changed from the wedding dress to something for her trip back to Buckingham Palace [check that it's Buckingham]:&lt;blockquote&gt;Then [after the ceremony] she went to change, putting on ‘a white [249–250] silk gown trimmed with swansdown’, and a going-away bonnet trimmed with false orange flowers that still survives to this day at Kensington Palace.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|249–250 of 786}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

The 1855 photograph of QV's 1840 going-away bonnet is in the Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/58/collection/2905582/bonnet-worn-by-queen-victoria-at-her-marriage]. Victoria changed to a different dress for the evening.&lt;blockquote&gt;The gown that Victoria wore that evening was possibly the plainer, and very slender, cream silk one surviving in the Royal Collection with a traditional association with her wedding evening. If she did wear it for that first dinner together, then she could hardly have eaten a thing. It laced even tighter than her wedding dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|251 of 786}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;QV was sick by the time the long day of highly formal ritual was over:&lt;blockquote&gt;But there would be no ritual undoing by the groom of his bride’s ethereal gown. That, as always, had to be done by Victoria’s dressers. ‘At ½ p.10 I went and undressed and was very sick,’ she says. These women, the bedrock of her life, ever present, ever watchful, must have been with her as she finished retching and went into the bedchamber, where ‘we both went to bed; (of course in one bed), to lie by his side, and in his arms, and on his dear bosom’.&lt;sup&gt;72&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;72 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|252 of 786; n. 72, p. 676}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
The separation between how finely QV was dressed and what it looked like to people, including both the effect of physical distance and the effect of the distance between what people expected a queen to wear and what QV wore. Also, QV's appeal &quot;to the respectable slice of opinion at society’s upper middle&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;'I saw the Queen’s dress at the palace,’ wrote one eager letter-writer, ‘the lace was beautiful, as fine as a cobweb.’ She wore no jewels at all, this person’s account continues, ‘only a bracelet with Prince Albert’s picture’.&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;28 Mundy, ed. (1885) p. 413}} This was in fact [240–241] completely incorrect. Albert had given her a huge sapphire brooch, which she wore along with her ‘Turkish diamond necklace and earrings’.&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;29 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February}} '''It was the beginning of a lifetime trend for Victoria’s clothes to be reported as simpler, plainer, less ostentatious than they really were. The reality was that they were not quite as ostentatious as people expected for a queen.''' This is really what they meant by their descriptions of her clothes as austere, and pleasingly middle-class. In other countries, members of the middle classes would join the working classes on streets and at barricades and bring monarchies tumbling down. '''But in Britain, part of the reason this did not happen is that Victoria, her values and her low-key style appealed with peculiar power to the respectable slice of opinion at society’s upper middle.''' And so, dressed but not overdressed, the unqueenly looking queen was ready for her wedding day to begin.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|240–241; nn. 28, 29; p. 674}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;Her wedding dress was &quot;specially woven in the Spitalfields silk-weaving area of London,&quot; like her coronation robes.&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt;{{rp|15}}&lt;p&gt;

'''1840''', QV's first pregnancy, with Vicky, and a relic petticoat with blood from her first birth:&lt;blockquote&gt;She had left off wearing stays, becoming ‘more like a barrel than anything else’.&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;21 Stratfield Saye MS, quoted in Longford (1966) p. 76&quot;}} Victoria herself, although she felt well, ‘unhappily’ had to admit that she was ‘a great size’.&lt;sup&gt;22&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;22 RA VIC/MAIN/QVLB/10 November 1840&quot;}} '''A fine cotton lawn petticoat from this early married period''', which once had the same dimensions as her wedding dress, shows evidence of having been let out around its high empire waist, quite possibly to accommodate this pregnancy.&lt;sup&gt;23&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;23 In the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection, Historic Royal Palaces.&quot;}} The work was done with tiny stitches as if by the needle of a fairy. There were many hands available in Victoria’s wardrobe department, and indeed no shortage of clothes either. '''This particular petticoat survives because it was given away after becoming soiled with blood.''' She also had an expandable dressing gown for pregnancy, of thin white cotton, with ‘gauging tapes’ to widen the waist as pregnancy progressed.&lt;sup&gt;24&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;Staniland (1997) p. 126&quot;}}&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|262 of 786; nn. 21, 22, 23, 24, p. 678}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1840 November 21''', Victoria went into labor with Vicky.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|255 of 786}} Her dress:&lt;blockquote&gt;Early on in labour, Victoria would have been given a dose of castor oil to empty her bowels, to avoid ‘exceedingly disagreeable’ consequences later. She would have worn her loose dressing gown over a chemise and bedgown ‘folded up smoothly to the waist’ and beneath that, ‘a petticoat’. Stays were absent, despite the common belief among women that wearing them during labour would ‘assist’, by ‘affording support’. The latest medical advice was that this was ‘improper’.&lt;sup&gt;36&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;36 Bull (1837) pp. 130–2&quot;}} The chemise that Victoria was wearing would acquire special lucky significance for her. Nine childbirths later, she’d still insist upon donning the exact same one.&lt;sup&gt;37&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;37 Dennison (2007) p. 2&quot;}}&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|265 of 7886; nn. 36, 37, p. 679}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1843, around''', Albert &quot;cut [Victoria's] dress expenditure down from £5,000 to £2,000 a year&quot; in order to put money away for later.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|299 of 786}}

'''1843 May 19''', QV wrote in her journal that she dressed &quot;all in white and had my wedding veil on, as a shawl,&quot; for Vicky's christening.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|270 of 786; n. 63, p. 681 of 786}}

'''1849''', Duleep Singh &quot;surrendered&quot; the Koh-i-nûr necklace to England.&lt;ref name=&quot;:17&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/406698/queen-victoria-1819-1901|title=Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-73) - Queen Victoria (1819-1901)|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-03-06}}&lt;/ref&gt;

'''1854''', Queen &quot;Victoria's spending on her wardrobe had crept up again, to roughly £6,000 annually, or six times a very good annual income for a professional gentleman.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|311 of 786}}

'''1854''', when QV met Duleep Singh, &quot;the woman the Maharaja saw before him still looked younger than her [310–311] thirty-five years. In the photograph, at least, her hair shines, she hardly looks like a mother of eight and her white dress is demure and girlish.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|310–311}}

'''1855 April 16–''', Empress Eugénie and Napoleon III of France began a 5-day visit to the U.K.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot;&gt;Goldstone, Nancy. ''The Rebel Empresses: Elisabeth of Austria and Eugénie of France, Power and Glamour in the Struggle for Europe''. Little, Brown, 2025.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|276}}

'''1855 August 18–28 or so''', Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, Princess Royal Vicky and Prince of Wales Bertie visited Paris and the Exposition Universelle.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt;{{rp|287}} Caroline Goldthorpe says,&lt;blockquote&gt;For the state entry of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert into Paris in 1855, the Queen wore a dress of white Spitalfields silk, its design representing an English flower garden (figure 2). While in Paris, however, she attended a ball at the Hôtel de Ville, wearing &quot;my diamond diadem with the Koh-i-noor in it, a white net dress, embroidered with gold and (as were all my dresses) very full. It was very much admired by the Emperor and the ladies. The Emperor asked if it was English; I said No, it had been made on purpose in Paris.&quot; In addition / to the ball gown, made in France as a diplomatic gesture, she evidently wore both English and French silks for less public occasions.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (15, 17) [The English-made Spitalfields-silk dress is at tthe Museum of London.]&lt;/blockquote&gt;A. N. Wilson suggests that the sense that Victoria was dowdy is down in part to &quot;the exacting standards of Parisian journalists&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;They went to the opera and displayed the difference between a true-born queen and a parvenue empress. When the national anthems had been played, the Empress looked behind her to make sure that her chair was in place. The Queen of England, confident that the chair would be there, sat down without turning. Mary Bulteel, her Maid of Honour who noticed this detail, was also able to reassure Eugénie’s baffled entourage that the Queen was always ‘badly dressed’. It did not prevent Victoria from being unaffectedly enraptured by Eugénie’s range of gorgeous outfits. Victoria adored the Empress and it was a friendship which lasted for life. ‘Altogether,’ she told her diary, ‘I am delighted to see how much my Albert likes and admires her, as it is so seldom I see him do so with any woman.’&lt;sup&gt;27&lt;/sup&gt; (&quot;27 Quoted Edith Saunders, ''A Distant Summer'', p. 49.&quot;) Perhaps it was so, or perhaps he was being polite. The Queen’s dowdiness and (by the exacting standards of Parisian journalists) poor dress sense were more than outshone by the splendour of her jewels.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (365 of 1204)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1857 August 6–''', Eugénie and Napoleon visit QV again. QV describes how Eugénie is dressed. Wilson says of the admiring precision of QV's descriptions of Eugénie's dresses,
&lt;blockquote&gt;The wistfulness with which Victoria described Eugénie’s outfits whenever the two met is touching. She was the Queen of England and could have afforded the finest couturier; but she was tiny, increasingly rotund, much of the time depressed or petulant. Her homely dress sense reflected a growing dissatisfaction with her appearance: clothes were for swathing a body which was by any ordinary standards a very peculiar shape, not for adorning it or drawing it to people’s attention.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (389 of 1204)&lt;/blockquote&gt;
And maybe she just wasn't very good at style. Evidence from later suggests she had an appreciation for fine fabrics and laces.

'''1858, June''', when Victoria began wearing a crinoline cage. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;She had attended reviews of her troops increasingly often as they came shipping back from Crimea. For the purpose, she often wore the superbly tailored outdoor wear that suited her much better than frou-frou evening gowns. Her self-adopted ‘uniform’ was a scarlet, made-to-measure military-style jacket combined with the skirt of a riding habit. Albert had a matching outfit too, its chest padded out to simulate the muscles that his sedentary lifestyle had failed to give him. [361–362] [new paragraph] Today, though, as she was travelling by carriage, Victoria wore a dark cloak over her now-customary daywear of the crinolined skirt. She’d held out until the end of the 1850s before adopting this novel steel structure to puff out the skirt, which was widely thought to be an ‘indelicate, expensive, hideous and dangerous article’.&lt;sup&gt;19&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;19 ''Punch, Or the London Charivari'' (8 August 1863) p. 59&quot;}} A crinoline, or ‘cage’, could swing the skirts out so unexpectedly that they caught fire, or got stuck in carriage wheels. But the stylish Empress Eugénie, whom Victoria much admired, is said to have popularised the crinoline during an 1855 visit to England. ‘Carter’s Crinoline Saloon’ opened soon afterwards, offering London ladies not only the crinoline but also the new ‘elastic stays … as worn by the Empress of the French’.&lt;sup&gt;20&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;20 “Adburgham (1964) p. 93&quot;}} Victoria nevertheless resisted the fashion until a heatwave three years later made her feel that her customary stiff muslin petticoats were ‘unbearable’. ‘Imagine!’ she wrote, to her married daughter in Germany, ‘since 6 weeks I wear a “Cage”!!! What do you say?’&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;21 RA VIC/ADDU/32, p. 178 (21 July 1858)&quot;}} Having realised how convenient it was, she now only took her crinoline off to go sailing.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|361–362, nn. 19, 20, 21, p. 696}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1861 December 14''', Prince Albert, Prince Consort died.&lt;ref name=&quot;:2&quot; /&gt; According to Julia Baird&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria decreed that the entire court would mourn for an unprecedented official period of two years. (When this ended, her ladies and daughters could discard the black and wear half mourning, which was gray, white, or light purple shades.) Many of her subjects decided to join them in mourning. Her ladies were draped in jet jewelry and crêpe, a thick black rustling material made of silk, crimped to make it look dull.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot;&gt;Baird, Julia. ''Victoria the Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire''. Random House, 2016. Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/victoria-the-queen/id953835024.&lt;/ref&gt; (585 of 1203)&lt;/blockquote&gt;After Albert's death Queen &quot;Victoria never attended or held another public ball.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (592 of 1203)

'''1863 March 10''', Bertie (Albert Edward, Prince of Wales) and Alix (Alexandra) married in St. George's Chapel, Windsor. QV, who sat high up and out of the way, wore widow's weeds,  &quot;the blue sash and star of the Order of the Garter&quot; and (according to Lord Clarendon) &quot;a cap ‘more hideous than any I have yet seen.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|495 of 1204}}

'''1865 April 15''', Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Eugénie's was among the first letters of condolence from a head of state that Mary Todd Lincoln got; Victoria's was dated the day after Eugénie's.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt;{{rp|555 of 909}}

'''1866–1871''', [[Social Victorians/People/Princess Louise | Princess Louise]] was Victoria's private secretary.

'''1866 February''', QV opened Parliament for the first time since Albert's death.&lt;blockquote&gt;She wore plain evening dress, with a small diamond and sapphire coronet on top of her widow’s cap. The wind whipped her veil as she rode silently in an open carriage past curious crowds, many of whom had not glimpsed her for years.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (609 of 1203)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1866 February 6''', Princess Helena's wedding to Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. QV wrote in her journal that it &quot;was 'an ''execution''&lt;nowiki/&gt;' to which she was 'dragged in ''deep mourning''.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot;&gt;Longford, Elizabeth. ''Queen Victoria''. The History Press, 2011 (1999). Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/queen-victoria-essential-biographies/id1142259733.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|118 of 223}} Instead of a crown she wore a black widow's cap. 

'''1867 Spring''', annual exhibition at the Royal Academy, which included a large canvas by Sir Edwin Landseer that QV had commissioned as &quot;Shadow&quot; to show her grief. It was called ''Her Majesty at Osborne, 1866''. The center of this painting is dominated by black.&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In it, the queen [sits] sidesaddle on a sleek dark horse, dressed in her customary black. She [is] reading a letter from the dispatch box on the ground, next to her dogs. Opposite [is] a tall figure in a black kilt and jacket solemnly holding [634–635] the horse’s bridle. ...&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;It caused a scandal. The ''Saturday Review'' art critic wrote: &quot;If anyone will stand by this picture for a quarter of an hour and listen to the comments of visitors he will learn how great an imprudence has been committed.&quot; It was not long before the gossip became crude: Were the queen and Mr. Brown lovers? Was she pregnant with his child? Had they secretly married? In 1868, an American visitor said he was gobsmacked by constant, crass jokes about the queen commonly referred to as &quot;Mrs. Brown.&quot; &quot;I have been told,&quot; he wrote, &quot;that the Queen was insane, and John Brown was her keeper; the Queen was a spiritualist, and John Brown was her medium.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Victoria adored the painting and ordered an engraving.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (634–635 of 1203)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1871 March 21''', Princess Louise and John Campbell, Marquis of Lorne, were married.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Supplement.&quot; ''The London Gazette'' 24 March 1871 (23720) Friday: 1587 https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/23720/page/1587.&lt;/ref&gt; QV wore rubies as well as diamonds.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|644 of 1203}}

'''1871, end of, around the time of Bertie's illness with typhoid, by this time''', according to Lucy Worseley, QV had decided never to wear color again (a decision she had made after the first year of full mourning Albert's death?) and had developed her &quot;brand.&quot; She had not made many personal appearances, but because of her photographs, the carte-de-visite with Albert, and her memoirs about the Highlands, she was known to her subjects:&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria was extraordinary in her dedication to black. If wearing mourning was a [413–414] demand for greater-than-usual understanding, it’s certainly true that she felt entitled to it for the rest of her life. Mourning was turned into a sort of disguise for her. It indicated that she was a victim, bereaved, which was a way of pre-empting criticism. And within the conventions of black, Victoria insisted that her clothes be cut in a way that she found comfortable and convenient: a bodice with only light boning, a skirt with capacious pockets. She no longer followed fashion; she had created a fashion all her own. [new paragraph] Victoria’s black clothing also had terrific ‘brand value’ in creating a recognisable royal image. Although she rarely appeared in person, Victoria’s physical appearance was more widely known than ever before. In 1860, she and Albert had taken the decision to allow photographs of themselves to be published on cartes de visite, highly collectible little rectangles of illustrated cardboard. Within two years, between three and four million of these cards depicting the queen had been sold. &lt;sup&gt;27&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|27 Plunkett (2003) p. 156.&quot;}} The people who bought them understood that they were in possession of something more potent than a lithograph or an engraving. The effect, in terms of making the queen’s subjects feel they ‘knew’ her, has been compared by the Royal Collection’s photography curator to the sensational 1969 television [414–415] documentary series, Royal Family.&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;28 Dimond and Taylor (1987) p. 20&quot;}} So even if Victoria had been bodily absent from public life for the last decade, in paper form she had been more present than ever.&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;29 ''The Photographic News'' (28 February 1862) quoted in Dimond and Taylor (1987) p. 22&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|413–414, nn. 27, 28. 29, p. 707}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1872 February 27''', thanksgiving service for Bertie's survival in St. Paul's Cathedral:&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria was bored in the church, and found St. Paul’s &quot;cold, dreary and dingy,&quot; but the roars of millions who stood outside in the cold under a lead-colored sky made her triumphant, and she pressed Bertie’s hand in a dramatic flourish. It was &quot;a great holy day&quot; for the people of London, ''The Times'' declared gravely. They wished to show the queen she was as beloved as ever. Their delight at seeing her in person was as much a cause for celebration as Bertie’s recovery.

This moment revealed something that Bertie would quickly grasp though his mother had not: the British public requires ceremony and pageantry, and the chance to glimpse a sovereign in finery. It was not a republic her subjects were hankering for, but a visible queen. As Lord Halifax said, people wanted their queen to look like a queen, with a crown and scepter: &quot;They want the gilding for their money.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|655 of 1203}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1878 December 14''', Princess Alice died.

'''1879 June 1''',&lt;ref name=&quot;:32&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-11-29|title=Louis-Napoléon, Prince Imperial|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Louis-Napol%C3%A9on,_Prince_Imperial&amp;oldid=1324821881|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Louis Napoleon, son of Eugénie, &quot;to whom Victoria ... had become devotedly attached, was killed in the Zulu War.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt;{{rp|432 of 555}}

'''1880 February 5''', Queen Victoria attended the state opening of Parliament. She wrote in her journal&lt;blockquote&gt;I wore the same dress, black velvet, trimmed with minniver, my small diamond crown &amp; long veil. Got in, at the Great Entrance, &amp; went in the new state coach which is very handsome with much gilding, a crown at the top, &amp; a great deal of glass, which enables the people to see me. ... Beatrice stood to my right, Leopold to my left. Bertie, Affie &amp; Arthur were all there.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (707 of 1204)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1881 April 19''', Benjamin Disraeli, Lord Beaconsfield died.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|title=Benjamin Disraeli|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Benjamin_Disraeli&amp;oldid=1335428395|journal=Wikipedia|date=2026-01-29|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

'''1882 March 2''',&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt; (152 of 223) the 7th and last assassination attempt on QV, by Roderick Maclean, another adolescent male possibly not intent on killer her, although his pistol was loaded.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt;{{rp|433 of 555}}

'''1882 April 27''', Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and Princess Helen of Waldeck married. &quot;The Queen celebrated by wearing white over her black dress for the first time since Albert’s death – it was her own white wedding veil.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|154 of 223}}

'''1883 March 17''', QV fell down stairs in Windsor, probably some marble stairs. She was &quot;lame until July.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;

'''1883 March 27''', QV's Scots servant John Brown died.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|title=John Brown (servant)|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Brown_(servant)&amp;oldid=1312942175|journal=Wikipedia|date=2025-09-23|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

'''1884 March 28''', Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany died.&lt;ref name=&quot;:1&quot; /&gt;

'''1886''', the general election of 1886, according to Lytton Strachey, &quot;the majority of the nation&quot; voted down Home Rule and Gladstone&lt;blockquote&gt;and placing Lord Salisbury in power. Victoria’s satisfaction was profound. A flood of new unwonted hopefulness swept over her, stimulating her vital spirits with a surprising force. Her habit of life was suddenly altered; abandoning the long seclusion which Disraeli’s persuasions had only momentarily interrupted, she threw herself vigorously into a multitude of public activities. She appeared at drawing-rooms, at concerts, at reviews; she laid foundation-stones; she went to Liverpool to open an international exhibition, driving through the streets in her open carriage in heavy rain amid vast applauding crowds. Delighted by the welcome which met her everywhere, she warmed to her work.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt;{{rp|439–440 of 555}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1887''', the Golden Jubilee. Strachey says that QV had begun wearing the color violet in her bonnet by now:&lt;blockquote&gt;Little by little it was noticed that the outward vestiges of Albert’s posthumous domination grew less complete. At Court the stringency of mourning was relaxed. As the Queen drove through the Park in her open carriage with her [444–445] Highlanders behind her, nursery-maids canvassed eagerly the growing patch of violet velvet in the bonnet with its jet appurtenances on the small bowing head.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (444–445 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;

QV wore a bonnet rather than a crown or widow's cap.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (822 of 1204) At dinner on the day of the procession, QV wore a dress, as she says, with &quot;the rose, thistle &amp; shamrock embroidered in silver on it, &amp; my large diamonds.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (824 of 1204)

'''1888 June 15''', Vicky's husband Emperor Frederick (Fritz) died.

'''1890 July 15''', Garden Party at Marlborough House with QV as the most important guest, with some description of QV's dress, more details in the descriptions of the dresses of some of the other women:&lt;blockquote&gt;But if not favoured with model &quot;Queen's weather,&quot; a good imitation set in as the Life Guards struck up &quot;God Save the Queen,&quot; and her Majesty descended the flight of steps on the Prince of Wales's arm, and slowly passed through the eager ranks of her assembled subjects. Her Majesty was conducted to a canopy at the lower end of the garden, and was soon surrounded by children and grandchildren; she walked with the aid of a stick, but did not appear to be troubled by rheumatism, and moved without difficulty. The Queen's dress was of black striped [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Broché|broché]], a lace shawl, and black bonnet, trimmed with white roses. She talked to people to right and left, and looked smiling and happy. ...

AN ACCOUNT OF SOME OF THE DRESSES.

Her Majesty was attired completely in black, with the slight relief of white flowers in her black bonnet.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;From One Who Was There.&quot; &quot;The Marlborough House Garden Party.&quot; ''Pall Mall Gazette'' 15 July 1890 (Tuesday): p. 5, Col. 1. ''British Newspaper Archive'' http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000098/18900715/016/0006 (Accessed April 2015).&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1891 January 14''', Albert Victor (Eddy), Bertie's and Alex's son, died of pneumonia.&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|190 of 223}}

'''1893 February 28, Tuesday, 3:00 p.m''', QV hosted a Queen's drawing-room at Buckingham Palace:&lt;blockquote&gt;Her Majesty wore a dress and train of rich black silk, trimmed with crape and chenille. Headdress and coronet of diamonds and pearls. Ornaments — Pearls. Her Majesty wore the Star and Ribbon of the Garter, the Orders of Victoria and Albert, the Crown of India, the Prussian Order, the Spanish and Portuguese Orders, the Russian Order of St. Catherine, and the Hessian and Bulgarian Orders.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;The Queen's Drawing Room.&quot; ''Morning Post'' 1 March 1893, Wednesday: 7 [of 12], Col. 6a–7c [of 7]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000174/18930301/072/0007. Same print title and p.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1895 December 14''', George and May's 2nd son, who would become Elizabeth II's father, was born. Thinking of the anniversary of Albert's and Alice's deaths, QV &quot;said that the child might be a gift of God.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|191 of 223}}

'''1896 September 26''', QV wrote in her journal, &quot;Today is the day on which I have reigned longer, by a day, than any English sovereign.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|191 of 223}}

'''1897 April 4''', QV vacations in Nice, as she did almost every year, and a little on her &quot;uniform&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;The pattern of her hotel days in Cimiez, an upmarket suburb on a hill behind Nice, was undemanding. She was dressed by the servants who were almost a second family. One of her wardrobe maids spent the night on call in the dressing room just next door to her bedroom.&lt;sup&gt;12&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;12 Stoney and Weltzien, eds. (1994) pp. 11–12&quot;}} At half past seven, the maid on the next shift would come into Victoria’s bedroom to open the green silk blinds and shutters. Her silver hairbrush, hot water, folded towels and sponges were all laid out by these wardrobe maids. Her pharmacist’s account book records the purchase of beauty products such as ‘lavender water’, ‘Mr Saunders’ Tooth Tincture’ and ‘cakes of soap for bath’.&lt;sup&gt;13&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;13 Royal Pharmaceutical Society, account book for ‘The Queen’ (1861–1869)&quot;}} [new paragraph] Victoria’s clothes were handled by the dressers, who were better paid than the maids. Their duties, ran Victoria’s instructions, included ‘scrupulous tidiness and exactness in looking over everything that Her Majesty takes [510–511] off … to think over well everything that is wanted or may be wanted’.&lt;sup&gt;14&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;14 Staniland (1997) p. 186&quot;}} Her black silk stockings with white soles had for decades been woven by one John Meakin, while Anne Birkin embroidered the garments with ‘VR’.&lt;sup&gt;15&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;15 Quoted in King (2007) p. 100&quot;}} Victoria grew fond of faithful servants like Anne, and even had Birkin’s portrait among her collection of photographs. Despite their sombre aspect, even her mourning gowns were finely made. She had settled into a series of very minor variations upon a square-necked bodice and skirt, customised with quirky little pockets for keys and seals, all cut pretty much the same to save her the trouble of fittings. On her head went a white cap, with streamers of lace, and round her neck a locket containing miniatures of two of her children: Alice, now lost to diphtheria, and Leopold, to haemophilia.&lt;sup&gt;16&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;16 Princess Marie Louise (1956) p. 141&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; {{rp|510–511; nn. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, p. 722}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
[[File:Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Service, 22 June 1897.jpg|alt=Old painting of very large crowd and an old woman dressed in black in a carriage in the center|thumb|Diamond Jubilee Thanksgiving Service on the Steps of St. Paul's]]

==== Diamond Jubilee ====
'''1897 June 22, Diamond Jubilee''', with Thanksgiving service on the steps of St. Paul's, painted in 1899 by Andrew Carrick Gow (right; better image at https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/queen-victorias-diamond-jubilee-service-22-june-1897-51041). QV stayed in the carriage for the service.

Worsley says, QV's dress had &quot;decorative 'panels of grey satin veiled with black net &amp; steel embroideries, &amp; some black lace'&quot;&lt;blockquote&gt;Rising from her bed, Victoria dressed, as always, in black. The crowds who saw her today would consider her ‘dress of black silk’ to be [532–533] modest and widowly, almost dingy. Her taste in clothing had become ever more subdued. Departing from Windsor Castle to travel to Buckingham Palace for these few days of the Jubilee, she’d been worried about the stains the sooty train to Paddington might leave on her outfit. ‘I could have cried,’ said the woman who ran the draper’s shop in Windsor, ‘to see Her Majesty start for the Jubilee in her second-best “mantle” – after all the beautiful things I had sent her.’7{{rp|7 Weintraub (1987) p. 581}}

If you’d had the chance to examine the queen’s outfit closely, though, you’d’ve seen that it was in fact sombrely splendid, her black cape embroidered with swirling silver sequins, huge pearls hanging from each ear and upon the gown itself decorative 'panels of grey satin veiled with black net &amp; steel embroideries, &amp; some black lace'.

Round her neck now went a ‘lovely diamond chain’, a Jubilee present from her younger children, while her ‘bonnet was trimmed with creamy white flowers &amp; white aigrette’.&lt;sup&gt;8&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|8 RA QVJ/1897: 22 June}} This bonnet, worn with resolution, had caused some upset. Her government had asked its queen to appear more … queenly. ‘The symbol that unites this vast Empire is a Crown not a bonnet,’ complained Lord Rosebery. But Victoria stoutly refused, and ‘the bonnet triumphed’. She would [533–534] wear it today, just as she’d worn it at her Golden Jubilee a decade before.&lt;sup&gt;9&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;9 Ponsonby (1942) p. 79&quot;}} The queen looked just like a ‘wee little old lady’. The only touch of colour about her black-clad figure was her ‘wonderful, blue, childlike eyes’.&lt;sup&gt;10&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|10 Smyth (1921) p. 99}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|532–534 of 786; nn. 7, 8, 9, 10, p. 727}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

One source somewhere, however, says there was some purple in her bonnet.

She carried &quot;a black chiffon parasol. It was a gift from the House of Commons, presented to her two days earlier by its oldest member, who was ninety-five.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|539 of 786}}

According to A. N. Wilson, QV was &quot;dressed in grey and black&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;In the case of Queen Victoria, the intensity of crowd reaction was especially strong, because she made public parade of herself so seldom. The emotional atmosphere was overpowering on that hot, sunny day. The Queen, dressed in grey and black, but smiling and bowing, held a parasol above her and bowed her smiling head to left and right as the landau passed through the streets of London – Constitution Hill, to Hyde Park Corner; then along [976–977] Piccadilly, down St James's Street to Pall Mall, past all the clubs, into Trafalgar Square, up the Strand and into Ludgate Hill to St Paul’s.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|976–977 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

The bonnet QV wore for the Diamond Jubilee Procession was decorated with diamonds according the ''Lady's Pictorial'':&lt;blockquote&gt;I HEAR on reliable authority that, although the fact has hitherto escaped the notice of all the describers of the Diamond Jubilee Procession, the bonnet worn by the Queen on that occasion was liberally adorned with diamonds. It is a tiny bit of flotsam, but worth rescuing, as every detail of the historic pageant will one day be of even greater interest than it is now.&lt;ref name=&quot;:14&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;At least 3 official photographs show QV and made available as cabinet cards (2 anyhow) for this Jubilee:

# One was made in 1893 at the time of George and Mary's wedding. It was made by W. &amp; D. Downey and is in the Royal Collection (https://www.rct.uk/collection/2912658/queen-victoria-1819-1901-diamond-jubilee-portrait)
# One was made in July 1896 by Gunn &amp; Stuart and published as a cabinet card by  Lea, Mohrstadt &amp; Co. (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom_(by_Gunn_%26_Stuart,_1897).jpg&lt;nowiki/&gt;)
# One was made 5 days after the Jubilee Procession (so, on 27 June 1897).
# One was made by Mullen (according to the Royal Trust [#4]

'''1897 June 27, Sunday''' (or 5 days after the Jubilee procession), QV's official Jubilee photograph.&lt;blockquote&gt;at Osborne, Victoria had an official Jubilee photograph taken, wearing her Jubilee dress and, of course, her wedding lace.&lt;sup&gt;71:&quot;71 RA QVJ/1885: 27 July&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; The whole royal family was becoming familiar with manipulating its photographic image. In 1863, ''The Times'' reported that Vicky and Alice had themselves retouched their brother Bertie’s [551–552] wedding photos.&lt;sup&gt;72&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;:&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;sup&gt;&quot;72The Times, London (9 April 1863) p. 7, quoted in Plunkett (2003) p. 189&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; (The princesses really preferred sitting to an old-fashioned artist, like a sculptor, who excelled in ‘making them look like ladies, while the Photographs are common indeed’.&lt;sup&gt;73&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;: &quot;73 “RA VIC/ADDX/2/211, p. 29&quot;&lt;/sup&gt;) After each new photographic sitting, Victoria ‘carefully criticised’ the results.&lt;sup&gt;74&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;: &quot;74 “Private Life (1897; 1901 edition) p. 69&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; In her later photographs, like this Diamond Jubilee portrait, she was heavily retouched, a double chin removed, inches shaved off her waist. The Photographic News criticised a photo from her Golden Jubilee for making her look as if she had ‘oedematous disease’, a condition where the body bloats up with excess fluid. Her skin had been smoothed to the extent that she looked like a waxwork.&lt;sup&gt;75&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;: &quot;75 “Plunkett (2003) p. 192&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; &lt;sup&gt;fn 771, 72, 73, 74, 75, p. 731&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1897 June 28, Monday''', the Jubilee Garden Party at Buckingham Palace took place, with good weather and about 6,000 attendees.

The ''Lady's Pictorial'' gives detai about QV's dress:&lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen, whom every one delighted to see looking well and bright, evidently not at all the worse for the great doings of last week, was attired in black silk. The front of her dress was veiled with white chiffon, over which was a single tissue of black silken embroidered muslin, the embroidery in a small floral design, with inserted bands of openwork lace. The bodice was of black grenadine with tucks at either side, bordering a front of white chiffon veiled with black embroidered muslin, and the basque finished with a frill of pleated black chiffon. Round the hem were two frills of black chiffon festooned on, and each headed by a tiny puffing. Her Majesty’s cape was of black chiffon over white silk, fitting in slightly at the back to the figure, and finished in front with fichu ends. Round the cape were frills of white silk with over frills of black chiffon. The Queen’s bonnet was black relieved with white, and her Majesty had the sunshade presented to her by her oldest Parliamentary member, Mr. C. Villiers. It was of black satin draped with very fine real Chantilly lace, and with a frill of the same all round. It was lined with soft white silk, and the ebony handle terminated in a gun metal ball, on which was a crown and &quot;V. R. I.&quot; in diamonds.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;The Queen's Garden Party.&quot; ''Lady's Pictorial'' 3 July 1897, Saturday: 55 [of 76], Col. 2a [of 3]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005980/18970703/126/0055. Same print title, p. 27.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

The ''Globe'' described her with perhaps slightly less detail than the other women:&lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen appeared about half-past five in a carriage drawn by two cream-coloured ponies, and '''attended one''' outrider. The Princess of Wales was seated beside the Queen, and the Earl of Lathom walked beside the carriage. Her Majesty drove very slowly twice round the lawn, frequently stopping to speak to one or other of the guests.

The Queen was in black, with a good deal of jet on her mantle, and wore a white lace bonnet, and carried a black parasol, almost covered with white lace. The Princess of Wales was in white silk veiled in mousseline soie, worked over in silver and lace applique, and a mauve tulle toque with flowers to match. After driving round, the Queen entered the Royal tent, where refreshments were served by the Indian attendants. Her Majesty had on her right hand the Grand Duchess of Hesse, dressed in white, with black velvet and ribbons, and a large Tuscan hat, with black and white plumes; on her left the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, in mauve satin, and white aigrette in her bonnet. The Empress Frederick’s black broché gown had a collar of white lace, and her black bonnet was relieved by white flowers, and tied with white tulle strings.&lt;ref name=&quot;:22&quot;&gt;“The Queen’s Garden Party. Brilliant Scene at Buckingham Palace.” ''Globe'' 29 June 1897, Tuesday: 6 [of 8], Col. 3a–c [of 5]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001652/18970629/050/0006. Print p. 6.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|Col. 3b–c}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;From the ''North British Daily Mail'', &lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen was evidently in excellent health, and there was no trace whatever of the fatigues which she has recently undergone. Indeed she walked with greater ease than usual, and really had no need of the proffered help of her attendants. ... The Queen and her daughter were dressed in black, but the former had upon her bonnet a little trimming of delicate white lace, which somewhat toned down the sombre effect of the mourning. Two Highland attendants having taken their places in the rumble, one of them handed to the Queen a black and white parasol, and then the signal to start was given.&lt;ref name=&quot;:02&quot;&gt;&quot;Jubilee Festivities. The Queen Again in London. Interesting Functions. A Visit to Kensington. The Garden Party.&quot; ''North British Daily Mail'' 29 June 1897, Tuesday: 5 [of 8], Col. 3a–7b [of 9]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002683/18970629/083/0005. Print p. 5.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|Col. 3c}} ...

The Queen wore a black gauze gown over white, and a white lace bonnet.

The Princess of Wales wore white muslin over silk embroidered in silver and lace.

The Empress Frederick wore a black silk dress with a good deal of white lace about the bodice, and a black bonnet with white plumes.&lt;ref name=&quot;:02&quot; /&gt;{{rp|Col. 5c}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1897 June 30, Wednesday''', Royal Banquet at Buckingham Palace, with the Queen in a very ornate dress, with gold and jewels as well as the colors brought by the orders and ribbon of the Garter:&lt;blockquote&gt;over eighty Royal guests. The Queen herself was magnificent!y attired in black renaiscance moiré antique (it is a curious fact that her Majesty never wears satin or velvet, having an antipathy to touching these materials). The whole of the front of the dress was embroidered in a magnificent design with real gold thread. There was a waved band of gold in the pattern, enclosing suns and stars, all of gold, raised from the surlace of the silk; the suns had centres of jewels, and the whole design was richly jewelled, and was bordered at either side by coquillés of real lace. This embroidery was all wrought at Agra. The bodice was finished with a pointed stomacher of the gold and jewelled work, and across it her Majesty wore the blue riband of the Garter and many magnificent Orders.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Court &amp; Society Notes.&quot; ''Lady's Pictorial'' 3 July 1897, Saturday: 56 [of 76], Col. 2c [of 3]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005980/18970703/282/0056. Print title same, p. 28.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;The assertion that she never wore satin or velvet doesn't seem right (e.g., see Bassano 1882 dress).

'''1899''', Susan B. Anthony attended a reception at Windsor Castle and met QV: to look at &quot;her wonderful face&quot; was a &quot;thrill.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|852 of 1203}}

=== Her Dresses ===
#'''1822''': Wikipedia page #2, painting (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria), Victoria and her mother, Duchess of Kent, by William Beechey. Victoire is in mourning, Victoria is holding a portrait of her father. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/407169/victoria-duchess-of-kent-1786-1861-with-princess-victoria-1819-1901.
##&quot;After William Beechey.&quot; Wikimedia Commons, possibly a contemporary copy of the painting: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sir_William_Beechey_(1753-1839)_-_Victoria,_Duchess_of_Kent,_(1786-1861)_with_Princess_Victoria,_(1819-1901)_-_RCIN_407169_-_Royal_Collection.jpg
#'''1827''', an engraving of a bust of Victoria (from a 1908 book) by Plant, after Stewart's painted miniature: she is wearing family honors on the left shoulder of her dress; she is about 6 years old in this image; she looks like a princess. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Letters_Of_Queen_Victoria,_vol_1_-_H.R.H._The_Princess_Victoria,_1827.png
#'''1835 August 10 [maybe 1837?]''': print portrait of a teenaged QV published in Chapter 2 of Millicent Garrett Fawcett's 1895 ''Life of Her Majesty Queen Victoria'' (but possibly published in 1835 in a magazine?). QV's dress is in the off-the-shoulder romantic style with a high, Empire waist. She is wearing a 4-strand necklace, probably pearls, and large dangling earrings, with a 4-strand pearl bracelet on her right arm. She has a glove on her left hand, not elbow length but definitely longer than wrist length, and she is wearing a wire net-like headdress on the top of her head that contracted to contain and shape her hair. A very similar image was published in ''The Graphic'' on 26 January 1901 claiming that QV was 17; the image is not identical, but must have been made from the same sitting (the 1901 image is full length and her left hand is empty). The caption for the image from ''The Graphic'' — &quot;The Queen at the Age of Seventeen&quot; — says that it came from a painting by George Hayter.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://viewer.library.wales/5254866#?xywh=-3550,-523,12266,7776|title=The Life of Queen Victoria ... National Library of Wales Viewer|website=viewer.library.wales|language=en|access-date=2026-03-18}}&lt;/ref&gt; Wikimedia Commons 1895 image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Life_of_Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_-_Victoria_Aug_10th_1835.png. 1901 ''Graphic'' image, National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/5254866#?xywh=-3550%2C-523%2C12266%2C7776. Wikimedia Commons ''Graphic'' 1901 image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_life_of_Queen_Victoria_Claremont,_where_the_Queen_spent_the_happiest_days_of_her_childhood_-_the_South_side,_the_view_from_the_ballroom_;_the_Queen_at_the_age_of_seventeen_(from_the_painting_by_Sir_George_Hayter)_(5254866).jpg.
#'''1836''': print of Winterhalter portrait, QV surrounded by books, empire dress and jewelry. Very stylish and up-to-date fashion, off the shoulder, with some frou-frou, but not contrasting colors for the frou-frou. The skirt is divided into 2 parts at about the knees by a wide band of trim. This design with the divided skirt and non-contrasting frou-frou lasted her entire life (maybe with a break when Albert was alive?). She did it a lot but not exclusively, but enough for it to be characteristic. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Princess_Victoria_in_1836.png
#'''1837''': print of watercolor portrait&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2024-09-04|title=John Deffett Francis|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Deffett_Francis&amp;oldid=1244015737|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; by John Deffett Francis of Victoria, who was not queen yet: print &quot;to William 4th &amp; Leopold, King of Belgium&quot;; V is wearing a cap with a lacy edge around her face, with a wide-brimmed bonnet, trimmed with ribbon and a veil; no jewelry, dress is off the shoulder, fabric appears to be silk, with gathers, with a dark shawl trimmed with dark lace; she is holding a folding fan; dark slippers. Dash romping at her feet. Unostentatious outfit but appears to be exquisitely made with quality materials. Not loaded up with frou-frou, simply made but high-quality. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674631#?xywh=-1346%2C976%2C7852%2C4710; Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Most_Gracious_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(4674631).jpg
#'''1837 Summer''', probably: print by Richard James Lane of a watercolor by Alfred Edward Chalon. Idealized portrait of QV between the accession and the coronation. The portrait has her features but is not a good likeness. The British Museum description says, &quot;seated to left looking to right; wearing a lace collar, ruffled cape and black satin apron said to have been embroidered by herself, holding letter and handkerchief; on terrace with view of St George’s chapel, Windsor.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Her Majesty the Queen.&quot; O'Donoghue 1908-25 / Catalogue of Engraved British Portraits preserved in the Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum (108). Object: 1912,1012.76. 

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1912-1012-76&lt;/ref&gt; The bodice has huge sleeves, narrow at the wrist but puffing out over the elbows. The fabric of the dress looks like moiré. The black apron on her lap, though she may have embroidered it, seems odd, like why would the new queen wear an apron, even a decorative one? The plain hairstyle, the apron and what may be a bonnet on the tile floor to her left do not present her as regal but as simple and girly, perhaps as a contrast to the excesses of the prior courts. British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1912-1012-76. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Her_Majesty_the_Queen_(BM_1912,1012.76).jpg.
#'''1837 November''': portrait of QV standing in the royal box at the Drury Lane Theatre by Edmund Thomas Parris (this image is a contemporary copy of Parris's painting). Not a very strong likeness and so highly idealized that her clothing isn't readable. Also, the color may not be true; this copy may be too red. She has decorative gauntlets on her gloves, a transparent black lace shawl, the ribbon of the Order of the Garter, some tiara or diadem that could be the Fringe Tiara except that the metal is wrong, complicated lace things with dags at the turned-back cuffs. She is holding a few flowers in a bouquet holder and a lace-trimmed handkerchief; on the ledge in front of her are the program, with a bookmark, a folded fan and a folded material that might be supposed to be ermine? can't tell. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_at_the_theatre.jpg. This image was published in the 21 May 1887 ''Supplement to Pen and Pencil'': https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_in_1837_(BM_1902,1011.8639).jpg.
#'''1838''': etching of QV riding side saddle, caption says, &quot;Her Majesty the Queen on Her Favourite Charger '''Thxxx'''&quot;; published in 1840, after a painting by Ed. Curcould; etching by Fredk A. Heath; riding habit and top hat with veil, falling collar, tie may be 4-in-hand (Wikimedia Commons copy, from L. Strachey's 1921 biog: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Queen_Victoria_in_1838.png). British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/image/1454391001
#'''1838''', stipple engraving of a waist-up portrait of QV by James Thomson, yet another idealized coronation portrait not drawn from life. Filet in her hair with pendant pearl at the center part, pearl earrings and necklace we've never seen before. Neck length is highly flattering. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Majesty_the_Queen_Victoria_(4674629).jpg
#'''1838''': stipple engraving of a flattering portrait of QV by Frederick Christian Lewis, probably not drawn from life. She is wearing a bonnet with a large brim over a cap with lace ruffles, the brim is covered with gathered fabric, sort of a halo effect. The off-the-shoulder style of the dress was fashionable, as are the sloped shoulders. Dark shawl over a light dress. She is wearing light gloves. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674631#?xywh=2044%2C1782%2C928%2C588. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Most_Gracious_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(4674631).jpg
#'''1838''': 2 George Hayter portraits of QV, plus a painting of the coronation: 
##Portrait of QV with her hand on a Bible and light shining on her upturned face, wearing the white dress worn after the peers swore allegiance and before the crown is placed on her head. The St. Edward's crown is on 2 pillows with the scepter. She is wearing an enormous elaborate robe over a sheer, lacy white dress, but the complexity of the layers and perhaps the artistic license make it impossible to really describe how the garments were constructed. The gold brocade robe with fringed edges is spectacular but does not match Worsley's description of the robe QV wore as she entered the Abbey. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_taking_the_Coronation_Oath_by_George_Hayter_1838.jpg 
##in Wikimedia Commons called ''Queen Victoria Enthroned in the House of Lords''. It may not have been drawn from life; Hayter's painting of the wedding cannot really be seen as a historical record of what occurred, and so this may not have been what she wore at the coronation. QV seated on the lion's head chair or throne, with the St. Edward's crown on a table to her right. She is wearing the Diamond Diadem and the coronation necklace and earrings. She is wearing an ermine-lined red velvet robe tied together at the waist with a tasseled gold cord. A jeweled &quot;collar&quot; falls from her right shoulder to her waist and then goes back up to her left shoulder. Her dress is not the dress she wore to the coronation, white satin with gold embroidery. This one appears to be a silver and gold brocade with a deep gold fringe at the bottom. She is traditionally corseted. She has a white glove on her left hand, which rests on the other glove. The gloves are decorated with a double row of gathered lace. The heavily jeweled bodice is off the shoulder. The point of one satin slipper peeks out from under her skirt on the low footrest. Art UK: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/queen-victoria-18191901-enthroned-in-the-house-of-lords-50933. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_Throne.png.
##''The Coronation of Queen Victoria in Westminster Abbey, 28 June 1838,'' Hayter's large painting of the coronation, completed 1840.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/405409/the-coronation-of-queen-victoria-in-westminster-abbey-28-june-1838|title=Sir George Hayter (1792-1871) - The Coronation of Queen Victoria in Westminster Abbey, 28 June 1838|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-04-22}}&lt;/ref&gt; Hayter made drawings during the coronation ceremony and then recreated Westminster Abbey as he preferred, rather than painting what the Abbey actually looked like. QV is wearing the Imperial Crown of State, but this is the moment after the coronation when the peers put on their coronets. The painting has 64 individual portraits painted in their gowns and robes by Hayter later. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/405409/the-coronation-of-queen-victoria-in-westminster-abbey-28-june-1838; Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coronation_of_Queen_Victoria_28_June_1838_by_Sir_George_Hayter.jpg.
#'''1838''': Thomas Sully portrait of QV
##'''1838 May 15''': study for the full-length portrait by Thomas Sully, bust, bare shoulders, no clothing for analysis, but romantic and sensual, crown, possibly coronation necklace. &quot;This oil sketch was painted '''from during''' several sittings in the spring of 1838, just before the coronation, in preparation for a full-length portrait. Victoria, who wears a diamond diadem, earrings, and necklace, is said to have considered this a nice picture.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (11) Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/12702. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_MET_DT5422.jpg
##Full-length portrait, which QV sat for and which Sully finished after having returned to the US. Not sure which crown this is, neither of the coronation crowns. Very flattering of Victoria, who is in her state robe with a white dress. Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/14826. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Thomas_Sully_in_the_Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art.jpg.
##Copy from the Sully full-length portrait of head and bust by W. Warman, though not a faithful copy, as if he was copying the painting without having it in front of him. National Portrait Gallery: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw06507/Queen-Victoria. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_by_W._Warman_after_Thomas_Sully.jpg.
#'''1838''': engraved mezzotint print from a painting by Agostino Aglio the Elder (https://www.lelandlittle.com/items/384935/antique-portrait-of-a-young-queen-victoria/), which cannot have been painted from life. QV is dressed as if for her coronation, with the St. Edward's crown and the throne in the background. The face does not look like Victoria's, the dress with its ermine hem is not a representation of any dresses we're aware of, and the robe with its transparent falling sleeves is not the official coronation robe. The mezzotint by James Scott shows detail more clearly than the painting does, which is dark. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Queen_of_the_United_Kingdom.jpg
#'''1838 August 5''': engraving of QV, published in ''The News'' on this date, may not have been taken from life. She may be wearing the white satin with gold embroidery dress she wore to Westminster Abbey; the crown on her head is not the Imperial State Crown; she is wearing long earrings (which we've never seen before) and no necklace. The cape has a shorter layer on top, trimmed in bands of gold, it looks like, which we've also never seen before. Her right hand is wearing a glove, probably silk, pushed down to 3/4 length. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674621#?xywh=-2124%2C-568%2C8542%2C7730. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_(4674621).jpg  
#'''1839''': engraving of Edwin Landseer portrait of QV in a very flattering and fashionable riding habit, less masculine than some, ribbon and badge of the Order of the Garter, top hat with veil, corseted, with the jacket fitted, large sleeves to the elbow, fitted below the elbow; a peplum may be part of the jacket, can't tell; she may be riding side-saddle with the newly invented horn to stabilize the rider. It's a good likeness of Victoria. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Majesty_the_Queen-_1839_(4672716).jpg.  
#1840 February 10: QV's Wedding
##QV's wedding dress on a mannequin. Royal Collection Trust, 3 photos: https://www.rct.uk/collection/71975. Mary Bettans, QV's &quot;longest serving dressmaker,&quot; probably made this wedding dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/71975|title=Mary Bettans - Queen Victoria's wedding dress|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-15}}&lt;/ref&gt; The [https://thedreamstress.com/2011/04/queen-victorias-wedding-dress-the-one-that-started-it-all/ Dreamstress blog posting on QV's wedding dress] has clear photos of her shoes. The Royal Collection description says, in part, &quot;Wedding dress ensemble of cream silk satin; comprising pointed boned bodice lined with silk, elbow length gathered sleeves; deep lace flounces at neck and sleeves and plain untrimmed skirt en suite, gathered into waist with unpressed pleats.&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot; /&gt; The color of the dress is definitely not white now, but the RCT description doesn't suggest that the color has changed. The materials are &quot;Cream silk satin with Honiton lace&quot; and &quot;silk (textile), satin, flowers, lace.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot; /&gt; The &quot;flowers&quot; perhaps explains the wreath of artificial orange blossoms that the mannequin is wearing; the description doesn't say whether the headdress was the one worn by QV at the wedding.
##QV's watercolor sketch of her design for the bridesmaids' dresses: &quot;a white dress trimmed with sprays of roses on the bodice and skirt. A matching spray of roses is shown in her hair. She is wearing white gloves and holding a handkerchief in one hand.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/13/collection/980021-o/design-for-queen-victorias-bridesmaids-dresses|title=Explore the Royal Collection online|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-20}}&lt;/ref&gt; Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/13/collection/980021-o/design-for-queen-victorias-bridesmaids-dresses.
#1840–1842: George Hayter's painting of the moment in the wedding when QV and Albert clasp hands
##1840 February 10 – 1842: George Hayter's wedding portrait at the moment they clasped hands (what was commissioned), sketched at the time, portraits and background filled in later, not an actual depiction of what the chapel looked like, the environment sketched in before the ceremony and the people during the ceremony, followed by people sitting for their individual portrait within the larger painting. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/407165/the-marriage-of-queen-victoria-10-february-1840. Wikimedia Commons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Marriage_of_Queen_Victoria#/media/File:Sir_George_Hayter_(1792-1871)_-_The_Marriage_of_Queen_Victoria,_10_February_1840_-_RCIN_407165_-_Royal_Collection.jpg. Along with almost everybody else, both QV and Albert posed later for the portraits in the painting, QV in March 1840 in, as she says, &quot; Bridal dress, veil, wreath &amp; all.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/407165/the-marriage-of-queen-victoria-10-february-1840|title=Sir George Hayter (1792-1871) - The Marriage of Queen Victoria, 10 February 1840|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-19}}&lt;/ref&gt;
##A number of reproductions of all or part of Hayter's painting were made. Engraving after Hayter's wedding portrait: amazingly tight outfit on Albert, QV has long train with ladies holding it; QV's dress off the shoulder, very lacy: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marriage_of_Queen_Victoria_MET_MM78359.jpg
#'''1840 c.''': miniature of QV by Franz Winterhalter, very idealized; QV is wearing a large pendant on a gold-bead necklace with matching earrings and jeweled fillet, strands of diamonds wrapped around the coiled hair high on the back of her head. Her off-the-shoulder dress is white lace with yellow bows, very girly with an unusual amount of frou-frou. She is wearing a blue sash across her chest from left to right, perhaps the ribbon of the Order of the Garter? Something puffy and pink — perhaps a shawl? — is over the dress. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_La_reine_Victoria.jpg
#'''1840 c.''': mezzotint print of QV by T. W. Huffam, may not have been drawn from life, and not perfectly realistic. QV is wearing a cap on the back of her head and perhaps a double row of what might be pearls across the top of her head, with pearl drop earrings. Off-the-shoulders cream-colored dress with pleating around the neckline and from the waist down. Broach at the center of the neckline, ring on her left hand; possible heavy chain bracelet on her left wrist. Colorful red-and-blue patterned shawl; what may be the Ribbon of the Order of the Garter, but on the wrong shoulder (and color is too dark, but the color may not be true); probably an odd wadded-up handkerchief in her right hand, with a lacy edge. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674795#?xywh=935%2C2586%2C2207%2C1324. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Gracious_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(4674795).jpg
#'''1840''': QV and Albert return from the wedding at St. James's Palace
##1840 February 10: engraving by S. Reynolds (after F. Lock). May not have been made from life, the dress QV is wearing does not match the descriptions of any of the dresses she wore that day. Albert is dressed more or less the way he was for the wedding. This is an image of how she was imagined by the artist or perceived by the public, not how she looked. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wedding_of_Queen_Victoria_and_Prince_Albert.jpg
##F. Lock
#'''1840''': not very realistic illustration of Edward Oxford's assassination attempt on QV (illustration by Ebenezer Landells; lithograph by J. R. Jobbins). We see QV in white, with a yellow bonnet and something white streaming, veil or shawl, protected by heroic male figure, Albert? or the driver? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edward_Oxford_tries_to_shoot_Queen_Victoria_in_1840_by_JR_Jobbins.jpg
#'''1840''': 2 versions of what looks like the same portrait of QV by John Partridge, one painting in Dublin Castle and another in the Royal Collection Trust, both apparently made by Partridge with sittings in September and October 1840.&lt;ref name=&quot;:16&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/403022/queen-victoria-1819-1901|title=John Partridge (1790-1872) - Queen Victoria (1819-1901)|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-02-27}}&lt;/ref&gt; QV is in black formal dress with red background and objects associating her with Albert. The RCT description: &quot;The Queen, in a black evening dress with a black and silver head-dress, wears the ribbon and star of the Garter and the Garter round her left arm. She stands with her hand resting on a letter on the table. The gilt metal inkstand set with semi-precious stones was a present from Prince Albert to the Queen on her birthday, 24 May 1840. The bracelet on her right arm is set with a miniature portrait of Prince Albert by Sir William Ross for which the Prince had sat in February and March 1840 and the locket round her neck was given to her by Prince Albert.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:16&quot; /&gt; QV's modest, black velvet, off-the-shoulder dress is very Romantic. The puffed sleeves have a separate, fine lace ruffle that is shorter over the front of the arm and longer in back. She is holding a large white lace handkerchief and a folding fan.
##The Royal Collection Trust painting may have been restored or conserved differently because it is lighter and the background is much brighter red. Besides the interesting black headdress with a silver fringe on two levels, attached possibly to a bun on the back of her head, she is wearing a [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Ferronnière|ferronnière]] with a large brooch-like jewel piece in the center front. This version of the painting was probably a gift to Albert for Christmas 1840.&lt;ref name=&quot;:16&quot; /&gt; https://www.rct.uk/collection/403022/queen-victoria-1819-1901. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Partridge_1840.jpg.
##The painting in Dublin Castle is much darker and QV's necklace and headdress are different. In this case, she is wearing the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#The Diamond Diadem|Diamond Diadem]] rather than the less-official ferronnière. Dublin Castle: https://dublincastle.ie/the-state-apartments/queen-victoria/. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Dublin_Castle.jpg.
#'''1841''': print of drawing of QV, stylish and romantic look, braids loops around her ears, off the shoulders, corseted, wearing honors, elbow-length lace-edged sleeves, full skirts, holding folding fan and lacy handkerchief in her left hand, very stylish pointed waist: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_victoria_by_DESMAISONS,_PIERRE_EMILIEN_-_GMII.jpg
#'''1841''': watercolor miniature by George Freeman of a pretty good likeness of QV for Mrs Andrew Stevenson, the wife of the American ambassador. QV is in white evening dress, red shawl with orange trim, ribbon of the Order of the Garter, tiara on the back of her head, miniature of Albert on her right wrist, wedding ring, hair in braided loops in front of the ears, very lacy at the elbows and top of bodice but otherwise no frou-frou. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/421456/queen-victoria-1819-1901. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Miniature_portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_(1819-1901),_1841.jpg.
#'''1841 March 21''': mezzotint print of QV and Vicky as a baby (Ellen Cole made the original art, G. H. Phillips made the messotint, printmaker Henry Graves &amp; Co.)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://wellcomecollection.org/works/wthk5hpy|title=Queen Victoria with the infant Princess Victoria on her lap. Mezzotint by G.H. Phillips after E. Cole, 1841.|website=Wellcome Collection|language=en|access-date=2025-10-15}}&lt;/ref&gt;, unclear what kind of dress QV is wearing, could be morning dress or even negligé, although she is wearing jewelry and a cap, appears to be wearing a corset, but the fabric of this loose and flowing dress is very likely silk, some sheer, very feminine, limp lace ruffles, unstiffened silk; could be a christening outfit?, Vicky is also wearing sheer flowing fabric, has a cap with stiffened ruffle, around the neck, unstiffened ruffle: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_the_infant_Princess_Victoria_Adelaide_Wellcome_V0048381.jpg
#1842: portrait by Winterhalter of QV in her wedding dress. This pose is a recreation; the lower half of the skirt is lace covered. QV is facing left, holding a length of lace and a small bouquet of flowers. Tiara on the back of her head, pendant on a gold chain around her neck, perhaps the sapphire brooch, and rings. QV sat for the painting &quot;in June and July 1842. The Queen wears a dress of heavy ivory satin, enhanced by a bertha and a deep flounce of lace like those on her wedding dress (see Figure 39). Her jewelry includes a diadem of sapphires and diamonds, the huge sapphire-and-diamond brooch given to her by Prince Albert on their wedding day, and the Order of the Garter insignia.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (15) &quot;The portrait was completed in August and set into the wall of the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle. Winterhalter was immediately commissioned to paint at least three copies, and a number of others exist, including enamel miniatures that the Queen had made up into bracelets for her friends.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (15)
#'''1843''': portrait by Winterhalter, bust of QV, bare shoulders, hair has fallen down, simple jewelry, sensual, sexual, romantic: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter_(1805-73)_-_Queen_Victoria_(1819-1901)_-_RCIN_406010_-_Royal_Collection.jpg.
#'''1843''': flattering, fashion-illustration-style portrait by Winterhalter, QV is wearing the Diamond Diadem created for George IV and standing with the Imperial State Crown near her right hand, which means it's not a coronation recreation. She is wearing the mantle of the Garter with its jeweled chain-like collar and St. George hanging from it with the Garter on her left arm. Winterhalter did a companion portrait of Albert at the same time, and they are hanging in the Garter Throne Room in Windsor Castle.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/404388/queen-victoria-1819-1901-0|title=Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-73) - Queen Victoria (1819-1901)|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-02-06}}&lt;/ref&gt; Queen Victoria is wearing the Turkish diamonds necklace and earrings. She has bare shoulders and arms, suggestive of court or evening dress; besides the mantle of the Garter, she is wearing a white dress with a complex overdress that is open at the waist. The skirt of the white dress has gold threads (that might be brocade) with 7 horizontal graduated rows of a soutache-like trim around the bottom 2/3. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/404388/queen-victoria-1819-1901-0. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_1843.jpg.
#'''1843''': line and stipple engraving (by Skelton and Hopwood) of a painting by Eugène Modeste Edmond Lepoittevin. QV visiting Helene, Duchesse d'Orléans at the Château d'Eu (Eu, Normandy, France). Two of the Duchesse d'Orléans' sons are with her in the portrait; she appears to be in mourning with a lot of frou-frou and touches of white. QV is wearing a stylish, romantic (off the shoulder) dress with a small white ruffle at the neck, lacy cuffs at the wrist; the sleeves are divided by 2 rows above the elbow of some kind of 3-dimensional trim; below the elbow the sleeves are fitted. The skirt is very full; her hair is simple, pulled in front of her ears into a bun in the back, with no headdress; she is wearing little or no jewelry. National Portrait Gallery: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw145636/Visit-of-Queen-Victoria-to-the-Duchesse-DOrlans?LinkID=mp93326&amp;role=sit&amp;rNo=0. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Visit_of_Queen_Victoria_to_the_Duchess_of_Orleans.jpg.
#'''1845''': photograph of QV and Vicky, earliest photograph of them, Description from Royal Collection Trust: &quot;They are shown in three quarter view, facing left. The queen is wearing a dark coloured silk gown, with a white lace fichu, adorned with a brooch. The Princess Royal looks directly at the viewer and leans against her mother, nestled under her right arm. She is wearing a dark coloured silk dress, trimmed with white lace. She is wearing a pendant on a black ribbon around her neck, and is holding a doll in her arms.&quot; White v-shaped bodice front connected to the rest of the bodice. Copy from the Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/-/collection/2931317-c (Wikimedia Commons copy: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_the_Princess_Royal_Victoria_c1844-5.png)
#'''1846''': Winterhalter portrait of QV with Bertie, one of a pair of portraits by Winterhalter of QV and Prince Albert. QV is wearing an unusual, off-the-shoulder outfit, no crown but a headdress that is black lace, sheer, ruffled, attached above her ears, with a rose on the left side, no necklace but bracelets and rings and the Order of the Garter ribbon and star. The top of this dress may be a bustier rather than a bodice, resting on rather than attached to the skirt; it is boned and very smooth and comes to a deep point in front, emphasizing her small waist. The skirt may be in two layers, pink satin (to match the bustier or bodice) covered by a sheer black lace-and-tulle overskirt. Bertie is in long pants and a belted &quot;loose Russian blouse&quot; that falls to his knees.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/406945/queen-victoria-with-the-prince-of-wales|title=Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-73) - Queen Victoria with the Prince of Wales|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-03-26}}&lt;/ref&gt; The portrait was a gift to Sir Robert Peel and shows QV in evening dress and Bertie (and Prince Albert in his separate portrait) as a family in nonregal clothing, what Peel called &quot;private society.&quot; Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/406945/queen-victoria-with-the-prince-of-wales. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_the_Prince_of_Wales.jpg.
#'''1846 October – 1847 January''', sittings for Winterhalter family portrait of QV and Albert and 5 children (Vicky, Bertie, Alice, Affie, Helena as a baby). QV is wearing a very ornate white dress with a smooth bodice, with a corset beneath: a lot of lace in her lap, either a large shawl coming around from the back or the top layer of her skirt (?), which is a series of 4 lacy ruffles starting at her knees and going down; gathers over her bust, sleeves are gathered; whole dress is a lot of frou-frou, very white, feminine, soft and flowing. She is wearing an emerald and diamond diadem, part of a parure of other emerald jewelry as well as a locket around her neck. (Albert designed the diadem in 1845, made by Joseph Kitching). Painting was exhibited in 1847 in St. James's Palace and released as an engraving in 1850. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/405413/the-royal-family-in-1846. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter_Family_of_Queen_Victoria.jpg. Engraving: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Queen_Victoria,_Prince_Albert_and_the_Royal_Family.png
#'''1847 February 24''': Winterhalter portrait of QV in a version of her at her wedding, wearing her wedding veil and wreath of orange blossoms in her hair and the sapphire brooch that &quot;Albert gave her on their wedding day and the ear-rings and necklace made from the Turkish diamonds given to her by the Sultan Mahmúd II in 1838.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/20/collection/400885/queen-victoria-1819-1901|title=Winterhalter Portrait of Queen Victoria, 1846|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-31}}&lt;/ref&gt; This portrait is dated 1847, so it is not a portrait of her at her wedding but an anniversary gift for Albert of her dressed as for her wedding. RCT: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/20/collection/400885/queen-victoria-1819-1901 Wikimedia: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1847.jpg
#'''1851 August 30''', line drawing of QV, Albert and Bertie visiting the opening (?) of a train station, published in the ILL. QV's clothing is approximate, but she is wearing a bonnet; we don't know if the artist drew her from life or from his expectation of what she would have looked like, stylish but not haute couture, she looks more middle class? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_visiting_the_GNR.jpg
#'''1854''', portrait Stephen Catterson Smith the Elder. QV in Order of St. Patrick, wearing crown, next to throne; white or cream-colored dress, which looks unironed? horizontal section of the skirt??, off the shoulder, lacy ruffles on top, not much frou-frou, not a cage. Bracelet on her right arm of Albert?, coronation necklace? Standing by the chair with lion's head on the armrest. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_the_sash_of_the_Order_of_St_Patrick,_1854.png
##'''1854''', engraving that is a copy of the Smith portrait. Royal Trust: https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/565054. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_victoria_indian_circlet.jpg. '''Indian circlet'''?
#'''1854''', photograph of QV, Albert, Duchess of Kent and 7 children, boys in kilts, women in what looks like cages, but probably petticoats: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_family.jpg
#'''1854''', photograph by Roger Fenton, QV seated, facing our right, holding a portrait of Albert, light very lacy dress, cap on the back of her head, can't see much detail of the dress: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_1854.jpg
#'''1854 May 11''': Roger Fenton photographs from a session showing either QV and Albert in court dress or one of the recreations of their wedding:
##QV standing, looking to her left, wearing a very floral, lacy light-colored dress that has been called her wedding dress, but the Royal Collection Trust says it's a court dress with a train.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Queen Victoria in court dress 1854.jpg.&quot; ''Wikimedia Commons''. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_in_court_dress_1854.jpg (retrieved March 2026).&lt;/ref&gt; She is wearing the ribbon of the Order of the Garter, a cap perched on top of her head above a wreath or crown of flowers, veil, romantic off-the-shoulder neckline with short puffy sleeves, something fluffy and translucent on the front of her dress (like an apron?), a white glove on her left hand, a bouquet of flowers, and it looks like actual flowers attached to the dress itself. More frou-frou than we've seen on her. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_in_court_dress_1854.jpg.
##Low-resolution photo of QV and Albert facing each other, bouquet on plinth, expensive long lace veil, shawl or big white lace collar?, dress has a lot of frou-frou (including flowers) and texture to break up the solid whiteness: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_victoria_and_Prince_Albert.jpg
#'''1854 May 22''': Roger Fenton photograph of QV, Albert and 7 children, one in a wagon, at Buckingham Palace. Albert is wearing a top hat although they seem to be indoors. QV wearing a bonnet tied under her chin with a big bow, a plaid skirt, thigh-length jacket. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Prince_Albert_%26_royal_children_at_Buckingham_Palace,_1854.jpg
#'''1854 June 30''', photograph by Roger Fenton, QV profile facing our left; very light-colored dress, embroidered (or stamped??) floral pattern on skirt, bodice and sleeves with additional 3-dimensional trim, and apron?, with a wide sash, translucent maybe linen fabric with very fine lace at the edge, very girly; at least one gathered flounce; brimless bonnet on the back of her head, lacy, ribbon, flowers?: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Roger_Fenton.jpg
#'''1855''', Winterhalter portrait: petticoats, lace and satin, a tiara, on the back of her head around the bun, not a symbol of of sovereignty, instead a beautiful decorative piece of jewelry that probably matched her eyes: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter.jpg. Rosie Harte says she is wearing the Sapphire Tiara designed for QV as a wedding present by Albert.
#'''1855 March 10''': Illustrated London News wood engraving showing QV and her entourage visiting wounded soldiers in a hospital. It shows how QV was perceived, not so much what she actually wore. She's shown wearing a bonnet, a thigh-length jacket; her tiered skirt has 3 large ruffles that we can see, dividing it horizontally. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_entourage_visiting_invalided_soldier_Wellcome_V0015776.jpg
#'''1855 April 19''', James Roberts painting of QV, Napoleon III, Eugénie and Albert at Covent Garden, from the perspective of the stage, or at least behind the orchestra. They are dressed formally; QV's white, off the shoulder young-person image, big jewelry; Eugénie looks like she's wearing a cage. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/46/collection/920055/the-queen-visiting-covent-garden-with-the-emperor-and-empress-of-the-french-19. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Napoleon_III_at_the_Royal_Opera_House_19_April_1855.jpg
#'''1856 May 10''', oval half-length portrait of QV by Winterhalter, finished after sittings on 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8 May.&lt;ref name=&quot;:17&quot; /&gt; QV, who thought the portrait was &quot;very like,&quot; is wearing a distinctive off-the-shoulder red velvet dress with burnt-velvet (?) ruffle, the Koh-i-nûr diamond set in a brooch, a necklace with large diamonds (the Coronation necklace? '''Queen Adelaide's necklace'''?) and the ribbon of the Order of the Garter. She is wearing a corset under the dress (the bodice is so smooth and it comes to a point below the waist), with lace at the décolletage and shoulder and possibly a shawl that matches the ruffle. '''The crown is not the Diamond State Diadem but another crown'''. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/406698/queen-victoria-1819-1901. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter_Queen_Victoria.jpg.
#'''1856 December 16''' (lithograph made in 1859), color lithograph of a William Simpson painting showing QV on board a ship being returned to the Brits by Americans. Full-length, winter dress with fur muff, bonnet, matching fur-trimmed coat over dark rich purple and green dress. Albert and some of their children are with her. Library of Congress: https://loc.gov/pictures/resource/pga.03087/. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Simpson_-_George_Zobel_-_England_and_America._The_visit_of_her_majesty_Queen_Victoria_to_the_Arctic_ship_Resolute_-_December_16th,_1856.jpg
#'''1857''': photo of QV and Vicky, Princess Royal, in dark dresses but not mourning, QV has very voluminous ruffled skirt, probably not a cage, wearing a cap: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_daughter_Victoria,_Princess_Royal.jpg
#'''1857''': large painting by George Housman Thomas of QV distributing the first Victoria Crosses in Hyde Park, 26 June 1857, shows large military display in a large field, QV giving out VCs to a long line of soldiers. Related to the 1859 Thomas painting, as QV is wearing another scarlet military jacket, waist is cinched, etc. (see the 1859 painting). If the awarding of the VCs occurred in 1857, this painting would have been later? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_presenting_VC_in_Hyde_Park_on_26_June_1857.jpg
#'''1858 Summer – 14 December 1861, between''', photograph by Southwell, &quot;photographist to the Queen,&quot; of QV wearing a light-colored plaid skirt over a cage and a large dark shawl, reading a piece of paper. (We dated this image between the time she first wore a cage and when Albert died.) She has a cap with a gathered edge under her light-colored bonnet, which has a wide band tied in a bow under her chin with long streamers that hang past her waist. The photograph has been damaged, so patterns on the fabric are impossible to see. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:England_Queen_Victoria.JPG
#'''1859''': Winterhalter portrait, 2 crowns, the one behind her is the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Imperial State Crown|Imperial State Crown]], &quot;coronation necklace and earrings?,&quot; a vast quantity of ermine, diamonds and gold, parliament in the distance. ArtUK: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/queen-victoria-18191901-187983. Wikimedia: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Winterhalter_1859.jpg, on Wikipedia page for &quot;Victorian Era&quot;: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_era. The off-the-shoulder look she wore when she was young, short sleeves, gold lace ruffles on the skirt. Another example of elaborate but not crowded frou-frou. Georg Koberwein made a copy of this painting in 1862.
#'''1859 June''': group photograph that includes QV, Albert, Bertie and Princess Alice (who is wearing a cage) as well as Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders; Infante Luís, Duke of Porto, later King Luís I of Portugal;  and King Leopold I of Belgium. Photograph attributed to Dudley FitzGerald-de Ros, 23rd Baron de Ros. QV is seated, facing her right, wearing a cape (can't tell if it has wide sleeves), a feathered hat that ties under her chin with a wide ribbon down the back, a 3-flounce skirt with dark stripes, wider at the bottom, probably over a cage, the 2 top flounces have gathered lace edging; white lace in her lap and over her right shoulder; holding an umbrella. Royal Collection Trust: https://albert.rct.uk/collections/photographs-collection/childrens-albums/group-portrait-with-prince-albert-leopold-i-and-queen-victoria-0?_ga=2.71530067.1155757026.1769614443-1044324474.1768234449. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Group_photograph_of_Queen_Victoria,_Prince_Albert,_Albert_Edward,_Prince_of_Wales,_Count_of_Flanders,_Princess_Alice,_Duke_of_Oporto,_and_King_Leopold_I_of_the_Belgians,_1859.jpg.
#'''1859 July 9''': 1859–1864 painting by George Housman Thomas of QV, Albert and attendants on horses at Aldershot, QV in military-style, with red jacket with trim at the cuffs collar (though technically the jacket is collarless), wearing sash, honors, white blouse with back necktie, white sleeves gathered at the wrist, sitting side saddle, hat with wide brim, low crown, feminized version of the helmet the men are wearing, complete with red and white feathers. Royal Collection Trust says she is wearing a &quot;scarlet military riding jacket with a General's sash and a General's plume in her riding hat&quot; link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/405295/queen-victoria-and-the-prince-consort-at-aldershot-9-july-1859. Wikimedia link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_the_Prince_Consort_at_Aldershot,_9_July_1859.jpg
#'''1860 May 15''': full-length photograph of QV by John Jabez Edwin Paisley Mayall. Dark dress, white ruffled cap and collar, ornate patchworky shawl with fringe and lace. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_JJE_Mayall,_1860.png
#'''Circa 1861''', photograph of QV, Albert and 9 children by John Jabez Edwin Mayall. Another portrait where Albert is really the center. The women and girls appear to be wearing hoops.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prince_Albert_of_Saxe-Coburg-Gotha,_Queen_Victoria_and_their_children_by_John_Jabez_Edwin_Mayall_(n%C3%A9e_Jabez_Meal).jpg
#'''1861''', full-length photograph of QV by C. Clifford of Madrid; QV is standing mostly profile facing her right, with her head turned slightly to us; state occasion, formal dress with crown and jewelry; short sleeves with light-colored, ornate trim above the elbows; the neckline is at the corner of the shoulder with lace inside, making it be less off-the-shoulder than it looks; cage under the full skirt, train attached at the waist, in the front the train is cut away, towards the back; very clearly a silk, shiny fabric that reflected a lot of light; color is unknown; which crown is this? Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/ppgcfuck/images?id=zbrn4cjm; Wiki Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HM_Queen_Victoria._Photograph_by_C._Clifford_of_Madrid,_1861_Wellcome_V0027547.jpg
#'''1861 March 1''', looks like a session with photographer John Jabez Edwin Paisley Mayall and QV, from while Albert was still alive, dark but not mourning dress, with what may be a large [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Moiré|moiré]] pattern in the fabric. Lots of frou-frou. 2 images from this session:
##Full-length photograph of QV by Mayall. Shiny dark satiny fabric, cage, large white-lace shawl, white collar, white cap on the back of her head, book in front of her on plinth: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria.jpg
##Full-length photograph of QV by Mayall. Shiny dark satiny dress fabric, cage but not the half-sphere, skirt is fuller than the cage, defined waist, more fullness in back, same white collar and cap, sleeve of jacket gets wider at the wrist, showing how full the lacy/ruffly sleeve of the blouse is, large black lace shawl. Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/yuuj2gdr/images?id=fpxwnbzg. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HM_Queen_Victoria,_Empress_of_India._Photograph._Wellcome_V0028492.jpg
#'''Circa 1862''', photo of QV seated with Prince Leopold standing next to her, QV is wearing a heavy cloak with a hood, which is up and covering what she's wearing on her head, which has a white and what may be a ruffled edge. The cloak has a wide band of what might be brocade stitched to the bottom of the cloak; the fabric of the cloak and hood and the skirt beneath may have a nap; she is not wearing a cage. Leopold is wearing short pants and gloves and carries a walking stick; his face may show bruises (or the photo is damaged): (Royal Trust link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2900563/queen-victoria-and-prince-leopold; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Leopold_of_Albany.jpg).
#'''1862''', drawing from a newspaper showing QV and Beatrice of how she was perceived, not how she was: highly idealized image of mother and child, clothing not presented realistically, QV's dress is plain and her identity is that of the loving mother. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Princess_Beatrice_as_baby.jpg
#'''1863''', photograph of QV seated, skirt is full, though she's not wearing hoops; white on head, collar and at wrists. She may not be wearing a corset (per Worsley), but the top is boned. 
##QV is facing our left, 3/4. The top part of her skirt and her sleeves are made of a fabric perhaps with a satin weave, though the bottom half of her skirt is still matte. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Queen_Victoria_in_1863.png.
##Same session, another pose, body still 3/4, but now she is facing the camera. The edges of the matte sections of her skirt and jacket are trimmed with rows of tiny ball fringe, oddly unobtrusive, especially from a distance. She is wearing a white blouse with puffed sleeves under the jacket. George Eastman Collection: https://www.flickr.com/photos/george_eastman_house/3333247605/. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_(3333247605).jpg.
#'''1863''', QV on horse with John Brown holding the bridle
##'''1863''', unattributed photograph of QV at Osborne seated on a horse, with Princess Louise and John Brown nearby. QV is seated side-saddle, has a cap with a hood over it; cap has white ruffled edge; white ruffles at her wrists. Louise is handing QV her whip? and wearing a cage; her skirt is short, ankle-length, several inches above the ground; she wears a thigh-length full jacket. Brown's back is to us, he wears a kilt. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Princess_Louise_and_John_Brown.jpg
##'''1863''', carte-de-visite photograph by George Washington Wilson, QV on Fyvie side-saddle; wearing a cap with a hood over it, cap has white ruffled edge; dark gloves; wide sleeves on the jacket. The black riding habit has a simple surface with little decoration.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_photographed_by_George_Washington_Wilson_(1863).jpg; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_on_%27Fyvie%27_with_John_Brown_at_Balmoral.jpg
#'''1864''', QV seated, holding the future Kaiser Wilhelm (Vicky's eldest), her 1st grandchild
##Willie looking at us, QV right arm around his shoulder, an early version of what became her uniform dress, this one is a winter outfit, and she's bundled up, wearing a white ruffled cap, black bonnet and veil, which may be tied under her chin; gloves; a thigh-length loose jacket with wide sleeves, a deep band of a different fabric for the bottom of her skirt; she may be wearing a brocade vest under the jacket that is not snug against her torso; it looks like she's wearing a corset (the edge near the top button of her vest). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_holding_her_eldest_grandchild_Willy.png
##Willie facing QV, very clear view of her bonnet with scarfy veil; jacket is thigh-length, sleeves widening toward the cuff, may be a blouse underneath, also with full, loose sleeves, edged in white; top part of the full skirt is shiny, deep band of fabric at the bottom is wooly looking, narrow trim between the two parts of the skirt, could be petticoats under the skirt.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_eldest_grandchild_Willy.png
#'''1865–1867''': Edwin Landseer painting of QV on horseback at Osborne, reading letters and dispatches, with John Brown, dressed formally in a kilt, holding the horse's head. (Aquatint print made in c. 1870 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_and_John_Brown_at_Osborne_House_(4674627).jpg&lt;nowiki/&gt;.) See &quot;1867 Spring&quot; in the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Timeline|Timeline]] for a discussion of the painting itself. Princesses Louise and Helena are seated on a park bench in the background. QV is wearing a bonnet tied under her chin with a large bow and a short hood-like veil. This does not look like a fitted riding habit, although the skirt is a riding skirt. The jacket is shorter than her usual thigh-length and has full sleeves that widen toward the wrist. The fitted cuffs of the sleeves of her white blouse extend beyond the jacket sleeve. She has white at her cuffs and on the cap under her bonnet. Except for a ring on her left hand, no jewelry shows. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/403580/queen-victoria-at-osborne. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sir_Edwin_Landseer_(1803-73)_-_Queen_Victoria_at_Osborne_-_RCIN_403580_-_Royal_Collection.jpg
#'''1867''': QV seated with Empress Victoria, both in mourning, but not full mourning, wearing a cage, some frou-frou, probably a cap on her head, because there's no brim, with a short dark veil over it. QV is wearing a [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Paletot|paletot]] with an overskirt with the same fabric and matching trim; the sleeves are not fitted but also not as wide at the wrists as some of her paletots. The bottom of the underskirt has a pleated ruffle. QV has quite a bit of light-colored fabric at her neck that falls down the front of her bodice, although she is not wearing the white shawl. The photograph was overexposed, so we have clarity in the black but the detail for the white parts is obliterated. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Empress_Victoria_Augusta.jpg
#'''1867''', photograph of QV seated, with her back towards us, and the Queen of Prussia (or the Empress Augusta of Germany?), both in mourning, with light-colored umbrella: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Queen_of_England_and_The_Queen_of_Prussia.jpg. Darker image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Empress_Augusta.jpg
#'''1867''', stylized drawing/painting by Takahashi Yūkei, doctor of the Japanese Embassy to Europe in 1862, so may have been drawn from life; black dress may have faded to this purple, honors sash draping is not understandable but it is beautiful; military (?) style hat with aigrette: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Japanese_doctor_Takahashi_Y%C5%ABkei_1862.png
#'''1867''', photograph of QV with border collie Sharp, outdoors, on rugs?. QV is wearing a bonnet with a veil-like scarf that ties under her chin with streamers down the front; the full, thigh-length jacket has long, full sleeves, and the jacket has no trim on it, apparently, at all. The skirt is held out smoothly by a cage, made in 2 fabrics, one satiny and the other wool or something not shiny, with 3-dimensional trim with faceted jet (?) in 3 rows. Shiny black leather gloves, with white ruffled cuffs. She looks heavier-set than she was, perhaps our sense that she was always big comes because she wasn't trying to look thin? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_dog_%22Sharp%22.jpg
#'''1868''', photograph of QV and John Brown by W. &amp; D. Downey. QV is wearing a riding habit and a hat tied under the chin, perhaps with a small plume, the jacket has some decoration. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_mounted_and_John_Brown_by_W._and_D._Downey.png
#'''1869–1879''', QV was in her 60s: &quot;At state occasions in her sixties, Victoria appeared in a black dress, black velvet train, pearls and a small diamond crown.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (480 of 786)
#'''c. 1870''', photograph by Andre-Adolphe-Eugene Disderi (probably not retouched) with QV seated, facing her left, 3/4 profile: that white cap pointed towards the forehead, covering the center part nearly completely, white flat-band collar, whites ruffles at cuffs, heavily trimmed black jacket with short peplum, including ball fringe and braid; the plain-from-a-distance, rich-up-close look: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_c.1870._(7936242480).jpg
#'''1871 September 10''', photograph of QV standing, almost full length, facing our right, with head turned our way, some books on the small table in front of her. The usual dark dress with white blouse with knife pleats and a cap covered with double ruffled lace and with veil down the back; heavy voluminous black shawl, looks like it's wool; it's probably a dress not a suit, with different textures, which are subtle Up close, the black ball-fringe (or bead fringe?) trim is 3-dimensional and different fabrics add another dimension. Skirt has wide band at the bottom, with ball fringe at the top. Wellcome Institute: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/x4hug3jt; Wiki Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria._Photograph._Wellcome_V0018085.jpg.
#'''1874–?''': photograph of QV and Princess Beatrice ice skating on a lake at Eastwell Park, home of Prince Alfred (who got the property in 1874). Can't tell, but QV might be in the sledge chair and Beatrice in the center standing on skates. That woman standing on skates in the center is wearing a cage, which holds her dress out and above the ground. 1874 is late for cages, but the British court was not fashion forward: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_skating_-_Eastwell_Park.jpg
#'''1875''': watercolor copy by Lady Julia Abercromby made in 1883 of an oil painting by Heinrich von Angeli showing QV before adopting the title Empress of India. This is a good example of a slightly formal version of her uniform. She is wearing the usual white cap and veil, clearly lace gathered into double ruffles; square-neck black bodice, sleeves are very wide at the wrists, black with complicated decorative angles layered over white, ruffly. The skirt has a horizontal division with satiny ribbon and wide ruffle (maybe pleated?) and then a border at the bottom that may be brocade; there is a train. Lots of jewelry, including double strand necklace of very large pearls, ribbon and badge of the Order of the Garter and the badge of the Order of Victoria and Albert, pearl brooch, bracelets and rings, holding a large white handkerchief. NPG: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw06517. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Julia_Abercromby.jpg.
#'''1876 May 1''': QV is declared Empress of India. Lytton Strachey says, &quot;On the day of the Delhi Proclamation, the new Earl of Beaconsfield went to Windsor to dine with the new Empress of India. That night the Faery, usually so homely in her attire, appeared in a glittering panoply of enormous uncut jewels, which had been presented to her by the reigning Princes of her Raj.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (414 of 555)
#'''1877 May''': photograph of QV, Princess Beatrice and the Duchess of Edinburgh (probably Maria Alexandrovna Romanova, Affie's wife) by Charles Bergamasco. Impossible to tell how the dress is layered, but it has a lot of frou-frou, but not a lot of lace except for the shawl and the cuffs of her blouse. QV's dress might have 2 different fabrics, like the Duchess's dress; it may have a jacket or vest or both. Her bodice looks like it is boned (assuming she's not wearing a corset). The frou-frou on the skirt are controlled pleated ruffles with tassels, which are more controlled than fringe. Visually very complex outfit, but from a distance, all that complexity would disappear. It would look textured, depending on the distance, at most. All 3 women have high-contrast lapels; 2 fabrics, matte and shiny; big buttons down the front; the 2 younger women have a row of ruffled lace at the neck; all wearing dark fabric, perhaps black. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_The_Duchess_of_Edinburg_and_Prince_Beatrice.jpg
#'''1879''', painting by Tito Conti of QV and Vicky at &quot;Napoleon's boudoir&quot;; Vicky is in mourning, having lost an 11-year-old child in March 1879; the two women are dressed in v different styles: Vicky is stylish, interest at the back of her dress, long train, narrow skirt, haute couture; QV is in her uniform, a hat? perched high on her head, a light-colored fichu? at her neck, black shawl; shorter train and fuller skirt, the shawl hiding how fitted the dress is. The point is the contrast between the 2 styles. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_eldest_daughter_Vicky,_German_Crown_Princess.jpg.
#'''1879 February''', QV seated with Hesse family (Alice's family, two months after her death and that of Marie, the youngest), everyone in full mourning. QV is wearing her &quot;uniform&quot; but no white anywhere; black cap with streamers? with what might be feathers down the back; heavy wool fringed shawl; jacket is lined and warm, possibly padded, may be long (thigh-length?); she may be wearing a corset or boning in her bodice here bc of the way the bodice drapes (there's an edge?); full skirt with deep tucked bands at the bottom: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_Ludwig_IV_240-011.jpg. Darker image from what looks like the same sitting by William &amp; Daniel (W. &amp; D.) Downey, without the father: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Hessian_children_with_their_grandmother,_Queen_Victoria.jpg
#'''1881''': Cabinet photograph by Arthur J. Melhuish of QV and Princess Beatrice, neither is in full mourning. QV is smiling and wearing her white widow's cap, at least 2 necklaces and perhaps one brooch, a black lace shawl. Beatrice is holding an umbrella over their heads.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_and_Princess_Beatrice.jpg
#'''1881 September 3''': woodcut engraving from the ''Illustrated London News'' of QV visiting the new Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh. Clear impression of QV's &quot;uniform,&quot; black dress with thigh-length jacket, edged with fur or velvet; skirt is divided horizontally with zigzag trim about knee level and a ruffle at the hem of the skirt. Unusual pillbox-like hat tied under her chin, trimmed with something light colored. Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/ev7tepmd/images?id=h8aq62mn. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_visiting_the_Royal_Infirmary_Edinburgh._Wellcome_L0000896.jpg
#'''1882 April 27''': 3 photographs of QV dressed for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Albany, probably from one session with Alexander Bassano. These photographs look like they have been retouched to smooth QV's skin and remove a double chin. The black satin-weave dress is complex, but cut as her &quot;uniform&quot; usually was. What makes this outfit different is how much white lace covers the skirt and train as well as how big a piece of lace the veil is and the unusual-for-QV berthe. Under the black jacket sleeve are two white (may or may not be a separate blouse, can't tell). QV is wearing her classic thigh-length jacket with 3/4-length sleeves, buttoned down the front, smoothly fitted to her shape but not tight fitting; she seems to be wearing a white lacy top under everything, a bodice that buttons and looks like it has a rows of fleur-de-lys diamonds operating somewhat like a stomacher comes down below her waist; over the bodice is a thigh-length jacket with thick fluffy fringe (chenille?) trimming the sleeves and bottom of the jacket and down the front on both sides. Those distinctive black jacket sleeves are cut very full at the bottom edge; they are short under her arm and have a long point below her elbow on the outside of her arm. The train is visible in 2 of the photographs and pulled around to QV's left, over some of the skirt. The skirt and train have a narrow box-pleated ruffle at the bottom. The full skirt and train are covered by a lace overskirt. QV is not wearing her wedding veil, but the veil looks like Honiton lace, as do the trim on the bodice, sleeves and skirt. The wide light-colored or white lace [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Berthe|berthe]] is slightly gathered and stitched to the neck of the bodice. A lacy white edge shows under the black jacket sleeve (may or may not be a separate blouse, can't tell), plus another white layer under that lacy sleeve edge. What looks like a chemise shows at the neckline; a row of diamonds separates the berthe from the chemise. She is holding a lacy handkerchief and a folding fan. She is wearing the Small Diamond Crown on top of the veil and a lot of diamond jewelry, including the Koh-I-Nor diamond as a brooch, the Coronation necklace and earrings, two wide diamond bracelets and rings as well as Family Honors and the ribbon of the Order of the Garter.
##'''1882''' Bassano photograph, official state portrait, reused in 1887 for Golden Jubilee as a postcard; close-up cropped bust. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Bassano_(3x4_close_cropped).jpg. Wikipedia page #1 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1887_postcard_of_Queen_Victoria.jpg. Different pose, same sitting, worse resolution: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_bw.jpg.
##'''1882''' Bassano photograph, same sitting, different pose, best image for analysis because it shows her whole body. This is not the lion-head chair, but we can see a lot of this throne-like chair. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/-/collection/2105818/portrait-photograph-of-queen-victoria-1819-1901-dressed-for-the-wedding-of-the; National Portrait Gallery cabinet card: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw119710; Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_1887.jpg. 
##'''1882 April 27''', photograph of QV and page Arthur Ponsonby, same dress as 1882, she is standing next to Ponsonby, who is holding some article of dress that seems to have more diamond fleurs-de-lys, perhaps to match the bodice. Royal Trust Collection: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2105757/queen-victoria-and-her-page-arthur-ponsonby; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_page,_Arthur_Ponsonby.jpg.
#'''1882 May''', Bassanno photograph of QV, same session, the first photograph (from a [[Social Victorians/Victorian Things#Cabinet Card|cabinet card]]) is a great deal easier to read because, even though the white is overexposed, the patterns in the black fabrics and fabric treatments are unusually easy to see, although the layers are still impossible to distinguish.
##QV is sitting on a chair and Princess Beatrice is sitting perhaps on the arm of the chair to QV's left. QV is wearing that fuzzy white widow's cap with veil edged with gathered tulle. The 3 main areas of white — the cap, neckline and the fan and cuffs — are so overexposed that the detail is obliterated. QV is wearing a ribbon necklace with a pendant that might be a cameo, painted portrait or a locket, a brooch on the center front of the neckline, small earrings (likely diamonds) and at least one bracelet and ring. She is holding a partially unfolded fan, and the front of the bodice shows either something like a pocket-watch chain attached to the 3rd button from the bottom, perhaps, or a flaw in the surface of the photograph. She is wearing a very large lace shawl over her shoulders and lap. The bodice/jacket garment buttons down the center, has QV's usual wide sleeves and may be built using a princess line. This garment is similar at the neckline and bottom of the sleeves and the overdress or jacket — it is trimmed with 2 rows of tightly pleated ruffles edged with an elaborate, 3-dimensional design that includes braid with reflective bits, perhaps jet, and gathered ruffles. Princess Beatrice is wearing a restrained, less-decorated style, with a narrow, pleated skirt, made of a moiré silk whose pattern provides visual interest (without the frou-frou associated with haute couture) and tight, tailored, princess-line jacket trimmed with the moiré silk. The jacket includes the unpatterned draped fabric that is pulled toward the back for a bustle. National Portrait Gallery: [https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw123930/Queen-Victoria-Princess-Beatrice-of-Battenberg#:~:text=The%20series%20gets%20its%20name%20from%20a,home%20match%20to%20Australia%20at%20the%20Oval. https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw123930/Queen-Victoria-Princess-Beatrice-of-Battenberg#:~:text=The%20series%20gets%20its%20name%20from%20a,home%20match%20to%20Australia%20at%20the%20Oval.] Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_Beatrice_Bassano.jpg.
##QV is holding granddaughter Margaret, Crown Princess of Sweden, eldest daughter of Prince Arthur (QV's 3rd son) and great-granddaughter Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia, who was born 15 January 1882.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-26|title=Princess Margaret of Connaught|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Margaret_of_Connaught&amp;oldid=1329585710|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; QV does not appear to be wearing a corset, buttoned bodice is not tight, dark shawl, that fuzzy white cap with veil/streamers, maybe ruffled lace. Black ribbon around her neck, white at collar and cuffs, wide sleeves on the jacket. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bassano_Victoria_and_Margaret.jpg 
#'''1883''': W. &amp;. D. Downey photograph of QV seated with baby great-grandson William (Vicky's grandson, Kaiser Wilhelm's son) on her knees. The usual black dress, with 3-dimensional, almost geometric trim, ruffled but not lacy. A very dramatic shawl with cording in 3 parallel lines at the edges, looks like the same fabric as dress. QV's face is kind looking at the baby. Black hat with white cap beneath it, shaped like the white one she often wore. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_great-grandson_Prince_William.jpg
#'''1884 May 2''', QV, Vicky, her daughter Charlotte and her daughter Princess Feodore of Saxe-Meiningen, 4 generations. QV not wearing bustle, the usual black on black for trim, black jacket, black shawl, black cap with black hangy-downy thing down the back: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VICTORIA_Queen_of_England_by_Carl_Backofen_of_Darmstadt.jpg
#'''1885 or so''': portrait published in the 1901 biography of QV by John, Duke of Argyll, probably from a photograph. That odd cap we've seen before with a point down to her hairline in front, this version with trimmed lappets (?) down the front: it's impossible to tell the layers, how things are attached and what the trim on this cap is made of, feathers or ruffles. White collar on bodice, white cuffs, black lace shawl around her shoulders, jacket or coat over a blouse; the frou-frou is the same color as what it trims, making it visually recede, but up close ppl would have been able to see how sophisticated and finely made it was: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:V._R._I._-_Queen_Victoria,_her_life_and_empire_(1901)_(14766746965).jpg
#1885: screen print bust from book ''Daughters of Genius'' by James Parson, showing unusually realistic face and detailed trim on the black; the usual white cap and a collar, locket on ribbon around her neck, small earrings. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Daughters_of_Genius_-_Queen_Victoria.png
#'''1885 May 16''', reproduction of a wood engraving showing QV visiting a soldier wounded in Sudan. Flattering drawing of QV, dress looks plain, unprepossessing, unostentatious Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/nhhej66v. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_visiting_a_wounded_soldier._Reproduction_of_a_Wellcome_V0015340.jpg
#'''1886''', Bassano photograph of QV, full-length, seated, holding the infant Alexander, Marquess of Carisbrooke, Beatrice's son. QV's uniform, ornate square-neck black dress, white blouse with ironed pleats shows at the neck; ruffles and 3-dimensional trim with jet beads on both sides of the front, with trim at the bottom as well, black ironed pleats; black lace shawl, white frothy cap that we've seen many times, with white veil. Royal Trust Collection link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2507501/queen-victoria-with-alexander-marquess-of-carisbrooke-as-a-baby; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Alexander,_Marquess_of_Carisbrooke.jpg. Elements of the Victorian frou-frou without looking over-trimmed or crowded.
#'''1888''', trading card from American tobacco company advertising cigarettes, QV in colorized image, white headdress with small crown; wearing Order of the Garter (?) sash and family honors, Link to MET collection: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/711888; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_of_England,_from_the_Rulers,_Flags,_and_Coats_of_Arms_series_(N126-1)_issued_by_W._Duke,_Sons_%26_Co._MET_DPB873774.jpg
#'''1889''', photographs by Byrne &amp; Co. from apparently the same session of QV and Vicky, both in mourning dress because Frederick III had died June 1888, but not full mourning. QV seated in the lion's-head chair and Vicky on her right. QV is wearing a black and frothy widow's cap that is made of '''something''' transparent, tightly gathered, that comes to a point over her forehead and that she wears on the back of her head. She has a black lace shawl over her shoulder, ornate under-bodice (with lots of jet?) with lacy sleeves and a lacy ruffle at the bottom, the under bodice longer than the outer bodice (or jacket) and outside the skirt, not tucked in; the outer bodice (or jacket) is tailored but not tightly fitted to the body or restrictive, skirt is not fussy; very fashionable suit, but the silhouette is not high fashion. Vicky's widow's cap has an obvious point halfway down her forehead, seems to be made of velvet with something piled on top. She also is wearing a transparent black veil, which may have 2 layers. 
##Vicky standing, hand on back of lion’s head chair, QV turned a little to her right, looking up at Vicky: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Empress_Frederick_with_her_mother_Queen_Victoria.jpg
##Vicky with hand on chair, slightly different angle, QV’s face more visible, facing our left. Royal Collection: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2904703/victoria-empress-frederick-of-germany-and-queen-victoria-1889-in-portraits-of. Wikimedia Commmons copy: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria,_Empress_Frederick_of_Germany,_and_Queen_Victoria,_1889.jpg
##QV w photo of Frederick III, looking to her right, Vicky seated (or kneeling?) and looking at the photo: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2105953/queen-victoria-with-victoria-princess-royal-when-empress-frederick-1889
##Vicky seated (?) looking at photo, QV into the distance to our right (Photo filename says 1888, but the photo is lower res and less clear): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Princess_Royal_1888.jpg
#'''1889 November''', photograph of QV and Beatrice and her family; QV is seated, wearing her uniform and that ubiquitous white fluffy cap; you can see the edge of the boning (in the bodice?), white lacy collar, white ruffle at the wrist, layers, lacy shawl, lace trim at the bottom of the skirt, bunched places on the skirt with black lace trim. Beatrice's sleeves are fitted with puffy shoulders, but QV's are not. Royal Trust link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2904837/queen-victoria-with-prince-and-princess-henry-of-battenberg-and-their-children; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Prince_and_Princess_Henry_of_Battenberg_and_their_children,_1889.jpg.
#'''1890''': Britannica #1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria. Photograph mid-thigh up, very lacy: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Victoria-queen-of-United-Kingdom. Different small crown.
#'''1890''': b/w photo, from the knees up, may be seated. Her hair is dark, so 1890 looks too late a date for this. White frill on her cap, has attached veil down the back, double ruffle at the neck, a few button, plain to another bit of trim around the skirt at knee level; jewelry looks personal, not ostentatious; white cuffs, lacy black shawl, square neck on dress, wrinkles in the bodice suggest she's not wearing a corset and the bodice is not heavily boned: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Queen_Victoria_in_1890.jpg
#'''c1890 (see 1882 Bassano portraits)''': Color portrait in official dress, with small crown with arch, a lot of white lace over and under sheer black, coronation parure, 1890s portrait in 1870s style: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_Portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_(1819-1901).JPG
#'''1892''': not-very-clear photograph of QV sitting, her arm on the lion's-head chair, black cap and veil; lots of jewelry, faceted jet or diamonds or something metal at her neck and wrists. She is wearing a black lace shawl over her shoulders and arms. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom,_c._1890.jpg
#'''1893''': watercolor portrait of QV by Josefine Swoboda, who had been made court painter in 1890.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2024-12-03|title=Josefine Swoboda|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Josefine_Swoboda&amp;oldid=1260867558|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Not unrealistic or unduly flattering, QV not in full mourning, wearing a white widow's cap and white jewelry. All we can see of what she is wearing is the shawl and a little bit of neck treatment. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Josefine_Swoboda_-_Queen_Victoria_1893.jpg
#'''1893''': VQ with &quot;Indian servant,&quot; seated working behind table, blanket or rug over her knees and feet, wearing a cloak and hat: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_an_Indian_servant.jpg
#'''1893, issued for the 1897 Diamond Jubilee''': Photograph by W. &amp; D. Downey taken for the wedding of George V and Mary. QV seated, facing our left, 3/4 front. Very large and ornate veil coming over her shoulder, possibly a lace overskirt? X claims that the white lace veil is QV's Honiton lace wedding veil and what looks like an apron or overskirt may be the 4x3/4 yards Honiton &quot;flounce&quot; on her wedding dress (ftnyc). A lot of light color on this for her, coronation parure? large light folding fan open on lap, small crown. Royal Trust Collection: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2912658/queen-victoria-1819-1901-diamond-jubilee-portrait. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_60._crownjubilee.jpg. Another copy: https://apollo-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/gm_342139EX2.jpg
#'''1893 August 12''': formal photograph of QV w George, Duke of York and Mary, Dss of York, who are very 1893 stylish; QV seated, profile, facing our left, holding a rose, black dress, bodice not heavily boned, no corset; white ruffle at cuffs and at the neck; black lacy shawl; white very fluffy brimless cap, may be her own style; from a distance very plain dress, but up close very rich, with tiny unostentatious details; moved on from all the frou-frou, but not in the haute couture way: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_the_Duchess_and_Duke_of_York.jpg
#'''1894''': QV with Beatrice, George and Mary at Balmoral, in a carriage, the women wearing stylish hats (Royal Collection Trust link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/2/collection/2300501/queen-victoria-princess-beatricenbspthe-duke-and-duchess-of-york-at-balmora) (Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Princess_Beatrice,_the_Duke_and_Duchess_of_York.jpg)
#'''1894 April 21''': QV in 30-person photograph &quot;following the wedding of Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Grand Duke Ernest of Hesse,&quot; QV seated, in shawl, all bundled up, &lt;ins&gt;from a distance, dress looks very plain, the richness is visible only up close;&lt;/ins&gt; white mohawk on head??: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_surrounded_by_her_family_-_Coburg,_1894_(1_of_2).jpg; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_surrounded_by_her_family_-_Coburg,_1894_(2_of_2).jpg
#'''1894 June 23, before,''' looks like a winter photograph, they're bundled up
##'''1894 June 23''', published in the ''Illustrated London News'', photograph of QV and Bertie, dressed warmly. Lots of beautiful, complex layers, as always; maybe skirt, vest, jacket, shawl, boa, hat and gloves, cane in her right hand and a handkerchief in her left?; the hat may be one of the &quot;timeless&quot; elements, shaped like one she wore a lot over the years but not locatable to a particular year or style. QV seated, Bertie standing behind her, both bundled up, she is wearing gloves, a shawl, a jacket and perhaps a vest; cap with white feathers and white poufs or flowers (?), cap is mostly black, comes down to cover her ears, tied in a lacy bow under her chin, black feather boa, wrapped closely around her neck like a scarf and falling down the front to the ground; cane in her right hand; brocade shawl, looks woolen: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_funeral_procession_of_Queen_Victoria_(5254840).jpg. Perhaps used again in later publications? Page says, &quot;By our Special Photographer, Mr. Russell of Baker Street London.&quot; Photo taken outdoors, on steps with rugs and a bearskin. Sword under Bertie's coat.
##Same session, slightly different pose; looks like a carte-de-visite, with &quot;Gunn &amp; Stuart, Richmond, Surrey,&quot; printed in logo form at the bottom. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_And_Prince_of_Wales_Edward.jpg
#'''1895''': photograph of QV published in Millicent Fawcett's ''Life of Her Majesty Queen Victoria'' in 1895, so the portrait predates it, though not by much. The white is overexposed, but the black is legible. QV is wearing her white widow's cap with a white veil made of tulle that is not transparent or even very translucent. The black shawl is very lacy and 3-dimensional, possibly made by crochet or knitting or bobbin lacemaking. The jacket with wide, kimono sleeves has a wide decorative cuff with a lacy edge and a 3-dimensional pattern. Between the cuff and the sleeve is a row of what may be faceted jet in some kind of ivy-like design. She is wearing a single strand of pearls and small round earrings that may be a gold ball with a small sparkly. This photo does not look retouched: the skin on her face and hands is wrinkled, and her hair is light; normal for a woman around 70. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Life_of_Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_-_Frontispiece.jpg.
#'''1895 May 21''': photograph by Mary Steen of QV and Princess Beatrice; QV appears to be making lace (either knitted or crocheted), Beatrice reading the newspaper, possibly to her; the Queen's Sitting Room at Windsor Castle. QV is wearing the white cap with the fluffy streamers, lacy white collar, white cuffs, black lace shawl, possibly a pattern at the bottom of her skirt. NPG: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw233741/Princess-Beatrice-of-Battenberg-Queen-Victoria?_gl=1*ii2xmh*_up*MQ..*_ga*NjAzODY0NTUyLjE3Njc2MjcxMDk.*_ga_3D53N72CHJ*czE3Njc2MjcxMDgkbzEkZzEkdDE3Njc2MjcxMTMkajU1JGwwJGgw. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Princess_Beatrice_of_Battenberg_and_Queen_Victoria.jpg.
#'''September 1895''': unusually clear photograph of QV with some family in Balmoral, QV is seated in a very well-made suit with rich trim and a loose, open jacket (rather than the fitted jackets worn by the younger women with big sleeves up by the shoulders), perhaps pelisse-adjacent, full at the bottoms of the sleeves, with a shawl-like collar, long lacy sleeves under the jacket's sleeves, coming down over her hand (perhaps held there by a loop?), stylish hat; her style is individualized with very stylish elements, so we know she's conscious of 1890s haute couture; but it also has a more timeless quality, the modified or updated pelisse, for example, not a memorializing of her early days, though that did sometimes happen, but an echo of styles she liked from the past? So her style is a fusing of up-to-date stylish and other elements that were more comfortable and practical but always well made of very high-quality materials. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_family_members.jpg
#'''1896 July''': QV photograph by Gunn &amp; Stuart and published as a cabinet card by Lea, Mohrstadt &amp; Co., Ltd., and used as an official image of her as sovereign for the 1897 Diamond Jubilee. Retouched at some point, her face is very smooth, no double chin, etc. Bracelet on right arm, with portrait of Albert (?) and a 4-diamond wide rivière band. Multiple bracelets on left arm, one may be a charm bracelet. Rings. Pointed small crown or tiara that is not the Small Diamond Crown, a veil (that is not her wedding veil but is likely Honiton lace) is pulled to the front over her left shoulder and appears to be coming out of the crown or tiara, many diamonds, some in brooches, coronation necklace and earrings, lots of diamonds. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom_(by_Gunn_%26_Stuart,_1897).jpg
#'''1897''': QV with Princess Victoria Eugénie of Battenburg, who is kneeling next to QV, who is seated, facing (her) right, unrelieved black except for white linen (?) veil; the solid and plain dress has some lace, but the veil is not; black lacy shawl, rings; something very frou-frou at the back of her skirt: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Princess_Victoria_Eug%C3%A9nie_of_Battenberg,_1897.jpg. Empress Eugénie was Princess Victoria Eugénie of Battenburg's godmother.
#'''1897''': painting onto ivory of QV in that white cap by M. H. Carlisle, profile, facing right, still can't tell what the fringy, feathery, lacy edge is: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/45/collection/421112/queen-victoria-1819-1901
#'''1897''': QV Elliott and Fry photograph: that cap, the meandering ruffles on the veil and lappets (?): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_(Elliott_%26_Fry).png
#'''1897''': realistic engraving or print of QV in a state occasion, receiving the address from the House of Lords, realistic enough that we can recognize faces. QV is seated, wearing a white cap with a veil, large lacy white collar, big cuffs, and a large panel of trim at the bottom of her skirt that looks similar to the pattern on her collar; ribbon of the Order of the Garter; no recognizable crown even though this is a state occasion. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_pictured_at_Buckingham_Palace_as_the_Lord_Chancellor_presents_the_adress_of_the_House_of_Lords.jpg
#'''1897 January 1''', unflattering political cartoon of QV in the context of India? (the language is Marathi according to Google Translate). Her face has an unpleasant expression, perhaps disapproval or skepticism? She is wearing a small state crown and the coronation jewels. [[commons:File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpg|https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpghttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpg]]
#1897 June 17, painting published in Vanity Fair of QV riding in a small open carriage with a canopy. QV is wearing a black dress with a ruffle and also black lace at the bottom edge (of the back of the skirt?) and a light-colored cape with black trim. The bow at her neck could be from the cape or her hat, which has a small brim, a large black decoration in front, small floral things along the side, and perhaps a veil around the brim to the back. This image was reproduced after QV's death as a monochrome print. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_Vanity_Fair_17_June_1897.jpg.
#'''1897 July 27''', photograph from a distance of QV in a carriage on the Isle of Wight. This is what she looked like from a distance on a not state occasion, you can't see any embellishments at all. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Princess_Beatrice,_Princess_Helena_Victoria_of_Schleswig-Holstein,_Cowes,_Isle_of_Wight.jpg
#'''1897 October 16''', photograph with Abdul Karim, in the Garden Cottage at Balmoral; white or light-colored mantle or cloak; stylish 1890s hat with feathers, etc.: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Abdul_Karim.jpg
#'''1898''': photograph by Robert Milne of QV and 3 great-grandchildren (the 3 eldest children of George and Mary), at Balmoral. QV is the Widow of Windsor with plain skirt and possibly a jacket with a pattern on the bodice and at the large cuffs. The usual white cap and veil. ('''find RCT copy''')https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Prince_Edward,_Prince_Albert_and_Princess_Mary_of_York,_Balmoral.jpg
#'''1898 January 16''': French political cartoon by Henri Meyer unflatteringly showing QV, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Czar Nicolas II, Chinese statesman Li Hongzhang, France and a Japanese samurai carving up China. Neither France nor Li Hongzhang have knives, but the rest of the figures do. QV is dressed for a state occasion, heavily jeweled and in her signature lacy veil and small crown. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:China_imperialism_cartoon.jpg
#'''1899''': Heinrich von Angeli portrait, copied in 1900 by (Angeli's student) Bertha Müller. QV portrait, with a lot of black, which makes it difficult to discern the layers and structure of what she is wearing. The top layer may have a stiffened, pleated chiffon layer that covers the arm of the chair and that she holds a bit of in her right hand. QV is wearing the ribbon and the Order of the Garter, the white widow's cap and generally pearl jewelry. The white at her neck and wrists frames her face and hands, which are slightly idealized and less wrinkly than one might expect. National Portrait Gallery: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw06522. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_after_Heinrich_von_Angeli.jpg
#'''c. 1899-1900''': photograph of QV with 3 children — Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (1887–1969), Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine (1895–1903) and Prince Maurice of Battenberg (1891–1914). The 2 older women are Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein (1870–1948) and Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1876–1936), possibly with Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, in the light-colored hat, on the right. QV is in an ornate version of her uniform: jacket, possibly a vest and a skirt, with lace and ruffles, and a hat (possibly a straw hat with something dark as trim on the edge of the brim) topped with a pile of light-colored flowers and probably an aigret or short feather. Royal Collection Trust: . Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VictoriaBattenbergsHessians.jpg.
#'''c. 1900''': QV photograph (reprinted from book), not or less retouched than the 1897 Jubilee photos, with feathered (or at least fluffier than the usual slightly fluffy widow's cap) headdress, sheer veil, can't really see anything else: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_old.jpg
#'''c. 1900''': print published in book of image by François Flameng showing QV in coronation robes, with ermine, and necklace, pointing to someplace NW of India on the globe, with Bertie and George behind her, portrait of her and Albert on the table with the scepter and the Imperial State crown, Koh-I-Noor diamond, ribbon of the Order of the Garter, lots of jewelry on her arms and fingers. She is standing and her legs are longer than they were in life, ruffled lace, perhaps, at neck and cuffs with a white lace flounce on the skirt, which is divided horizontally, the lace part making up the middle third. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Fran%C3%A7ois_Flameng.jpg
#'''1900 February 9''', a very unflattering but accurate political cartoon of QV and Paul Kruger playing chess, he appears to be winning, with a map of Africa in the back, published in an Argentinian periodical. QV's clothing is captured pretty realistically, including the small crown and distinctive Coronation (?) necklace and earrings, the cap and veil, ribbon of the Order of the Garter, white lace overskirt, short-sleeved jacket over a white blouse with lacy cuffs. We can see very clearly how she looked to people. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Paul_Kruger_by_Dem%C3%B3crito_(Eduardo_Sojo).jpg
#'''1901''', dated 1901, but QV went to Ireland in 1900, possibly commemorating her death in 1901? Could this be a card from a cigarette pack? She's inside a shamrock that is outlined in a light color; the white on her cloak may be beads and sequins? Could this be a photograph from the 1897 Diamond Jubilee, the cloak with the silver &quot;swirling&quot; sequins? She is seated on a chair, and the photograph of her seated is like pasted onto the shamrock. Her headdress is a hat (not a bonnet or a cap, so this is not the headdress from the Diamond Jubilee procession), with shamrocks on the hat and black plumes, and some other decoration that is too hard to distinguish. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_(HS85-10-12024%C2%BD).jpg

== QV's &quot;Uniform&quot; ==
After the 1st year of mourning QV writes Vicky that she will never wear color again (not counting honors and the sashes of the orders, etc.; also, Rosie Harte says she wore the Sapphire Tiara that Albert had had made for her as a wedding present, which would have matched her eyes). Her &quot;brand&quot; (Worsley) and what we call her &quot;uniform&quot; begins to develop and solidify, the Widow-of-Windsor look friendly to the middle classes, especially the upper middle class.

Early in her mourning, her clothing was not very ornate, with little frou-frou to interrupt the unrelieved blackness. As time passed, however, the blackness was relieved by white touches on her head and at her neck and wrists, but the biggest change was in the amount and kind of frou-frou, particularly black-on-black frou-frou, including how lacy it was. The quantity and type of frou-frou increased in scale over time, like the touches of white.

By the 1870s, her look is well established: plain from a distance; up close, very fine materials and beautiful needlework with non-contrasting frou-frou. According to Lucy Worsley, she did not wear a corset but depended on light boning in her bodices. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;Despite their sombre aspect, even her mourning gowns were finely made. She had settled into a series of very minor variations upon a square-necked bodice and skirt, customised with quirky little pockets for keys and seals, all cut pretty much the same to save her the trouble of fittings. On her head went a white cap, with streamers of lace, and round her neck a locket containing miniatures of two of her children: Alice, now lost to diphtheria [14 December 1878], and Leopold, to haemophilia [28 March 1884].&lt;sup&gt;16&lt;/sup&gt;&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|511 of 786; n. 16, p. 723: &quot;Princess Marie Louise (1956) p. 141&quot;}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

This design is her usual: a black dress or suit (it might be a dress with a bodice or a skirt and vest with a blouse under the jacket). Except in cases of full mourning, she typically wore a little white at the neckline and wrists, with sophisticated black trim not really visible from a distance. The wide skirt was often divided horizontally, with a deep band of a different fabric at the bottom. The divided skirt is a characteristic feature of QV's look, not the only way she did skirts but a design she often wore from before her accession to the end of her life.

She often wore a loose-fitting thigh-length jacket with wide sleeves, which sometimes divided the skirt visually. The jackets and bodices are not constricting or tight against her torso. The fitted suit was popular at the end of the century — [[Social Victorians/People/Dressmakers and Costumiers#Redfern|Redfern's]] (in Cowes on the Isle of Wight) and Worth's versions were all around her, and she had always liked a riding habit. The thigh-length jackets were loose-fitting but not shapeless even as early as the 1860s. She seems always to have had something on her head: caps, bonnets, hats, veils. She often wears a shawl.

We can see the ruling sovereign version of her style in the photographs of her for the 1887 Golden and the 1897 Diamond Jubilees. By the 1880s, Bertie's place in the aristocracy was also well established, and he and Alex had a very different sense of style, wearing haute couture and a stylishness typical of the House of Worth. 

By the end of her life, when she couldn't move very much on her own, her body had gotten pretty large, but our sense that she was generally fat is not borne out by her clothes (Worsley talks about the small waists and the weight she lost during crises in her life) or by the photographs of her ''en famille'' in which we can see that she is probably not wearing stays and is not wearing tight-fitting, constricting clothes.

=== Shawls ===

Caroline Goldthorpe says,&lt;blockquote&gt;The importance of visible royal patronage was not lost on commercial enterprise, and in 1863 the Norwich shawl manufacturers Clabburn Sons &amp; Crisp sent to Princess Alexandra of Denmark, as a gift on the occasion of her marriage to the Prince of Wales, a magnificent silk shawl woven in the Danish royal colors (figure 3). The Queen herself already patronized Norwich shawls, for in 1849 the ''Journal of Design'' had claimed: &quot;The shawls of Norwich now equal the richest production of the looms of France. The successs which attended the exhibition of Norwich shawls ... [sic] may fairly be considered the result of Her Majesty's direct regard.&quot; Another splendid silk shawl by Clabburn Sons &amp; Crisp was displayed at the International Exhibition of 1862 (figure 4), but it was not eligible for a prize because William Clabburn himself was on the panel of judges.&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (17)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Elizabeth Jane Timmons says that QV's black was relieved only&lt;blockquote&gt;by white cuffs, scarfs, trimmings, or the ubiquitous patterned shawls which the Queen wore and which were the subject of comment by at least two of her granddaughters, Princess Louis of Battenberg and Princess Alix of Hesse, who helped her change them when they accompanied her driving out.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot;&gt;Timms, Elizabeth Jane. &quot;Queen Victoria's Widow's Cap.&quot; ''Royal Central'' 31 October 2018. https://royalcentral.co.uk/features/queen-victorias-widows-cap-111104/ (retrieved February 2026).&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Headdresses ==

=== Bonnets, Caps, Hats ===
We discuss the headdresses QV wears in each portrait in the detailed description in the &quot;[[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Her Dresses|Her Dresses]]&quot; section of the Timeline.

In some photographs, QV has a mourning hood over her bonnet and tied under her chin, worn sort of as if it were a veil on her bonnet. It looks like it would be warm in cold weather.

[[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Wedding Veil|QV's wedding veil]] is handled separately, as are the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Crowns|crowns]].

==== Bonnet ====
'''1887''', QV wore a bonnet in her public carriage ride to Westminster Abbey for her Golden Jubilee. Inside the Abbey, &quot;she sat on top of the scarlet and ermine robes draped over her coronation chair in Westminster Abbey — but, pointedly, 'in no way wore them around her person.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (760)&lt;blockquote&gt;The queen did make one concession: for the first time in twenty-five years she trimmed her bonnet with white lace and rimmed it with diamonds. Within days, fashionable women of London were wearing similar diamond-bedecked bonnets. One reporter noted this trend disapprovingly at a royal garden party at Buckingham Palace in July, the month after the Jubilee: &quot;Her Majesty and the Princesses at the Abbey wore their bonnets so trimmed in lieu of wearing coronets. It is quite a different matter for ladies to make bejeweled bonnets their wear at garden-parties.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (761)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1893 July 5''', (was there another garden party at Marlborough House between the 5th and the 15th?), from the ''Pall Mall Gazette'' by &quot;The Wares of Autolycus,&quot; possibly Alice Meynell says that QV preferred bonnets for full-dress occasions:&lt;blockquote&gt;It was noticeable at the Marlborough House garden party the other day, that many of the younger married women, and, indeed, some of the unmarried girls, wore bonnets instead of hats. This was in deference to the Queen's taste. Her Majesty is not fond of hats, except for girls in the schoolroom, and considers that bonnets are more suitable for full dress occasions.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Wares of Autolycus, The.&quot; ''Pall Mall Gazette'' 15 July 1893, Saturday: p. 5 [of 12], Col. 1a. ''British Newspaper Archive''. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000098/18930715/016/0005 (accessed April 2015).&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
'''1897 June 22, Monday''', the bonnet QV wore for the Diamond Jubilee Procession was decorated with diamonds, from the ''Lady's Pictorial'':&lt;blockquote&gt;I HEAR on reliable authority that, although the fact has hitherto escaped the notice of all the describers of the Diamond Jubilee Procession, the bonnet worn by the Queen on that occasion was liberally adorned with diamonds. It is a tiny bit of flotsam, but worth rescuing, as every detail of the historic pageant will one day be of even greater interest than it is now.&lt;ref name=&quot;:14&quot;&gt;Miranda. &quot;Boudoir Gossip.&quot; ''Lady's Pictorial'' 10 July 1897, Saturday: 24 [of 92], Col. 3c [of 3]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0005980/18970710/281/0024. Print title same, p. 40.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
[[File:Queen Victoria white mourning head-dress.JPG|alt=A museum photograph of a sheer, frilly cap with streamers|thumb|Queen Victoria's White Widow's Cap]]

==== Widow's Cap ====
The distinctive white or sometimes black cap QV wore with &quot;crinkled crape&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:9&quot;&gt;Strasdin, Kate. ''The Dress Diary: Secrets from a Victorian Woman's Wardrobe''. Pegasus, 2023.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|734 of 1124}} is a [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Widow's Cap|widow's cap]], sometimes called a mourning bonnet or mourning headdress. The now-damaged, once-white widow's cap (right) is said to have belonged to Queen Victoria. It is a cap with two streamers, like lappets, that have been decorated with meandering clumps of ruffled tulle matching the cap itself. The streamers would have been a consistent width, suggesting that the tulle background is torn.

Describing some point in time after Albert's death, Elizabeth Jane Timms says,&lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen began to be photographed in her white peaked caps, spinning; an occupation that the Queen took up, which perhaps underlined her solitary state and one which, like her painting box, enabled creativity within that solitude. Sir Joseph Boehm sketched the Queen in 1869 spinning, by which time a spinning wheel had been placed in her sitting room .... Again, Boehm shows her wearing her mourning weeds and her white cap, tantamount now to a type of widow’s uniform. She also wore the caps engaged in another solitary occupation, knitting or crochet work.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

What Princess Beatrice called ''Ma's sad caps'',&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt; Queen Victoria's white widow's caps&lt;blockquote&gt;were made of tulle, although where they were manufactured is not clear. By the late 1880s, she wore them pinned higher up than the rather sunken fashion of the 1860s, when they were worn close to the head, creating a flat impression. In later years, these ornate creations had evolved into deep, stately frills of tulle or silk with streamers and may have been supported by wires ....

Only one of the Queen’s white widow’s caps was apparently known to have survived and was preserved at the Museum of London. A fragile survivor, it is loaded with Queen Victoria’s personal symbolism and dates from around 1899. It is extremely rare and may have been discarded when it ceased to be in wearable condition.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
[[File:Four Generations (by William Quiller Orchardson) – Government Art Collection, Lancaster House.jpg|alt=Dark painting showing an old woman and 2 men dressed in black and a small boy dressed in white and holding a big bouquet of roses|left|thumb|Four Generations: Queen Victoria and Her Descendants]]
Although Timms says that only one of Queen Victoria's widow's caps has survived, at least two and possibly three can be found. One widow's cap, said to have belonged to Queen Victoria, is &quot;displayed in a glass case at Kensington Palace, listed as Historic Royal Palaces 3502037, ‘''Widow’s Cap, 1864-1899, Tulle''.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;

Sir William Quiller Orchardson was given what seems to be a different white widow's cap to use for his 1899 ''Four Generations: Queen Victoria and Her Descendants'' (left). His widow donated this cap, also said to have belonged to Queen Victoria, to the Museum of London in 1917.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt; Timms says that the cap in the Museum of London is dated about 1899, &quot;contains far more tulle frills&quot; and &quot;is considerably more fragile ... because it has been washed.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;

What may be a separate, third cap (above right), which is called a &quot;white mourning head-dress [Trauer Kopfbedeckung]&quot; belonging to Queen Victoria, is dated &quot;from 1883 [von 1883].&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Citation|title=English:  white mourning headdress of Queen Victoria from 1883Deutsch:  Trauer Kopfbedeckung Königin Victoria von 1883|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_white_mourning_head-dress.JPG|date=2015-03-22|accessdate=2026-02-20|last=Jula2812}}&lt;/ref&gt; (The only information that might be considered provenance in the description of this third cap is that the person who uploaded the image into Wikimedia Commons titled it in German.)[[File:Queen Victoria (1887).jpg|thumb|Queen Victoria wearing the Small Diamond Crown, the Coronation Necklace and Earrings and the Koh-i-Noor brooch, 1897]]

=== Crowns ===
The Royal Collection Trust has a page on [https://www.rct.uk/collection/stories/the-crown-jewels-coronation-regalia The Crown Jewels: Coronation Regalia]. Two crowns are worn for the coronation ceremony, not counting the Consort Crown&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-05-17|title=Consort crown|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Consort_crown&amp;oldid=1290790447|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;: the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#St. Edward's Crown|St. Edward's Crown]] and the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Imperial State Crown|Imperial State Crown]].

The parts of a crown: the band, fleur-de-lys, cross pattée, the cap, arch, monde (the globe on top of the arches), the cross (on top of the monde)

==== Small Crowns ====
The Small Diamond Crown, photograph by Bassano (right): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1887_postcard_of_Queen_Victoria.jpg, was made in March 1870 by Garrard and Co. to fit over QV's widow's cap and to serve as an official crown.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-03-12|title=Small Diamond Crown of Queen Victoria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Small_Diamond_Crown_of_Queen_Victoria&amp;oldid=1280094126|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; The Royal Collection Trust has 3 views of this crown (https://www.rct.uk/collection/31705/queen-victorias-small-diamond-crown). Its discussion of the Small Diamond Crown is here:&lt;blockquote&gt;The priorities in creating the design were lightness and comfort and the crown may have been based on Queen Charlotte's nuptial crown which had been returned to Hanover earlier in the reign. Queen Victoria wore this crown for the first time at the opening of Parliament on 9 February 1871, and frequently used it after that date for State occasions, and for receiving guests at formal Drawing-rooms. It was also her choice for many of the portraits of her later reign, sometimes worn without the arches. By the time of her death, the small crown had become so closely associated with the image of the Queen, that it was placed on her coffin at Osborne.&lt;ref name=&quot;:10&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/31705/queen-victorias-small-diamond-crown|title=Garrard &amp; Co - Queen Victoria's Small Diamond Crown|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-01-20}}&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;This crown was on the catafalque for her funeral procession along with the Imperial State Crown, the Orb and the Sceptre.

An 1897 political cartoon in Hindi shows QV wearing the Small Diamond Crown, veil and lappets, which might be a symbolic rather than a literal representation (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpg).

The Royal Collection Trust's technical description of the Small Diamond Crown is here: &lt;blockquote&gt;The crown comprises an openwork silver frame set with 1,187 brilliant-cut and rose-cut diamonds in open-backed collet mounts. The band is formed with a frieze of lozenges and ovals in oval apertures, between two rows of single diamonds, supporting four crosses-pattée and four fleurs-de-lis, with four half-arches above, surmounted by a monde and a further cross-pattée.&lt;ref name=&quot;:10&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
These small crowns are not part of the collection of official coronation wear, but they were part of what QV wore as sovereign or monarch. She is not wearing them in the photographs of her ''en famille''. [[File:Saint Edward's Crown.jpg|alt=Gold bejeweled crown with purple velvet and fur around the rim|thumb|St Edward's Crown, traditionally used at the moment of coronation]]

==== St. Edward's Crown ====
Putting the St. Edward's Crown on the monarch's head marks the moment of the coronation. This crown is used once in a monarch's lifetime.&lt;ref name=&quot;:7&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/stories/the-crown-jewels-coronation-regalia|title=The Crown Jewels: Coronation Regalia|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-27}}&lt;/ref&gt; The current St. Edward's Crown (right) was made in 1661, for the coronation of Charles II, and it was most recently used in the coronation of Charles III.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-29|title=St Edward's Crown|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=St_Edward%27s_Crown&amp;oldid=1330156300|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

Because of its weight, the St. Edward's Crown has not always used for coronations. In the period between the coronation of William III (William of Orange) in 1689&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-02|title=William III of England|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_III_of_England&amp;oldid=1325339468|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; and that of George V in 1911, new monarchs did not use the St. Edward's Crown but had new crowns made for the ceremony.

Lucy Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;St Edward’s Crown, traditionally used at the climax of the ceremony, had been made for Charles II, a man over 6 feet tall and well able to bear its 5-lb weight. But here [for Victoria's coronation] problems had been anticipated. A new and smaller ‘Crown of State’ had been specially made ‘according to the Model approved by the Queen’ at a cost of £1,000.45{{rp|45 TNA LC 2/67, p. 66}} ...

Her new crown weighed less than half the load of St Edward’s Crown, but it still gave Victoria a headache. She’d had it made to fit her head extra tightly, so that ‘accident or misadventure’ could not cause it to fall off.&lt;sup&gt;47:&quot;47 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) pp. 83–4&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; The jewellers Rundell, Bridge &amp; Rundell had made the new crown, and during the build-up towards the coronation it had become the focus [173–174] of an angry controversy. Mr Bridge had displayed his firm’s finished handiwork to the public in his shop on Ludgate Hill. This was much to the dismay of the touchy Mr Swifte, Keeper of the Regalia at the Tower of London. It was Mr Swifte’s privilege to display the Crown Jewels kept at the Tower to anyone who wanted to see them, for one shilling each, and he’d been counting on a lucrative flood of visitors to pay for the feeding of his numerous and sickly infants. But the new crown proved a greater attraction, and hundreds of people went to Mr Bridge’s shop, Mr Swifte complained, when they would otherwise have come to the Tower. Mr Bridges was not very sympathetic about stealing Mr Swifte’s business. ‘If we were to close our Doors,’ he claimed, ‘I fear they would be forced.’&lt;sup&gt;48&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;48 TNA LC 2/68 (22 June 1838)&quot;}}

Victoria later confessed that her firmly fitting crown had hurt her ‘a good deal’, but nevertheless she had to sit on her throne in it, while the peers came up one by one to swear loyalty and kiss her hand.&lt;sup&gt;49&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|49 RA QVJ/1838: 28}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|173–174; nn. 45, 47, 48, 49, p. 661}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
==== Imperial State Crown ====
[[File:Imperial State Crown.png|alt=Gold bejeweled crown with purple velvet and many large colorful gemmstones|thumb|The Current Imperial State Crown (digitally edited image)|left]][[File:Imperial State Crown of Queen Victoria (2).jpg|alt=Gold bejeweled crown with velvet cap and ermine rim|thumb|Drawing of the Imperial State Crown of Queen Victoria, 1838]]The new monarch wears a different crown from the St. Edward's Crown as he or she leaves Westminster Abbey after the coronation. This crown is used for very formal state occasions like appearing in public after the coronation and for the State Opening of Parliament. Used relatively frequently, it has had to be replaced in the past when it gets damaged or begins to show wear.

Victoria had the Imperial State Crown (right) made for her coronation on 28 June 1838. It was broken in a procession in 1845 (dropped by the Duke of Argyll), so it no longer exists (which is why this image is a drawing). What is now the current Imperial State Crown (left) was rebuilt after the 1845 accident, altered to accommodate the Cullinan II diamond in 1909, copied and remade in 1937 for the coronation of George IV.&lt;ref name=&quot;:7&quot; /&gt; Then it was redesigned slightly for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-08-14|title=Imperial State Crown|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Imperial_State_Crown&amp;oldid=1305824792|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;[[File:Victoria in her Coronation (cropped).jpg|alt=Old painting of a white woman very richly dressed, wearing a crown|thumb|Queen Victoria wearing the State Diadem, Winterhalter 1858]]
==== The Diamond Diadem ====
The Diamond Diadem was made for the coronation of George IV and worn by every queen — regnant or consort — since. Called the Diadem by Queen Victoria and the Diamond Diadem or the George IV State Diadem now, this crown (right, on Queen Victoria's head) is a circlet of two rows of pearls enclosing a row of diamonds.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-02|title=Diamond Diadem|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diamond_Diadem&amp;oldid=1330716296|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; On top are 4 crosses pattée and 4 bouquets of the national emblems of the thistle, the shamrock and the rose.&lt;ref&gt;{{Citation|title=The Diamond Diadem|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmDAYqKiGZM|date=2022-05-12|accessdate=2026-02-04|last=Royal Collection Trust}}&lt;/ref&gt;

Queen Victoria wore it on some official state occasions before the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Small Crowns|Small Diamond Crown]] was made in 1871.

==== Diadems, Tiaras ====
A diadem is may be simpler than a crown, or it may be a simple crown. Crowns and diadems have a band that is a full circle.

A Tiara is a semi-circular headpiece, typically a piece of jewelry, that can sit on top of the head or on the forehead. Worn by women at white tie, very formal events.

A Coronet of Rank in the UK is a kind of crown that signifies rank and whose design indicates which rank in the nobility the wearer holds. A coronet does not have the high arches that crowns have. Coronets of rank indicate non-royal rank.

Something called the State Diadem was designed by Albert in 1845? and made by Joseph Kitching.

== QV's Wedding ==
Ideas about QV's wedding dress are encrusted with misinformation: 

# QV was not the first royal (or first woman) to wear a white wedding dress.
# She did not wear white to signal her virginity and purity.
# Everybody has not worn white since then because she did.

None of this is true, and some of it is easy to set aside. It is not true that Queen Victoria invented the white wedding dress. The first record of a white wedding dress in what is now the UK is the early 15th century, and they appear to be popular both in Europe and North America among royals as well as upper middle class in the mid century.

Princess Charlotte, the last royal woman to wed (?), in 1816, wore gold cloth &quot;with three layers of machine-made lace.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/71997/princess-charlottes-wedding-dress|title=Mrs Triaud (active 1816) - Princess Charlotte's Wedding Dress|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-31}}&lt;/ref&gt; Her dress is in the Royal Collection Trust (https://www.rct.uk/collection/71997/princess-charlottes-wedding-dress).

Royals were expected to appear regal. Gold and silver cloth and adornments would not have been surprising for a monarch, so QV's choice is worth examining, regardless of the actual color. Given that churches in 1840 were lit with candles and torches and rooms were warmed by coal or wood, white would have been difficult to maintain. So it expressed status and wealth (the association between the white dress and virginity may have arisen in the mid-20th century in the context of widely available birth control and the sexual revolution). White was not uncommon, however, for dresses in the mid-19th century, particular in cotton and particularly for warmer weather.&lt;ref name=&quot;:9&quot; /&gt;

Violet Paget writing as Vernon Lee addresses the Victorian moral implications in the colors white and black in her 1895 ''Fortnightly Review'' article &quot;Beauty and Insanity.&quot; She is not talking about race, and she does not mention brides [does she talk about Victoria?]. She regards as an aesthetic cultural imposition the association between whiteness and purity, virginity and heterosexuality, and between blackness and evil.&lt;ref&gt;Renes, Liz. “Vernon Lee’s ‘Beauty and Sanity’ and 1895: Color and Cultural Response.” Academica.edu https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/41271981/LeeText-libre.pdf?1452968345=&amp;response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DVernon_Lees_Beauty_and_Sanity_and_1895_C.pdf&amp;Expires=1767736568&amp;Signature=SvA5MHz3LY7x~GCxwa6pSRVwF5scY-jOgI6QAEvRyp1j5tk4uy8MWI1pj0kdJOJDLP~XMUwXuLMIVkwPwCxFut6~uLf5PI5~CnZ3arxlKFeK-LWGL1vlF7QeIzRqTkNDnyXitYiJ83DVsidWCJ8DyIHHajtl0Dk0gGzb0L-I547s-EIM~lEmWxchyLqyCnhG4o0fmEcTZqUEaJ84uImLfmosdnphQKUAIEfNai9cEdh33~wfWWfirM29CfEgtsIkoZRvsioM7fKcO79VSVsYecYySCg7GvRikf9zJ~dtJ2NNpjvtXO0tnVmv8lvVbtRM8m1fQ7jZ-hrhgF-nUOVKaQ__&amp;Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA (retrieved January 2026).&lt;/ref&gt; 

It is true, however, that the press coverage of QV's wedding likely increased the popularity of white for weddings.

=== White Wedding Dress ===
The Royal Collection has QV's wedding dress, in 3 views. It says the dress is made of cream-colored silk satin. It doesn't say the color has yellowed. In her journals, QV describes her dress as &quot;a white satin gown, with a very deep flounce of Honiton lace, imitation of old.&quot;&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;21 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (238)

&quot;Onlookers,&quot; Worsley says, commenting on the wedding and Victoria's dress, said Victoria and her party looked like &quot;village girls, presumably rather than a monarch and her ladies in waiting.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (244 [of 786], citing Wyndham, ed. (1912) p. 297). Others saw the simplicity of the wedding dress similarly, though less negatively. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;'I saw the Queen’s dress at the palace,’ wrote one eager letter-writer, ‘the lace was beautiful, as fine as a cobweb.’ She wore no jewels at all, this person’s account continues, ‘only a bracelet with Prince Albert’s picture’.&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;28 Mundy, ed. (1885) p. 413}} This was in fact [240–241] completely incorrect. Albert had given her a huge sapphire brooch, which she wore along with her ‘Turkish diamond necklace and earrings’.&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;29 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February}} It was the beginning of a lifetime trend for Victoria’s clothes to be reported as simpler, plainer, less ostentatious than they really were. The reality was that they were not quite as ostentatious as people expected for a queen.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt; (240–241)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Is it possible that ''white'' actually was used for a range of very light colors? Certainly, not all whites are the same color, and not all viewers are precise with their language.

==== What Was White Used For? ====
The layers worn under dresses were sometimes white. Undergarments would generally have been made of cotton by the 1890s, although some wool and linen was still in use. Mechanical bleaches were available, so fabric could be made pale enough to have been called white. Kate Strasdin quotes a mid-19th-century use of &quot;snow white&quot; to distinguish it from other kinds of white.&lt;ref name=&quot;:9&quot; /&gt; 

Debutants being presented to the monarch wore white, it was court dress [confirm this], and the train added to Victoria's dress raised it into court dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (239? [22 Staniland (1997) p. 118])

Perhaps what was striking about Victoria's white dress was not just its color but its simplicity. When the &quot;onlookers&quot; at Victoria's wedding compare her bridal party to village girls, they are not suggesting that the bridal party is wearing underwear indecently or that they're in court dress. The touchstone here is class — they don't look like the ruling class or the upper class.

But Victoria's white dress was influential nonetheless. Lucy Worsley says it &quot;launched a million subsequent white weddings.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt; (238) However, other women were wearing white around the same time, including Mary Todd's sister Frances and Sophie of Württembert, Queen of the Netherlands in 1839. Mary Todd is said to have worn white at her wedding to Abraham Lincoln because they married quickly, so she just borrowed her sisters dress.

# 1839 May 21: Frances Todd's wedding dress was white; she later loaned it to her sister, Mary Todd, for her wedding.
# 1839 June 18: Sophie of Württembert, Queen of the Netherlands wore white.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-02|title=Sophie of Württemberg|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sophie_of_W%C3%BCrttemberg&amp;oldid=1325386567|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; She knew Napoleon III and QV; was progressive politically, favoring democracy; was buried in her wedding dress.
# '''1840 February 10''': QV's wedding dress was white.
# 1842 November 4: Mary Todd wore her sister Frances's white satin wedding dress.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-05|title=Mary Todd Lincoln|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Todd_Lincoln&amp;oldid=1325904504|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1853 January 30: Eugénie of France wore white.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-11-18|title=Eugénie de Montijo|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eug%C3%A9nie_de_Montijo&amp;oldid=1322973534|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1854 April 24: Empress Elisabeth of Austria wore white for her wedding.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-17|title=Empress Elisabeth of Austria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Empress_Elisabeth_of_Austria&amp;oldid=1327984118|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1858 January 25: Victoria the Princess Royal&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-22|title=Victoria, Princess Royal|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Victoria,_Princess_Royal&amp;oldid=1328868015|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1863 March 10: Alexandra of Denmark&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-14|title=Alexandra of Denmark|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alexandra_of_Denmark&amp;oldid=1327524766|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

All royal clothing is deliberately &quot;symbolic&quot; — or semiotic — to some degree. Lucy Worsley interprets the simple white dress as Victoria marrying as a woman rather than as &quot;Her Majesty the Queen.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (239) Kay Staniland and Santina M. Levey (and the [https://thedreamstress.com/2011/04/queen-victorias-wedding-dress-the-one-that-started-it-all/ Dreamstress blog]) claim that the salient article from QV's wedding dress was the Honiton lace, which the dress showcased, which they decided should be white, which is why her dress was white.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://thedreamstress.com/2011/04/queen-victorias-wedding-dress-the-one-that-started-it-all/|title=Queen Victoria's wedding dress: the one that started it all|last=Dreamstress|first=The|date=2011-04-17|website=The Dreamstress|language=en-US|access-date=2025-12-17}}&lt;/ref&gt;
[[File:Queen Victoria's Wedding Lace Veil c.1889-91 Detail.jpg|alt=Old photograph of a square of fine fabric edged with ornate white lace, with a wreath of small artificial flowers on the side|thumb|Queen Victoria's Wedding Veil, c. 1889–91]]

=== Wedding Veil ===
The late-19th-century image of QV's veil (right) makes it look a lot smaller than it is. The circlet to its right, which is a wreath of artificial flowers worn around the head over the veil, suggests its scale.

A contemporary (1855) photograph of 1840 QV's wedding veil and wreath is in the Royal Trust collection (https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/34/collection/2905584/veil-worn-by-queen-victoria-at-her-marriage), from a page in a scrapbook that includes 2 photos of paintings made after the wedding, one photo of the veil, showing its lace, and one photo of the bonnet she wore after the wedding.

The veil and [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Flounce|flounce]] on QV's wedding dress were made of Honiton lace, in Devon, partly designed &quot;by the Pre-Raphaelite artist William Dyce&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot; /&gt; and attached to a very fine netting. QV seems to have saved both the dress and the veil. She used both until the end of her life as well as other pieces of lace using the same Dyce design.

Elizabeth Abbott, in her ''A History of Marriage'', says her veil was&lt;blockquote&gt;one and half yards of diamond-studded Honiton lace draped over her shoulders and back. ... The flounce of the dress was also Honiton lace, four yards of it, specially made in the village of Beer by over two hundred lace workers, at a cost of more than £1,000.&lt;ref&gt;Abbott, Elizabeth. ''A History of Marriage''. Duckworth Overlook, 2011. Internet Archive [[iarchive:historyofmarriag0000abbo_w6u8/page/76/mode/2up|https://archive.org/details/historyofmarriag0000abbo_w6u8]].&lt;/ref&gt; (76)&lt;/blockquote&gt;

N. Hudson Moore's 1904 ''Lace Book'' describes (perhaps a touch hyperbolically) the Honiton lace used on Victoria's coronation and wedding dresses as well as her &quot;body linen&quot; and the dresses of Alexandra, Princess of Wales and the Princess Alice:&lt;blockquote&gt;
The wedding trousseau of Queen Victoria was trimmed with English laces only, and this set such a fashion for their use that the market could not be supplied, and the prices paid were fabulous. The patterns were most jealously guarded, and each village and sometimes separate families were noted for their particular designs, which could not be obtained elsewhere. Such laces as these were what were used on Queen Victoria’s body linen. Her coronation gown was of white satin with a deep flounce of Honiton lace, and with trimmings of the same lace on elbow sleeves and about the low neck. Her mantle was of cloth of gold trimmed with bullion fringe and enriched with the rose, the thistle, and other significant emblems. This cloth of gold is woven in one town in England. The present Queen’s mantle was made there also. Queen Victoria's wedding dress was composed entirely [sic] of Honiton lace, and was made in the small fishing village of Beers. It cost £1,000 ($5,000) and after the dress was made the patterns were destroyed. Royalty has done all it could to promote the use of this lace, and the wedding dresses of the Princess Alice and of Queen Alexandra were of Honiton also, the pattern of the latter showing the design of the Prince of Wales’s feathers and ferns.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/lacebook0000nhud|title=The lace book|last=N. Hudson Moore|date=1904|publisher=Frederick A. Stokes Company|others=Internet Archive}}&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|184}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
QV wore her wedding veil to all her children's christenings.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|492 of 786}} Beatrice wore that veil at her own wedding, a sign that QV had relented and agreed to Beatrice marrying. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;Beatrice could only squint at her groom-to-be through the folds of the very same Devon lace veil her mother had worn when she'd married Albert. This was hugely significant. Victoria attached great importance to clothes, and a well-informed source tells us that ‘almost without exception, her wardrobe woman can produce the gown, bonnet, or mantle she wore on any particular occasion.'&lt;sup&gt;47&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|&quot;47 Anon. 'Private Life' (1897; 1901 edition) p. 69&quot;}} The veil was one of the most precious items in the Albertian reliquary. ‘I look upon it as a holy charm,’ Victoria wrote, ‘as it was under that veil our union was blessed forever.’&lt;sup&gt;48&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;48 RA QVJ/1843: 19 May; Bartley (2016) p. 82&quot;}} Her loan of it to Beatrice was an important act of blessing.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|500 of 786; n. 47, 48, p. 721 of 786}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Sartorial Style ==
In clothing and perhaps also in jewelry but not in furnishings or architecture. When matters.
* She had her own sense of style, influenced as she may have been by her maids, dressers and modistes, over time and through events in her life. The evolution of her sense of style changed as her life changed and she aged. She was never haute couture, although before she married Albert, she wore French fashion and Brussels lace. But she never really did glamour? Early on, a lot of bare shoulders. A construction of a feminine identity in all that frou-frou, from girly to romantic to maternal to widowed to regal. She came out of her depression with a changed identity.
* She liked frills, layers and decorative trim, and some frou-frou, especially perhaps while Albert was still alive. But over her life, her general look was a simple dress made in sophisticated ways with very high-quality fabrics, laces and trim. After she developed her &quot;uniform,&quot; the frou-frou can be hard to see and impossible to see from a distance. In a way, she was beyond haute couture, her style was classic and less mutable, decorative elements were often sentimental.
** Albert's role
*** QV told people that &quot;she 'had no taste, ... used only to listen to him,'&quot; Albert. Taste here is probably art and architecture, as the context is Osborne House.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|318 of 786 [n. 26, p. 689: &quot;Quoted in Marsden, ed. (2012) p. 12&quot;]}}
*** QV &quot;and Albert — '''for Albert must approve every outfit''' — were conservative in their taste [in clothing]. A Frenchman found her frumpy, and laughed at her old-fashioned handbag 'on which was embroidered a fat poodle in gold'.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|311 of 786}} Something sentimental made by Vicky?
*** Elizabeth Jane Timms says, &quot;Prince Albert had played an essential role in the Queen’s wardrobe, on whose highly refined artistic taste the Queen relied. In her own words: ‘''He did everything – everywhere… the designing and ordering of Jewellery, the buying of a dress or a bonnet… all was done together''…’ [sic ital].&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;
*** 1861 January at Osborne after the servants' ball:&lt;blockquote&gt;As she and Albert passed the time ‘talking over the company’, Victoria also gives details of how her ‘maids would come in and begin to undress me – and he would go on talking, and would make his observations on my jewels and ornaments and give my people good advice as to how to keep them or would occasionally reprimand if anything had not been carefully attended to’.&lt;sup&gt;50&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|327 of 786; n. 50, p. 590: &quot;RA VIC/MAIN/RA/491 (January 1861)&quot;}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
* We know some things about her dressers, modistes, dressmakers, etc.
* She had a couple of &quot;uniforms&quot;: the Widow of Windsor and the riding habit with the red coat.
* She like fine, complex laces. Even when laces were typically machine made, hers were not.
* She liked tartan. Many of her clothing choices were emotional or sentimental: favorite and meaningful veils, shawls, tartan.
* Shape of skirt (see [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Hoops|Hoops]] for one photograph that shows the style of fabric moving to the back). When she visited Paris in 1855 she wasn't wearing hoops yet, though Eugénie was. The French women thought she was dowdy. Her shawl clashed with her dress.
* Alexandra, Princess of Wales had a very different sense of style and moved in very different social networks, regardless of her own official responsibilities. She wore haute couture and at one event — a [[Social Victorians/Timeline/1889#The Shah at a Covent Garden Opera Performance|performance at Covent Garden attended by the Shah]] — wore a red dress, which was reported on without moralizing comment. She wore dresses made by designers outside the UK.
* The contexts for how Victoria dressed:
** expectations for royalty and wives
** her relationships with the middle classes and the aristocracy
*** set herself up in opposition to the aristocracy and haute couture, and Bertie's side of the aristocracy.
*** The aristocracy did not look to her as fashion leader, but did the middle classes? Was she dressing more like some of them rather than them like her?
*** Middle-class perspective on aristocracy: Harriet Martineau attended QV's coronation, disapproved of how the peeresses were dressed and &quot;would have preferred 'the decent differences of dress which, according to middle-class custom, pertain to contrasting periods of life’. She particularly criticised the peers’ wives, ‘old hags, with their dyed or false hair’, their bare arms and necks so ‘wrinkled as to make one sick’.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|180 of 786}}
*** Her sense of style spoke to the middle classes and the mainstream ideas of many of her subjects.
*** Worsley says of Randall Davidson, new Dean of Windsor, later Archbishop of Canterbury, &quot;Unlike Albert, unlike even the Ponsonbys, Davidson appreciated her talent for identifying how mainstream opinion among her subjects would respond to almost any issue. Elsewhere in Europe, when revolutions succeeded, it was because middle-class people and the oppressed workers made common cause. In Britain, though, this never quite happened. Perhaps it was because the middle classes somehow believed that the middlebrow queen was ‘on their side’.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|478 of 786}}
*** Her identification with the middle class helped her monarchy survive. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette: completely identified with smaller and smaller elements only of the aristocracy; similarly Franz Josef and Elisabeth of Austria fell for similar reasons, especially his and his mother Sophia's identification with the aristocracy; Nicholas II and Alexandra of Russia; Napoleon III and Eugenie in France.
** the two main approaches to corseting, tight lacing and &quot;artistic&quot; dress (She didn't do the Worth-house style tight laced &quot;traditional&quot; look (in the 1880s Frith painting) or the &quot;aesthetic&quot; or &quot;artistic&quot; style associated with artists and socialists.)
** the practices around mourning (Kate Strasdin's ''The Dress Diary'' summarizes the mourning practices, at least for mid-century, and perhaps for the aspiring middle classes)
* Neither Eugenie of France nor Elisabeth of Austria were regarded as beautiful as children.
* Empress Eugénie's influence on fashion: &quot;when Mrs. Lincoln first arrived in Washington, she made a point of patterning her gowns after the empress’s wardrobe.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;Goldstone, Nancy. ''The Rebel Empresses: Elisabeth of Austria and Eugénie of France, Power and Glamour in the Struggle for Europe''. Little Brown, 2025.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|566, n. iii}}

*According to Lucy Worsley, QV developed some practices early to &quot;memorialise&quot; her life, including writing &quot;the millions of words eventually embodied in the journals that she would keep lifelong, ... keeping significant dresses from her wardrobe, ... the compulsive taking and collecting of photographs,&quot; even maintaining &quot;certain rooms of her palaces ... with their furniture unchanged as shrines to earlier times.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|91 of 786}} Another form of memorialization was the books she wrote or had written.
*1856: there is a &quot;surviving day dress of lilac silk ..., which has grey silk ribbons running between waist and hem inside so that the skirt can be drawn up for convenient walking,&quot; as QV might have done in Scotland, although in the 1856 trip to Scotland, she was pregnant with Beatrice.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|346 of 786; n. 45, p. 693: &quot;'''Madeleine Ginsburg, ‘The Young Queen and Her Clothes'''’, ''Costume'', vol. 3 (Sprint) (1969) p. 42&quot;}}

== Class ==
Early in their marriage, QV and Albert &quot;had a powerful and popular domestic image and were often seen at home wearing ‘ordinary’ clothes, further appealing to the middle classes.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/collections/london-stories/marriage-queen-victoria-prince-albert/|title=The marriage of Queen Victoria &amp; Prince Albert|website=London Museum|language=en-gb|access-date=2026-02-16}}&lt;/ref&gt;

After the 1870 Mordaunt divorce case, according to Lytton Strachey, speaking at first from QV's perspective,&lt;blockquote&gt;It was clear that the heir to the throne had been mixing with people of whom she did not at all approve. What was to be done? She saw that it was not only her son that was to blame﻿ — that it was the whole system of society; and so she despatched a letter to Mr. Delane, the editor of ''The Times'', asking him if he would &quot;frequently write articles pointing out the immense danger and evil of the wretched frivolity and levity of the views and lives of the Higher Classes.&quot; And five years later Mr. Delane did write an article upon that very subject.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (424 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;The upper-middle-class Florence Nightingale &quot;had developed a great fondness for Victoria, shy in 'her shabby little black silk gown'&quot; by the time of Albert's death.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (592 of 1203) She had visited Balmoral during the Crimean War and&lt;blockquote&gt;had been struck by the difference between the bored, frivolous court members and Victoria and Albert, both consumed with thoughts of war, foreign policy, and &quot;all things of importance.&quot; Even before Albert’s death, she thought Victoria conscientious &quot;but so mistrustful of herself, so afraid of not doing her best, that her spirits are lowered by it.&quot; With Albert gone, &quot;now she is even doubting whether she is right or wrong from the habit of consulting him.&quot; Nightingale found this touching, a sign that &quot;she has not been spoilt by power.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (592 of 1203)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Lucy Worsley sees this lack of self-confidence on Victoria's part as one of the effects of Albert's critical, controlling treatment of her.

The general election of 1886, according to Lytton Strachey, &quot;the majority of the nation&quot;&lt;blockquote&gt;showed decisively that Victoria’s politics were identical with theirs by casting forth the contrivers of Home Rule﻿ — that abomination of desolation﻿ — into outer darkness, and placing Lord Salisbury in power. Victoria’s satisfaction was profound.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (439–440 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Prime Minister Salisbury believed that the queen had an uncanny ability to reflect the view of the public; he felt that when he knew [736–737] Victoria’s opinion, he &quot;knew pretty certainly what views her subjects would take, and especially the middle class of her subjects.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (736–737 of 1203)

Summing up her reign, Strachey says,&lt;blockquote&gt;The middle classes, firm in the triple brass of their respectability, rejoiced with a special joy over the most respectable of Queens. They almost claimed her, indeed, as one of themselves; but this would have been an exaggeration. For, though many of her characteristics were most often found among the middle classes, in other respects﻿ — in her manners, for instance﻿ — Victoria was decidedly aristocratic. And, in one important particular, she was neither aristocratic nor middle-class: her attitude toward herself was simply regal.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (478 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;
== Proposals ==
Queen Victoria's Sense of Style, her taste in clothes and jewelry

To talk about her sartorial style is to address both jewelry (which includes crowns, diadems and tiaras) and clothing (including accessories like shawls, veils and caps, bonnets and hats).

One of the secrets of her style was that she wore elements of Victorian frou-frou without looking over-trimmed or visually busy, mostly because it was black on black (or, before Albert's death, white on white, but also because the materials and work were so fine. What she selected of the frou-frou was very fashionable, but the trim is not high contrast, as for example what a Worth gown might have. The silhouette was not high-fashion, but elements were: she knew what was fashionable, she or her dressmakers, etc.

The close-up/far-away thing contrasts with Bertie, who understood ceremony and pageantry differently and probably better.

Periods in her sartorial styles, but made more complex by state occasions vs less formal, many of them in-family occasions:

# Before she came to the throne, she may not have been in control of her own look.
# After her accession and before her marriage, she had control as well as an experienced Mistress of the Robes and experienced maids and dressmakers. She experimented, wore for example a dark tartan dress to meet Albert and his brother and chose simple styles, like village girls, at the wedding; expectations for what a monarch would wear; she seems to have liked an off-the-shoulder look when she was young, and very formal dress later might be off the shoulder.
# Marriage to Albert: he had a lot of say, though she resisted in some ways, but her identity was tied up in his, as his wife; he attempted to constrain her clothing budget was not successful long term; influenced by styles, but not at the front edge; crinoline cage 3 years later than Eugenie and Elisabeth of Austria (Mary Todd Lincoln?). Photographs, so a medium different from the official portraits documenting empire and sovereignty, more candid, more at-home, less formal, modest, but would any of her subjects have seen them? Change as well as memorializing (Worsley). Some changes she adopted: double pommel side saddle, photography, cage (not immediately, but ...) Her friends in the monarchy, Eugénie, Elisabeth of Austria and Mary Todd Lincoln were all very fashion forward. A. N. Wilson says QV was parsimonious &quot;in such matters as heating and wardrobe.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (609 of 1204)
# The 1st year, 2 1/2 years (Strasdin), and then decade of mourning, then she decides never to wear color again (not counting honors and order), and her &quot;brand&quot; begins to develop and solidify, a look friendly to the middle classes, especially the upper middle class. The Widow of Windsor. At the beginning her black thigh-length jackets were largely untrimmed, sometimes completely; a large band at the bottom of her skirt, with trim between that and the more satiny fabric above, but otherwise very little or no other trim. White around her face, including neck and headdress, and at her cuffs, but not much and not a lot of frou-frou, perhaps a ruffle.
# In 1871, under pressure from her ministers and newspapers, she had the Small Diamond Crown made and wore it to open Parliament. So she was missing from the public for about a decade. Her grief was profound, possibly compound because of the death of her mother earlier in the same year as the death of Albert. She may have been vulnerable to depression, sometimes finding pregnancies difficult to recover from. But also, her Widow of Windsor look is not just her being &quot;gloomy&quot; or being stuck in grief, though she may have been, this is her brand, her nuance on her regal identity.
# By the 1880s, her look is well established: plain from a distance; up close, very fine materials and beautiful needlework. Her clothing has trim, but generally black on black or white on white, not contrasting on a field of one color. Not wearing a corset, depending on not-very-heavy boning in her bodices, caps, shawls, At this point, Bertie's place in the aristocracy is also well established, and he and Alex are set up with a very different sense of style, wearing haute couture, House of Worth type stylishness.
# By the Jubilees and the end of the century, &quot;Despite their sombre aspect, even her mourning gowns were finely made. She had settled into a series of very minor variations upon a square-necked bodice and skirt, customised with quirky little pockets for keys and seals, all cut pretty much the same to save her the trouble of fittings. On her head went a white cap, with streamers of lace, and round her neck a locket containing miniatures of two of her children: Alice, now lost to diphtheria, and Leopold, to haemophilia.16&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (511 of 786; n. 16, p. 723: &quot;Princess Marie Louise (1956) p. 141&quot;) One design we see a lot is the usual black with a little white at neckline and wrists, with sophisticated black trim not really visible from a distance. The wide skirt with a deep band of a different fabric at the bottom, a thigh-length jacket with wide sleeves; might be dress with a bodice or a vest and blouse under the jacket.
# Jubilees, end of life and her funeral, which she had planned in detail. 

=== CFPs ===

* Uniform Mourning
* After Prince Albert's death death in 1861, Victoria returned to her earlier project of experimenting and finding sartorial styles that served not only as self-expression but that also communicated how she expected to be treated in what role. The extreme mourning was a reflection of how she felt and her identity as a faithful, grieving widow, but it was also performative and communicative, depending on who was looking and from what distance.
* In her private sphere, in the unofficial and family-centered photographs, in her journals (including Princess Beatrice's revision of her journals) and the preserved clothing, and in the accounts in the papers written by reporters familiar with fashion and dressmaking, we see a sophisticated understanding of fashion and subtle, complex  dresses. The materials and dressmaking are rich and fine. Victoria aligned her appearance with respectable matrons of the growing middle classes, but the quality of the materials used in her clothing aligned her with those in her private sphere, including other royals and aristocrats.
* This opposition between the private and public spheres is falsely simple because, for example, Victoria &quot;memorialized&quot; herself (Worsley), preserving elements of her personal life exactly because she was monarch. The different versions of herself was a complexity present in her lifetime and useful to her.
* Also, her sense of self changed over time, especially after she acceded to the throne, after she married and after she was widowed.
* Focusing on Victoria's clothes and sense of style leads us to see some understandings of her and her reign differently: her periods of seclusion and her absences from governmental and state occasions; the loss of power for the monarchy as well as the survival of the constitutional monarchy when almost every other monarchy in Europe was falling; the ways she managed her relationships with the aristocracy, the middle classes, the press; her mood and mental health; the white wedding dress and her influence in the wedding dresses of her daughters and Alex; Albert's nature; even what we believe to be the rules and conventions around mourning dress; and the size of her body.
* To study Queen Victoria's sartorial sense of style, we look at painted and drawn portraits and at photographs of her, we read the few accounts from biographers and fashion historians, especially those who have looked at the clothing and accessories preserved by Victoria herself and now in the Royal Trust Collection, the London Museum and so on, we read her own accounts (or Princess Beatrice's construction of her mother in her revision of her journals her as well as Esher's books about her based on the journals before Beatrice revised them), and we read accounts of her public appearances in contemporary periodicals, especially newspapers that employed reporters knowledgeable about fashion and dressmaking as well as those more focused on news and, perhaps, a male readership. These sources represent different versions of Victoria and her subjects, a complexity that was already occurring in Victoria's lifetime, that looks to have been deliberate and that was, I argue, very useful to her. These different versions of Victoria and different audiences lead to different readings of her senses of style as they evolved over time and what they might be signaling. The journals and many of the photographs existed in what we might call Victoria's private sphere, by which we mean in the presence of some aristocrats (who worked in government, who attended her and who were ministers), of people who were employed as servants and of her family, which was quite extensive and whose edges were porous, especially toward the end of the century and the end of her life, as well as the small number of people she &quot;adopted&quot; like Duleep Singh and XX [African girl]. The preservation of Victoria's clothing belongs to this &quot;private sphere,&quot; although much of it was worn during public or official events like her coronation or wedding; some, though, like the chemise she wore for the birth of all of her children, was more or less but not completely private, and the &quot;memorializing&quot; (Worsley) of herself entailed in this preservation was done in her role as monarch. The paintings and newspaper accounts depict the public Victoria, and from this distance Victoria looked plain — even dowdy — and clearly unaristocratic: she looks like a middle-class or upper-middle-class widow, the Widow of Windsor. Up close, though, we see complex and sophisticated dresses and dressing. Albert had tastes and preferences for how he wanted her to look, some of which were about looking familiar to the growing middle classes, and after he died and she very deliberately turned her widow's weeds into a uniform, the bifurcation between what she looked like from a distance and to the public and what she looked like up close and to those in her private circles gets clearer. Looking at her as monarch and daughter, wife, mother and grandmother through the lens of her clothing reopens some questions that up to now have seemed settled. Focusing on Victoria's clothes and sense of style causes us to see some uncontroversial and &quot;well-understood&quot; summaries of her and her reign differently: her periods of seclusion, such as they were, and her absences from governmental and state occasions; the loss of power for the monarchy as well as the survival of the constitutional monarchy when almost every other monarchy in Europe was falling; the ways she managed her relationships with the aristocracy, the middle classes, the press; her mood and mental health (the regal, disinterested face, which isn't really gloomy the way it is usually described); the white wedding dress and her influence in the wedding dresses of her daughters and Alex; Albert's nature; the size and shape of her body.
* Many of the newspaper reports of her dress are in descriptions of events involving aristocrats and oligarchs at official social events like garden parties, state balls and, of course, processions, especially for her Golden and Diamond Jubilees. The reports in the news-reporting papers, not the ladies' papers or papers with a lot of fashion reporting, seem to have been written by reporters who did not know how to describe sophisticated clothing, fabrics, trim and techniques; they do not use the technical vocabulary required to report on fashion, or if they attempt it, they end up being confusing. Often, these news reports list only the names of those invited. Garden parties might have as many as 6000 invitées listed; the most said about the queen would list who was attending. Occasionally, we hear a very general description of what she wore and perhaps if she did or did not seem to have difficulty walking, but the reporters seem to have been at a distance and may not know the names of fabrics or dressmaking techniques.
* The reports in the newspapers vs reports written by fashion specialists in women's newspapers (and magazines?).
* Both Oscar Wilde and Jack the Ripper are understood in the context of their &quot;management&quot; (or not) of the media, but Victoria's sense of her identity as a celebrity and public person was at least as sophisticated as theirs. She &quot;memorialized&quot; herself and important moments in her life in her extremely prolific use of photographs as well as painted and drawn images; in her keeping rooms in the palaces frozen in time; in her X millions words recorded in her journals; and in her clothing, both for formal as well as more candid images (Worsley). Her awareness of her responsibility to memorialize herself had to have included the newspapers as well. Politically, her absence from politics after Alfred's death until 1871, when she wore the Small Diamond Crown to open Parliament for the first time, was notable and noted, but a carte de visite with her portrait on it sold X million copies (Worsley) and kept her present in the mind of the citizenry at the same time that she was being criticized for her political absence in the newspapers and among her ministers and the members of Parliament, some of whom questioned the value of an absent monarch. Lytton Strachey says that monarchs up to Victoria's time did not attempt to be fashionable or belong to the fashionable &quot;set,&quot; except, tellingly, George IV. But Victoria's fashion choices occurred in a content different from that of George IV, both politically and journalistically. Especially as Albert's influence waned and Bertie's own social identity developed, the direction of Victoria's sartorial gestures was to the middle classes, especially the upper middle classes, but not the aristocracy, not the fashionable world of haute couture, like, for instance, what the House of Worth might provide. In this 1881 image by Frith, in fact, we see the two main streams of fashion in the economic and cultural elite, but this is not Victoria.
* Alex and her sister Dagmar (who became the mother of Czar Nicolas II) were raised to make their own clothing (their father was not wealthy), so Alex knew a lot about building dresses, already had a wedding dress when she arrived in England but didn't wear it.
* Although she was widely criticized for her absence at state occasions in the press, Parliament and among her ministers, her widely circulated photographic portraits and her books — memoirs mostly of her family life with Albert and their children, her love of Scotland and Balmoral, and later the biographical works she asked and then helped courtiers close to her to write — she was present for the mass of her subjects who bought cartes de visite and read books.
* Worsley says some of her always wearing mourning was to arrange the world so she was treated more gently, with a dispensation; there were other benefits to the &quot;uniform&quot; she developed, but this one suggests she saw herself as marginal and weakened by grief.
* The newspapers described her clothing, but by the end of her life never the way the clothing of women (and occasionally men) wearing haute couture was described? Does the close-up/far-away thing pertain here?

==== '''MVSA: Due 5 January''' (email 4 December, from Laura Fiss) ====
The Underground: Prohibition, Abolition, Expression,  '''April 10-12, 2026''', hosted by Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio

Style and Sensibility: Victoria, Eugénie, Elisabeth and Mary Todd and Their Dressmakers (383 words)

Looking at Queen Victoria's sartorial sense of style troubles some conclusions we have reached about her, her reign, her &quot;private&quot; life and her body. Her style became strongly individuated and intentionally symbolic. The &quot;uniform&quot; worn by the Widow of Windsor — that all-black dress with the touches of white at her neckline and cuffs — made her instantly recognizable, even in a crowd and from a distance, and allied her with the middle class rather than the aristocracy. Up close (in the hundreds of personal photographs, her journals, and the clothing she saved) is a sophisticated and nuanced sense of style and self.

Putting Victoria's use of dress (and jewelry) in the context of a social network of political women that includes Empress Eugénie of France, Elisabeth of Bavaria, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, and Mary Todd Lincoln removes her from the usual social isolation scholarly scrutiny gives her, emphasizing what clothing did for her, although few biographies and histories see Victoria in this way.

These women knew each other, wrote to each other and had friends in common. They thought about what message their clothing choices sent and made those choices in the context of community, not only of who saw them but also each other and the modistes and couturiers who dressed them. Victoria patronized establishments with shops in London, Paris and New York, and a complex staff made what she wore, dressed her in it and looked after it. Both Eugénie and Elisabeth were clients of the British Frederick Worth of Paris. Lincoln's modiste was the brilliant, elegant, formerly enslaved Elizabeth Keckley, who had also — with her 20-seamstress staff — dressed Mrs. Robert E. Lee, Mrs. Stephen Douglas, Mrs. Jefferson Davis, and the daughter of General Sumner. Mary Anna Lee's dress was for a dinner in honor of the Prince of Wales in 1860. (Keckley introduced Abraham Lincoln to Sojourner Truth, but she also cut his hair and made his dressing gown.)

The class alliances these women's dress signaled had implications for their lives and their reigns. Designed to work from a distance, Queen Victoria’s identity as the Widow of Windsor in her barely relieved black was a valuable construction. Face to face and in the personal photographs, the complexities of the dresses are as fine as the eye can see.

They all wore white wedding gowns (unexpected for monarchs at this time).

Family relations and threats and instability for the monarchies in Europe kept QV in touch with fashion in Europe. Not so much underground or rebellious or revolutionary as crosswise. In some ways, QV's style of dress was '''covert''', looking subtly rich and stylish up close but plain and dowdy from a distance: the Widow of Windsor. Speaking to different groups of her subjects differently, a polyvocal style.

QV chose not to do haute courture. She adopted the cage 1858, for example, well after Eugénie and Elisabeth of Austria, and vest and suit coat in the 1890s?, but she's not wearing the vest and suit coat the way Alexandra is, it's not the up-to-the-minute silhouette, but some of the element are.

Queen Victoria helped the two European monarchs with difficult and dangerous moments, sometimes contributing to saving their lives, sometimes directly and sometimes through friends. 

Her relationships with Eugénie, Empress of France; Elisabeth of Austria, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire and Mary Todd Lincoln are based on shared understanding of themselves as public female leaders.

Mary Todd Lincoln's wedding skirt: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1314628790709593&amp;set=pcb.1314628920709580, closeup: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1314628800709592&amp;set=pcb.1314628920709580; in museum case: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1314628814042924&amp;set=pcb.1314628920709580

Turney, Thomas J. &quot;'Lincoln: A Life and Legacy' Opens at Presidential Museum in Springfield.&quot; ''The State Journal Register'' 30 September 2025 https://www.sj-r.com/picture-gallery/news/2025/09/30/new-lincoln-exhibit-opens-at-presidential-museum-in-springfield/86353769007/.

== Self-Memorializing ==
The term is really Lucy Worsley's, QV memorialising herself, but because QV deliberately saved so much, other biographers noticed it as well. A. N. Wilson says,&lt;blockquote&gt;In a recent study, Yvonne M. Ward calculated that Victoria wrote as many as 60 million words.&lt;sup&gt;6&lt;/sup&gt; (6 &quot;Yvonne M. Ward, ''Censoring Queen Victoria'', p. 9.&quot;) Giles St Aubyn, in his biography of the Queen, said that had she been a novelist, her outpouring of written words would have equalled 700 volumes.&lt;sup&gt;7&lt;/sup&gt; (7 &quot;Giles St Aubyn, ''Queen Victoria: A Portrait'', p. 601.&quot;) Her diaries were those of a compulsive recorder, and she sometimes would write as many as 2,500 words of her journal in one day.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (33 of 1204. nn. 6, 7, p. 1057)&lt;/blockquote&gt;If an average Victorian novel is 150,000 words, then Victoria's &quot;outpouring&quot; would equal about 400 volumes, not 700.
* Queen Victoria's journals
* Her personal letters
* Her official letters and memoranda
* Saved clothing and accessories
* Portraits and photographs
* Anniversaries and important dates
* Preserved rooms, including all the stuff she collected over the years and the policy of keeping it in exactly the same place, recorded by photographs and albums
* Works and memoirs, both commanded and self-written
*# 1862: Sir Arthur Helps, &quot;a collection of [Prince Albert's] speeches and addresses&quot; &lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (363 of 555), a &quot;weighty tome.&quot; (364 of 505)
*# 1866: General Grey, &quot;an account of the Prince’s early years﻿ — from his birth to his marriage; she herself laid down the design of the book, contributed a number of confidential documents, and added numerous notes.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (364 of 505)
*# 1868: QV published her ''Leaves from the Journal of Our Life in the Highlands from 1848 to 1861''.&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;
*# 1874–1880: Theodore Martin, it took him 14 years to write an Albert's biography, the 1st volume came out in 1874, the last 1880. He got a knighthood, but the books were not popular, the image of Albert was not popular, too idealized and beatified.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (364 of 505)
*# Poet Laureate
*# 1884: QV published her ''More Leaves from the Journal of Our Life in the Highlands from 1862 to 1882''.&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;

=== Preserved Rooms and Possessions ===
Strachey says,&lt;blockquote&gt;She gave orders that nothing should be thrown away﻿ — and nothing was. There, in drawer after drawer, in wardrobe after wardrobe, reposed the dresses of seventy years. But not only the dresses﻿ — the furs and the mantles and subsidiary frills and the muffs and the parasols and the bonnets﻿ — all were ranged in chronological order, dated and complete. A great cupboard was devoted to the dolls; in the china room at Windsor a special table held the mugs of her childhood, and her children’s mugs as well. Mementoes of the past surrounded her in serried accumulations. In every room the tables were powdered thick with the photographs of relatives; their portraits, revealing them at all ages, covered the walls; their figures, in solid marble, rose up from pedestals, or gleamed from brackets in the form of gold and silver statuettes. The dead, in every shape﻿ — in miniatures, in porcelain, in enormous life-size oil-paintings﻿ — were perpetually about her. John Brown stood upon her writing-table in solid [460–461] gold. Her favourite horses and dogs, endowed with a new durability, crowded round her footsteps. Sharp, in silver gilt, dominated the dinner table; Boy and Boz lay together among unfading flowers, in bronze. And it was not enough that each particle of the past should be given the stability of metal or of marble: the whole collection, in its arrangement, no less than its entity, should be immutably fixed. There might be additions, but there might never be alterations. No chintz might change, no carpet, no curtain, be replaced by another; or, if long use at last made it necessary, the stuffs and the patterns must be so identically reproduced that the keenest eye might not detect the difference. No new picture could be hung upon the walls at Windsor, for those already there had been put in their places by Albert, whose decisions were eternal. So, indeed, were Victoria’s. To ensure that they should be the aid of the camera was called in. Every single article in the Queen’s possession was photographed from several points of view. These photographs were submitted to Her Majesty, and when, after careful inspection, she [461–462] had approved of them, they were placed in a series of albums, richly bound. Then, opposite each photograph, an entry was made, indicating the number of the article, the number of the room in which it was kept, its exact position in the room and all its principal characteristics. The fate of every object which had undergone this process was henceforth irrevocably sealed. The whole multitude, once and for all, took up its steadfast station. And Victoria, with a gigantic volume or two of the endless catalogue always beside her, to look through, to ponder upon, to expatiate over, could feel, with a double contentment, that the transitoriness of this world had been arrested by the amplitude of her might.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (460–462 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Demographics ==
*Nationality: English
=== Residences ===
== Questions and Notes ==
#

== Bibliography ==

# Anon. &quot;One of Her Majesty's Servants,&quot; the Private Life of Queen Victoria. London, 1897, 1901.
# Fawcett, Millicent Garrett. ''Life of Her Majesty Queen Victoria''. Roberts Bros., 1895. WikiSource copy: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Index:Life_of_Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(IA_lifeofhermajesty01fawc).pdf.
# Homans, Margaret. &quot;'To the Queen's Private Apartments': Royal Family Portraiture and the Construction of Victoria's Sovereign Obedience.&quot; ''Victorian Studies'' vol. 37, no. 1 (1993) pp. 1–41.
# Homans, Margaret. 1998.
# Mitchell, Rebecca Nicole, editor. ''Fashioning the Victorians: A Critical Sourcebook''. Bloomsbury visual arts, 2018. OCLC # [https://search.worldcat.org/title/1085349620 1085349620] .
# Staniland, Kay. ''In Royal Fashion: The Clothes of Princess Charlotte of Wales and Queen Victoria 1796-1901''. London, 1997.
# Staniland, Kay, and Santina M. Levey. ''Queen Victoria's Wedding Dress and Lace''. Museum of London, 1983?. OCLC # [https://search.worldcat.org/title/473453762 473453762] . [Repr. from ''Costume, The Journal of the Costume Society'' (17:1983), pp. 1–32.]
# Wackerl, Luise. ''Royal Style: A History of Aristocratic Fashion Icons.'' Peribo, 2012. [T.C. Magrath Library: Quarto GT1754 .W33 2012]

== References ==
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      <text bytes="235854" sha1="hyre4pkd0czcq8tp6hr03i1b1ye5p39" xml:space="preserve">== Overview ==
According to the Museum of London, Queen Victoria was 4'8&quot; by the end of her life.&lt;ref&gt;Austin, Emily. &quot;Mounting Queen Victoria's mourning dress.&quot; 13 August 2020 ''London Museum''. [https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/blog/mounting-queen-victorias-mourning-dress/#:~:text=Comprising%20a%20bodice%20and%20skirt,a%20certain%20stage%20of%20mourning. https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/blog/mounting-queen-victorias-mourning-dress/#:~:text=Comprising%20a%20bodice%20and%20skirt,a%20certain%20stage%20of%20mourning.] Retrieved 2026-03-09.&lt;/ref&gt; Most people say she was about 5 feet tall at her tallest, although sometimes some will say 5'2&quot;.

Lytton Strachey describes the shrinking of Queen Victoria's power over the course of her reign, attributing it to her inability to think clearly about the constitution or constitutional monarchy:&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria’s comprehension of the spirit of her age has been constantly asserted. It was for long the custom for courtly historians and polite politicians to compliment the Queen upon the correctness of her attitude towards the Constitution. But such praises seem hardly to be justified by the facts. ... The complex and delicate principles of the Constitution cannot be said to have come within the compass of her mental faculties; and in the actual developments which it underwent during her reign she [472–473] played a passive part. From 1840 to 1861 the power of the Crown steadily increased in England; from 1861 to 1901 it steadily declined. The first process was due to the influence of the Prince Consort, the second to that of a series of great Ministers. During the first Victoria was in effect a mere accessory; during the second the threads of power, which Albert had so laboriously collected, inevitably fell from her hands into the vigorous grasp of Mr. Gladstone, Lord Beaconsfield, and Lord Salisbury. Perhaps, absorbed as she was in routine, and difficult as she found it to distinguish at all clearly between the trivial and the essential, she was only dimly aware of what was happening. Yet, at the end of her reign, the Crown was weaker than at any other time in English history. Paradoxically enough, Victoria received the highest eulogiums for assenting to a political evolution, which, had she completely realised its import, would have filled her with supreme displeasure.

Nevertheless it must not be supposed that she was a second George III. Her desire to impose her will, vehement as it was, and unlimited by [473–474] any principle, was yet checked by a certain shrewdness.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot;&gt;Strachey, Lytton. ''Queen Victoria''. Standard Ebooks, 2025 (2020). [http://standardebooks.org/ebooks/lytton-strachey/queen-victoria standardebooks.org/ebooks/lytton-strachey/queen-victoria]. Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/queen-victoria/id6444770015.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|472–474 of 555}}
&lt;/blockquote&gt;

The American writer Henry James on Queen Victoria's death:&lt;blockquote&gt;the ensuing mood [was] &quot;strange and indescribable&quot;: people spoke in whispers, as though scared of something. He was surprised at the reaction, because her death was not sudden or unusual: it was &quot;a simple running down of the old used up watch,&quot; the death of an old widow who had thrown &quot;her good fat weight into the scales of general decency.&quot; Yet in the following days, the American-born writer felt unexpectedly distressed. He, like so many, mourned the &quot;safe and motherly old middle-class Queen, who held the nation warm under the fold of her big, hideous Scotch-plaid shawl.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|846 of 1203}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

According to A. N. Wilson, Queen Victoria's reputation for prudishness is not quite deserved. The &quot;raffishness&quot; of George IV, for example, or most of the other children of George III, was distasteful, but&lt;blockquote&gt;Having been brought up by a [324–325] widow was different from being brought up, as Albert was, in a home broken by adultery; so her distaste for raffishness, though she would loyally echo her husband’s strong moral line, lacked the pathological edge which it possessed in his case.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|324–325 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

And Wilson says of her enduring liking for the &quot;poor relation&quot; cousin George Cambridge, 2nd Duke of Cambridge,&lt;blockquote&gt;Although all her biographers stress Victoria’s need, in marrying the virtuous Prince Albert, to escape the dissipations and clumsiness of her ‘wicked uncles’, there was always a distinctly Hanoverian side to her. George Cambridge was a throwback to the world of William IV and George IV, to a lack of stiffness and a lack of side which was always part of Victoria’s character also.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|879 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

Wilson says of the distance between the actual woman and the external perception of her,&lt;blockquote&gt;Arthur C. Benson and the 1st Viscount Esher, both homosexual men of a certain limited outlook determined by their class and disposition, were the pair entrusted with the task of editing the earliest published letters. It is a magnificent achievement, but they chose to concentrate on Victoria’s public life, omitting the thousands of letters she wrote relating to health, to children, to sex and marriage, to feelings and the ‘inner woman’. It perhaps comforted them, and others who revered the memory of the Victorian era, to place a posthumous gag on Victoria’s emotions. The extreme paradox arose that one of the most passionate, expressive, humorous and unconventional women who ever lived was paraded before the public as a [39–40] stiff, pompous little person, the ‘figurehead’ to an all-male imperial enterprise.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|39–40 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

Besides what some say was a German accent, Queen Victoria spoke in what A. N. Wilson calls&lt;blockquote&gt;an unreformed Regency English. In Osborne, on Christmas Day 1891, she asked Sir Henry Ponsonby, 'Why the blazes don't Mr Macdonnell telegraph hear the results of the election? He used to do so and now he don’t.' ... If William IV had lived in the age of the telegraph, it is just the sort of question, with 'don't' for 'doesn't', and the blunt 'why the blazes' which he would have asked. One sees here [857–858] how much she had in common with her cousin the Duke of Cambridge, who likewise appeared in many ways to be a pre-Victorian. During a drought, he went to church and the parson prayed for rain. The duke involuntarily exclaimed, 'Oh God! My dear man, how can you expect rain with wind in the east?' When the chaplain, later in the service, said, 'Let us pray,' the duke replied, 'By all means.'&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|857–858 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Also Known As ==
*Victoria Regina
*Family name: Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
*Nickname, as a child: Drina
*Alexandrina Victoria

== Family ==
*Victoria — Alexandrina Victoria (24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901)&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;
*Albert, Prince Consort — Franz August Karl Albert Emanuel (26 August 1819 – 14 December 1861)&lt;ref name=&quot;:2&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-04|title=Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prince_Albert_of_Saxe-Coburg_and_Gotha&amp;oldid=1315065374|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa, &quot;Vicky,&quot; German Empress, Empress Frederick (21 November 1840 – 5 August 1901)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-08|title=Victoria, Princess Royal|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Victoria,_Princess_Royal&amp;oldid=1315724049|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Albert Edward, Prince of Wales | Albert Edward, &quot;Teddy,&quot; King Edward VII]] (4 November 1841 – 6 May 1910)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-23|title=Edward VII|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edward_VII&amp;oldid=1318322588|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Princess Alice | Alice Maud Mary, Princess Alice]], Grand Duchess of Hesse (25 April 1843 – 14 December 1878)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-02|title=Princess Alice of the United Kingdom|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Alice_of_the_United_Kingdom&amp;oldid=1314683419|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Alfred of Edinburgh | Alfred Ernest Albert, &quot;Affie&quot;]]: Duke of Edinburgh — (6 August 1844 – 30 July 1900),&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-20|title=Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alfred,_Duke_of_Saxe-Coburg_and_Gotha&amp;oldid=1317824547|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Duke of Saxe-Coburg (24 May 1866 – 30 July 1900) and Gotha (2 August 1893 – 30 July 1900)
#[[Social Victorians/People/Christian of Schleswig-Holstein | Helena Augusta Victoria, &quot;Lenchen,&quot;]] Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (25 May 1846 – 9 June 1923)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-26|title=Princess Helena of the United Kingdom|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Helena_of_the_United_Kingdom&amp;oldid=1318943746|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Princess Louise | Louise Caroline Alberta, Princess Louise]], Marchioness of Lorne, [[Social Victorians/People/Argyll | Duchess of Argyle]] (18 March 1848 – 3 December 1939)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-09-25|title=Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Louise,_Duchess_of_Argyll&amp;oldid=1313272998|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Connaught | Arthur William Patrick Albert]], Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (1 May 1850 – 16 January 1942)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-03|title=Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prince_Arthur,_Duke_of_Connaught_and_Strathearn&amp;oldid=1314802923|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#[[Social Victorians/People/Leopold | Leopold George Duncan Albert]], Duke of Albany (7 April 1853 – 28 March 1884)&lt;ref name=&quot;:1&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-19|title=Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prince_Leopold,_Duke_of_Albany&amp;oldid=1317724959|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
#Beatrice Mary Victoria Feodore, Princess Henry of Battenberg (14 April 1857 – 26 October 1944)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-21|title=Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Beatrice_of_the_United_Kingdom&amp;oldid=1318045123|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

=== &quot;Adopted&quot; Godchildren ===

# Victoria Gouramma, of Coorg (c. 1841–), brought to London in 1852 at 11, QV stood as godmother 1 July 1852.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (346 of 1204)
# Maharajah Duleep Singh, the Lion of the Punjab, presented to QV in July 1854.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (350 of 1204)

=== Relations ===

== Acquaintances, Friends and Enemies ==
=== Acquaintances ===
=== Friends ===

* Lord Melbourne — Henry William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (15 March 1779 – 24 November 1848)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-09-25|title=William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Lamb,_2nd_Viscount_Melbourne&amp;oldid=1313293647|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-10-09|title=Benjamin Disraeli|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Benjamin_Disraeli&amp;oldid=1315865798|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* Harriet, Duchess of Sutherland, [[Social Victorians/Victoria/Queen's Household#Mistress of the Robes|Mistress of the Robes]] 1837 and 1861, very close friend.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-03-13|title=Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harriet_Sutherland-Leveson-Gower,_Duchess_of_Sutherland&amp;oldid=1343226719|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; The Duchess of Sutherland was an abolitionist, personally criticized by Karl Marx for her mother's clearing of the Sutherland lands for sheep grazing.
* Anne Murray, Duchess of Atholl, [[Social Victorians/Victoria/Queen's Household#Mistress of the Robes|Mistress of the Robes]] 1852–1853 and then Lady of the Bedchamber until 1892, when she and the Duchess of Roxburghe shared the duties of the Mistress of the Robes, among her closest of friends&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-25|title=Anne Murray, Duchess of Atholl|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anne_Murray,_Duchess_of_Atholl&amp;oldid=1334678470|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* [[Social Victorians/People/Sophie of Wurttemberg|Sophie of Württemberg, Queen of the Netherlands]] (17 June 1818 – 3 June 1877)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-02|title=Sophie of Württemberg|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sophie_of_W%C3%BCrttemberg&amp;oldid=1325386567|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

*[[Social Victorians/People/Mary Todd Lincoln|Mary Todd Lincoln]] (December 13, 1818 – July 16, 1882)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-08|title=Mary Todd Lincoln|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Todd_Lincoln&amp;oldid=1331838569|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
*[[Social Victorians/People/Eugenie of France|Empress Eugénie of France]] (5 May 1826 – 11 July 1920)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-11-18|title=Eugénie de Montijo|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eug%C3%A9nie_de_Montijo&amp;oldid=1322973534|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* [[Social Victorians/People/Elisabeth of Austria|Empress Elisabeth of Austria]] (24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-09|title=Empress Elisabeth of Austria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Empress_Elisabeth_of_Austria&amp;oldid=1332040784|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* &quot;Lady Augusta Bruce, lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria’s mother, and already [by 1853] a great friend of the Queen’s, attended [Eugénie and Napoleon's] wedding at Notre-Dame&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot;&gt;Wilson, A. N. ''Victoria: A Life''. Penguin, 2014. Apple Books:  https://books.apple.com/us/book/victoria/id828766078.&lt;/ref&gt; (325 of 1204)

=== Enemies ===

== Organizations ==
[[Social Victorians/Victoria/Queen's Household|Queen's Household]]

== Pastimes ==
* [[Social Victorians/Royals Amateur Theatricals | Amateur Theatricals with the Royal Family]], often at Balmoral or Osborne

== Timeline ==
This Timeline includes both a list of signal events in Queen Victoria's social life and a separate [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Her Dresses|chronological list of the dresses]] as they appear in her painted and photographed portraits. Information about what she wore at particular events might be in both places.

'''1835''', Rosie Harte in ''The Royal Wardrobe'' says,&lt;blockquote&gt;In 1835, Victoria first met the French Princess Louise, who had recently married her uncle Leopold and whose continental wardrobe fascinated the young Princess. Victoria’s addiction to French wares began with little gifts and accessories, before eventually Louise was supplying her with full outfits of pastel-toned silk dresses and matching bonnets, which Victoria swooned over in her diary: ‘They are quite lovely. They are so well made and so very elegant.’&lt;sup&gt;18&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;sup&gt;&quot;18 RA VIC/MAIN/QVJ (W) 17 September 1836.&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;ref&gt;Harte, Rosie. ''The Royal Wardrobe: Peek into the Wardrobes of History's Most Fashionable Royals''. &lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|270 of 595}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1836 May 18''', Victoria and Albert met for the first time. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;On this particular day that Albert first set eyes upon her, there’s also cause to suspect that we can identify the very gown Victoria was wearing. The reason is that she was a great hoarder of the clothes worn on significant occasions, and the Royal Collection today still contains a high-waisted, dark-coloured, tartan velvet dress. With short puffed sleeves worn just off the shoulder, its style dates it to exactly the right period.&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;21 Staniland (1997) p. 92&quot;}} [new paragraph] The tartan was important, for despite the fact she had never been there Victoria had fallen passionately in love with the country of [129–130] Scotland. This had happened four months previously when she’d devoured Sir Walter Scott’s ''The Bride of Lammermoor''. In it, a fearsome Scottish lord feasts upon the human flesh of his tenants, shocking observers when he throws back ‘the tartan plaid with which he had screened his grim and ferocious visage’.&lt;sup&gt;22&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;22 Scott (1819; 1858 edition) p. 368&quot;}} ‘Oh!’ Victoria panted in her journal, ‘Walter Scott is my beau ideal of a Poet; I do so admire him both in Poetry and Prose!’&lt;sup&gt;23&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;23 RA QVJ/1836: 1 November&quot;}} ‘Grim and ferocious’ does not sound like a particularly winsome look. Yet Victoria, at odds with the authority figures in her life, wanted to demonstrate independence and maturity through her dark, tartan gown. Casting aside the white or pink muslin dresses that had previously dominated her wardrobe, she was going through a phase and adopting a look that in our own times we might call goth.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot;&gt;Worsley, Lucy. ''Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life''. St. Martin's Press, Hodder &amp; Stoughton, 2018.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|129–130 of 786; nn. 21, 22, 23, p. 653}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1837 June 20''', Victoria acceded to the throne.&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-09-28|title=Queen Victoria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Queen_Victoria&amp;oldid=1313837777|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; She put on a white dressing gown to hear the news, and then she changed to a black dress, because she was in mourning for the death of William IV, to begin her work. Worsley says that in spite of contemporary reports, Victoria did not cry:&lt;blockquote&gt;'The Queen was not overwhelmed,’ Victoria [later] claimed, and was ‘rather full of courage, she may say. She took things as they came, as she knew they must be.’&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;28 Theodore Martin, Queen Victoria as I Knew Her, London (1901) p. 65&quot;}} [new paragraph] Even her grief for her uncle had to be kept measured. ‘Poor old man,’ she thought, ‘I feel sorry for him, he was always personally kind to me.’&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;29 RA VIC/MAIN/QVLB/19 June 1837&quot;}} Yet there was no time to mourn. Victoria quickly returned to her maid’s room to be dressed. She already had a black mourning gown just waiting to be put on. Still remaining at Kensington Palace to this day, this dress is a tiny garment, with an extraordinarily small waist and cuffs. With it, she wore a white collar and, as usual, ‘her light hair’ was ‘simply parted over the forehead’.&lt;sup&gt;30&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;30 Anon., The Annual Register and Chronicle for the Year 1837, London (1838) p. 65&quot;}} Her girlish appearance explains quite a lot of the indulgence and romance with which her reign was greeted. It also meant that she would consistently be underestimated.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|148 of 786; nn. 28, 29, 30, p. 656}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

=== Formatting ===
'''1838 June 28, Victoria's Coronation'''. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;For her journey to Westminster Abbey, Victoria was wearing red robes over a stiff white satin dress with gold embroidery. She had a ‘circlet of splendid diamonds’ on her head. Her long crimson velvet cloak, with its gold lace and ermine, flowed out so far behind her little figure that it became a ‘very ponderous appendage’.&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;2 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 82&quot;}} Harriet, the beautiful and statuesque Duchess of Sutherland, Mistress of the Robes, was responsible for Victoria’s appearance. This ‘ponderous’ mantle must have made her anxious, and indeed it would get in the way and cause kerfuffle all day long. The stately duchess rather dwarfed the queen when they stood side by side, and Victoria was slightly jealous of Harriet’s habit of flirting with Melbourne. But she did trust her surer dress sense. Onto [160–161] Victoria’s little feet went flat white satin slippers fastened with ribbons.&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;3 Staniland (1997) p. 114&quot;}}&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|160–161; nn. 2, 3, p. 659}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;The coronation was under-rehearsed, and Victoria herself had not seen the kind of pomp and splendor that came with such an important official event:&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria gasped at the sight that met her within. Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, one of the young ladies carrying the queen’s train, noticed that ‘the colour mounted to her cheeks, brow and even neck, and her breath came quickly.’&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;29 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 82&quot;}} ‘Splendid’, Victoria thought the congregation, many of them, like herself, swathed in red velvet, ‘the bank of Peeresses quite beautiful, all in their robes’.&lt;sup&gt;30&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;30 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}} Among a host of impressive outfits, that of the Austrian ambassador was particularly noteworthy. Even the heels of his boots were bejewelled. One lady thought that he looked like he’d ‘been caught out in a rain of diamonds, and had come in dripping!’&lt;sup&gt;31&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;31 Grace Greenwood, ''Queen Victoria, Her Girlhood and Womanhood'', London (1883) p. 117&quot;}}

Victoria was accompanied not only by the young ladies who were to carry her train, but also by the Duchess of Sutherland as Mistress of the Robes, who ‘walked, or rather stalked up the Abbey like Juno; she was full of her situation.’&lt;sup&gt;32&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;32 Ralph Disraeli, ed., ''Lord Beaconsfield’s Correspondence with His Sister'', London (1886 edition) p. 109&quot;}} Throughout the whole ceremony the Bishop of Durham stood near to the queen, supposedly to guide her through the ritual. But he proved to be hopelessly unreliable. The unfortunate bishop ‘never could tell me’, Victoria recorded later, [169–170] what was to take place’. At one point, he was supposed to hand her the orb, but when he noticed that she had already got it, he was left, once again, ‘so confused and puzzled’.&lt;sup&gt;33&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;33 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}}

Another hindrance came in the form of the trainbearers’ dresses. Their ‘little trains were serious annoyances’, wrote one of their number, ‘for it was impossible to avoid treading upon them … there certainly should have been some previous rehearsing, for we carried the Queen’s train very jerkily and badly, never keeping step properly’.&lt;sup&gt;34&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;34 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 82&quot;}} It was the Duchess of Richmond, not the stylish Sutherland, who had signed off the design of the bearers’ dresses, and she found herself ‘much condemned by some of the young ladies for it’. But the Duchess of Richmond had decreed that she would ‘have no discussion with their Mammas’ about what they were to wear. An executive decision was the only way to get the design agreed.&lt;sup&gt;35&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;35 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|169–170 of 786; nn. 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, p. 660–661}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;After the peers swore homage&lt;blockquote&gt;it was now time for a change of dress, to mark the beginning of Victoria’s transformation from girl to sovereign. Retreating to a special robing room, she took off her crimson cloak and put on ‘a singular sort of little gown of linen trimmed with lace’. This white dress represented her purified, prepared state.

When she re-entered the abbey, she did so bare-headed. ... Then at last came the very moment of ‘the Crown being placed on my head – which was, I must own, a most beautiful impressive moment; all the Peers and Peeresses put on their Coronets at the same instant.’&lt;sup&gt;41&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;41 RA QVJ/1838: 28 June&quot;}} The sound of this moment of the lifting of the coronets had been heard at coronations going back to the Middle Ages, and was once exquisitely described as ‘a sort of feathered, silken thunder’.&lt;sup&gt;42&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;42 Benjamin Robert Haydon, ''The Diary of Benjamin Robert Haydon'', Cambridge, MA (1960) p. 350&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|172 of 786; nn. 41, 42, p. 661}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;Her coronation robes were &quot;specially woven in the Spitalfields silk-weaving area of London,&quot; like her wedding dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot;&gt;Goldthorpe, Caroline. ''From Queen to Empress: Victorian Dress 1837–1877''. An Exhibition at The Costume Institute 15 December 1988 – 16 April 1989. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1988. ''Google Books'': https://www.google.com/books/edition/From_Queen_to_Empress/UJLxwwrVEyoC.&lt;/ref&gt; (15)

'''1840 February 10''', Victoria and Albert married at the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-07-11|title=Wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wedding_of_Queen_Victoria_and_Prince_Albert&amp;oldid=1300012890|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;She had her hair dressed in loops upon her cheeks, and a ‘wreath of orange flowers put on.’ Her dress was ‘a white satin gown, with a very deep flounce of Honiton lace, imitation of old’.&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|1=&quot;21 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February [QVJ = Queen Victoria's Journals]&quot;}}

This simple cream gown of Victoria’s was a dress that launched a million subsequent white weddings. She broke with monarchical [238–239] convention by rejecting royal robes in favour of a plain dress, with just a little train from the waist at the back to make it appropriate for court wear.&lt;sup&gt;22&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;22 Staniland (1997) p. 118&quot;}} It was a signal that on this day she wasn’t Her Majesty the Queen, but an ordinary woman. She wore imitation orange blossom [sic] in her hair in place of the expected circlet of diamonds. She’d had the lace for the dress created by her mother’s favoured lacemakers of Honiton, in Devon, as opposed to the better-known artisans of Brussels. A royal commission like this was a welcome boost – then as now – to British industry.&lt;sup&gt;23&lt;/sup&gt; &quot;{{rp|23 Ibid., p. 120&quot;}} This piece of lace would become totemic for Victoria. She would preserve it, treasure it and indeed wear it until the end of her life.

Victoria had personally designed the dresses of her bridesmaids, giving a sketch to her Mistress of the Robes, still Harriet, Duchess of Sutherland.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|238–239 of 786; nn. 21, 22, 23, p. 674}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
The Royal Collection has the sketch Victoria made.&lt;blockquote&gt;The bridesmaids wore white roses around their heads, with further blooms pinned to the tulle overskirts of their dresses. Victoria’s opinion was that they ‘had a beautiful effect’, but others disagreed.&lt;sup&gt;36&lt;/sup&gt; [36 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February] Used to seeing golden tassels, velvet robes and colourful jewels at royal ceremonies, onlookers thought that the trainbearers ‘looked like village girls’.&lt;sup&gt;37&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;37 Wyndham, ed. (1912) p. 297&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|243–244 of 786; nn. 36, 37, p. 674}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;The aristocrat who thought the bridesmaids &quot;looked like village girls&quot; was Sarah Spencer, Lady Lyttelton.&lt;ref&gt;The Hon. Mrs Hugh Wyndham, ed., ''The Correspondence of Sarah Spencer, Lady Lyttelton, 1787–1870''. London, 1912. Cited in Worsley, p. 629 [of 786].&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;

At the coronation her train had been too long to handle, but now there was the opposite problem. The long back part of Victoria’s white satin skirt, trimmed with orange blossom, was ‘rather too short for the number of young ladies who carried it’ and they ended up ‘kicking each other’s heels and treading on each other’s gowns’.&lt;sup&gt;50&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|50 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) p. 112}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|246 of 786; n. 50, p. 675}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;Victoria changed from the wedding dress to something for her trip back to Buckingham Palace [check that it's Buckingham]:&lt;blockquote&gt;Then [after the ceremony] she went to change, putting on ‘a white [249–250] silk gown trimmed with swansdown’, and a going-away bonnet trimmed with false orange flowers that still survives to this day at Kensington Palace.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|249–250 of 786}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

The 1855 photograph of QV's 1840 going-away bonnet is in the Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/58/collection/2905582/bonnet-worn-by-queen-victoria-at-her-marriage]. Victoria changed to a different dress for the evening.&lt;blockquote&gt;The gown that Victoria wore that evening was possibly the plainer, and very slender, cream silk one surviving in the Royal Collection with a traditional association with her wedding evening. If she did wear it for that first dinner together, then she could hardly have eaten a thing. It laced even tighter than her wedding dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|251 of 786}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;QV was sick by the time the long day of highly formal ritual was over:&lt;blockquote&gt;But there would be no ritual undoing by the groom of his bride’s ethereal gown. That, as always, had to be done by Victoria’s dressers. ‘At ½ p.10 I went and undressed and was very sick,’ she says. These women, the bedrock of her life, ever present, ever watchful, must have been with her as she finished retching and went into the bedchamber, where ‘we both went to bed; (of course in one bed), to lie by his side, and in his arms, and on his dear bosom’.&lt;sup&gt;72&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;72 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|252 of 786; n. 72, p. 676}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
The separation between how finely QV was dressed and what it looked like to people, including both the effect of physical distance and the effect of the distance between what people expected a queen to wear and what QV wore. Also, QV's appeal &quot;to the respectable slice of opinion at society’s upper middle&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;'I saw the Queen’s dress at the palace,’ wrote one eager letter-writer, ‘the lace was beautiful, as fine as a cobweb.’ She wore no jewels at all, this person’s account continues, ‘only a bracelet with Prince Albert’s picture’.&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;28 Mundy, ed. (1885) p. 413}} This was in fact [240–241] completely incorrect. Albert had given her a huge sapphire brooch, which she wore along with her ‘Turkish diamond necklace and earrings’.&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;29 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February}} '''It was the beginning of a lifetime trend for Victoria’s clothes to be reported as simpler, plainer, less ostentatious than they really were. The reality was that they were not quite as ostentatious as people expected for a queen.''' This is really what they meant by their descriptions of her clothes as austere, and pleasingly middle-class. In other countries, members of the middle classes would join the working classes on streets and at barricades and bring monarchies tumbling down. '''But in Britain, part of the reason this did not happen is that Victoria, her values and her low-key style appealed with peculiar power to the respectable slice of opinion at society’s upper middle.''' And so, dressed but not overdressed, the unqueenly looking queen was ready for her wedding day to begin.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|240–241; nn. 28, 29; p. 674}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;Her wedding dress was &quot;specially woven in the Spitalfields silk-weaving area of London,&quot; like her coronation robes.&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt;{{rp|15}}&lt;p&gt;

'''1840''', QV's first pregnancy, with Vicky, and a relic petticoat with blood from her first birth:&lt;blockquote&gt;She had left off wearing stays, becoming ‘more like a barrel than anything else’.&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;21 Stratfield Saye MS, quoted in Longford (1966) p. 76&quot;}} Victoria herself, although she felt well, ‘unhappily’ had to admit that she was ‘a great size’.&lt;sup&gt;22&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;22 RA VIC/MAIN/QVLB/10 November 1840&quot;}} '''A fine cotton lawn petticoat from this early married period''', which once had the same dimensions as her wedding dress, shows evidence of having been let out around its high empire waist, quite possibly to accommodate this pregnancy.&lt;sup&gt;23&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;23 In the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection, Historic Royal Palaces.&quot;}} The work was done with tiny stitches as if by the needle of a fairy. There were many hands available in Victoria’s wardrobe department, and indeed no shortage of clothes either. '''This particular petticoat survives because it was given away after becoming soiled with blood.''' She also had an expandable dressing gown for pregnancy, of thin white cotton, with ‘gauging tapes’ to widen the waist as pregnancy progressed.&lt;sup&gt;24&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;Staniland (1997) p. 126&quot;}}&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|262 of 786; nn. 21, 22, 23, 24, p. 678}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1840 November 21''', Victoria went into labor with Vicky.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|255 of 786}} Her dress:&lt;blockquote&gt;Early on in labour, Victoria would have been given a dose of castor oil to empty her bowels, to avoid ‘exceedingly disagreeable’ consequences later. She would have worn her loose dressing gown over a chemise and bedgown ‘folded up smoothly to the waist’ and beneath that, ‘a petticoat’. Stays were absent, despite the common belief among women that wearing them during labour would ‘assist’, by ‘affording support’. The latest medical advice was that this was ‘improper’.&lt;sup&gt;36&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;36 Bull (1837) pp. 130–2&quot;}} The chemise that Victoria was wearing would acquire special lucky significance for her. Nine childbirths later, she’d still insist upon donning the exact same one.&lt;sup&gt;37&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;37 Dennison (2007) p. 2&quot;}}&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|265 of 7886; nn. 36, 37, p. 679}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1843, around''', Albert &quot;cut [Victoria's] dress expenditure down from £5,000 to £2,000 a year&quot; in order to put money away for later.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|299 of 786}}

'''1843 May 19''', QV wrote in her journal that she dressed &quot;all in white and had my wedding veil on, as a shawl,&quot; for Vicky's christening.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|270 of 786; n. 63, p. 681 of 786}}

'''1849''', Duleep Singh &quot;surrendered&quot; the Koh-i-nûr necklace to England.&lt;ref name=&quot;:17&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/406698/queen-victoria-1819-1901|title=Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-73) - Queen Victoria (1819-1901)|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-03-06}}&lt;/ref&gt;

'''1854''', Queen &quot;Victoria's spending on her wardrobe had crept up again, to roughly £6,000 annually, or six times a very good annual income for a professional gentleman.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|311 of 786}}

'''1854''', when QV met Duleep Singh, &quot;the woman the Maharaja saw before him still looked younger than her [310–311] thirty-five years. In the photograph, at least, her hair shines, she hardly looks like a mother of eight and her white dress is demure and girlish.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|310–311}}

'''1855 April 16–''', Empress Eugénie and Napoleon III of France began a 5-day visit to the U.K.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot;&gt;Goldstone, Nancy. ''The Rebel Empresses: Elisabeth of Austria and Eugénie of France, Power and Glamour in the Struggle for Europe''. Little, Brown, 2025.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|276}}

'''1855 August 18–28 or so''', Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, Princess Royal Vicky and Prince of Wales Bertie visited Paris and the Exposition Universelle.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt;{{rp|287}} Caroline Goldthorpe says,&lt;blockquote&gt;For the state entry of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert into Paris in 1855, the Queen wore a dress of white Spitalfields silk, its design representing an English flower garden (figure 2). While in Paris, however, she attended a ball at the Hôtel de Ville, wearing &quot;my diamond diadem with the Koh-i-noor in it, a white net dress, embroidered with gold and (as were all my dresses) very full. It was very much admired by the Emperor and the ladies. The Emperor asked if it was English; I said No, it had been made on purpose in Paris.&quot; In addition / to the ball gown, made in France as a diplomatic gesture, she evidently wore both English and French silks for less public occasions.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (15, 17) [The English-made Spitalfields-silk dress is at tthe Museum of London.]&lt;/blockquote&gt;A. N. Wilson suggests that the sense that Victoria was dowdy is down in part to &quot;the exacting standards of Parisian journalists&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;They went to the opera and displayed the difference between a true-born queen and a parvenue empress. When the national anthems had been played, the Empress looked behind her to make sure that her chair was in place. The Queen of England, confident that the chair would be there, sat down without turning. Mary Bulteel, her Maid of Honour who noticed this detail, was also able to reassure Eugénie’s baffled entourage that the Queen was always ‘badly dressed’. It did not prevent Victoria from being unaffectedly enraptured by Eugénie’s range of gorgeous outfits. Victoria adored the Empress and it was a friendship which lasted for life. ‘Altogether,’ she told her diary, ‘I am delighted to see how much my Albert likes and admires her, as it is so seldom I see him do so with any woman.’&lt;sup&gt;27&lt;/sup&gt; (&quot;27 Quoted Edith Saunders, ''A Distant Summer'', p. 49.&quot;) Perhaps it was so, or perhaps he was being polite. The Queen’s dowdiness and (by the exacting standards of Parisian journalists) poor dress sense were more than outshone by the splendour of her jewels.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (365 of 1204)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1857 August 6–''', Eugénie and Napoleon visit QV again. QV describes how Eugénie is dressed. Wilson says of the admiring precision of QV's descriptions of Eugénie's dresses,
&lt;blockquote&gt;The wistfulness with which Victoria described Eugénie’s outfits whenever the two met is touching. She was the Queen of England and could have afforded the finest couturier; but she was tiny, increasingly rotund, much of the time depressed or petulant. Her homely dress sense reflected a growing dissatisfaction with her appearance: clothes were for swathing a body which was by any ordinary standards a very peculiar shape, not for adorning it or drawing it to people’s attention.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (389 of 1204)&lt;/blockquote&gt;
And maybe she just wasn't very good at style. Evidence from later suggests she had an appreciation for fine fabrics and laces.

'''1858, June''', when Victoria began wearing a crinoline cage. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;She had attended reviews of her troops increasingly often as they came shipping back from Crimea. For the purpose, she often wore the superbly tailored outdoor wear that suited her much better than frou-frou evening gowns. Her self-adopted ‘uniform’ was a scarlet, made-to-measure military-style jacket combined with the skirt of a riding habit. Albert had a matching outfit too, its chest padded out to simulate the muscles that his sedentary lifestyle had failed to give him. [361–362] [new paragraph] Today, though, as she was travelling by carriage, Victoria wore a dark cloak over her now-customary daywear of the crinolined skirt. She’d held out until the end of the 1850s before adopting this novel steel structure to puff out the skirt, which was widely thought to be an ‘indelicate, expensive, hideous and dangerous article’.&lt;sup&gt;19&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;19 ''Punch, Or the London Charivari'' (8 August 1863) p. 59&quot;}} A crinoline, or ‘cage’, could swing the skirts out so unexpectedly that they caught fire, or got stuck in carriage wheels. But the stylish Empress Eugénie, whom Victoria much admired, is said to have popularised the crinoline during an 1855 visit to England. ‘Carter’s Crinoline Saloon’ opened soon afterwards, offering London ladies not only the crinoline but also the new ‘elastic stays … as worn by the Empress of the French’.&lt;sup&gt;20&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;20 “Adburgham (1964) p. 93&quot;}} Victoria nevertheless resisted the fashion until a heatwave three years later made her feel that her customary stiff muslin petticoats were ‘unbearable’. ‘Imagine!’ she wrote, to her married daughter in Germany, ‘since 6 weeks I wear a “Cage”!!! What do you say?’&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;21 RA VIC/ADDU/32, p. 178 (21 July 1858)&quot;}} Having realised how convenient it was, she now only took her crinoline off to go sailing.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|361–362, nn. 19, 20, 21, p. 696}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1861 December 14''', Prince Albert, Prince Consort died.&lt;ref name=&quot;:2&quot; /&gt; According to Julia Baird&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria decreed that the entire court would mourn for an unprecedented official period of two years. (When this ended, her ladies and daughters could discard the black and wear half mourning, which was gray, white, or light purple shades.) Many of her subjects decided to join them in mourning. Her ladies were draped in jet jewelry and crêpe, a thick black rustling material made of silk, crimped to make it look dull.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot;&gt;Baird, Julia. ''Victoria the Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire''. Random House, 2016. Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/victoria-the-queen/id953835024.&lt;/ref&gt; (585 of 1203)&lt;/blockquote&gt;After Albert's death Queen &quot;Victoria never attended or held another public ball.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (592 of 1203)

'''1863 March 10''', Bertie (Albert Edward, Prince of Wales) and Alix (Alexandra) married in St. George's Chapel, Windsor. QV, who sat high up and out of the way, wore widow's weeds,  &quot;the blue sash and star of the Order of the Garter&quot; and (according to Lord Clarendon) &quot;a cap ‘more hideous than any I have yet seen.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|495 of 1204}}

'''1865 April 15''', Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Eugénie's was among the first letters of condolence from a head of state that Mary Todd Lincoln got; Victoria's was dated the day after Eugénie's.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt;{{rp|555 of 909}}

'''1866–1871''', [[Social Victorians/People/Princess Louise | Princess Louise]] was Victoria's private secretary.

'''1866 February''', QV opened Parliament for the first time since Albert's death.&lt;blockquote&gt;She wore plain evening dress, with a small diamond and sapphire coronet on top of her widow’s cap. The wind whipped her veil as she rode silently in an open carriage past curious crowds, many of whom had not glimpsed her for years.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (609 of 1203)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1866 February 6''', Princess Helena's wedding to Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. QV wrote in her journal that it &quot;was 'an ''execution''&lt;nowiki/&gt;' to which she was 'dragged in ''deep mourning''.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot;&gt;Longford, Elizabeth. ''Queen Victoria''. The History Press, 2011 (1999). Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/queen-victoria-essential-biographies/id1142259733.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|118 of 223}} Instead of a crown she wore a black widow's cap. 

'''1867 Spring''', annual exhibition at the Royal Academy, which included a large canvas by Sir Edwin Landseer that QV had commissioned as &quot;Shadow&quot; to show her grief. It was called ''Her Majesty at Osborne, 1866''. The center of this painting is dominated by black.&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In it, the queen [sits] sidesaddle on a sleek dark horse, dressed in her customary black. She [is] reading a letter from the dispatch box on the ground, next to her dogs. Opposite [is] a tall figure in a black kilt and jacket solemnly holding [634–635] the horse’s bridle. ...&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;It caused a scandal. The ''Saturday Review'' art critic wrote: &quot;If anyone will stand by this picture for a quarter of an hour and listen to the comments of visitors he will learn how great an imprudence has been committed.&quot; It was not long before the gossip became crude: Were the queen and Mr. Brown lovers? Was she pregnant with his child? Had they secretly married? In 1868, an American visitor said he was gobsmacked by constant, crass jokes about the queen commonly referred to as &quot;Mrs. Brown.&quot; &quot;I have been told,&quot; he wrote, &quot;that the Queen was insane, and John Brown was her keeper; the Queen was a spiritualist, and John Brown was her medium.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Victoria adored the painting and ordered an engraving.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (634–635 of 1203)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1871 March 21''', Princess Louise and John Campbell, Marquis of Lorne, were married.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Supplement.&quot; ''The London Gazette'' 24 March 1871 (23720) Friday: 1587 https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/23720/page/1587.&lt;/ref&gt; QV wore rubies as well as diamonds.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|644 of 1203}}

'''1871, end of, around the time of Bertie's illness with typhoid, by this time''', according to Lucy Worseley, QV had decided never to wear color again (a decision she had made after the first year of full mourning Albert's death?) and had developed her &quot;brand.&quot; She had not made many personal appearances, but because of her photographs, the carte-de-visite with Albert, and her memoirs about the Highlands, she was known to her subjects:&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria was extraordinary in her dedication to black. If wearing mourning was a [413–414] demand for greater-than-usual understanding, it’s certainly true that she felt entitled to it for the rest of her life. Mourning was turned into a sort of disguise for her. It indicated that she was a victim, bereaved, which was a way of pre-empting criticism. And within the conventions of black, Victoria insisted that her clothes be cut in a way that she found comfortable and convenient: a bodice with only light boning, a skirt with capacious pockets. She no longer followed fashion; she had created a fashion all her own. [new paragraph] Victoria’s black clothing also had terrific ‘brand value’ in creating a recognisable royal image. Although she rarely appeared in person, Victoria’s physical appearance was more widely known than ever before. In 1860, she and Albert had taken the decision to allow photographs of themselves to be published on cartes de visite, highly collectible little rectangles of illustrated cardboard. Within two years, between three and four million of these cards depicting the queen had been sold. &lt;sup&gt;27&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|27 Plunkett (2003) p. 156.&quot;}} The people who bought them understood that they were in possession of something more potent than a lithograph or an engraving. The effect, in terms of making the queen’s subjects feel they ‘knew’ her, has been compared by the Royal Collection’s photography curator to the sensational 1969 television [414–415] documentary series, Royal Family.&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;28 Dimond and Taylor (1987) p. 20&quot;}} So even if Victoria had been bodily absent from public life for the last decade, in paper form she had been more present than ever.&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;29 ''The Photographic News'' (28 February 1862) quoted in Dimond and Taylor (1987) p. 22&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|413–414, nn. 27, 28. 29, p. 707}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1872 February 27''', thanksgiving service for Bertie's survival in St. Paul's Cathedral:&lt;blockquote&gt;Victoria was bored in the church, and found St. Paul’s &quot;cold, dreary and dingy,&quot; but the roars of millions who stood outside in the cold under a lead-colored sky made her triumphant, and she pressed Bertie’s hand in a dramatic flourish. It was &quot;a great holy day&quot; for the people of London, ''The Times'' declared gravely. They wished to show the queen she was as beloved as ever. Their delight at seeing her in person was as much a cause for celebration as Bertie’s recovery.

This moment revealed something that Bertie would quickly grasp though his mother had not: the British public requires ceremony and pageantry, and the chance to glimpse a sovereign in finery. It was not a republic her subjects were hankering for, but a visible queen. As Lord Halifax said, people wanted their queen to look like a queen, with a crown and scepter: &quot;They want the gilding for their money.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|655 of 1203}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1878 December 14''', Princess Alice died.

'''1879 June 1''',&lt;ref name=&quot;:32&quot;&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-11-29|title=Louis-Napoléon, Prince Imperial|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Louis-Napol%C3%A9on,_Prince_Imperial&amp;oldid=1324821881|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Louis Napoleon, son of Eugénie, &quot;to whom Victoria ... had become devotedly attached, was killed in the Zulu War.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt;{{rp|432 of 555}}

'''1880 February 5''', Queen Victoria attended the state opening of Parliament. She wrote in her journal&lt;blockquote&gt;I wore the same dress, black velvet, trimmed with minniver, my small diamond crown &amp; long veil. Got in, at the Great Entrance, &amp; went in the new state coach which is very handsome with much gilding, a crown at the top, &amp; a great deal of glass, which enables the people to see me. ... Beatrice stood to my right, Leopold to my left. Bertie, Affie &amp; Arthur were all there.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (707 of 1204)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1881 April 19''', Benjamin Disraeli, Lord Beaconsfield died.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|title=Benjamin Disraeli|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Benjamin_Disraeli&amp;oldid=1335428395|journal=Wikipedia|date=2026-01-29|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

'''1882 March 2''',&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt; (152 of 223) the 7th and last assassination attempt on QV, by Roderick Maclean, another adolescent male possibly not intent on killer her, although his pistol was loaded.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt;{{rp|433 of 555}}

'''1882 April 27''', Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and Princess Helen of Waldeck married. &quot;The Queen celebrated by wearing white over her black dress for the first time since Albert’s death – it was her own white wedding veil.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|154 of 223}}

'''1883 March 17''', QV fell down stairs in Windsor, probably some marble stairs. She was &quot;lame until July.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;

'''1883 March 27''', QV's Scots servant John Brown died.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|title=John Brown (servant)|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Brown_(servant)&amp;oldid=1312942175|journal=Wikipedia|date=2025-09-23|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

'''1884 March 28''', Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany died.&lt;ref name=&quot;:1&quot; /&gt;

'''1886''', the general election of 1886, according to Lytton Strachey, &quot;the majority of the nation&quot; voted down Home Rule and Gladstone&lt;blockquote&gt;and placing Lord Salisbury in power. Victoria’s satisfaction was profound. A flood of new unwonted hopefulness swept over her, stimulating her vital spirits with a surprising force. Her habit of life was suddenly altered; abandoning the long seclusion which Disraeli’s persuasions had only momentarily interrupted, she threw herself vigorously into a multitude of public activities. She appeared at drawing-rooms, at concerts, at reviews; she laid foundation-stones; she went to Liverpool to open an international exhibition, driving through the streets in her open carriage in heavy rain amid vast applauding crowds. Delighted by the welcome which met her everywhere, she warmed to her work.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt;{{rp|439–440 of 555}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1887''', the Golden Jubilee. Strachey says that QV had begun wearing the color violet in her bonnet by now:&lt;blockquote&gt;Little by little it was noticed that the outward vestiges of Albert’s posthumous domination grew less complete. At Court the stringency of mourning was relaxed. As the Queen drove through the Park in her open carriage with her [444–445] Highlanders behind her, nursery-maids canvassed eagerly the growing patch of violet velvet in the bonnet with its jet appurtenances on the small bowing head.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (444–445 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;

QV wore a bonnet rather than a crown or widow's cap.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (822 of 1204) At dinner on the day of the procession, QV wore a dress, as she says, with &quot;the rose, thistle &amp; shamrock embroidered in silver on it, &amp; my large diamonds.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (824 of 1204)

'''1888 June 15''', Vicky's husband Emperor Frederick (Fritz) died.

'''1890 July 15''', Garden Party at Marlborough House with QV as the most important guest, with some description of QV's dress, more details in the descriptions of the dresses of some of the other women:&lt;blockquote&gt;But if not favoured with model &quot;Queen's weather,&quot; a good imitation set in as the Life Guards struck up &quot;God Save the Queen,&quot; and her Majesty descended the flight of steps on the Prince of Wales's arm, and slowly passed through the eager ranks of her assembled subjects. Her Majesty was conducted to a canopy at the lower end of the garden, and was soon surrounded by children and grandchildren; she walked with the aid of a stick, but did not appear to be troubled by rheumatism, and moved without difficulty. The Queen's dress was of black striped [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Broché|broché]], a lace shawl, and black bonnet, trimmed with white roses. She talked to people to right and left, and looked smiling and happy. ...

AN ACCOUNT OF SOME OF THE DRESSES.

Her Majesty was attired completely in black, with the slight relief of white flowers in her black bonnet.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;From One Who Was There.&quot; &quot;The Marlborough House Garden Party.&quot; ''Pall Mall Gazette'' 15 July 1890 (Tuesday): p. 5, Col. 1. ''British Newspaper Archive'' http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000098/18900715/016/0006 (Accessed April 2015).&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1891 January 14''', Albert Victor (Eddy), Bertie's and Alex's son, died of pneumonia.&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|190 of 223}}

'''1893 February 28, Tuesday, 3:00 p.m''', QV hosted a Queen's drawing-room at Buckingham Palace:&lt;blockquote&gt;Her Majesty wore a dress and train of rich black silk, trimmed with crape and chenille. Headdress and coronet of diamonds and pearls. Ornaments — Pearls. Her Majesty wore the Star and Ribbon of the Garter, the Orders of Victoria and Albert, the Crown of India, the Prussian Order, the Spanish and Portuguese Orders, the Russian Order of St. Catherine, and the Hessian and Bulgarian Orders.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;The Queen's Drawing Room.&quot; ''Morning Post'' 1 March 1893, Wednesday: 7 [of 12], Col. 6a–7c [of 7]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000174/18930301/072/0007. Same print title and p.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1895 December 14''', George and May's 2nd son, who would become Elizabeth II's father, was born. Thinking of the anniversary of Albert's and Alice's deaths, QV &quot;said that the child might be a gift of God.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|191 of 223}}

'''1896 September 26''', QV wrote in her journal, &quot;Today is the day on which I have reigned longer, by a day, than any English sovereign.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:12&quot; /&gt;{{rp|191 of 223}}

'''1897 April 4''', QV vacations in Nice, as she did almost every year, and a little on her &quot;uniform&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;The pattern of her hotel days in Cimiez, an upmarket suburb on a hill behind Nice, was undemanding. She was dressed by the servants who were almost a second family. One of her wardrobe maids spent the night on call in the dressing room just next door to her bedroom.&lt;sup&gt;12&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;12 Stoney and Weltzien, eds. (1994) pp. 11–12&quot;}} At half past seven, the maid on the next shift would come into Victoria’s bedroom to open the green silk blinds and shutters. Her silver hairbrush, hot water, folded towels and sponges were all laid out by these wardrobe maids. Her pharmacist’s account book records the purchase of beauty products such as ‘lavender water’, ‘Mr Saunders’ Tooth Tincture’ and ‘cakes of soap for bath’.&lt;sup&gt;13&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;13 Royal Pharmaceutical Society, account book for ‘The Queen’ (1861–1869)&quot;}} [new paragraph] Victoria’s clothes were handled by the dressers, who were better paid than the maids. Their duties, ran Victoria’s instructions, included ‘scrupulous tidiness and exactness in looking over everything that Her Majesty takes [510–511] off … to think over well everything that is wanted or may be wanted’.&lt;sup&gt;14&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;14 Staniland (1997) p. 186&quot;}} Her black silk stockings with white soles had for decades been woven by one John Meakin, while Anne Birkin embroidered the garments with ‘VR’.&lt;sup&gt;15&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;15 Quoted in King (2007) p. 100&quot;}} Victoria grew fond of faithful servants like Anne, and even had Birkin’s portrait among her collection of photographs. Despite their sombre aspect, even her mourning gowns were finely made. She had settled into a series of very minor variations upon a square-necked bodice and skirt, customised with quirky little pockets for keys and seals, all cut pretty much the same to save her the trouble of fittings. On her head went a white cap, with streamers of lace, and round her neck a locket containing miniatures of two of her children: Alice, now lost to diphtheria, and Leopold, to haemophilia.&lt;sup&gt;16&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;16 Princess Marie Louise (1956) p. 141&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; {{rp|510–511; nn. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, p. 722}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
[[File:Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Service, 22 June 1897.jpg|alt=Old painting of very large crowd and an old woman dressed in black in a carriage in the center|thumb|Diamond Jubilee Thanksgiving Service on the Steps of St. Paul's]]

==== Diamond Jubilee ====
'''1897 June 22, Diamond Jubilee''', with Thanksgiving service on the steps of St. Paul's, painted in 1899 by Andrew Carrick Gow (right; better image at https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/queen-victorias-diamond-jubilee-service-22-june-1897-51041). QV stayed in the carriage for the service.

Worsley says, QV's dress had &quot;decorative 'panels of grey satin veiled with black net &amp; steel embroideries, &amp; some black lace'&quot;&lt;blockquote&gt;Rising from her bed, Victoria dressed, as always, in black. The crowds who saw her today would consider her ‘dress of black silk’ to be [532–533] modest and widowly, almost dingy. Her taste in clothing had become ever more subdued. Departing from Windsor Castle to travel to Buckingham Palace for these few days of the Jubilee, she’d been worried about the stains the sooty train to Paddington might leave on her outfit. ‘I could have cried,’ said the woman who ran the draper’s shop in Windsor, ‘to see Her Majesty start for the Jubilee in her second-best “mantle” – after all the beautiful things I had sent her.’7{{rp|7 Weintraub (1987) p. 581}}

If you’d had the chance to examine the queen’s outfit closely, though, you’d’ve seen that it was in fact sombrely splendid, her black cape embroidered with swirling silver sequins, huge pearls hanging from each ear and upon the gown itself decorative 'panels of grey satin veiled with black net &amp; steel embroideries, &amp; some black lace'.

Round her neck now went a ‘lovely diamond chain’, a Jubilee present from her younger children, while her ‘bonnet was trimmed with creamy white flowers &amp; white aigrette’.&lt;sup&gt;8&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|8 RA QVJ/1897: 22 June}} This bonnet, worn with resolution, had caused some upset. Her government had asked its queen to appear more … queenly. ‘The symbol that unites this vast Empire is a Crown not a bonnet,’ complained Lord Rosebery. But Victoria stoutly refused, and ‘the bonnet triumphed’. She would [533–534] wear it today, just as she’d worn it at her Golden Jubilee a decade before.&lt;sup&gt;9&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;9 Ponsonby (1942) p. 79&quot;}} The queen looked just like a ‘wee little old lady’. The only touch of colour about her black-clad figure was her ‘wonderful, blue, childlike eyes’.&lt;sup&gt;10&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|10 Smyth (1921) p. 99}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|532–534 of 786; nn. 7, 8, 9, 10, p. 727}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

One source somewhere, however, says there was some purple in her bonnet.

She carried &quot;a black chiffon parasol. It was a gift from the House of Commons, presented to her two days earlier by its oldest member, who was ninety-five.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|539 of 786}}

According to A. N. Wilson, QV was &quot;dressed in grey and black&quot;:&lt;blockquote&gt;In the case of Queen Victoria, the intensity of crowd reaction was especially strong, because she made public parade of herself so seldom. The emotional atmosphere was overpowering on that hot, sunny day. The Queen, dressed in grey and black, but smiling and bowing, held a parasol above her and bowed her smiling head to left and right as the landau passed through the streets of London – Constitution Hill, to Hyde Park Corner; then along [976–977] Piccadilly, down St James's Street to Pall Mall, past all the clubs, into Trafalgar Square, up the Strand and into Ludgate Hill to St Paul’s.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt;{{rp|976–977 of 1204}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

The bonnet QV wore for the Diamond Jubilee Procession was decorated with diamonds according the ''Lady's Pictorial'':&lt;blockquote&gt;I HEAR on reliable authority that, although the fact has hitherto escaped the notice of all the describers of the Diamond Jubilee Procession, the bonnet worn by the Queen on that occasion was liberally adorned with diamonds. It is a tiny bit of flotsam, but worth rescuing, as every detail of the historic pageant will one day be of even greater interest than it is now.&lt;ref name=&quot;:14&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;At least 3 official photographs show QV and made available as cabinet cards (2 anyhow) for this Jubilee:

# One was made in 1893 at the time of George and Mary's wedding. It was made by W. &amp; D. Downey and is in the Royal Collection (https://www.rct.uk/collection/2912658/queen-victoria-1819-1901-diamond-jubilee-portrait)
# One was made in July 1896 by Gunn &amp; Stuart and published as a cabinet card by  Lea, Mohrstadt &amp; Co. (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom_(by_Gunn_%26_Stuart,_1897).jpg&lt;nowiki/&gt;)
# One was made 5 days after the Jubilee Procession (so, on 27 June 1897).
# One was made by Mullen (according to the Royal Trust [#4]

'''1897 June 27, Sunday''' (or 5 days after the Jubilee procession), QV's official Jubilee photograph.&lt;blockquote&gt;at Osborne, Victoria had an official Jubilee photograph taken, wearing her Jubilee dress and, of course, her wedding lace.&lt;sup&gt;71:&quot;71 RA QVJ/1885: 27 July&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; The whole royal family was becoming familiar with manipulating its photographic image. In 1863, ''The Times'' reported that Vicky and Alice had themselves retouched their brother Bertie’s [551–552] wedding photos.&lt;sup&gt;72&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;:&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;sup&gt;&quot;72The Times, London (9 April 1863) p. 7, quoted in Plunkett (2003) p. 189&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; (The princesses really preferred sitting to an old-fashioned artist, like a sculptor, who excelled in ‘making them look like ladies, while the Photographs are common indeed’.&lt;sup&gt;73&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;: &quot;73 “RA VIC/ADDX/2/211, p. 29&quot;&lt;/sup&gt;) After each new photographic sitting, Victoria ‘carefully criticised’ the results.&lt;sup&gt;74&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;: &quot;74 “Private Life (1897; 1901 edition) p. 69&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; In her later photographs, like this Diamond Jubilee portrait, she was heavily retouched, a double chin removed, inches shaved off her waist. The Photographic News criticised a photo from her Golden Jubilee for making her look as if she had ‘oedematous disease’, a condition where the body bloats up with excess fluid. Her skin had been smoothed to the extent that she looked like a waxwork.&lt;sup&gt;75&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;: &quot;75 “Plunkett (2003) p. 192&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; &lt;sup&gt;fn 771, 72, 73, 74, 75, p. 731&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

'''1897 June 28, Monday''', the Jubilee Garden Party at Buckingham Palace took place, with good weather and about 6,000 attendees.

The ''Lady's Pictorial'' gives detai about QV's dress:&lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen, whom every one delighted to see looking well and bright, evidently not at all the worse for the great doings of last week, was attired in black silk. The front of her dress was veiled with white chiffon, over which was a single tissue of black silken embroidered muslin, the embroidery in a small floral design, with inserted bands of openwork lace. The bodice was of black grenadine with tucks at either side, bordering a front of white chiffon veiled with black embroidered muslin, and the basque finished with a frill of pleated black chiffon. Round the hem were two frills of black chiffon festooned on, and each headed by a tiny puffing. Her Majesty’s cape was of black chiffon over white silk, fitting in slightly at the back to the figure, and finished in front with fichu ends. Round the cape were frills of white silk with over frills of black chiffon. The Queen’s bonnet was black relieved with white, and her Majesty had the sunshade presented to her by her oldest Parliamentary member, Mr. C. Villiers. It was of black satin draped with very fine real Chantilly lace, and with a frill of the same all round. It was lined with soft white silk, and the ebony handle terminated in a gun metal ball, on which was a crown and &quot;V. R. I.&quot; in diamonds.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;The Queen's Garden Party.&quot; ''Lady's Pictorial'' 3 July 1897, Saturday: 55 [of 76], Col. 2a [of 3]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005980/18970703/126/0055. Same print title, p. 27.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

The ''Globe'' described her with perhaps slightly less detail than the other women:&lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen appeared about half-past five in a carriage drawn by two cream-coloured ponies, and '''attended one''' outrider. The Princess of Wales was seated beside the Queen, and the Earl of Lathom walked beside the carriage. Her Majesty drove very slowly twice round the lawn, frequently stopping to speak to one or other of the guests.

The Queen was in black, with a good deal of jet on her mantle, and wore a white lace bonnet, and carried a black parasol, almost covered with white lace. The Princess of Wales was in white silk veiled in mousseline soie, worked over in silver and lace applique, and a mauve tulle toque with flowers to match. After driving round, the Queen entered the Royal tent, where refreshments were served by the Indian attendants. Her Majesty had on her right hand the Grand Duchess of Hesse, dressed in white, with black velvet and ribbons, and a large Tuscan hat, with black and white plumes; on her left the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, in mauve satin, and white aigrette in her bonnet. The Empress Frederick’s black broché gown had a collar of white lace, and her black bonnet was relieved by white flowers, and tied with white tulle strings.&lt;ref name=&quot;:22&quot;&gt;“The Queen’s Garden Party. Brilliant Scene at Buckingham Palace.” ''Globe'' 29 June 1897, Tuesday: 6 [of 8], Col. 3a–c [of 5]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001652/18970629/050/0006. Print p. 6.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|Col. 3b–c}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;From the ''North British Daily Mail'', &lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen was evidently in excellent health, and there was no trace whatever of the fatigues which she has recently undergone. Indeed she walked with greater ease than usual, and really had no need of the proffered help of her attendants. ... The Queen and her daughter were dressed in black, but the former had upon her bonnet a little trimming of delicate white lace, which somewhat toned down the sombre effect of the mourning. Two Highland attendants having taken their places in the rumble, one of them handed to the Queen a black and white parasol, and then the signal to start was given.&lt;ref name=&quot;:02&quot;&gt;&quot;Jubilee Festivities. The Queen Again in London. Interesting Functions. A Visit to Kensington. The Garden Party.&quot; ''North British Daily Mail'' 29 June 1897, Tuesday: 5 [of 8], Col. 3a–7b [of 9]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002683/18970629/083/0005. Print p. 5.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|Col. 3c}} ...

The Queen wore a black gauze gown over white, and a white lace bonnet.

The Princess of Wales wore white muslin over silk embroidered in silver and lace.

The Empress Frederick wore a black silk dress with a good deal of white lace about the bodice, and a black bonnet with white plumes.&lt;ref name=&quot;:02&quot; /&gt;{{rp|Col. 5c}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1897 June 30, Wednesday''', Royal Banquet at Buckingham Palace, with the Queen in a very ornate dress, with gold and jewels as well as the colors brought by the orders and ribbon of the Garter:&lt;blockquote&gt;over eighty Royal guests. The Queen herself was magnificent!y attired in black renaiscance moiré antique (it is a curious fact that her Majesty never wears satin or velvet, having an antipathy to touching these materials). The whole of the front of the dress was embroidered in a magnificent design with real gold thread. There was a waved band of gold in the pattern, enclosing suns and stars, all of gold, raised from the surlace of the silk; the suns had centres of jewels, and the whole design was richly jewelled, and was bordered at either side by coquillés of real lace. This embroidery was all wrought at Agra. The bodice was finished with a pointed stomacher of the gold and jewelled work, and across it her Majesty wore the blue riband of the Garter and many magnificent Orders.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Court &amp; Society Notes.&quot; ''Lady's Pictorial'' 3 July 1897, Saturday: 56 [of 76], Col. 2c [of 3]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005980/18970703/282/0056. Print title same, p. 28.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;The assertion that she never wore satin or velvet doesn't seem right (e.g., see Bassano 1882 dress).

'''1899''', Susan B. Anthony attended a reception at Windsor Castle and met QV: to look at &quot;her wonderful face&quot; was a &quot;thrill.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt;{{rp|852 of 1203}}

=== Her Dresses ===
#'''1822''': Wikipedia page #2, painting (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria), Victoria and her mother, Duchess of Kent, by William Beechey. Victoire is in mourning, Victoria is holding a portrait of her father. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/407169/victoria-duchess-of-kent-1786-1861-with-princess-victoria-1819-1901.
##&quot;After William Beechey.&quot; Wikimedia Commons, possibly a contemporary copy of the painting: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sir_William_Beechey_(1753-1839)_-_Victoria,_Duchess_of_Kent,_(1786-1861)_with_Princess_Victoria,_(1819-1901)_-_RCIN_407169_-_Royal_Collection.jpg
#'''1827''', an engraving of a bust of Victoria (from a 1908 book) by Plant, after Stewart's painted miniature: she is wearing family honors on the left shoulder of her dress; she is about 6 years old in this image; she looks like a princess. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Letters_Of_Queen_Victoria,_vol_1_-_H.R.H._The_Princess_Victoria,_1827.png
#'''1835 August 10 [maybe 1837?]''': print portrait of a teenaged QV published in Chapter 2 of Millicent Garrett Fawcett's 1895 ''Life of Her Majesty Queen Victoria'' (but possibly published in 1835 in a magazine?). QV's dress is in the off-the-shoulder romantic style with a high, Empire waist. She is wearing a 4-strand necklace, probably pearls, and large dangling earrings, with a 4-strand pearl bracelet on her right arm. She has a glove on her left hand, not elbow length but definitely longer than wrist length, and she is wearing a wire net-like headdress on the top of her head that contracted to contain and shape her hair. A very similar image was published in ''The Graphic'' on 26 January 1901 claiming that QV was 17; the image is not identical, but must have been made from the same sitting (the 1901 image is full length and her left hand is empty). The caption for the image from ''The Graphic'' — &quot;The Queen at the Age of Seventeen&quot; — says that it came from a painting by George Hayter.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://viewer.library.wales/5254866#?xywh=-3550,-523,12266,7776|title=The Life of Queen Victoria ... National Library of Wales Viewer|website=viewer.library.wales|language=en|access-date=2026-03-18}}&lt;/ref&gt; Wikimedia Commons 1895 image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Life_of_Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_-_Victoria_Aug_10th_1835.png. 1901 ''Graphic'' image, National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/5254866#?xywh=-3550%2C-523%2C12266%2C7776. Wikimedia Commons ''Graphic'' 1901 image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_life_of_Queen_Victoria_Claremont,_where_the_Queen_spent_the_happiest_days_of_her_childhood_-_the_South_side,_the_view_from_the_ballroom_;_the_Queen_at_the_age_of_seventeen_(from_the_painting_by_Sir_George_Hayter)_(5254866).jpg.
#'''1836''': print of Winterhalter portrait, QV surrounded by books, empire dress and jewelry. Very stylish and up-to-date fashion, off the shoulder, with some frou-frou, but not contrasting colors for the frou-frou. The skirt is divided into 2 parts at about the knees by a wide band of trim. This design with the divided skirt and non-contrasting frou-frou lasted her entire life (maybe with a break when Albert was alive?). She did it a lot but not exclusively, but enough for it to be characteristic. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Princess_Victoria_in_1836.png
#'''1837''': print of watercolor portrait&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2024-09-04|title=John Deffett Francis|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Deffett_Francis&amp;oldid=1244015737|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; by John Deffett Francis of Victoria, who was not queen yet: print &quot;to William 4th &amp; Leopold, King of Belgium&quot;; V is wearing a cap with a lacy edge around her face, with a wide-brimmed bonnet, trimmed with ribbon and a veil; no jewelry, dress is off the shoulder, fabric appears to be silk, with gathers, with a dark shawl trimmed with dark lace; she is holding a folding fan; dark slippers. Dash romping at her feet. Unostentatious outfit but appears to be exquisitely made with quality materials. Not loaded up with frou-frou, simply made but high-quality. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674631#?xywh=-1346%2C976%2C7852%2C4710; Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Most_Gracious_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(4674631).jpg
#'''1837 Summer''', probably: print by Richard James Lane of a watercolor by Alfred Edward Chalon. Idealized portrait of QV between the accession and the coronation. The portrait has her features but is not a good likeness. The British Museum description says, &quot;seated to left looking to right; wearing a lace collar, ruffled cape and black satin apron said to have been embroidered by herself, holding letter and handkerchief; on terrace with view of St George’s chapel, Windsor.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Her Majesty the Queen.&quot; O'Donoghue 1908-25 / Catalogue of Engraved British Portraits preserved in the Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum (108). Object: 1912,1012.76. 

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1912-1012-76&lt;/ref&gt; The bodice has huge sleeves, narrow at the wrist but puffing out over the elbows. The fabric of the dress looks like moiré. The black apron on her lap, though she may have embroidered it, seems odd, like why would the new queen wear an apron, even a decorative one? The plain hairstyle, the apron and what may be a bonnet on the tile floor to her left do not present her as regal but as simple and girly, perhaps as a contrast to the excesses of the prior courts. British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1912-1012-76. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Her_Majesty_the_Queen_(BM_1912,1012.76).jpg.
#'''1837 November''': portrait of QV standing in the royal box at the Drury Lane Theatre by Edmund Thomas Parris (this image is a contemporary copy of Parris's painting). Not a very strong likeness and so highly idealized that her clothing isn't readable. Also, the color may not be true; this copy may be too red. She has decorative gauntlets on her gloves, a transparent black lace shawl, the ribbon of the Order of the Garter, some tiara or diadem that could be the Fringe Tiara except that the metal is wrong, complicated lace things with dags at the turned-back cuffs. She is holding a few flowers in a bouquet holder and a lace-trimmed handkerchief; on the ledge in front of her are the program, with a bookmark, a folded fan and a folded material that might be supposed to be ermine? can't tell. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_at_the_theatre.jpg. This image was published in the 21 May 1887 ''Supplement to Pen and Pencil'': https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_in_1837_(BM_1902,1011.8639).jpg.
#'''1838''': etching of QV riding side saddle, caption says, &quot;Her Majesty the Queen on Her Favourite Charger '''Thxxx'''&quot;; published in 1840, after a painting by Ed. Curcould; etching by Fredk A. Heath; riding habit and top hat with veil, falling collar, tie may be 4-in-hand (Wikimedia Commons copy, from L. Strachey's 1921 biog: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Queen_Victoria_in_1838.png). British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/image/1454391001
#'''1838''', stipple engraving of a waist-up portrait of QV by James Thomson, yet another idealized coronation portrait not drawn from life. Filet in her hair with pendant pearl at the center part, pearl earrings and necklace we've never seen before. Neck length is highly flattering. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Majesty_the_Queen_Victoria_(4674629).jpg
#'''1838''': stipple engraving of a flattering portrait of QV by Frederick Christian Lewis, probably not drawn from life. She is wearing a bonnet with a large brim over a cap with lace ruffles, the brim is covered with gathered fabric, sort of a halo effect. The off-the-shoulder style of the dress was fashionable, as are the sloped shoulders. Dark shawl over a light dress. She is wearing light gloves. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674631#?xywh=2044%2C1782%2C928%2C588. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Most_Gracious_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(4674631).jpg
#'''1838''': 2 George Hayter portraits of QV, plus a painting of the coronation: 
##Portrait of QV with her hand on a Bible and light shining on her upturned face, wearing the white dress worn after the peers swore allegiance and before the crown is placed on her head. The St. Edward's crown is on 2 pillows with the scepter. She is wearing an enormous elaborate robe over a sheer, lacy white dress, but the complexity of the layers and perhaps the artistic license make it impossible to really describe how the garments were constructed. The gold brocade robe with fringed edges is spectacular but does not match Worsley's description of the robe QV wore as she entered the Abbey. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_taking_the_Coronation_Oath_by_George_Hayter_1838.jpg 
##in Wikimedia Commons called ''Queen Victoria Enthroned in the House of Lords''. It may not have been drawn from life; Hayter's painting of the wedding cannot really be seen as a historical record of what occurred, and so this may not have been what she wore at the coronation. QV seated on the lion's head chair or throne, with the St. Edward's crown on a table to her right. She is wearing the Diamond Diadem and the coronation necklace and earrings. She is wearing an ermine-lined red velvet robe tied together at the waist with a tasseled gold cord. A jeweled &quot;collar&quot; falls from her right shoulder to her waist and then goes back up to her left shoulder. Her dress is not the dress she wore to the coronation, white satin with gold embroidery. This one appears to be a silver and gold brocade with a deep gold fringe at the bottom. She is traditionally corseted. She has a white glove on her left hand, which rests on the other glove. The gloves are decorated with a double row of gathered lace. The heavily jeweled bodice is off the shoulder. The point of one satin slipper peeks out from under her skirt on the low footrest. Art UK: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/queen-victoria-18191901-enthroned-in-the-house-of-lords-50933. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_Throne.png.
##''The Coronation of Queen Victoria in Westminster Abbey, 28 June 1838,'' Hayter's large painting of the coronation, completed 1840.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/405409/the-coronation-of-queen-victoria-in-westminster-abbey-28-june-1838|title=Sir George Hayter (1792-1871) - The Coronation of Queen Victoria in Westminster Abbey, 28 June 1838|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-04-22}}&lt;/ref&gt; Hayter made drawings during the coronation ceremony and then recreated Westminster Abbey as he preferred, rather than painting what the Abbey actually looked like. QV is wearing the Imperial Crown of State, but this is the moment after the coronation when the peers put on their coronets. The painting has 64 individual portraits painted in their gowns and robes by Hayter later. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/405409/the-coronation-of-queen-victoria-in-westminster-abbey-28-june-1838; Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coronation_of_Queen_Victoria_28_June_1838_by_Sir_George_Hayter.jpg.
#'''1838''': Thomas Sully portrait of QV
##'''1838 May 15''': study for the full-length portrait by Thomas Sully, bust, bare shoulders, no clothing for analysis, but romantic and sensual, crown, possibly coronation necklace. &quot;This oil sketch was painted '''from during''' several sittings in the spring of 1838, just before the coronation, in preparation for a full-length portrait. Victoria, who wears a diamond diadem, earrings, and necklace, is said to have considered this a nice picture.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (11) Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/12702. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_MET_DT5422.jpg
##Full-length portrait, which QV sat for and which Sully finished after having returned to the US. Not sure which crown this is, neither of the coronation crowns. Very flattering of Victoria, who is in her state robe with a white dress. Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/14826. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Thomas_Sully_in_the_Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art.jpg.
##Copy from the Sully full-length portrait of head and bust by W. Warman, though not a faithful copy, as if he was copying the painting without having it in front of him. National Portrait Gallery: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw06507/Queen-Victoria. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_by_W._Warman_after_Thomas_Sully.jpg.
#'''1838''': engraved mezzotint print from a painting by Agostino Aglio the Elder (https://www.lelandlittle.com/items/384935/antique-portrait-of-a-young-queen-victoria/), which cannot have been painted from life. QV is dressed as if for her coronation, with the St. Edward's crown and the throne in the background. The face does not look like Victoria's, the dress with its ermine hem is not a representation of any dresses we're aware of, and the robe with its transparent falling sleeves is not the official coronation robe. The mezzotint by James Scott shows detail more clearly than the painting does, which is dark. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Queen_of_the_United_Kingdom.jpg
#'''1838 August 5''': engraving of QV, published in ''The News'' on this date, may not have been taken from life. She may be wearing the white satin with gold embroidery dress she wore to Westminster Abbey; the crown on her head is not the Imperial State Crown; she is wearing long earrings (which we've never seen before) and no necklace. The cape has a shorter layer on top, trimmed in bands of gold, it looks like, which we've also never seen before. Her right hand is wearing a glove, probably silk, pushed down to 3/4 length. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674621#?xywh=-2124%2C-568%2C8542%2C7730. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_(4674621).jpg  
#'''1839''': engraving of Edwin Landseer portrait of QV in a very flattering and fashionable riding habit, less masculine than some, ribbon and badge of the Order of the Garter, top hat with veil, corseted, with the jacket fitted, large sleeves to the elbow, fitted below the elbow; a peplum may be part of the jacket, can't tell; she may be riding side-saddle with the newly invented horn to stabilize the rider. It's a good likeness of Victoria. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Majesty_the_Queen-_1839_(4672716).jpg.  
#1840 February 10: QV's Wedding
##QV's wedding dress on a mannequin. Royal Collection Trust, 3 photos: https://www.rct.uk/collection/71975. Mary Bettans, QV's &quot;longest serving dressmaker,&quot; probably made this wedding dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/71975|title=Mary Bettans - Queen Victoria's wedding dress|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-15}}&lt;/ref&gt; The [https://thedreamstress.com/2011/04/queen-victorias-wedding-dress-the-one-that-started-it-all/ Dreamstress blog posting on QV's wedding dress] has clear photos of her shoes. The Royal Collection description says, in part, &quot;Wedding dress ensemble of cream silk satin; comprising pointed boned bodice lined with silk, elbow length gathered sleeves; deep lace flounces at neck and sleeves and plain untrimmed skirt en suite, gathered into waist with unpressed pleats.&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot; /&gt; The color of the dress is definitely not white now, but the RCT description doesn't suggest that the color has changed. The materials are &quot;Cream silk satin with Honiton lace&quot; and &quot;silk (textile), satin, flowers, lace.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot; /&gt; The &quot;flowers&quot; perhaps explains the wreath of artificial orange blossoms that the mannequin is wearing; the description doesn't say whether the headdress was the one worn by QV at the wedding.
##QV's watercolor sketch of her design for the bridesmaids' dresses: &quot;a white dress trimmed with sprays of roses on the bodice and skirt. A matching spray of roses is shown in her hair. She is wearing white gloves and holding a handkerchief in one hand.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/13/collection/980021-o/design-for-queen-victorias-bridesmaids-dresses|title=Explore the Royal Collection online|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-20}}&lt;/ref&gt; Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/13/collection/980021-o/design-for-queen-victorias-bridesmaids-dresses.
#1840–1842: George Hayter's painting of the moment in the wedding when QV and Albert clasp hands
##1840 February 10 – 1842: George Hayter's wedding portrait at the moment they clasped hands (what was commissioned), sketched at the time, portraits and background filled in later, not an actual depiction of what the chapel looked like, the environment sketched in before the ceremony and the people during the ceremony, followed by people sitting for their individual portrait within the larger painting. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/407165/the-marriage-of-queen-victoria-10-february-1840. Wikimedia Commons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Marriage_of_Queen_Victoria#/media/File:Sir_George_Hayter_(1792-1871)_-_The_Marriage_of_Queen_Victoria,_10_February_1840_-_RCIN_407165_-_Royal_Collection.jpg. Along with almost everybody else, both QV and Albert posed later for the portraits in the painting, QV in March 1840 in, as she says, &quot; Bridal dress, veil, wreath &amp; all.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/407165/the-marriage-of-queen-victoria-10-february-1840|title=Sir George Hayter (1792-1871) - The Marriage of Queen Victoria, 10 February 1840|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-19}}&lt;/ref&gt;
##A number of reproductions of all or part of Hayter's painting were made. Engraving after Hayter's wedding portrait: amazingly tight outfit on Albert, QV has long train with ladies holding it; QV's dress off the shoulder, very lacy: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marriage_of_Queen_Victoria_MET_MM78359.jpg
#'''1840 c.''': miniature of QV by Franz Winterhalter, very idealized; QV is wearing a large pendant on a gold-bead necklace with matching earrings and jeweled fillet, strands of diamonds wrapped around the coiled hair high on the back of her head. Her off-the-shoulder dress is white lace with yellow bows, very girly with an unusual amount of frou-frou. She is wearing a blue sash across her chest from left to right, perhaps the ribbon of the Order of the Garter? Something puffy and pink — perhaps a shawl? — is over the dress. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_La_reine_Victoria.jpg
#'''1840 c.''': mezzotint print of QV by T. W. Huffam, may not have been drawn from life, and not perfectly realistic. QV is wearing a cap on the back of her head and perhaps a double row of what might be pearls across the top of her head, with pearl drop earrings. Off-the-shoulders cream-colored dress with pleating around the neckline and from the waist down. Broach at the center of the neckline, ring on her left hand; possible heavy chain bracelet on her left wrist. Colorful red-and-blue patterned shawl; what may be the Ribbon of the Order of the Garter, but on the wrong shoulder (and color is too dark, but the color may not be true); probably an odd wadded-up handkerchief in her right hand, with a lacy edge. National Library of Wales: https://viewer.library.wales/4674795#?xywh=935%2C2586%2C2207%2C1324. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Her_Gracious_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(4674795).jpg
#'''1840''': QV and Albert return from the wedding at St. James's Palace
##1840 February 10: engraving by S. Reynolds (after F. Lock). May not have been made from life, the dress QV is wearing does not match the descriptions of any of the dresses she wore that day. Albert is dressed more or less the way he was for the wedding. This is an image of how she was imagined by the artist or perceived by the public, not how she looked. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wedding_of_Queen_Victoria_and_Prince_Albert.jpg
##F. Lock
#'''1840''': not very realistic illustration of Edward Oxford's assassination attempt on QV (illustration by Ebenezer Landells; lithograph by J. R. Jobbins). We see QV in white, with a yellow bonnet and something white streaming, veil or shawl, protected by heroic male figure, Albert? or the driver? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edward_Oxford_tries_to_shoot_Queen_Victoria_in_1840_by_JR_Jobbins.jpg
#'''1840''': 2 versions of what looks like the same portrait of QV by John Partridge, one painting in Dublin Castle and another in the Royal Collection Trust, both apparently made by Partridge with sittings in September and October 1840.&lt;ref name=&quot;:16&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/403022/queen-victoria-1819-1901|title=John Partridge (1790-1872) - Queen Victoria (1819-1901)|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-02-27}}&lt;/ref&gt; QV is in black formal dress with red background and objects associating her with Albert. The RCT description: &quot;The Queen, in a black evening dress with a black and silver head-dress, wears the ribbon and star of the Garter and the Garter round her left arm. She stands with her hand resting on a letter on the table. The gilt metal inkstand set with semi-precious stones was a present from Prince Albert to the Queen on her birthday, 24 May 1840. The bracelet on her right arm is set with a miniature portrait of Prince Albert by Sir William Ross for which the Prince had sat in February and March 1840 and the locket round her neck was given to her by Prince Albert.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:16&quot; /&gt; QV's modest, black velvet, off-the-shoulder dress is very Romantic. The puffed sleeves have a separate, fine lace ruffle that is shorter over the front of the arm and longer in back. She is holding a large white lace handkerchief and a folding fan.
##The Royal Collection Trust painting may have been restored or conserved differently because it is lighter and the background is much brighter red. Besides the interesting black headdress with a silver fringe on two levels, attached possibly to a bun on the back of her head, she is wearing a [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Ferronnière|ferronnière]] with a large brooch-like jewel piece in the center front. This version of the painting was probably a gift to Albert for Christmas 1840.&lt;ref name=&quot;:16&quot; /&gt; https://www.rct.uk/collection/403022/queen-victoria-1819-1901. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Partridge_1840.jpg.
##The painting in Dublin Castle is much darker and QV's necklace and headdress are different. In this case, she is wearing the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#The Diamond Diadem|Diamond Diadem]] rather than the less-official ferronnière. Dublin Castle: https://dublincastle.ie/the-state-apartments/queen-victoria/. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Dublin_Castle.jpg.
#'''1841''': print of drawing of QV, stylish and romantic look, braids loops around her ears, off the shoulders, corseted, wearing honors, elbow-length lace-edged sleeves, full skirts, holding folding fan and lacy handkerchief in her left hand, very stylish pointed waist: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_victoria_by_DESMAISONS,_PIERRE_EMILIEN_-_GMII.jpg
#'''1841''': watercolor miniature by George Freeman of a pretty good likeness of QV for Mrs Andrew Stevenson, the wife of the American ambassador. QV is in white evening dress, red shawl with orange trim, ribbon of the Order of the Garter, tiara on the back of her head, miniature of Albert on her right wrist, wedding ring, hair in braided loops in front of the ears, very lacy at the elbows and top of bodice but otherwise no frou-frou. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/421456/queen-victoria-1819-1901. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Miniature_portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_(1819-1901),_1841.jpg.
#'''1841 March 21''': mezzotint print of QV and Vicky as a baby (Ellen Cole made the original art, G. H. Phillips made the messotint, printmaker Henry Graves &amp; Co.)&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://wellcomecollection.org/works/wthk5hpy|title=Queen Victoria with the infant Princess Victoria on her lap. Mezzotint by G.H. Phillips after E. Cole, 1841.|website=Wellcome Collection|language=en|access-date=2025-10-15}}&lt;/ref&gt;, unclear what kind of dress QV is wearing, could be morning dress or even negligé, although she is wearing jewelry and a cap, appears to be wearing a corset, but the fabric of this loose and flowing dress is very likely silk, some sheer, very feminine, limp lace ruffles, unstiffened silk; could be a christening outfit?, Vicky is also wearing sheer flowing fabric, has a cap with stiffened ruffle, around the neck, unstiffened ruffle: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_the_infant_Princess_Victoria_Adelaide_Wellcome_V0048381.jpg
#1842: portrait by Winterhalter of QV in her wedding dress. This pose is a recreation; the lower half of the skirt is lace covered. QV is facing left, holding a length of lace and a small bouquet of flowers. Tiara on the back of her head, pendant on a gold chain around her neck, perhaps the sapphire brooch, and rings. QV sat for the painting &quot;in June and July 1842. The Queen wears a dress of heavy ivory satin, enhanced by a bertha and a deep flounce of lace like those on her wedding dress (see Figure 39). Her jewelry includes a diadem of sapphires and diamonds, the huge sapphire-and-diamond brooch given to her by Prince Albert on their wedding day, and the Order of the Garter insignia.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (15) &quot;The portrait was completed in August and set into the wall of the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle. Winterhalter was immediately commissioned to paint at least three copies, and a number of others exist, including enamel miniatures that the Queen had made up into bracelets for her friends.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (15)
#'''1843''': portrait by Winterhalter, bust of QV, bare shoulders, hair has fallen down, simple jewelry, sensual, sexual, romantic: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter_(1805-73)_-_Queen_Victoria_(1819-1901)_-_RCIN_406010_-_Royal_Collection.jpg.
#'''1843''': flattering, fashion-illustration-style portrait by Winterhalter, QV is wearing the Diamond Diadem created for George IV and standing with the Imperial State Crown near her right hand, which means it's not a coronation recreation. She is wearing the mantle of the Garter with its jeweled chain-like collar and St. George hanging from it with the Garter on her left arm. Winterhalter did a companion portrait of Albert at the same time, and they are hanging in the Garter Throne Room in Windsor Castle.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/404388/queen-victoria-1819-1901-0|title=Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-73) - Queen Victoria (1819-1901)|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-02-06}}&lt;/ref&gt; Queen Victoria is wearing the Turkish diamonds necklace and earrings. She has bare shoulders and arms, suggestive of court or evening dress; besides the mantle of the Garter, she is wearing a white dress with a complex overdress that is open at the waist. The skirt of the white dress has gold threads (that might be brocade) with 7 horizontal graduated rows of a soutache-like trim around the bottom 2/3. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/404388/queen-victoria-1819-1901-0. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_1843.jpg.
#'''1843''': line and stipple engraving (by Skelton and Hopwood) of a painting by Eugène Modeste Edmond Lepoittevin. QV visiting Helene, Duchesse d'Orléans at the Château d'Eu (Eu, Normandy, France). Two of the Duchesse d'Orléans' sons are with her in the portrait; she appears to be in mourning with a lot of frou-frou and touches of white. QV is wearing a stylish, romantic (off the shoulder) dress with a small white ruffle at the neck, lacy cuffs at the wrist; the sleeves are divided by 2 rows above the elbow of some kind of 3-dimensional trim; below the elbow the sleeves are fitted. The skirt is very full; her hair is simple, pulled in front of her ears into a bun in the back, with no headdress; she is wearing little or no jewelry. National Portrait Gallery: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw145636/Visit-of-Queen-Victoria-to-the-Duchesse-DOrlans?LinkID=mp93326&amp;role=sit&amp;rNo=0. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Visit_of_Queen_Victoria_to_the_Duchess_of_Orleans.jpg.
#'''1845''': photograph of QV and Vicky, earliest photograph of them, Description from Royal Collection Trust: &quot;They are shown in three quarter view, facing left. The queen is wearing a dark coloured silk gown, with a white lace fichu, adorned with a brooch. The Princess Royal looks directly at the viewer and leans against her mother, nestled under her right arm. She is wearing a dark coloured silk dress, trimmed with white lace. She is wearing a pendant on a black ribbon around her neck, and is holding a doll in her arms.&quot; White v-shaped bodice front connected to the rest of the bodice. Copy from the Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/-/collection/2931317-c (Wikimedia Commons copy: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_the_Princess_Royal_Victoria_c1844-5.png)
#'''1846''': Winterhalter portrait of QV with Bertie, one of a pair of portraits by Winterhalter of QV and Prince Albert. QV is wearing an unusual, off-the-shoulder outfit, no crown but a headdress that is black lace, sheer, ruffled, attached above her ears, with a rose on the left side, no necklace but bracelets and rings and the Order of the Garter ribbon and star. The top of this dress may be a bustier rather than a bodice, resting on rather than attached to the skirt; it is boned and very smooth and comes to a deep point in front, emphasizing her small waist. The skirt may be in two layers, pink satin (to match the bustier or bodice) covered by a sheer black lace-and-tulle overskirt. Bertie is in long pants and a belted &quot;loose Russian blouse&quot; that falls to his knees.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/406945/queen-victoria-with-the-prince-of-wales|title=Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-73) - Queen Victoria with the Prince of Wales|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-03-26}}&lt;/ref&gt; The portrait was a gift to Sir Robert Peel and shows QV in evening dress and Bertie (and Prince Albert in his separate portrait) as a family in nonregal clothing, what Peel called &quot;private society.&quot; Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/406945/queen-victoria-with-the-prince-of-wales. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_the_Prince_of_Wales.jpg.
#'''1846 October – 1847 January''', sittings for Winterhalter family portrait of QV and Albert and 5 children (Vicky, Bertie, Alice, Affie, Helena as a baby). QV is wearing a very ornate white dress with a smooth bodice, with a corset beneath: a lot of lace in her lap, either a large shawl coming around from the back or the top layer of her skirt (?), which is a series of 4 lacy ruffles starting at her knees and going down; gathers over her bust, sleeves are gathered; whole dress is a lot of frou-frou, very white, feminine, soft and flowing. She is wearing an emerald and diamond diadem, part of a parure of other emerald jewelry as well as a locket around her neck. (Albert designed the diadem in 1845, made by Joseph Kitching). Painting was exhibited in 1847 in St. James's Palace and released as an engraving in 1850. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/405413/the-royal-family-in-1846. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter_Family_of_Queen_Victoria.jpg. Engraving: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Queen_Victoria,_Prince_Albert_and_the_Royal_Family.png
#'''1847 February 24''': Winterhalter portrait of QV in a version of her at her wedding, wearing her wedding veil and wreath of orange blossoms in her hair and the sapphire brooch that &quot;Albert gave her on their wedding day and the ear-rings and necklace made from the Turkish diamonds given to her by the Sultan Mahmúd II in 1838.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/20/collection/400885/queen-victoria-1819-1901|title=Winterhalter Portrait of Queen Victoria, 1846|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-31}}&lt;/ref&gt; This portrait is dated 1847, so it is not a portrait of her at her wedding but an anniversary gift for Albert of her dressed as for her wedding. RCT: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/20/collection/400885/queen-victoria-1819-1901 Wikimedia: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1847.jpg
#'''1851 August 30''', line drawing of QV, Albert and Bertie visiting the opening (?) of a train station, published in the ILL. QV's clothing is approximate, but she is wearing a bonnet; we don't know if the artist drew her from life or from his expectation of what she would have looked like, stylish but not haute couture, she looks more middle class? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_visiting_the_GNR.jpg
#'''1854''', portrait Stephen Catterson Smith the Elder. QV in Order of St. Patrick, wearing crown, next to throne; white or cream-colored dress, which looks unironed? horizontal section of the skirt??, off the shoulder, lacy ruffles on top, not much frou-frou, not a cage. Bracelet on her right arm of Albert?, coronation necklace? Standing by the chair with lion's head on the armrest. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_the_sash_of_the_Order_of_St_Patrick,_1854.png
##'''1854''', engraving that is a copy of the Smith portrait. Royal Trust: https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/565054. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_victoria_indian_circlet.jpg. '''Indian circlet'''?
#'''1854''', photograph of QV, Albert, Duchess of Kent and 7 children, boys in kilts, women in what looks like cages, but probably petticoats: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_family.jpg
#'''1854''', photograph by Roger Fenton, QV seated, facing our right, holding a portrait of Albert, light very lacy dress, cap on the back of her head, can't see much detail of the dress: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_1854.jpg
#'''1854 May 11''': Roger Fenton photographs from a session showing either QV and Albert in court dress or one of the recreations of their wedding:
##QV standing, looking to her left, wearing a very floral, lacy light-colored dress that has been called her wedding dress, but the Royal Collection Trust says it's a court dress with a train.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Queen Victoria in court dress 1854.jpg.&quot; ''Wikimedia Commons''. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_in_court_dress_1854.jpg (retrieved March 2026).&lt;/ref&gt; She is wearing the ribbon of the Order of the Garter, a cap perched on top of her head above a wreath or crown of flowers, veil, romantic off-the-shoulder neckline with short puffy sleeves, something fluffy and translucent on the front of her dress (like an apron?), a white glove on her left hand, a bouquet of flowers, and it looks like actual flowers attached to the dress itself. More frou-frou than we've seen on her. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_in_court_dress_1854.jpg.
##Low-resolution photo of QV and Albert facing each other, bouquet on plinth, expensive long lace veil, shawl or big white lace collar?, dress has a lot of frou-frou (including flowers) and texture to break up the solid whiteness: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_victoria_and_Prince_Albert.jpg
#'''1854 May 22''': Roger Fenton photograph of QV, Albert and 7 children, one in a wagon, at Buckingham Palace. Albert is wearing a top hat although they seem to be indoors. QV wearing a bonnet tied under her chin with a big bow, a plaid skirt, thigh-length jacket. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Prince_Albert_%26_royal_children_at_Buckingham_Palace,_1854.jpg
#'''1854 June 30''', photograph by Roger Fenton, QV profile facing our left; very light-colored dress, embroidered (or stamped??) floral pattern on skirt, bodice and sleeves with additional 3-dimensional trim, and apron?, with a wide sash, translucent maybe linen fabric with very fine lace at the edge, very girly; at least one gathered flounce; brimless bonnet on the back of her head, lacy, ribbon, flowers?: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Roger_Fenton.jpg
#'''1855''', Winterhalter portrait: petticoats, lace and satin, a tiara, on the back of her head around the bun, not a symbol of of sovereignty, instead a beautiful decorative piece of jewelry that probably matched her eyes: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter.jpg. Rosie Harte says she is wearing the Sapphire Tiara designed for QV as a wedding present by Albert.
#'''1855 March 10''': Illustrated London News wood engraving showing QV and her entourage visiting wounded soldiers in a hospital. It shows how QV was perceived, not so much what she actually wore. She's shown wearing a bonnet, a thigh-length jacket; her tiered skirt has 3 large ruffles that we can see, dividing it horizontally. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_entourage_visiting_invalided_soldier_Wellcome_V0015776.jpg
#'''1855 April 19''', James Roberts painting of QV, Napoleon III, Eugénie and Albert at Covent Garden, from the perspective of the stage, or at least behind the orchestra. They are dressed formally; QV's white, off the shoulder young-person image, big jewelry; Eugénie looks like she's wearing a cage. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/46/collection/920055/the-queen-visiting-covent-garden-with-the-emperor-and-empress-of-the-french-19. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Napoleon_III_at_the_Royal_Opera_House_19_April_1855.jpg
#'''1856 May 10''', oval half-length portrait of QV by Winterhalter, finished after sittings on 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8 May.&lt;ref name=&quot;:17&quot; /&gt; QV, who thought the portrait was &quot;very like,&quot; is wearing a distinctive off-the-shoulder red velvet dress with burnt-velvet (?) ruffle, the Koh-i-nûr diamond set in a brooch, a necklace with large diamonds (the Coronation necklace? '''Queen Adelaide's necklace'''?) and the ribbon of the Order of the Garter. She is wearing a corset under the dress (the bodice is so smooth and it comes to a point below the waist), with lace at the décolletage and shoulder and possibly a shawl that matches the ruffle. '''The crown is not the Diamond State Diadem but another crown'''. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/406698/queen-victoria-1819-1901. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter_Queen_Victoria.jpg.
#'''1856 December 16''' (lithograph made in 1859), color lithograph of a William Simpson painting showing QV on board a ship being returned to the Brits by Americans. Full-length, winter dress with fur muff, bonnet, matching fur-trimmed coat over dark rich purple and green dress. Albert and some of their children are with her. Library of Congress: https://loc.gov/pictures/resource/pga.03087/. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Simpson_-_George_Zobel_-_England_and_America._The_visit_of_her_majesty_Queen_Victoria_to_the_Arctic_ship_Resolute_-_December_16th,_1856.jpg
#'''1857''': photo of QV and Vicky, Princess Royal, in dark dresses but not mourning, QV has very voluminous ruffled skirt, probably not a cage, wearing a cap: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_daughter_Victoria,_Princess_Royal.jpg
#'''1857''': large painting by George Housman Thomas of QV distributing the first Victoria Crosses in Hyde Park, 26 June 1857, shows large military display in a large field, QV giving out VCs to a long line of soldiers. Related to the 1859 Thomas painting, as QV is wearing another scarlet military jacket, waist is cinched, etc. (see the 1859 painting). If the awarding of the VCs occurred in 1857, this painting would have been later? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_presenting_VC_in_Hyde_Park_on_26_June_1857.jpg
#'''1858 Summer – 14 December 1861, between''', photograph by Southwell, &quot;photographist to the Queen,&quot; of QV wearing a light-colored plaid skirt over a cage and a large dark shawl, reading a piece of paper. (We dated this image between the time she first wore a cage and when Albert died.) She has a cap with a gathered edge under her light-colored bonnet, which has a wide band tied in a bow under her chin with long streamers that hang past her waist. The photograph has been damaged, so patterns on the fabric are impossible to see. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:England_Queen_Victoria.JPG
#'''1859''': Winterhalter portrait, 2 crowns, the one behind her is the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Imperial State Crown|Imperial State Crown]], &quot;coronation necklace and earrings?,&quot; a vast quantity of ermine, diamonds and gold, parliament in the distance. ArtUK: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/queen-victoria-18191901-187983. Wikimedia: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Winterhalter_1859.jpg, on Wikipedia page for &quot;Victorian Era&quot;: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_era. The off-the-shoulder look she wore when she was young, short sleeves, gold lace ruffles on the skirt. Another example of elaborate but not crowded frou-frou. Georg Koberwein made a copy of this painting in 1862.
#'''1859 June''': group photograph that includes QV, Albert, Bertie and Princess Alice (who is wearing a cage) as well as Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders; Infante Luís, Duke of Porto, later King Luís I of Portugal;  and King Leopold I of Belgium. Photograph attributed to Dudley FitzGerald-de Ros, 23rd Baron de Ros. QV is seated, facing her right, wearing a cape (can't tell if it has wide sleeves), a feathered hat that ties under her chin with a wide ribbon down the back, a 3-flounce skirt with dark stripes, wider at the bottom, probably over a cage, the 2 top flounces have gathered lace edging; white lace in her lap and over her right shoulder; holding an umbrella. Royal Collection Trust: https://albert.rct.uk/collections/photographs-collection/childrens-albums/group-portrait-with-prince-albert-leopold-i-and-queen-victoria-0?_ga=2.71530067.1155757026.1769614443-1044324474.1768234449. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Group_photograph_of_Queen_Victoria,_Prince_Albert,_Albert_Edward,_Prince_of_Wales,_Count_of_Flanders,_Princess_Alice,_Duke_of_Oporto,_and_King_Leopold_I_of_the_Belgians,_1859.jpg.
#'''1859 July 9''': 1859–1864 painting by George Housman Thomas of QV, Albert and attendants on horses at Aldershot, QV in military-style, with red jacket with trim at the cuffs collar (though technically the jacket is collarless), wearing sash, honors, white blouse with back necktie, white sleeves gathered at the wrist, sitting side saddle, hat with wide brim, low crown, feminized version of the helmet the men are wearing, complete with red and white feathers. Royal Collection Trust says she is wearing a &quot;scarlet military riding jacket with a General's sash and a General's plume in her riding hat&quot; link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/405295/queen-victoria-and-the-prince-consort-at-aldershot-9-july-1859. Wikimedia link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_the_Prince_Consort_at_Aldershot,_9_July_1859.jpg
#'''1860 May 15''': full-length photograph of QV by John Jabez Edwin Paisley Mayall. Dark dress, white ruffled cap and collar, ornate patchworky shawl with fringe and lace. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_JJE_Mayall,_1860.png
#'''Circa 1861''', photograph of QV, Albert and 9 children by John Jabez Edwin Mayall. Another portrait where Albert is really the center. The women and girls appear to be wearing hoops.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prince_Albert_of_Saxe-Coburg-Gotha,_Queen_Victoria_and_their_children_by_John_Jabez_Edwin_Mayall_(n%C3%A9e_Jabez_Meal).jpg
#'''1861''', full-length photograph of QV by C. Clifford of Madrid; QV is standing mostly profile facing her right, with her head turned slightly to us; state occasion, formal dress with crown and jewelry; short sleeves with light-colored, ornate trim above the elbows; the neckline is at the corner of the shoulder with lace inside, making it be less off-the-shoulder than it looks; cage under the full skirt, train attached at the waist, in the front the train is cut away, towards the back; very clearly a silk, shiny fabric that reflected a lot of light; color is unknown; which crown is this? Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/ppgcfuck/images?id=zbrn4cjm; Wiki Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HM_Queen_Victoria._Photograph_by_C._Clifford_of_Madrid,_1861_Wellcome_V0027547.jpg
#'''1861 March 1''', looks like a session with photographer John Jabez Edwin Paisley Mayall and QV, from while Albert was still alive, dark but not mourning dress, with what may be a large [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Moiré|moiré]] pattern in the fabric. Lots of frou-frou. 2 images from this session:
##Full-length photograph of QV by Mayall. Shiny dark satiny fabric, cage, large white-lace shawl, white collar, white cap on the back of her head, book in front of her on plinth: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria.jpg
##Full-length photograph of QV by Mayall. Shiny dark satiny dress fabric, cage but not the half-sphere, skirt is fuller than the cage, defined waist, more fullness in back, same white collar and cap, sleeve of jacket gets wider at the wrist, showing how full the lacy/ruffly sleeve of the blouse is, large black lace shawl. Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/yuuj2gdr/images?id=fpxwnbzg. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HM_Queen_Victoria,_Empress_of_India._Photograph._Wellcome_V0028492.jpg
#'''Circa 1862''', photo of QV seated with Prince Leopold standing next to her, QV is wearing a heavy cloak with a hood, which is up and covering what she's wearing on her head, which has a white and what may be a ruffled edge. The cloak has a wide band of what might be brocade stitched to the bottom of the cloak; the fabric of the cloak and hood and the skirt beneath may have a nap; she is not wearing a cage. Leopold is wearing short pants and gloves and carries a walking stick; his face may show bruises (or the photo is damaged): (Royal Trust link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2900563/queen-victoria-and-prince-leopold; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Leopold_of_Albany.jpg).
#'''1862''', drawing from a newspaper showing QV and Beatrice of how she was perceived, not how she was: highly idealized image of mother and child, clothing not presented realistically, QV's dress is plain and her identity is that of the loving mother. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Princess_Beatrice_as_baby.jpg
#'''1863''', photograph of QV seated, skirt is full, though she's not wearing hoops; white on head, collar and at wrists. She may not be wearing a corset (per Worsley), but the top is boned. 
##QV is facing our left, 3/4. The top part of her skirt and her sleeves are made of a fabric perhaps with a satin weave, though the bottom half of her skirt is still matte. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_-_Queen_Victoria_in_1863.png.
##Same session, another pose, body still 3/4, but now she is facing the camera. The edges of the matte sections of her skirt and jacket are trimmed with rows of tiny ball fringe, oddly unobtrusive, especially from a distance. She is wearing a white blouse with puffed sleeves under the jacket. George Eastman Collection: https://www.flickr.com/photos/george_eastman_house/3333247605/. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_(3333247605).jpg.
#'''1863''', QV on horse with John Brown holding the bridle
##'''1863''', unattributed photograph of QV at Osborne seated on a horse, with Princess Louise and John Brown nearby. QV is seated side-saddle, has a cap with a hood over it; cap has white ruffled edge; white ruffles at her wrists. Louise is handing QV her whip? and wearing a cage; her skirt is short, ankle-length, several inches above the ground; she wears a thigh-length full jacket. Brown's back is to us, he wears a kilt. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Princess_Louise_and_John_Brown.jpg
##'''1863''', carte-de-visite photograph by George Washington Wilson, QV on Fyvie side-saddle; wearing a cap with a hood over it, cap has white ruffled edge; dark gloves; wide sleeves on the jacket. The black riding habit has a simple surface with little decoration.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_photographed_by_George_Washington_Wilson_(1863).jpg; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_on_%27Fyvie%27_with_John_Brown_at_Balmoral.jpg
#'''1864''', QV seated, holding the future Kaiser Wilhelm (Vicky's eldest), her 1st grandchild
##Willie looking at us, QV right arm around his shoulder, an early version of what became her uniform dress, this one is a winter outfit, and she's bundled up, wearing a white ruffled cap, black bonnet and veil, which may be tied under her chin; gloves; a thigh-length loose jacket with wide sleeves, a deep band of a different fabric for the bottom of her skirt; she may be wearing a brocade vest under the jacket that is not snug against her torso; it looks like she's wearing a corset (the edge near the top button of her vest). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_holding_her_eldest_grandchild_Willy.png
##Willie facing QV, very clear view of her bonnet with scarfy veil; jacket is thigh-length, sleeves widening toward the cuff, may be a blouse underneath, also with full, loose sleeves, edged in white; top part of the full skirt is shiny, deep band of fabric at the bottom is wooly looking, narrow trim between the two parts of the skirt, could be petticoats under the skirt.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_eldest_grandchild_Willy.png
#'''1865–1867''': Edwin Landseer painting of QV on horseback at Osborne, reading letters and dispatches, with John Brown, dressed formally in a kilt, holding the horse's head. (Aquatint print made in c. 1870 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_and_John_Brown_at_Osborne_House_(4674627).jpg&lt;nowiki/&gt;.) See &quot;1867 Spring&quot; in the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Timeline|Timeline]] for a discussion of the painting itself. Princesses Louise and Helena are seated on a park bench in the background. QV is wearing a bonnet tied under her chin with a large bow and a short hood-like veil. This does not look like a fitted riding habit, although the skirt is a riding skirt. The jacket is shorter than her usual thigh-length and has full sleeves that widen toward the wrist. The fitted cuffs of the sleeves of her white blouse extend beyond the jacket sleeve. She has white at her cuffs and on the cap under her bonnet. Except for a ring on her left hand, no jewelry shows. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/403580/queen-victoria-at-osborne. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sir_Edwin_Landseer_(1803-73)_-_Queen_Victoria_at_Osborne_-_RCIN_403580_-_Royal_Collection.jpg
#'''1867''': QV seated with Empress Victoria, both in mourning, but not full mourning, wearing a cage, some frou-frou, probably a cap on her head, because there's no brim, with a short dark veil over it. QV is wearing a [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Paletot|paletot]] with an overskirt with the same fabric and matching trim; the sleeves are not fitted but also not as wide at the wrists as some of her paletots. The bottom of the underskirt has a pleated ruffle. QV has quite a bit of light-colored fabric at her neck that falls down the front of her bodice, although she is not wearing the white shawl. The photograph was overexposed, so we have clarity in the black but the detail for the white parts is obliterated. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Empress_Victoria_Augusta.jpg
#'''1867''', photograph of QV seated, with her back towards us, and the Queen of Prussia (or the Empress Augusta of Germany?), both in mourning, with light-colored umbrella: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Queen_of_England_and_The_Queen_of_Prussia.jpg. Darker image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Empress_Augusta.jpg
#'''1867''', stylized drawing/painting by Takahashi Yūkei, doctor of the Japanese Embassy to Europe in 1862, so may have been drawn from life; black dress may have faded to this purple, honors sash draping is not understandable but it is beautiful; military (?) style hat with aigrette: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Japanese_doctor_Takahashi_Y%C5%ABkei_1862.png
#'''1867''', photograph of QV with border collie Sharp, outdoors, on rugs?. QV is wearing a bonnet with a veil-like scarf that ties under her chin with streamers down the front; the full, thigh-length jacket has long, full sleeves, and the jacket has no trim on it, apparently, at all. The skirt is held out smoothly by a cage, made in 2 fabrics, one satiny and the other wool or something not shiny, with 3-dimensional trim with faceted jet (?) in 3 rows. Shiny black leather gloves, with white ruffled cuffs. She looks heavier-set than she was, perhaps our sense that she was always big comes because she wasn't trying to look thin? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_dog_%22Sharp%22.jpg
#'''1868''', photograph of QV and John Brown by W. &amp; D. Downey. QV is wearing a riding habit and a hat tied under the chin, perhaps with a small plume, the jacket has some decoration. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_mounted_and_John_Brown_by_W._and_D._Downey.png
#'''1869–1879''', QV was in her 60s: &quot;At state occasions in her sixties, Victoria appeared in a black dress, black velvet train, pearls and a small diamond crown.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (480 of 786)
#'''c. 1870''', photograph by Andre-Adolphe-Eugene Disderi (probably not retouched) with QV seated, facing her left, 3/4 profile: that white cap pointed towards the forehead, covering the center part nearly completely, white flat-band collar, whites ruffles at cuffs, heavily trimmed black jacket with short peplum, including ball fringe and braid; the plain-from-a-distance, rich-up-close look: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_c.1870._(7936242480).jpg
#'''1871 September 10''', photograph of QV standing, almost full length, facing our right, with head turned our way, some books on the small table in front of her. The usual dark dress with white blouse with knife pleats and a cap covered with double ruffled lace and with veil down the back; heavy voluminous black shawl, looks like it's wool; it's probably a dress not a suit, with different textures, which are subtle Up close, the black ball-fringe (or bead fringe?) trim is 3-dimensional and different fabrics add another dimension. Skirt has wide band at the bottom, with ball fringe at the top. Wellcome Institute: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/x4hug3jt; Wiki Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria._Photograph._Wellcome_V0018085.jpg.
#'''1874–?''': photograph of QV and Princess Beatrice ice skating on a lake at Eastwell Park, home of Prince Alfred (who got the property in 1874). Can't tell, but QV might be in the sledge chair and Beatrice in the center standing on skates. That woman standing on skates in the center is wearing a cage, which holds her dress out and above the ground. 1874 is late for cages, but the British court was not fashion forward: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_skating_-_Eastwell_Park.jpg
#'''1875''': watercolor copy by Lady Julia Abercromby made in 1883 of an oil painting by Heinrich von Angeli showing QV before adopting the title Empress of India. This is a good example of a slightly formal version of her uniform. She is wearing the usual white cap and veil, clearly lace gathered into double ruffles; square-neck black bodice, sleeves are very wide at the wrists, black with complicated decorative angles layered over white, ruffly. The skirt has a horizontal division with satiny ribbon and wide ruffle (maybe pleated?) and then a border at the bottom that may be brocade; there is a train. Lots of jewelry, including double strand necklace of very large pearls, ribbon and badge of the Order of the Garter and the badge of the Order of Victoria and Albert, pearl brooch, bracelets and rings, holding a large white handkerchief. NPG: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw06517. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Julia_Abercromby.jpg.
#'''1876 May 1''': QV is declared Empress of India. Lytton Strachey says, &quot;On the day of the Delhi Proclamation, the new Earl of Beaconsfield went to Windsor to dine with the new Empress of India. That night the Faery, usually so homely in her attire, appeared in a glittering panoply of enormous uncut jewels, which had been presented to her by the reigning Princes of her Raj.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (414 of 555)
#'''1877 May''': photograph of QV, Princess Beatrice and the Duchess of Edinburgh (probably Maria Alexandrovna Romanova, Affie's wife) by Charles Bergamasco. Impossible to tell how the dress is layered, but it has a lot of frou-frou, but not a lot of lace except for the shawl and the cuffs of her blouse. QV's dress might have 2 different fabrics, like the Duchess's dress; it may have a jacket or vest or both. Her bodice looks like it is boned (assuming she's not wearing a corset). The frou-frou on the skirt are controlled pleated ruffles with tassels, which are more controlled than fringe. Visually very complex outfit, but from a distance, all that complexity would disappear. It would look textured, depending on the distance, at most. All 3 women have high-contrast lapels; 2 fabrics, matte and shiny; big buttons down the front; the 2 younger women have a row of ruffled lace at the neck; all wearing dark fabric, perhaps black. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_The_Duchess_of_Edinburg_and_Prince_Beatrice.jpg
#'''1879''', painting by Tito Conti of QV and Vicky at &quot;Napoleon's boudoir&quot;; Vicky is in mourning, having lost an 11-year-old child in March 1879; the two women are dressed in v different styles: Vicky is stylish, interest at the back of her dress, long train, narrow skirt, haute couture; QV is in her uniform, a hat? perched high on her head, a light-colored fichu? at her neck, black shawl; shorter train and fuller skirt, the shawl hiding how fitted the dress is. The point is the contrast between the 2 styles. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_eldest_daughter_Vicky,_German_Crown_Princess.jpg.
#'''1879 February''', QV seated with Hesse family (Alice's family, two months after her death and that of Marie, the youngest), everyone in full mourning. QV is wearing her &quot;uniform&quot; but no white anywhere; black cap with streamers? with what might be feathers down the back; heavy wool fringed shawl; jacket is lined and warm, possibly padded, may be long (thigh-length?); she may be wearing a corset or boning in her bodice here bc of the way the bodice drapes (there's an edge?); full skirt with deep tucked bands at the bottom: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_Ludwig_IV_240-011.jpg. Darker image from what looks like the same sitting by William &amp; Daniel (W. &amp; D.) Downey, without the father: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Hessian_children_with_their_grandmother,_Queen_Victoria.jpg
#'''1881''': Cabinet photograph by Arthur J. Melhuish of QV and Princess Beatrice, neither is in full mourning. QV is smiling and wearing her white widow's cap, at least 2 necklaces and perhaps one brooch, a black lace shawl. Beatrice is holding an umbrella over their heads.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_and_Princess_Beatrice.jpg
#'''1881 September 3''': woodcut engraving from the ''Illustrated London News'' of QV visiting the new Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh. Clear impression of QV's &quot;uniform,&quot; black dress with thigh-length jacket, edged with fur or velvet; skirt is divided horizontally with zigzag trim about knee level and a ruffle at the hem of the skirt. Unusual pillbox-like hat tied under her chin, trimmed with something light colored. Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/ev7tepmd/images?id=h8aq62mn. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_visiting_the_Royal_Infirmary_Edinburgh._Wellcome_L0000896.jpg
#'''1882 April 27''': 3 photographs of QV dressed for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Albany, probably from one session with Alexander Bassano. These photographs look like they have been retouched to smooth QV's skin and remove a double chin. The black satin-weave dress is complex, but cut as her &quot;uniform&quot; usually was. What makes this outfit different is how much white lace covers the skirt and train as well as how big a piece of lace the veil is and the unusual-for-QV berthe. Under the black jacket sleeve are two white (may or may not be a separate blouse, can't tell). QV is wearing her classic thigh-length jacket with 3/4-length sleeves, buttoned down the front, smoothly fitted to her shape but not tight fitting; she seems to be wearing a white lacy top under everything, a bodice that buttons and looks like it has a rows of fleur-de-lys diamonds operating somewhat like a stomacher comes down below her waist; over the bodice is a thigh-length jacket with thick fluffy fringe (chenille?) trimming the sleeves and bottom of the jacket and down the front on both sides. Those distinctive black jacket sleeves are cut very full at the bottom edge; they are short under her arm and have a long point below her elbow on the outside of her arm. The train is visible in 2 of the photographs and pulled around to QV's left, over some of the skirt. The skirt and train have a narrow box-pleated ruffle at the bottom. The full skirt and train are covered by a lace overskirt. QV is not wearing her wedding veil, but the veil looks like Honiton lace, as do the trim on the bodice, sleeves and skirt. The wide light-colored or white lace [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Berthe|berthe]] is slightly gathered and stitched to the neck of the bodice. A lacy white edge shows under the black jacket sleeve (may or may not be a separate blouse, can't tell), plus another white layer under that lacy sleeve edge. What looks like a chemise shows at the neckline; a row of diamonds separates the berthe from the chemise. She is holding a lacy handkerchief and a folding fan. She is wearing the Small Diamond Crown on top of the veil and a lot of diamond jewelry, including the Koh-I-Nor diamond as a brooch, the Coronation necklace and earrings, two wide diamond bracelets and rings as well as Family Honors and the ribbon of the Order of the Garter.
##'''1882''' Bassano photograph, official state portrait, reused in 1887 for Golden Jubilee as a postcard; close-up cropped bust. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Bassano_(3x4_close_cropped).jpg. Wikipedia page #1 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1887_postcard_of_Queen_Victoria.jpg. Different pose, same sitting, worse resolution: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_bw.jpg.
##'''1882''' Bassano photograph, same sitting, different pose, best image for analysis because it shows her whole body. This is not the lion-head chair, but we can see a lot of this throne-like chair. Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/-/collection/2105818/portrait-photograph-of-queen-victoria-1819-1901-dressed-for-the-wedding-of-the; National Portrait Gallery cabinet card: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw119710; Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_1887.jpg. 
##'''1882 April 27''', photograph of QV and page Arthur Ponsonby, same dress as 1882, she is standing next to Ponsonby, who is holding some article of dress that seems to have more diamond fleurs-de-lys, perhaps to match the bodice. Royal Trust Collection: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2105757/queen-victoria-and-her-page-arthur-ponsonby; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_her_page,_Arthur_Ponsonby.jpg.
#'''1882 May''', Bassanno photograph of QV, same session, the first photograph (from a [[Social Victorians/Victorian Things#Cabinet Card|cabinet card]]) is a great deal easier to read because, even though the white is overexposed, the patterns in the black fabrics and fabric treatments are unusually easy to see, although the layers are still impossible to distinguish.
##QV is sitting on a chair and Princess Beatrice is sitting perhaps on the arm of the chair to QV's left. QV is wearing that fuzzy white widow's cap with veil edged with gathered tulle. The 3 main areas of white — the cap, neckline and the fan and cuffs — are so overexposed that the detail is obliterated. QV is wearing a ribbon necklace with a pendant that might be a cameo, painted portrait or a locket, a brooch on the center front of the neckline, small earrings (likely diamonds) and at least one bracelet and ring. She is holding a partially unfolded fan, and the front of the bodice shows either something like a pocket-watch chain attached to the 3rd button from the bottom, perhaps, or a flaw in the surface of the photograph. She is wearing a very large lace shawl over her shoulders and lap. The bodice/jacket garment buttons down the center, has QV's usual wide sleeves and may be built using a princess line. This garment is similar at the neckline and bottom of the sleeves and the overdress or jacket — it is trimmed with 2 rows of tightly pleated ruffles edged with an elaborate, 3-dimensional design that includes braid with reflective bits, perhaps jet, and gathered ruffles. Princess Beatrice is wearing a restrained, less-decorated style, with a narrow, pleated skirt, made of a moiré silk whose pattern provides visual interest (without the frou-frou associated with haute couture) and tight, tailored, princess-line jacket trimmed with the moiré silk. The jacket includes the unpatterned draped fabric that is pulled toward the back for a bustle. National Portrait Gallery: [https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw123930/Queen-Victoria-Princess-Beatrice-of-Battenberg#:~:text=The%20series%20gets%20its%20name%20from%20a,home%20match%20to%20Australia%20at%20the%20Oval. https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw123930/Queen-Victoria-Princess-Beatrice-of-Battenberg#:~:text=The%20series%20gets%20its%20name%20from%20a,home%20match%20to%20Australia%20at%20the%20Oval.] Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_Beatrice_Bassano.jpg.
##QV is holding granddaughter Margaret, Crown Princess of Sweden, eldest daughter of Prince Arthur (QV's 3rd son) and great-granddaughter Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia, who was born 15 January 1882.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-26|title=Princess Margaret of Connaught|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Margaret_of_Connaught&amp;oldid=1329585710|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; QV does not appear to be wearing a corset, buttoned bodice is not tight, dark shawl, that fuzzy white cap with veil/streamers, maybe ruffled lace. Black ribbon around her neck, white at collar and cuffs, wide sleeves on the jacket. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bassano_Victoria_and_Margaret.jpg 
#'''1883''': W. &amp;. D. Downey photograph of QV seated with baby great-grandson William (Vicky's grandson, Kaiser Wilhelm's son) on her knees. The usual black dress, with 3-dimensional, almost geometric trim, ruffled but not lacy. A very dramatic shawl with cording in 3 parallel lines at the edges, looks like the same fabric as dress. QV's face is kind looking at the baby. Black hat with white cap beneath it, shaped like the white one she often wore. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_her_great-grandson_Prince_William.jpg
#'''1884 May 2''', QV, Vicky, her daughter Charlotte and her daughter Princess Feodore of Saxe-Meiningen, 4 generations. QV not wearing bustle, the usual black on black for trim, black jacket, black shawl, black cap with black hangy-downy thing down the back: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VICTORIA_Queen_of_England_by_Carl_Backofen_of_Darmstadt.jpg
#'''1885 or so''': portrait published in the 1901 biography of QV by John, Duke of Argyll, probably from a photograph. That odd cap we've seen before with a point down to her hairline in front, this version with trimmed lappets (?) down the front: it's impossible to tell the layers, how things are attached and what the trim on this cap is made of, feathers or ruffles. White collar on bodice, white cuffs, black lace shawl around her shoulders, jacket or coat over a blouse; the frou-frou is the same color as what it trims, making it visually recede, but up close ppl would have been able to see how sophisticated and finely made it was: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:V._R._I._-_Queen_Victoria,_her_life_and_empire_(1901)_(14766746965).jpg
#1885: screen print bust from book ''Daughters of Genius'' by James Parson, showing unusually realistic face and detailed trim on the black; the usual white cap and a collar, locket on ribbon around her neck, small earrings. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Daughters_of_Genius_-_Queen_Victoria.png
#'''1885 May 16''', reproduction of a wood engraving showing QV visiting a soldier wounded in Sudan. Flattering drawing of QV, dress looks plain, unprepossessing, unostentatious Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/nhhej66v. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_visiting_a_wounded_soldier._Reproduction_of_a_Wellcome_V0015340.jpg
#'''1886''', Bassano photograph of QV, full-length, seated, holding the infant Alexander, Marquess of Carisbrooke, Beatrice's son. QV's uniform, ornate square-neck black dress, white blouse with ironed pleats shows at the neck; ruffles and 3-dimensional trim with jet beads on both sides of the front, with trim at the bottom as well, black ironed pleats; black lace shawl, white frothy cap that we've seen many times, with white veil. Royal Trust Collection link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2507501/queen-victoria-with-alexander-marquess-of-carisbrooke-as-a-baby; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Alexander,_Marquess_of_Carisbrooke.jpg. Elements of the Victorian frou-frou without looking over-trimmed or crowded.
#'''1888''', trading card from American tobacco company advertising cigarettes, QV in colorized image, white headdress with small crown; wearing Order of the Garter (?) sash and family honors, Link to MET collection: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/711888; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_of_England,_from_the_Rulers,_Flags,_and_Coats_of_Arms_series_(N126-1)_issued_by_W._Duke,_Sons_%26_Co._MET_DPB873774.jpg
#'''1889''', photographs by Byrne &amp; Co. from apparently the same session of QV and Vicky, both in mourning dress because Frederick III had died June 1888, but not full mourning. QV seated in the lion's-head chair and Vicky on her right. QV is wearing a black and frothy widow's cap that is made of '''something''' transparent, tightly gathered, that comes to a point over her forehead and that she wears on the back of her head. She has a black lace shawl over her shoulder, ornate under-bodice (with lots of jet?) with lacy sleeves and a lacy ruffle at the bottom, the under bodice longer than the outer bodice (or jacket) and outside the skirt, not tucked in; the outer bodice (or jacket) is tailored but not tightly fitted to the body or restrictive, skirt is not fussy; very fashionable suit, but the silhouette is not high fashion. Vicky's widow's cap has an obvious point halfway down her forehead, seems to be made of velvet with something piled on top. She also is wearing a transparent black veil, which may have 2 layers. 
##Vicky standing, hand on back of lion’s head chair, QV turned a little to her right, looking up at Vicky: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Empress_Frederick_with_her_mother_Queen_Victoria.jpg
##Vicky with hand on chair, slightly different angle, QV’s face more visible, facing our left. Royal Collection: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2904703/victoria-empress-frederick-of-germany-and-queen-victoria-1889-in-portraits-of. Wikimedia Commmons copy: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria,_Empress_Frederick_of_Germany,_and_Queen_Victoria,_1889.jpg
##QV w photo of Frederick III, looking to her right, Vicky seated (or kneeling?) and looking at the photo: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2105953/queen-victoria-with-victoria-princess-royal-when-empress-frederick-1889
##Vicky seated (?) looking at photo, QV into the distance to our right (Photo filename says 1888, but the photo is lower res and less clear): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Princess_Royal_1888.jpg
#'''1889 November''', photograph of QV and Beatrice and her family; QV is seated, wearing her uniform and that ubiquitous white fluffy cap; you can see the edge of the boning (in the bodice?), white lacy collar, white ruffle at the wrist, layers, lacy shawl, lace trim at the bottom of the skirt, bunched places on the skirt with black lace trim. Beatrice's sleeves are fitted with puffy shoulders, but QV's are not. Royal Trust link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2904837/queen-victoria-with-prince-and-princess-henry-of-battenberg-and-their-children; Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Prince_and_Princess_Henry_of_Battenberg_and_their_children,_1889.jpg.
#'''1890''': Britannica #1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria. Photograph mid-thigh up, very lacy: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Victoria-queen-of-United-Kingdom. Different small crown.
#'''1890''': b/w photo, from the knees up, may be seated. Her hair is dark, so 1890 looks too late a date for this. White frill on her cap, has attached veil down the back, double ruffle at the neck, a few button, plain to another bit of trim around the skirt at knee level; jewelry looks personal, not ostentatious; white cuffs, lacy black shawl, square neck on dress, wrinkles in the bodice suggest she's not wearing a corset and the bodice is not heavily boned: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Queen_Victoria_in_1890.jpg
#'''c1890 (see 1882 Bassano portraits)''': Color portrait in official dress, with small crown with arch, a lot of white lace over and under sheer black, coronation parure, 1890s portrait in 1870s style: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_Portrait_of_Queen_Victoria_(1819-1901).JPG
#'''1892''': not-very-clear photograph of QV sitting, her arm on the lion's-head chair, black cap and veil; lots of jewelry, faceted jet or diamonds or something metal at her neck and wrists. She is wearing a black lace shawl over her shoulders and arms. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom,_c._1890.jpg
#'''1893''': watercolor portrait of QV by Josefine Swoboda, who had been made court painter in 1890.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2024-12-03|title=Josefine Swoboda|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Josefine_Swoboda&amp;oldid=1260867558|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; Not unrealistic or unduly flattering, QV not in full mourning, wearing a white widow's cap and white jewelry. All we can see of what she is wearing is the shawl and a little bit of neck treatment. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Josefine_Swoboda_-_Queen_Victoria_1893.jpg
#'''1893''': VQ with &quot;Indian servant,&quot; seated working behind table, blanket or rug over her knees and feet, wearing a cloak and hat: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_an_Indian_servant.jpg
#'''1893, issued for the 1897 Diamond Jubilee''': Photograph by W. &amp; D. Downey taken for the wedding of George V and Mary. QV seated, facing our left, 3/4 front. Very large and ornate veil coming over her shoulder, possibly a lace overskirt? X claims that the white lace veil is QV's Honiton lace wedding veil and what looks like an apron or overskirt may be the 4x3/4 yards Honiton &quot;flounce&quot; on her wedding dress (ftnyc). A lot of light color on this for her, coronation parure? large light folding fan open on lap, small crown. Royal Trust Collection: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2912658/queen-victoria-1819-1901-diamond-jubilee-portrait. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_60._crownjubilee.jpg. Another copy: https://apollo-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/gm_342139EX2.jpg
#'''1893 August 12''': formal photograph of QV w George, Duke of York and Mary, Dss of York, who are very 1893 stylish; QV seated, profile, facing our left, holding a rose, black dress, bodice not heavily boned, no corset; white ruffle at cuffs and at the neck; black lacy shawl; white very fluffy brimless cap, may be her own style; from a distance very plain dress, but up close very rich, with tiny unostentatious details; moved on from all the frou-frou, but not in the haute couture way: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_the_Duchess_and_Duke_of_York.jpg
#'''1894''': QV with Beatrice, George and Mary at Balmoral, in a carriage, the women wearing stylish hats (Royal Collection Trust link: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/2/collection/2300501/queen-victoria-princess-beatricenbspthe-duke-and-duchess-of-york-at-balmora) (Wikimedia Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Princess_Beatrice,_the_Duke_and_Duchess_of_York.jpg)
#'''1894 April 21''': QV in 30-person photograph &quot;following the wedding of Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Grand Duke Ernest of Hesse,&quot; QV seated, in shawl, all bundled up, &lt;ins&gt;from a distance, dress looks very plain, the richness is visible only up close;&lt;/ins&gt; white mohawk on head??: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_surrounded_by_her_family_-_Coburg,_1894_(1_of_2).jpg; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_surrounded_by_her_family_-_Coburg,_1894_(2_of_2).jpg
#'''1894 June 23, before,''' looks like a winter photograph, they're bundled up
##'''1894 June 23''', published in the ''Illustrated London News'', photograph of QV and Bertie, dressed warmly. Lots of beautiful, complex layers, as always; maybe skirt, vest, jacket, shawl, boa, hat and gloves, cane in her right hand and a handkerchief in her left?; the hat may be one of the &quot;timeless&quot; elements, shaped like one she wore a lot over the years but not locatable to a particular year or style. QV seated, Bertie standing behind her, both bundled up, she is wearing gloves, a shawl, a jacket and perhaps a vest; cap with white feathers and white poufs or flowers (?), cap is mostly black, comes down to cover her ears, tied in a lacy bow under her chin, black feather boa, wrapped closely around her neck like a scarf and falling down the front to the ground; cane in her right hand; brocade shawl, looks woolen: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_funeral_procession_of_Queen_Victoria_(5254840).jpg. Perhaps used again in later publications? Page says, &quot;By our Special Photographer, Mr. Russell of Baker Street London.&quot; Photo taken outdoors, on steps with rugs and a bearskin. Sword under Bertie's coat.
##Same session, slightly different pose; looks like a carte-de-visite, with &quot;Gunn &amp; Stuart, Richmond, Surrey,&quot; printed in logo form at the bottom. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_And_Prince_of_Wales_Edward.jpg
#'''1895''': photograph of QV published in Millicent Fawcett's ''Life of Her Majesty Queen Victoria'' in 1895, so the portrait predates it, though not by much. The white is overexposed, but the black is legible. QV is wearing her white widow's cap with a white veil made of tulle that is not transparent or even very translucent. The black shawl is very lacy and 3-dimensional, possibly made by crochet or knitting or bobbin lacemaking. The jacket with wide, kimono sleeves has a wide decorative cuff with a lacy edge and a 3-dimensional pattern. Between the cuff and the sleeve is a row of what may be faceted jet in some kind of ivy-like design. She is wearing a single strand of pearls and small round earrings that may be a gold ball with a small sparkly. This photo does not look retouched: the skin on her face and hands is wrinkled, and her hair is light; normal for a woman around 70. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Life_of_Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_-_Frontispiece.jpg.
#'''1895 May 21''': photograph by Mary Steen of QV and Princess Beatrice; QV appears to be making lace (either knitted or crocheted), Beatrice reading the newspaper, possibly to her; the Queen's Sitting Room at Windsor Castle. QV is wearing the white cap with the fluffy streamers, lacy white collar, white cuffs, black lace shawl, possibly a pattern at the bottom of her skirt. NPG: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw233741/Princess-Beatrice-of-Battenberg-Queen-Victoria?_gl=1*ii2xmh*_up*MQ..*_ga*NjAzODY0NTUyLjE3Njc2MjcxMDk.*_ga_3D53N72CHJ*czE3Njc2MjcxMDgkbzEkZzEkdDE3Njc2MjcxMTMkajU1JGwwJGgw. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Princess_Beatrice_of_Battenberg_and_Queen_Victoria.jpg.
#'''September 1895''': unusually clear photograph of QV with some family in Balmoral, QV is seated in a very well-made suit with rich trim and a loose, open jacket (rather than the fitted jackets worn by the younger women with big sleeves up by the shoulders), perhaps pelisse-adjacent, full at the bottoms of the sleeves, with a shawl-like collar, long lacy sleeves under the jacket's sleeves, coming down over her hand (perhaps held there by a loop?), stylish hat; her style is individualized with very stylish elements, so we know she's conscious of 1890s haute couture; but it also has a more timeless quality, the modified or updated pelisse, for example, not a memorializing of her early days, though that did sometimes happen, but an echo of styles she liked from the past? So her style is a fusing of up-to-date stylish and other elements that were more comfortable and practical but always well made of very high-quality materials. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_family_members.jpg
#'''1896 July''': QV photograph by Gunn &amp; Stuart and published as a cabinet card by Lea, Mohrstadt &amp; Co., Ltd., and used as an official image of her as sovereign for the 1897 Diamond Jubilee. Retouched at some point, her face is very smooth, no double chin, etc. Bracelet on right arm, with portrait of Albert (?) and a 4-diamond wide rivière band. Multiple bracelets on left arm, one may be a charm bracelet. Rings. Pointed small crown or tiara that is not the Small Diamond Crown, a veil (that is not her wedding veil but is likely Honiton lace) is pulled to the front over her left shoulder and appears to be coming out of the crown or tiara, many diamonds, some in brooches, coronation necklace and earrings, lots of diamonds. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom_(by_Gunn_%26_Stuart,_1897).jpg
#'''1897''': QV with Princess Victoria Eugénie of Battenburg, who is kneeling next to QV, who is seated, facing (her) right, unrelieved black except for white linen (?) veil; the solid and plain dress has some lace, but the veil is not; black lacy shawl, rings; something very frou-frou at the back of her skirt: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Princess_Victoria_Eug%C3%A9nie_of_Battenberg,_1897.jpg. Empress Eugénie was Princess Victoria Eugénie of Battenburg's godmother.
#'''1897''': painting onto ivory of QV in that white cap by M. H. Carlisle, profile, facing right, still can't tell what the fringy, feathery, lacy edge is: https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/45/collection/421112/queen-victoria-1819-1901
#'''1897''': QV Elliott and Fry photograph: that cap, the meandering ruffles on the veil and lappets (?): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_(Elliott_%26_Fry).png
#'''1897''': realistic engraving or print of QV in a state occasion, receiving the address from the House of Lords, realistic enough that we can recognize faces. QV is seated, wearing a white cap with a veil, large lacy white collar, big cuffs, and a large panel of trim at the bottom of her skirt that looks similar to the pattern on her collar; ribbon of the Order of the Garter; no recognizable crown even though this is a state occasion. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_pictured_at_Buckingham_Palace_as_the_Lord_Chancellor_presents_the_adress_of_the_House_of_Lords.jpg
#'''1897 January 1''', unflattering political cartoon of QV in the context of India? (the language is Marathi according to Google Translate). Her face has an unpleasant expression, perhaps disapproval or skepticism? She is wearing a small state crown and the coronation jewels. [[commons:File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpg|https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpghttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpg]]
#1897 June 17, painting published in Vanity Fair of QV riding in a small open carriage with a canopy. QV is wearing a black dress with a ruffle and also black lace at the bottom edge (of the back of the skirt?) and a light-colored cape with black trim. The bow at her neck could be from the cape or her hat, which has a small brim, a large black decoration in front, small floral things along the side, and perhaps a veil around the brim to the back. This image was reproduced after QV's death as a monochrome print. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_Vanity_Fair_17_June_1897.jpg.
#'''1897 July 27''', photograph from a distance of QV in a carriage on the Isle of Wight. This is what she looked like from a distance on a not state occasion, you can't see any embellishments at all. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Princess_Beatrice,_Princess_Helena_Victoria_of_Schleswig-Holstein,_Cowes,_Isle_of_Wight.jpg
#'''1897 October 16''', photograph with Abdul Karim, in the Garden Cottage at Balmoral; white or light-colored mantle or cloak; stylish 1890s hat with feathers, etc.: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Abdul_Karim.jpg
#'''1898''': photograph by Robert Milne of QV and 3 great-grandchildren (the 3 eldest children of George and Mary), at Balmoral. QV is the Widow of Windsor with plain skirt and possibly a jacket with a pattern on the bodice and at the large cuffs. The usual white cap and veil. ('''find RCT copy''')https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_with_Prince_Edward,_Prince_Albert_and_Princess_Mary_of_York,_Balmoral.jpg
#'''1898 January 16''': French political cartoon by Henri Meyer unflatteringly showing QV, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Czar Nicolas II, Chinese statesman Li Hongzhang, France and a Japanese samurai carving up China. Neither France nor Li Hongzhang have knives, but the rest of the figures do. QV is dressed for a state occasion, heavily jeweled and in her signature lacy veil and small crown. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:China_imperialism_cartoon.jpg
#'''1899''': Heinrich von Angeli portrait, copied in 1900 by (Angeli's student) Bertha Müller. QV portrait, with a lot of black, which makes it difficult to discern the layers and structure of what she is wearing. The top layer may have a stiffened, pleated chiffon layer that covers the arm of the chair and that she holds a bit of in her right hand. QV is wearing the ribbon and the Order of the Garter, the white widow's cap and generally pearl jewelry. The white at her neck and wrists frames her face and hands, which are slightly idealized and less wrinkly than one might expect. National Portrait Gallery: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw06522. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_after_Heinrich_von_Angeli.jpg
#'''c. 1899-1900''': photograph of QV with 3 children — Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (1887–1969), Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine (1895–1903) and Prince Maurice of Battenberg (1891–1914). The 2 older women are Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein (1870–1948) and Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1876–1936), possibly with Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, in the light-colored hat, on the right. QV is in an ornate version of her uniform: jacket, possibly a vest and a skirt, with lace and ruffles, and a hat (possibly a straw hat with something dark as trim on the edge of the brim) topped with a pile of light-colored flowers and probably an aigret or short feather. Royal Collection Trust: . Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VictoriaBattenbergsHessians.jpg.
#'''c. 1900''': QV photograph (reprinted from book), not or less retouched than the 1897 Jubilee photos, with feathered (or at least fluffier than the usual slightly fluffy widow's cap) headdress, sheer veil, can't really see anything else: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_old.jpg
#'''c. 1900''': print published in book of image by François Flameng showing QV in coronation robes, with ermine, and necklace, pointing to someplace NW of India on the globe, with Bertie and George behind her, portrait of her and Albert on the table with the scepter and the Imperial State crown, Koh-I-Noor diamond, ribbon of the Order of the Garter, lots of jewelry on her arms and fingers. She is standing and her legs are longer than they were in life, ruffled lace, perhaps, at neck and cuffs with a white lace flounce on the skirt, which is divided horizontally, the lace part making up the middle third. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Fran%C3%A7ois_Flameng.jpg
#'''1900 February 9''', a very unflattering but accurate political cartoon of QV and Paul Kruger playing chess, he appears to be winning, with a map of Africa in the back, published in an Argentinian periodical. QV's clothing is captured pretty realistically, including the small crown and distinctive Coronation (?) necklace and earrings, the cap and veil, ribbon of the Order of the Garter, white lace overskirt, short-sleeved jacket over a white blouse with lacy cuffs. We can see very clearly how she looked to people. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_and_Paul_Kruger_by_Dem%C3%B3crito_(Eduardo_Sojo).jpg
#'''1901''', dated 1901, but QV went to Ireland in 1900, possibly commemorating her death in 1901? Could this be a card from a cigarette pack? She's inside a shamrock that is outlined in a light color; the white on her cloak may be beads and sequins? Could this be a photograph from the 1897 Diamond Jubilee, the cloak with the silver &quot;swirling&quot; sequins? She is seated on a chair, and the photograph of her seated is like pasted onto the shamrock. Her headdress is a hat (not a bonnet or a cap, so this is not the headdress from the Diamond Jubilee procession), with shamrocks on the hat and black plumes, and some other decoration that is too hard to distinguish. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_(HS85-10-12024%C2%BD).jpg

== QV's &quot;Uniform&quot; ==
After the 1st year of mourning QV writes Vicky that she will never wear color again (not counting honors and the sashes of the orders, etc.; also, Rosie Harte says she wore the Sapphire Tiara that Albert had had made for her as a wedding present, which would have matched her eyes). Her &quot;brand&quot; (Worsley) and what we call her &quot;uniform&quot; begins to develop and solidify, the Widow-of-Windsor look friendly to the middle classes, especially the upper middle class.

Early in her mourning, her clothing was not very ornate, with little frou-frou to interrupt the unrelieved blackness. As time passed, however, the blackness was relieved by white touches on her head and at her neck and wrists, but the biggest change was in the amount and kind of frou-frou, particularly black-on-black frou-frou, including how lacy it was. The quantity and type of frou-frou increased in scale over time, like the touches of white.

By the 1870s, her look is well established: plain from a distance; up close, very fine materials and beautiful needlework with non-contrasting frou-frou. According to Lucy Worsley, she did not wear a corset but depended on light boning in her bodices. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;Despite their sombre aspect, even her mourning gowns were finely made. She had settled into a series of very minor variations upon a square-necked bodice and skirt, customised with quirky little pockets for keys and seals, all cut pretty much the same to save her the trouble of fittings. On her head went a white cap, with streamers of lace, and round her neck a locket containing miniatures of two of her children: Alice, now lost to diphtheria [14 December 1878], and Leopold, to haemophilia [28 March 1884].&lt;sup&gt;16&lt;/sup&gt;&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|511 of 786; n. 16, p. 723: &quot;Princess Marie Louise (1956) p. 141&quot;}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

This design is her usual: a black dress or suit (it might be a dress with a bodice or a skirt and vest with a blouse under the jacket). Except in cases of full mourning, she typically wore a little white at the neckline and wrists, with sophisticated black trim not really visible from a distance. The wide skirt was often divided horizontally, with a deep band of a different fabric at the bottom. The divided skirt is a characteristic feature of QV's look, not the only way she did skirts but a design she often wore from before her accession to the end of her life.

She often wore a loose-fitting thigh-length jacket with wide sleeves, which sometimes divided the skirt visually. The jackets and bodices are not constricting or tight against her torso. The fitted suit was popular at the end of the century — [[Social Victorians/People/Dressmakers and Costumiers#Redfern|Redfern's]] (in Cowes on the Isle of Wight) and Worth's versions were all around her, and she had always liked a riding habit. The thigh-length jackets were loose-fitting but not shapeless even as early as the 1860s. She seems always to have had something on her head: caps, bonnets, hats, veils. She often wears a shawl.

We can see the ruling sovereign version of her style in the photographs of her for the 1887 Golden and the 1897 Diamond Jubilees. By the 1880s, Bertie's place in the aristocracy was also well established, and he and Alex had a very different sense of style, wearing haute couture and a stylishness typical of the House of Worth. 

By the end of her life, when she couldn't move very much on her own, her body had gotten pretty large, but our sense that she was generally fat is not borne out by her clothes (Worsley talks about the small waists and the weight she lost during crises in her life) or by the photographs of her ''en famille'' in which we can see that she is probably not wearing stays and is not wearing tight-fitting, constricting clothes.

=== Shawls ===

Caroline Goldthorpe says,&lt;blockquote&gt;The importance of visible royal patronage was not lost on commercial enterprise, and in 1863 the Norwich shawl manufacturers Clabburn Sons &amp; Crisp sent to Princess Alexandra of Denmark, as a gift on the occasion of her marriage to the Prince of Wales, a magnificent silk shawl woven in the Danish royal colors (figure 3). The Queen herself already patronized Norwich shawls, for in 1849 the ''Journal of Design'' had claimed: &quot;The shawls of Norwich now equal the richest production of the looms of France. The successs which attended the exhibition of Norwich shawls ... [sic] may fairly be considered the result of Her Majesty's direct regard.&quot; Another splendid silk shawl by Clabburn Sons &amp; Crisp was displayed at the International Exhibition of 1862 (figure 4), but it was not eligible for a prize because William Clabburn himself was on the panel of judges.&lt;ref name=&quot;:8&quot; /&gt; (17)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Elizabeth Jane Timmons says that QV's black was relieved only&lt;blockquote&gt;by white cuffs, scarfs, trimmings, or the ubiquitous patterned shawls which the Queen wore and which were the subject of comment by at least two of her granddaughters, Princess Louis of Battenberg and Princess Alix of Hesse, who helped her change them when they accompanied her driving out.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot;&gt;Timms, Elizabeth Jane. &quot;Queen Victoria's Widow's Cap.&quot; ''Royal Central'' 31 October 2018. https://royalcentral.co.uk/features/queen-victorias-widows-cap-111104/ (retrieved February 2026).&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Headdresses ==

=== Bonnets, Caps, Hats ===
We discuss the headdresses QV wears in each portrait in the detailed description in the &quot;[[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Her Dresses|Her Dresses]]&quot; section of the Timeline.

In some photographs, QV has a mourning hood over her bonnet and tied under her chin, worn sort of as if it were a veil on her bonnet. It looks like it would be warm in cold weather.

[[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Wedding Veil|QV's wedding veil]] is handled separately, as are the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Crowns|crowns]].

==== Bonnet ====
'''1887''', QV wore a bonnet in her public carriage ride to Westminster Abbey for her Golden Jubilee. Inside the Abbey, &quot;she sat on top of the scarlet and ermine robes draped over her coronation chair in Westminster Abbey — but, pointedly, 'in no way wore them around her person.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (760)&lt;blockquote&gt;The queen did make one concession: for the first time in twenty-five years she trimmed her bonnet with white lace and rimmed it with diamonds. Within days, fashionable women of London were wearing similar diamond-bedecked bonnets. One reporter noted this trend disapprovingly at a royal garden party at Buckingham Palace in July, the month after the Jubilee: &quot;Her Majesty and the Princesses at the Abbey wore their bonnets so trimmed in lieu of wearing coronets. It is quite a different matter for ladies to make bejeweled bonnets their wear at garden-parties.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (761)&lt;/blockquote&gt;'''1893 July 5''', (was there another garden party at Marlborough House between the 5th and the 15th?), from the ''Pall Mall Gazette'' by &quot;The Wares of Autolycus,&quot; possibly Alice Meynell says that QV preferred bonnets for full-dress occasions:&lt;blockquote&gt;It was noticeable at the Marlborough House garden party the other day, that many of the younger married women, and, indeed, some of the unmarried girls, wore bonnets instead of hats. This was in deference to the Queen's taste. Her Majesty is not fond of hats, except for girls in the schoolroom, and considers that bonnets are more suitable for full dress occasions.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Wares of Autolycus, The.&quot; ''Pall Mall Gazette'' 15 July 1893, Saturday: p. 5 [of 12], Col. 1a. ''British Newspaper Archive''. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000098/18930715/016/0005 (accessed April 2015).&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
'''1897 June 22, Monday''', the bonnet QV wore for the Diamond Jubilee Procession was decorated with diamonds, from the ''Lady's Pictorial'':&lt;blockquote&gt;I HEAR on reliable authority that, although the fact has hitherto escaped the notice of all the describers of the Diamond Jubilee Procession, the bonnet worn by the Queen on that occasion was liberally adorned with diamonds. It is a tiny bit of flotsam, but worth rescuing, as every detail of the historic pageant will one day be of even greater interest than it is now.&lt;ref name=&quot;:14&quot;&gt;Miranda. &quot;Boudoir Gossip.&quot; ''Lady's Pictorial'' 10 July 1897, Saturday: 24 [of 92], Col. 3c [of 3]. ''British Newspaper Archive'' https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0005980/18970710/281/0024. Print title same, p. 40.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
[[File:Queen Victoria white mourning head-dress.JPG|alt=A museum photograph of a sheer, frilly cap with streamers|thumb|Queen Victoria's White Widow's Cap]]

==== Widow's Cap ====
The distinctive white or sometimes black cap QV wore with &quot;crinkled crape&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:9&quot;&gt;Strasdin, Kate. ''The Dress Diary: Secrets from a Victorian Woman's Wardrobe''. Pegasus, 2023.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|734 of 1124}} is a [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Widow's Cap|widow's cap]], sometimes called a mourning bonnet or mourning headdress. The now-damaged, once-white widow's cap (right) is said to have belonged to Queen Victoria. It is a cap with two streamers, like lappets, that have been decorated with meandering clumps of ruffled tulle matching the cap itself. The streamers would have been a consistent width, suggesting that the tulle background is torn.

Describing some point in time after Albert's death, Elizabeth Jane Timms says,&lt;blockquote&gt;The Queen began to be photographed in her white peaked caps, spinning; an occupation that the Queen took up, which perhaps underlined her solitary state and one which, like her painting box, enabled creativity within that solitude. Sir Joseph Boehm sketched the Queen in 1869 spinning, by which time a spinning wheel had been placed in her sitting room .... Again, Boehm shows her wearing her mourning weeds and her white cap, tantamount now to a type of widow’s uniform. She also wore the caps engaged in another solitary occupation, knitting or crochet work.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

What Princess Beatrice called ''Ma's sad caps'',&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt; Queen Victoria's white widow's caps&lt;blockquote&gt;were made of tulle, although where they were manufactured is not clear. By the late 1880s, she wore them pinned higher up than the rather sunken fashion of the 1860s, when they were worn close to the head, creating a flat impression. In later years, these ornate creations had evolved into deep, stately frills of tulle or silk with streamers and may have been supported by wires ....

Only one of the Queen’s white widow’s caps was apparently known to have survived and was preserved at the Museum of London. A fragile survivor, it is loaded with Queen Victoria’s personal symbolism and dates from around 1899. It is extremely rare and may have been discarded when it ceased to be in wearable condition.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
[[File:Four Generations (by William Quiller Orchardson) – Government Art Collection, Lancaster House.jpg|alt=Dark painting showing an old woman and 2 men dressed in black and a small boy dressed in white and holding a big bouquet of roses|left|thumb|Four Generations: Queen Victoria and Her Descendants]]
Although Timms says that only one of Queen Victoria's widow's caps has survived, at least two and possibly three can be found. One widow's cap, said to have belonged to Queen Victoria, is &quot;displayed in a glass case at Kensington Palace, listed as Historic Royal Palaces 3502037, ‘''Widow’s Cap, 1864-1899, Tulle''.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;

Sir William Quiller Orchardson was given what seems to be a different white widow's cap to use for his 1899 ''Four Generations: Queen Victoria and Her Descendants'' (left). His widow donated this cap, also said to have belonged to Queen Victoria, to the Museum of London in 1917.&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt; Timms says that the cap in the Museum of London is dated about 1899, &quot;contains far more tulle frills&quot; and &quot;is considerably more fragile ... because it has been washed.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;

What may be a separate, third cap (above right), which is called a &quot;white mourning head-dress [Trauer Kopfbedeckung]&quot; belonging to Queen Victoria, is dated &quot;from 1883 [von 1883].&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Citation|title=English:  white mourning headdress of Queen Victoria from 1883Deutsch:  Trauer Kopfbedeckung Königin Victoria von 1883|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_white_mourning_head-dress.JPG|date=2015-03-22|accessdate=2026-02-20|last=Jula2812}}&lt;/ref&gt; (The only information that might be considered provenance in the description of this third cap is that the person who uploaded the image into Wikimedia Commons titled it in German.)[[File:Queen Victoria (1887).jpg|thumb|Queen Victoria wearing the Small Diamond Crown, the Coronation Necklace and Earrings and the Koh-i-Noor brooch, 1897]]

=== Crowns ===
The Royal Collection Trust has a page on [https://www.rct.uk/collection/stories/the-crown-jewels-coronation-regalia The Crown Jewels: Coronation Regalia]. Two crowns are worn for the coronation ceremony, not counting the Consort Crown&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-05-17|title=Consort crown|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Consort_crown&amp;oldid=1290790447|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;: the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#St. Edward's Crown|St. Edward's Crown]] and the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Imperial State Crown|Imperial State Crown]].

The parts of a crown: the band, fleur-de-lys, cross pattée, the cap, arch, monde (the globe on top of the arches), the cross (on top of the monde)

==== Small Crowns ====
The Small Diamond Crown, photograph by Bassano (right): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1887_postcard_of_Queen_Victoria.jpg, was made in March 1870 by Garrard and Co. to fit over QV's widow's cap and to serve as an official crown.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-03-12|title=Small Diamond Crown of Queen Victoria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Small_Diamond_Crown_of_Queen_Victoria&amp;oldid=1280094126|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; The Royal Collection Trust has 3 views of this crown (https://www.rct.uk/collection/31705/queen-victorias-small-diamond-crown). Its discussion of the Small Diamond Crown is here:&lt;blockquote&gt;The priorities in creating the design were lightness and comfort and the crown may have been based on Queen Charlotte's nuptial crown which had been returned to Hanover earlier in the reign. Queen Victoria wore this crown for the first time at the opening of Parliament on 9 February 1871, and frequently used it after that date for State occasions, and for receiving guests at formal Drawing-rooms. It was also her choice for many of the portraits of her later reign, sometimes worn without the arches. By the time of her death, the small crown had become so closely associated with the image of the Queen, that it was placed on her coffin at Osborne.&lt;ref name=&quot;:10&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/31705/queen-victorias-small-diamond-crown|title=Garrard &amp; Co - Queen Victoria's Small Diamond Crown|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2026-01-20}}&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;This crown was on the catafalque for her funeral procession along with the Imperial State Crown, the Orb and the Sceptre.

An 1897 political cartoon in Hindi shows QV wearing the Small Diamond Crown, veil and lappets, which might be a symbolic rather than a literal representation (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_1897.jpg).

The Royal Collection Trust's technical description of the Small Diamond Crown is here: &lt;blockquote&gt;The crown comprises an openwork silver frame set with 1,187 brilliant-cut and rose-cut diamonds in open-backed collet mounts. The band is formed with a frieze of lozenges and ovals in oval apertures, between two rows of single diamonds, supporting four crosses-pattée and four fleurs-de-lis, with four half-arches above, surmounted by a monde and a further cross-pattée.&lt;ref name=&quot;:10&quot; /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
These small crowns are not part of the collection of official coronation wear, but they were part of what QV wore as sovereign or monarch. She is not wearing them in the photographs of her ''en famille''. [[File:Saint Edward's Crown.jpg|alt=Gold bejeweled crown with purple velvet and fur around the rim|thumb|St Edward's Crown, traditionally used at the moment of coronation]]

==== St. Edward's Crown ====
Putting the St. Edward's Crown on the monarch's head marks the moment of the coronation. This crown is used once in a monarch's lifetime.&lt;ref name=&quot;:7&quot;&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/stories/the-crown-jewels-coronation-regalia|title=The Crown Jewels: Coronation Regalia|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-27}}&lt;/ref&gt; The current St. Edward's Crown (right) was made in 1661, for the coronation of Charles II, and it was most recently used in the coronation of Charles III.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-29|title=St Edward's Crown|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=St_Edward%27s_Crown&amp;oldid=1330156300|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

Because of its weight, the St. Edward's Crown has not always used for coronations. In the period between the coronation of William III (William of Orange) in 1689&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-02|title=William III of England|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_III_of_England&amp;oldid=1325339468|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; and that of George V in 1911, new monarchs did not use the St. Edward's Crown but had new crowns made for the ceremony.

Lucy Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;St Edward’s Crown, traditionally used at the climax of the ceremony, had been made for Charles II, a man over 6 feet tall and well able to bear its 5-lb weight. But here [for Victoria's coronation] problems had been anticipated. A new and smaller ‘Crown of State’ had been specially made ‘according to the Model approved by the Queen’ at a cost of £1,000.45{{rp|45 TNA LC 2/67, p. 66}} ...

Her new crown weighed less than half the load of St Edward’s Crown, but it still gave Victoria a headache. She’d had it made to fit her head extra tightly, so that ‘accident or misadventure’ could not cause it to fall off.&lt;sup&gt;47:&quot;47 Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, quoted in Lorne (1901) pp. 83–4&quot;&lt;/sup&gt; The jewellers Rundell, Bridge &amp; Rundell had made the new crown, and during the build-up towards the coronation it had become the focus [173–174] of an angry controversy. Mr Bridge had displayed his firm’s finished handiwork to the public in his shop on Ludgate Hill. This was much to the dismay of the touchy Mr Swifte, Keeper of the Regalia at the Tower of London. It was Mr Swifte’s privilege to display the Crown Jewels kept at the Tower to anyone who wanted to see them, for one shilling each, and he’d been counting on a lucrative flood of visitors to pay for the feeding of his numerous and sickly infants. But the new crown proved a greater attraction, and hundreds of people went to Mr Bridge’s shop, Mr Swifte complained, when they would otherwise have come to the Tower. Mr Bridges was not very sympathetic about stealing Mr Swifte’s business. ‘If we were to close our Doors,’ he claimed, ‘I fear they would be forced.’&lt;sup&gt;48&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;48 TNA LC 2/68 (22 June 1838)&quot;}}

Victoria later confessed that her firmly fitting crown had hurt her ‘a good deal’, but nevertheless she had to sit on her throne in it, while the peers came up one by one to swear loyalty and kiss her hand.&lt;sup&gt;49&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|49 RA QVJ/1838: 28}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|173–174; nn. 45, 47, 48, 49, p. 661}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
==== Imperial State Crown ====
[[File:Imperial State Crown.png|alt=Gold bejeweled crown with purple velvet and many large colorful gemmstones|thumb|The Current Imperial State Crown (digitally edited image)|left]][[File:Imperial State Crown of Queen Victoria (2).jpg|alt=Gold bejeweled crown with velvet cap and ermine rim|thumb|Drawing of the Imperial State Crown of Queen Victoria, 1838]]The new monarch wears a different crown from the St. Edward's Crown as he or she leaves Westminster Abbey after the coronation. This crown is used for very formal state occasions like appearing in public after the coronation and for the State Opening of Parliament. Used relatively frequently, it has had to be replaced in the past when it gets damaged or begins to show wear.

Victoria had the Imperial State Crown (right) made for her coronation on 28 June 1838. It was broken in a procession in 1845 (dropped by the Duke of Argyll), so it no longer exists (which is why this image is a drawing). What is now the current Imperial State Crown (left) was rebuilt after the 1845 accident, altered to accommodate the Cullinan II diamond in 1909, copied and remade in 1937 for the coronation of George IV.&lt;ref name=&quot;:7&quot; /&gt; Then it was redesigned slightly for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-08-14|title=Imperial State Crown|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Imperial_State_Crown&amp;oldid=1305824792|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;[[File:Victoria in her Coronation (cropped).jpg|alt=Old painting of a white woman very richly dressed, wearing a crown|thumb|Queen Victoria wearing the State Diadem, Winterhalter 1858]]
==== The Diamond Diadem ====
The Diamond Diadem was made for the coronation of George IV and worn by every queen — regnant or consort — since. Called the Diadem by Queen Victoria and the Diamond Diadem or the George IV State Diadem now, this crown (right, on Queen Victoria's head) is a circlet of two rows of pearls enclosing a row of diamonds.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2026-01-02|title=Diamond Diadem|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diamond_Diadem&amp;oldid=1330716296|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; On top are 4 crosses pattée and 4 bouquets of the national emblems of the thistle, the shamrock and the rose.&lt;ref&gt;{{Citation|title=The Diamond Diadem|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmDAYqKiGZM|date=2022-05-12|accessdate=2026-02-04|last=Royal Collection Trust}}&lt;/ref&gt;

Queen Victoria wore it on some official state occasions before the [[Social Victorians/People/Queen Victoria#Small Crowns|Small Diamond Crown]] was made in 1871.

==== Diadems, Tiaras ====
A diadem is may be simpler than a crown, or it may be a simple crown. Crowns and diadems have a band that is a full circle.

A Tiara is a semi-circular headpiece, typically a piece of jewelry, that can sit on top of the head or on the forehead. Worn by women at white tie, very formal events.

A Coronet of Rank in the UK is a kind of crown that signifies rank and whose design indicates which rank in the nobility the wearer holds. A coronet does not have the high arches that crowns have. Coronets of rank indicate non-royal rank.

Something called the State Diadem was designed by Albert in 1845? and made by Joseph Kitching.

== QV's Wedding ==
Ideas about QV's wedding dress are encrusted with misinformation: 

# QV was not the first royal (or first woman) to wear a white wedding dress.
# She did not wear white to signal her virginity and purity.
# Everybody has not worn white since then because she did.

None of this is true, and some of it is easy to set aside. It is not true that Queen Victoria invented the white wedding dress. The first record of a white wedding dress in what is now the UK is the early 15th century, and they appear to be popular both in Europe and North America among royals as well as upper middle class in the mid century.

Princess Charlotte, the last royal woman to wed (?), in 1816, wore gold cloth &quot;with three layers of machine-made lace.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/71997/princess-charlottes-wedding-dress|title=Mrs Triaud (active 1816) - Princess Charlotte's Wedding Dress|website=www.rct.uk|language=en|access-date=2025-12-31}}&lt;/ref&gt; Her dress is in the Royal Collection Trust (https://www.rct.uk/collection/71997/princess-charlottes-wedding-dress).

Royals were expected to appear regal. Gold and silver cloth and adornments would not have been surprising for a monarch, so QV's choice is worth examining, regardless of the actual color. Given that churches in 1840 were lit with candles and torches and rooms were warmed by coal or wood, white would have been difficult to maintain. So it expressed status and wealth (the association between the white dress and virginity may have arisen in the mid-20th century in the context of widely available birth control and the sexual revolution). White was not uncommon, however, for dresses in the mid-19th century, particular in cotton and particularly for warmer weather.&lt;ref name=&quot;:9&quot; /&gt;

Violet Paget writing as Vernon Lee addresses the Victorian moral implications in the colors white and black in her 1895 ''Fortnightly Review'' article &quot;Beauty and Insanity.&quot; She is not talking about race, and she does not mention brides [does she talk about Victoria?]. She regards as an aesthetic cultural imposition the association between whiteness and purity, virginity and heterosexuality, and between blackness and evil.&lt;ref&gt;Renes, Liz. “Vernon Lee’s ‘Beauty and Sanity’ and 1895: Color and Cultural Response.” Academica.edu https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/41271981/LeeText-libre.pdf?1452968345=&amp;response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DVernon_Lees_Beauty_and_Sanity_and_1895_C.pdf&amp;Expires=1767736568&amp;Signature=SvA5MHz3LY7x~GCxwa6pSRVwF5scY-jOgI6QAEvRyp1j5tk4uy8MWI1pj0kdJOJDLP~XMUwXuLMIVkwPwCxFut6~uLf5PI5~CnZ3arxlKFeK-LWGL1vlF7QeIzRqTkNDnyXitYiJ83DVsidWCJ8DyIHHajtl0Dk0gGzb0L-I547s-EIM~lEmWxchyLqyCnhG4o0fmEcTZqUEaJ84uImLfmosdnphQKUAIEfNai9cEdh33~wfWWfirM29CfEgtsIkoZRvsioM7fKcO79VSVsYecYySCg7GvRikf9zJ~dtJ2NNpjvtXO0tnVmv8lvVbtRM8m1fQ7jZ-hrhgF-nUOVKaQ__&amp;Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA (retrieved January 2026).&lt;/ref&gt; 

It is true, however, that the press coverage of QV's wedding likely increased the popularity of white for weddings.

=== White Wedding Dress ===
The Royal Collection has QV's wedding dress, in 3 views. It says the dress is made of cream-colored silk satin. It doesn't say the color has yellowed. In her journals, QV describes her dress as &quot;a white satin gown, with a very deep flounce of Honiton lace, imitation of old.&quot;&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;{{rp|&quot;21 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February&quot;}} &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (238)

&quot;Onlookers,&quot; Worsley says, commenting on the wedding and Victoria's dress, said Victoria and her party looked like &quot;village girls, presumably rather than a monarch and her ladies in waiting.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (244 [of 786], citing Wyndham, ed. (1912) p. 297). Others saw the simplicity of the wedding dress similarly, though less negatively. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;'I saw the Queen’s dress at the palace,’ wrote one eager letter-writer, ‘the lace was beautiful, as fine as a cobweb.’ She wore no jewels at all, this person’s account continues, ‘only a bracelet with Prince Albert’s picture’.&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;28 Mundy, ed. (1885) p. 413}} This was in fact [240–241] completely incorrect. Albert had given her a huge sapphire brooch, which she wore along with her ‘Turkish diamond necklace and earrings’.&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;29 RA QVJ/1840: 10 February}} It was the beginning of a lifetime trend for Victoria’s clothes to be reported as simpler, plainer, less ostentatious than they really were. The reality was that they were not quite as ostentatious as people expected for a queen.&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt; (240–241)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Is it possible that ''white'' actually was used for a range of very light colors? Certainly, not all whites are the same color, and not all viewers are precise with their language.

==== What Was White Used For? ====
The layers worn under dresses were sometimes white. Undergarments would generally have been made of cotton by the 1890s, although some wool and linen was still in use. Mechanical bleaches were available, so fabric could be made pale enough to have been called white. Kate Strasdin quotes a mid-19th-century use of &quot;snow white&quot; to distinguish it from other kinds of white.&lt;ref name=&quot;:9&quot; /&gt; 

Debutants being presented to the monarch wore white, it was court dress [confirm this], and the train added to Victoria's dress raised it into court dress.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (239? [22 Staniland (1997) p. 118])

Perhaps what was striking about Victoria's white dress was not just its color but its simplicity. When the &quot;onlookers&quot; at Victoria's wedding compare her bridal party to village girls, they are not suggesting that the bridal party is wearing underwear indecently or that they're in court dress. The touchstone here is class — they don't look like the ruling class or the upper class.

But Victoria's white dress was influential nonetheless. Lucy Worsley says it &quot;launched a million subsequent white weddings.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:3&quot; /&gt; (238) However, other women were wearing white around the same time, including Mary Todd's sister Frances and Sophie of Württembert, Queen of the Netherlands in 1839. Mary Todd is said to have worn white at her wedding to Abraham Lincoln because they married quickly, so she just borrowed her sisters dress.

# 1839 May 21: Frances Todd's wedding dress was white; she later loaned it to her sister, Mary Todd, for her wedding.
# 1839 June 18: Sophie of Württembert, Queen of the Netherlands wore white.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-02|title=Sophie of Württemberg|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sophie_of_W%C3%BCrttemberg&amp;oldid=1325386567|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt; She knew Napoleon III and QV; was progressive politically, favoring democracy; was buried in her wedding dress.
# '''1840 February 10''': QV's wedding dress was white.
# 1842 November 4: Mary Todd wore her sister Frances's white satin wedding dress.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-05|title=Mary Todd Lincoln|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Todd_Lincoln&amp;oldid=1325904504|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1853 January 30: Eugénie of France wore white.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-11-18|title=Eugénie de Montijo|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eug%C3%A9nie_de_Montijo&amp;oldid=1322973534|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1854 April 24: Empress Elisabeth of Austria wore white for her wedding.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-17|title=Empress Elisabeth of Austria|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Empress_Elisabeth_of_Austria&amp;oldid=1327984118|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1858 January 25: Victoria the Princess Royal&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-22|title=Victoria, Princess Royal|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Victoria,_Princess_Royal&amp;oldid=1328868015|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;
# 1863 March 10: Alexandra of Denmark&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite journal|date=2025-12-14|title=Alexandra of Denmark|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alexandra_of_Denmark&amp;oldid=1327524766|journal=Wikipedia|language=en}}&lt;/ref&gt;

All royal clothing is deliberately &quot;symbolic&quot; — or semiotic — to some degree. Lucy Worsley interprets the simple white dress as Victoria marrying as a woman rather than as &quot;Her Majesty the Queen.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (239) Kay Staniland and Santina M. Levey (and the [https://thedreamstress.com/2011/04/queen-victorias-wedding-dress-the-one-that-started-it-all/ Dreamstress blog]) claim that the salient article from QV's wedding dress was the Honiton lace, which the dress showcased, which they decided should be white, which is why her dress was white.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://thedreamstress.com/2011/04/queen-victorias-wedding-dress-the-one-that-started-it-all/|title=Queen Victoria's wedding dress: the one that started it all|last=Dreamstress|first=The|date=2011-04-17|website=The Dreamstress|language=en-US|access-date=2025-12-17}}&lt;/ref&gt;
[[File:Queen Victoria's Wedding Lace Veil c.1889-91 Detail.jpg|alt=Old photograph of a square of fine fabric edged with ornate white lace, with a wreath of small artificial flowers on the side|thumb|Queen Victoria's Wedding Veil, c. 1889–91]]

=== Wedding Veil ===
The late-19th-century image of QV's veil (right) makes it look a lot smaller than it is. The circlet to its right, which is a wreath of artificial flowers worn around the head over the veil, suggests its scale.

A contemporary (1855) photograph of 1840 QV's wedding veil and wreath is in the Royal Trust collection (https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/34/collection/2905584/veil-worn-by-queen-victoria-at-her-marriage), from a page in a scrapbook that includes 2 photos of paintings made after the wedding, one photo of the veil, showing its lace, and one photo of the bonnet she wore after the wedding.

The veil and [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Flounce|flounce]] on QV's wedding dress were made of Honiton lace, in Devon, partly designed &quot;by the Pre-Raphaelite artist William Dyce&lt;ref name=&quot;:6&quot; /&gt; and attached to a very fine netting. QV seems to have saved both the dress and the veil. She used both until the end of her life as well as other pieces of lace using the same Dyce design.

Elizabeth Abbott, in her ''A History of Marriage'', says her veil was&lt;blockquote&gt;one and half yards of diamond-studded Honiton lace draped over her shoulders and back. ... The flounce of the dress was also Honiton lace, four yards of it, specially made in the village of Beer by over two hundred lace workers, at a cost of more than £1,000.&lt;ref&gt;Abbott, Elizabeth. ''A History of Marriage''. Duckworth Overlook, 2011. Internet Archive [[iarchive:historyofmarriag0000abbo_w6u8/page/76/mode/2up|https://archive.org/details/historyofmarriag0000abbo_w6u8]].&lt;/ref&gt; (76)&lt;/blockquote&gt;

N. Hudson Moore's 1904 ''Lace Book'' describes (perhaps a touch hyperbolically) the Honiton lace used on Victoria's coronation and wedding dresses as well as her &quot;body linen&quot; and the dresses of Alexandra, Princess of Wales and the Princess Alice:&lt;blockquote&gt;
The wedding trousseau of Queen Victoria was trimmed with English laces only, and this set such a fashion for their use that the market could not be supplied, and the prices paid were fabulous. The patterns were most jealously guarded, and each village and sometimes separate families were noted for their particular designs, which could not be obtained elsewhere. Such laces as these were what were used on Queen Victoria’s body linen. Her coronation gown was of white satin with a deep flounce of Honiton lace, and with trimmings of the same lace on elbow sleeves and about the low neck. Her mantle was of cloth of gold trimmed with bullion fringe and enriched with the rose, the thistle, and other significant emblems. This cloth of gold is woven in one town in England. The present Queen’s mantle was made there also. Queen Victoria's wedding dress was composed entirely [sic] of Honiton lace, and was made in the small fishing village of Beers. It cost £1,000 ($5,000) and after the dress was made the patterns were destroyed. Royalty has done all it could to promote the use of this lace, and the wedding dresses of the Princess Alice and of Queen Alexandra were of Honiton also, the pattern of the latter showing the design of the Prince of Wales’s feathers and ferns.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/lacebook0000nhud|title=The lace book|last=N. Hudson Moore|date=1904|publisher=Frederick A. Stokes Company|others=Internet Archive}}&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|184}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
QV wore her wedding veil to all her children's christenings.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|492 of 786}} Beatrice wore that veil at her own wedding, a sign that QV had relented and agreed to Beatrice marrying. Worsley says,&lt;blockquote&gt;Beatrice could only squint at her groom-to-be through the folds of the very same Devon lace veil her mother had worn when she'd married Albert. This was hugely significant. Victoria attached great importance to clothes, and a well-informed source tells us that ‘almost without exception, her wardrobe woman can produce the gown, bonnet, or mantle she wore on any particular occasion.'&lt;sup&gt;47&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|&quot;47 Anon. 'Private Life' (1897; 1901 edition) p. 69&quot;}} The veil was one of the most precious items in the Albertian reliquary. ‘I look upon it as a holy charm,’ Victoria wrote, ‘as it was under that veil our union was blessed forever.’&lt;sup&gt;48&lt;/sup&gt; {{rp|&quot;48 RA QVJ/1843: 19 May; Bartley (2016) p. 82&quot;}} Her loan of it to Beatrice was an important act of blessing.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|500 of 786; n. 47, 48, p. 721 of 786}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Sartorial Style ==
In clothing and perhaps also in jewelry but not in furnishings or architecture. When matters.
* She had her own sense of style, influenced as she may have been by her maids, dressers and modistes, over time and through events in her life. The evolution of her sense of style changed as her life changed and she aged. She was never haute couture, although before she married Albert, she wore French fashion and Brussels lace. But she never really did glamour? Early on, a lot of bare shoulders. A construction of a feminine identity in all that frou-frou, from girly to romantic to maternal to widowed to regal. She came out of her depression with a changed identity.
* She liked frills, layers and decorative trim, and some frou-frou, especially perhaps while Albert was still alive. But over her life, her general look was a simple dress made in sophisticated ways with very high-quality fabrics, laces and trim. After she developed her &quot;uniform,&quot; the frou-frou can be hard to see and impossible to see from a distance. In a way, she was beyond haute couture, her style was classic and less mutable, decorative elements were often sentimental.
** Albert's role
*** QV told people that &quot;she 'had no taste, ... used only to listen to him,'&quot; Albert. Taste here is probably art and architecture, as the context is Osborne House.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|318 of 786 [n. 26, p. 689: &quot;Quoted in Marsden, ed. (2012) p. 12&quot;]}}
*** QV &quot;and Albert — '''for Albert must approve every outfit''' — were conservative in their taste [in clothing]. A Frenchman found her frumpy, and laughed at her old-fashioned handbag 'on which was embroidered a fat poodle in gold'.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|311 of 786}} Something sentimental made by Vicky?
*** Elizabeth Jane Timms says, &quot;Prince Albert had played an essential role in the Queen’s wardrobe, on whose highly refined artistic taste the Queen relied. In her own words: ‘''He did everything – everywhere… the designing and ordering of Jewellery, the buying of a dress or a bonnet… all was done together''…’ [sic ital].&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:15&quot; /&gt;
*** 1861 January at Osborne after the servants' ball:&lt;blockquote&gt;As she and Albert passed the time ‘talking over the company’, Victoria also gives details of how her ‘maids would come in and begin to undress me – and he would go on talking, and would make his observations on my jewels and ornaments and give my people good advice as to how to keep them or would occasionally reprimand if anything had not been carefully attended to’.&lt;sup&gt;50&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|327 of 786; n. 50, p. 590: &quot;RA VIC/MAIN/RA/491 (January 1861)&quot;}}&lt;/blockquote&gt;
* We know some things about her dressers, modistes, dressmakers, etc.
* She had a couple of &quot;uniforms&quot;: the Widow of Windsor and the riding habit with the red coat.
* She like fine, complex laces. Even when laces were typically machine made, hers were not.
* She liked tartan. Many of her clothing choices were emotional or sentimental: favorite and meaningful veils, shawls, tartan.
* Shape of skirt (see [[Social Victorians/Terminology#Hoops|Hoops]] for one photograph that shows the style of fabric moving to the back). When she visited Paris in 1855 she wasn't wearing hoops yet, though Eugénie was. The French women thought she was dowdy. Her shawl clashed with her dress.
* Alexandra, Princess of Wales had a very different sense of style and moved in very different social networks, regardless of her own official responsibilities. She wore haute couture and at one event — a [[Social Victorians/Timeline/1889#The Shah at a Covent Garden Opera Performance|performance at Covent Garden attended by the Shah]] — wore a red dress, which was reported on without moralizing comment. She wore dresses made by designers outside the UK.
* The contexts for how Victoria dressed:
** expectations for royalty and wives
** her relationships with the middle classes and the aristocracy
*** set herself up in opposition to the aristocracy and haute couture, and Bertie's side of the aristocracy.
*** The aristocracy did not look to her as fashion leader, but did the middle classes? Was she dressing more like some of them rather than them like her?
*** Middle-class perspective on aristocracy: Harriet Martineau attended QV's coronation, disapproved of how the peeresses were dressed and &quot;would have preferred 'the decent differences of dress which, according to middle-class custom, pertain to contrasting periods of life’. She particularly criticised the peers’ wives, ‘old hags, with their dyed or false hair’, their bare arms and necks so ‘wrinkled as to make one sick’.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|180 of 786}}
*** Her sense of style spoke to the middle classes and the mainstream ideas of many of her subjects.
*** Worsley says of Randall Davidson, new Dean of Windsor, later Archbishop of Canterbury, &quot;Unlike Albert, unlike even the Ponsonbys, Davidson appreciated her talent for identifying how mainstream opinion among her subjects would respond to almost any issue. Elsewhere in Europe, when revolutions succeeded, it was because middle-class people and the oppressed workers made common cause. In Britain, though, this never quite happened. Perhaps it was because the middle classes somehow believed that the middlebrow queen was ‘on their side’.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|478 of 786}}
*** Her identification with the middle class helped her monarchy survive. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette: completely identified with smaller and smaller elements only of the aristocracy; similarly Franz Josef and Elisabeth of Austria fell for similar reasons, especially his and his mother Sophia's identification with the aristocracy; Nicholas II and Alexandra of Russia; Napoleon III and Eugenie in France.
** the two main approaches to corseting, tight lacing and &quot;artistic&quot; dress (She didn't do the Worth-house style tight laced &quot;traditional&quot; look (in the 1880s Frith painting) or the &quot;aesthetic&quot; or &quot;artistic&quot; style associated with artists and socialists.)
** the practices around mourning (Kate Strasdin's ''The Dress Diary'' summarizes the mourning practices, at least for mid-century, and perhaps for the aspiring middle classes)
* Neither Eugenie of France nor Elisabeth of Austria were regarded as beautiful as children.
* Empress Eugénie's influence on fashion: &quot;when Mrs. Lincoln first arrived in Washington, she made a point of patterning her gowns after the empress’s wardrobe.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;Goldstone, Nancy. ''The Rebel Empresses: Elisabeth of Austria and Eugénie of France, Power and Glamour in the Struggle for Europe''. Little Brown, 2025.&lt;/ref&gt;{{rp|566, n. iii}}

*According to Lucy Worsley, QV developed some practices early to &quot;memorialise&quot; her life, including writing &quot;the millions of words eventually embodied in the journals that she would keep lifelong, ... keeping significant dresses from her wardrobe, ... the compulsive taking and collecting of photographs,&quot; even maintaining &quot;certain rooms of her palaces ... with their furniture unchanged as shrines to earlier times.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|91 of 786}} Another form of memorialization was the books she wrote or had written.
*1856: there is a &quot;surviving day dress of lilac silk ..., which has grey silk ribbons running between waist and hem inside so that the skirt can be drawn up for convenient walking,&quot; as QV might have done in Scotland, although in the 1856 trip to Scotland, she was pregnant with Beatrice.&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt;{{rp|346 of 786; n. 45, p. 693: &quot;'''Madeleine Ginsburg, ‘The Young Queen and Her Clothes'''’, ''Costume'', vol. 3 (Sprint) (1969) p. 42&quot;}}

== Class ==
Early in their marriage, QV and Albert &quot;had a powerful and popular domestic image and were often seen at home wearing ‘ordinary’ clothes, further appealing to the middle classes.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/collections/london-stories/marriage-queen-victoria-prince-albert/|title=The marriage of Queen Victoria &amp; Prince Albert|website=London Museum|language=en-gb|access-date=2026-02-16}}&lt;/ref&gt;

After the 1870 Mordaunt divorce case, according to Lytton Strachey, speaking at first from QV's perspective,&lt;blockquote&gt;It was clear that the heir to the throne had been mixing with people of whom she did not at all approve. What was to be done? She saw that it was not only her son that was to blame﻿ — that it was the whole system of society; and so she despatched a letter to Mr. Delane, the editor of ''The Times'', asking him if he would &quot;frequently write articles pointing out the immense danger and evil of the wretched frivolity and levity of the views and lives of the Higher Classes.&quot; And five years later Mr. Delane did write an article upon that very subject.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (424 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;The upper-middle-class Florence Nightingale &quot;had developed a great fondness for Victoria, shy in 'her shabby little black silk gown'&quot; by the time of Albert's death.&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (592 of 1203) She had visited Balmoral during the Crimean War and&lt;blockquote&gt;had been struck by the difference between the bored, frivolous court members and Victoria and Albert, both consumed with thoughts of war, foreign policy, and &quot;all things of importance.&quot; Even before Albert’s death, she thought Victoria conscientious &quot;but so mistrustful of herself, so afraid of not doing her best, that her spirits are lowered by it.&quot; With Albert gone, &quot;now she is even doubting whether she is right or wrong from the habit of consulting him.&quot; Nightingale found this touching, a sign that &quot;she has not been spoilt by power.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (592 of 1203)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Lucy Worsley sees this lack of self-confidence on Victoria's part as one of the effects of Albert's critical, controlling treatment of her.

The general election of 1886, according to Lytton Strachey, &quot;the majority of the nation&quot;&lt;blockquote&gt;showed decisively that Victoria’s politics were identical with theirs by casting forth the contrivers of Home Rule﻿ — that abomination of desolation﻿ — into outer darkness, and placing Lord Salisbury in power. Victoria’s satisfaction was profound.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (439–440 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;Prime Minister Salisbury believed that the queen had an uncanny ability to reflect the view of the public; he felt that when he knew [736–737] Victoria’s opinion, he &quot;knew pretty certainly what views her subjects would take, and especially the middle class of her subjects.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:11&quot; /&gt; (736–737 of 1203)

Summing up her reign, Strachey says,&lt;blockquote&gt;The middle classes, firm in the triple brass of their respectability, rejoiced with a special joy over the most respectable of Queens. They almost claimed her, indeed, as one of themselves; but this would have been an exaggeration. For, though many of her characteristics were most often found among the middle classes, in other respects﻿ — in her manners, for instance﻿ — Victoria was decidedly aristocratic. And, in one important particular, she was neither aristocratic nor middle-class: her attitude toward herself was simply regal.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (478 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;
== Proposals ==
Queen Victoria's Sense of Style, her taste in clothes and jewelry

To talk about her sartorial style is to address both jewelry (which includes crowns, diadems and tiaras) and clothing (including accessories like shawls, veils and caps, bonnets and hats).

One of the secrets of her style was that she wore elements of Victorian frou-frou without looking over-trimmed or visually busy, mostly because it was black on black (or, before Albert's death, white on white, but also because the materials and work were so fine. What she selected of the frou-frou was very fashionable, but the trim is not high contrast, as for example what a Worth gown might have. The silhouette was not high-fashion, but elements were: she knew what was fashionable, she or her dressmakers, etc.

The close-up/far-away thing contrasts with Bertie, who understood ceremony and pageantry differently and probably better.

Periods in her sartorial styles, but made more complex by state occasions vs less formal, many of them in-family occasions:

# Before she came to the throne, she may not have been in control of her own look.
# After her accession and before her marriage, she had control as well as an experienced Mistress of the Robes and experienced maids and dressmakers. She experimented, wore for example a dark tartan dress to meet Albert and his brother and chose simple styles, like village girls, at the wedding; expectations for what a monarch would wear; she seems to have liked an off-the-shoulder look when she was young, and very formal dress later might be off the shoulder.
# Marriage to Albert: he had a lot of say, though she resisted in some ways, but her identity was tied up in his, as his wife; he attempted to constrain her clothing budget was not successful long term; influenced by styles, but not at the front edge; crinoline cage 3 years later than Eugenie and Elisabeth of Austria (Mary Todd Lincoln?). Photographs, so a medium different from the official portraits documenting empire and sovereignty, more candid, more at-home, less formal, modest, but would any of her subjects have seen them? Change as well as memorializing (Worsley). Some changes she adopted: double pommel side saddle, photography, cage (not immediately, but ...) Her friends in the monarchy, Eugénie, Elisabeth of Austria and Mary Todd Lincoln were all very fashion forward. A. N. Wilson says QV was parsimonious &quot;in such matters as heating and wardrobe.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (609 of 1204)
# The 1st year, 2 1/2 years (Strasdin), and then decade of mourning, then she decides never to wear color again (not counting honors and order), and her &quot;brand&quot; begins to develop and solidify, a look friendly to the middle classes, especially the upper middle class. The Widow of Windsor. At the beginning her black thigh-length jackets were largely untrimmed, sometimes completely; a large band at the bottom of her skirt, with trim between that and the more satiny fabric above, but otherwise very little or no other trim. White around her face, including neck and headdress, and at her cuffs, but not much and not a lot of frou-frou, perhaps a ruffle.
# In 1871, under pressure from her ministers and newspapers, she had the Small Diamond Crown made and wore it to open Parliament. So she was missing from the public for about a decade. Her grief was profound, possibly compound because of the death of her mother earlier in the same year as the death of Albert. She may have been vulnerable to depression, sometimes finding pregnancies difficult to recover from. But also, her Widow of Windsor look is not just her being &quot;gloomy&quot; or being stuck in grief, though she may have been, this is her brand, her nuance on her regal identity.
# By the 1880s, her look is well established: plain from a distance; up close, very fine materials and beautiful needlework. Her clothing has trim, but generally black on black or white on white, not contrasting on a field of one color. Not wearing a corset, depending on not-very-heavy boning in her bodices, caps, shawls, At this point, Bertie's place in the aristocracy is also well established, and he and Alex are set up with a very different sense of style, wearing haute couture, House of Worth type stylishness.
# By the Jubilees and the end of the century, &quot;Despite their sombre aspect, even her mourning gowns were finely made. She had settled into a series of very minor variations upon a square-necked bodice and skirt, customised with quirky little pockets for keys and seals, all cut pretty much the same to save her the trouble of fittings. On her head went a white cap, with streamers of lace, and round her neck a locket containing miniatures of two of her children: Alice, now lost to diphtheria, and Leopold, to haemophilia.16&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:5&quot; /&gt; (511 of 786; n. 16, p. 723: &quot;Princess Marie Louise (1956) p. 141&quot;) One design we see a lot is the usual black with a little white at neckline and wrists, with sophisticated black trim not really visible from a distance. The wide skirt with a deep band of a different fabric at the bottom, a thigh-length jacket with wide sleeves; might be dress with a bodice or a vest and blouse under the jacket.
# Jubilees, end of life and her funeral, which she had planned in detail. 

=== CFPs ===

* Uniform Mourning
* After Prince Albert's death death in 1861, Victoria returned to her earlier project of experimenting and finding sartorial styles that served not only as self-expression but that also communicated how she expected to be treated in what role. The extreme mourning was a reflection of how she felt and her identity as a faithful, grieving widow, but it was also performative and communicative, depending on who was looking and from what distance.
* In her private sphere, in the unofficial and family-centered photographs, in her journals (including Princess Beatrice's revision of her journals) and the preserved clothing, and in the accounts in the papers written by reporters familiar with fashion and dressmaking, we see a sophisticated understanding of fashion and subtle, complex  dresses. The materials and dressmaking are rich and fine. Victoria aligned her appearance with respectable matrons of the growing middle classes, but the quality of the materials used in her clothing aligned her with those in her private sphere, including other royals and aristocrats.
* This opposition between the private and public spheres is falsely simple because, for example, Victoria &quot;memorialized&quot; herself (Worsley), preserving elements of her personal life exactly because she was monarch. The different versions of herself was a complexity present in her lifetime and useful to her.
* Also, her sense of self changed over time, especially after she acceded to the throne, after she married and after she was widowed.
* Focusing on Victoria's clothes and sense of style leads us to see some understandings of her and her reign differently: her periods of seclusion and her absences from governmental and state occasions; the loss of power for the monarchy as well as the survival of the constitutional monarchy when almost every other monarchy in Europe was falling; the ways she managed her relationships with the aristocracy, the middle classes, the press; her mood and mental health; the white wedding dress and her influence in the wedding dresses of her daughters and Alex; Albert's nature; even what we believe to be the rules and conventions around mourning dress; and the size of her body.
* To study Queen Victoria's sartorial sense of style, we look at painted and drawn portraits and at photographs of her, we read the few accounts from biographers and fashion historians, especially those who have looked at the clothing and accessories preserved by Victoria herself and now in the Royal Trust Collection, the London Museum and so on, we read her own accounts (or Princess Beatrice's construction of her mother in her revision of her journals her as well as Esher's books about her based on the journals before Beatrice revised them), and we read accounts of her public appearances in contemporary periodicals, especially newspapers that employed reporters knowledgeable about fashion and dressmaking as well as those more focused on news and, perhaps, a male readership. These sources represent different versions of Victoria and her subjects, a complexity that was already occurring in Victoria's lifetime, that looks to have been deliberate and that was, I argue, very useful to her. These different versions of Victoria and different audiences lead to different readings of her senses of style as they evolved over time and what they might be signaling. The journals and many of the photographs existed in what we might call Victoria's private sphere, by which we mean in the presence of some aristocrats (who worked in government, who attended her and who were ministers), of people who were employed as servants and of her family, which was quite extensive and whose edges were porous, especially toward the end of the century and the end of her life, as well as the small number of people she &quot;adopted&quot; like Duleep Singh and XX [African girl]. The preservation of Victoria's clothing belongs to this &quot;private sphere,&quot; although much of it was worn during public or official events like her coronation or wedding; some, though, like the chemise she wore for the birth of all of her children, was more or less but not completely private, and the &quot;memorializing&quot; (Worsley) of herself entailed in this preservation was done in her role as monarch. The paintings and newspaper accounts depict the public Victoria, and from this distance Victoria looked plain — even dowdy — and clearly unaristocratic: she looks like a middle-class or upper-middle-class widow, the Widow of Windsor. Up close, though, we see complex and sophisticated dresses and dressing. Albert had tastes and preferences for how he wanted her to look, some of which were about looking familiar to the growing middle classes, and after he died and she very deliberately turned her widow's weeds into a uniform, the bifurcation between what she looked like from a distance and to the public and what she looked like up close and to those in her private circles gets clearer. Looking at her as monarch and daughter, wife, mother and grandmother through the lens of her clothing reopens some questions that up to now have seemed settled. Focusing on Victoria's clothes and sense of style causes us to see some uncontroversial and &quot;well-understood&quot; summaries of her and her reign differently: her periods of seclusion, such as they were, and her absences from governmental and state occasions; the loss of power for the monarchy as well as the survival of the constitutional monarchy when almost every other monarchy in Europe was falling; the ways she managed her relationships with the aristocracy, the middle classes, the press; her mood and mental health (the regal, disinterested face, which isn't really gloomy the way it is usually described); the white wedding dress and her influence in the wedding dresses of her daughters and Alex; Albert's nature; the size and shape of her body.
* Many of the newspaper reports of her dress are in descriptions of events involving aristocrats and oligarchs at official social events like garden parties, state balls and, of course, processions, especially for her Golden and Diamond Jubilees. The reports in the news-reporting papers, not the ladies' papers or papers with a lot of fashion reporting, seem to have been written by reporters who did not know how to describe sophisticated clothing, fabrics, trim and techniques; they do not use the technical vocabulary required to report on fashion, or if they attempt it, they end up being confusing. Often, these news reports list only the names of those invited. Garden parties might have as many as 6000 invitées listed; the most said about the queen would list who was attending. Occasionally, we hear a very general description of what she wore and perhaps if she did or did not seem to have difficulty walking, but the reporters seem to have been at a distance and may not know the names of fabrics or dressmaking techniques.
* The reports in the newspapers vs reports written by fashion specialists in women's newspapers (and magazines?).
* Both Oscar Wilde and Jack the Ripper are understood in the context of their &quot;management&quot; (or not) of the media, but Victoria's sense of her identity as a celebrity and public person was at least as sophisticated as theirs. She &quot;memorialized&quot; herself and important moments in her life in her extremely prolific use of photographs as well as painted and drawn images; in her keeping rooms in the palaces frozen in time; in her X millions words recorded in her journals; and in her clothing, both for formal as well as more candid images (Worsley). Her awareness of her responsibility to memorialize herself had to have included the newspapers as well. Politically, her absence from politics after Alfred's death until 1871, when she wore the Small Diamond Crown to open Parliament for the first time, was notable and noted, but a carte de visite with her portrait on it sold X million copies (Worsley) and kept her present in the mind of the citizenry at the same time that she was being criticized for her political absence in the newspapers and among her ministers and the members of Parliament, some of whom questioned the value of an absent monarch. Lytton Strachey says that monarchs up to Victoria's time did not attempt to be fashionable or belong to the fashionable &quot;set,&quot; except, tellingly, George IV. But Victoria's fashion choices occurred in a content different from that of George IV, both politically and journalistically. Especially as Albert's influence waned and Bertie's own social identity developed, the direction of Victoria's sartorial gestures was to the middle classes, especially the upper middle classes, but not the aristocracy, not the fashionable world of haute couture, like, for instance, what the House of Worth might provide. In this 1881 image by Frith, in fact, we see the two main streams of fashion in the economic and cultural elite, but this is not Victoria.
* Alex and her sister Dagmar (who became the mother of Czar Nicolas II) were raised to make their own clothing (their father was not wealthy), so Alex knew a lot about building dresses, already had a wedding dress when she arrived in England but didn't wear it.
* Although she was widely criticized for her absence at state occasions in the press, Parliament and among her ministers, her widely circulated photographic portraits and her books — memoirs mostly of her family life with Albert and their children, her love of Scotland and Balmoral, and later the biographical works she asked and then helped courtiers close to her to write — she was present for the mass of her subjects who bought cartes de visite and read books.
* Worsley says some of her always wearing mourning was to arrange the world so she was treated more gently, with a dispensation; there were other benefits to the &quot;uniform&quot; she developed, but this one suggests she saw herself as marginal and weakened by grief.
* The newspapers described her clothing, but by the end of her life never the way the clothing of women (and occasionally men) wearing haute couture was described? Does the close-up/far-away thing pertain here?

==== '''MVSA: Due 5 January''' (email 4 December, from Laura Fiss) ====
The Underground: Prohibition, Abolition, Expression,  '''April 10-12, 2026''', hosted by Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio

Style and Sensibility: Victoria, Eugénie, Elisabeth and Mary Todd and Their Dressmakers (383 words)

Looking at Queen Victoria's sartorial sense of style troubles some conclusions we have reached about her, her reign, her &quot;private&quot; life and her body. Her style became strongly individuated and intentionally symbolic. The &quot;uniform&quot; worn by the Widow of Windsor — that all-black dress with the touches of white at her neckline and cuffs — made her instantly recognizable, even in a crowd and from a distance, and allied her with the middle class rather than the aristocracy. Up close (in the hundreds of personal photographs, her journals, and the clothing she saved) is a sophisticated and nuanced sense of style and self.

Putting Victoria's use of dress (and jewelry) in the context of a social network of political women that includes Empress Eugénie of France, Elisabeth of Bavaria, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, and Mary Todd Lincoln removes her from the usual social isolation scholarly scrutiny gives her, emphasizing what clothing did for her, although few biographies and histories see Victoria in this way.

These women knew each other, wrote to each other and had friends in common. They thought about what message their clothing choices sent and made those choices in the context of community, not only of who saw them but also each other and the modistes and couturiers who dressed them. Victoria patronized establishments with shops in London, Paris and New York, and a complex staff made what she wore, dressed her in it and looked after it. Both Eugénie and Elisabeth were clients of the British Frederick Worth of Paris. Lincoln's modiste was the brilliant, elegant, formerly enslaved Elizabeth Keckley, who had also — with her 20-seamstress staff — dressed Mrs. Robert E. Lee, Mrs. Stephen Douglas, Mrs. Jefferson Davis, and the daughter of General Sumner. Mary Anna Lee's dress was for a dinner in honor of the Prince of Wales in 1860. (Keckley introduced Abraham Lincoln to Sojourner Truth, but she also cut his hair and made his dressing gown.)

The class alliances these women's dress signaled had implications for their lives and their reigns. Designed to work from a distance, Queen Victoria’s identity as the Widow of Windsor in her barely relieved black was a valuable construction. Face to face and in the personal photographs, the complexities of the dresses are as fine as the eye can see.

They all wore white wedding gowns (unexpected for monarchs at this time).

Family relations and threats and instability for the monarchies in Europe kept QV in touch with fashion in Europe. Not so much underground or rebellious or revolutionary as crosswise. In some ways, QV's style of dress was '''covert''', looking subtly rich and stylish up close but plain and dowdy from a distance: the Widow of Windsor. Speaking to different groups of her subjects differently, a polyvocal style.

QV chose not to do haute courture. She adopted the cage 1858, for example, well after Eugénie and Elisabeth of Austria, and vest and suit coat in the 1890s?, but she's not wearing the vest and suit coat the way Alexandra is, it's not the up-to-the-minute silhouette, but some of the element are.

Queen Victoria helped the two European monarchs with difficult and dangerous moments, sometimes contributing to saving their lives, sometimes directly and sometimes through friends. 

Her relationships with Eugénie, Empress of France; Elisabeth of Austria, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire and Mary Todd Lincoln are based on shared understanding of themselves as public female leaders.

Mary Todd Lincoln's wedding skirt: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1314628790709593&amp;set=pcb.1314628920709580, closeup: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1314628800709592&amp;set=pcb.1314628920709580; in museum case: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1314628814042924&amp;set=pcb.1314628920709580

Turney, Thomas J. &quot;'Lincoln: A Life and Legacy' Opens at Presidential Museum in Springfield.&quot; ''The State Journal Register'' 30 September 2025 https://www.sj-r.com/picture-gallery/news/2025/09/30/new-lincoln-exhibit-opens-at-presidential-museum-in-springfield/86353769007/.

== Self-Memorializing ==
The term is really Lucy Worsley's, QV memorialising herself, but because QV deliberately saved so much, other biographers noticed it as well. A. N. Wilson says,&lt;blockquote&gt;In a recent study, Yvonne M. Ward calculated that Victoria wrote as many as 60 million words.&lt;sup&gt;6&lt;/sup&gt; (6 &quot;Yvonne M. Ward, ''Censoring Queen Victoria'', p. 9.&quot;) Giles St Aubyn, in his biography of the Queen, said that had she been a novelist, her outpouring of written words would have equalled 700 volumes.&lt;sup&gt;7&lt;/sup&gt; (7 &quot;Giles St Aubyn, ''Queen Victoria: A Portrait'', p. 601.&quot;) Her diaries were those of a compulsive recorder, and she sometimes would write as many as 2,500 words of her journal in one day.&lt;ref name=&quot;:13&quot; /&gt; (33 of 1204. nn. 6, 7, p. 1057)&lt;/blockquote&gt;If an average Victorian novel is 150,000 words, then Victoria's &quot;outpouring&quot; would equal about 400 volumes, not 700.
* Queen Victoria's journals
* Her personal letters
* Her official letters and memoranda
* Saved clothing and accessories
* Portraits and photographs
* Anniversaries and important dates
* Preserved rooms, including all the stuff she collected over the years and the policy of keeping it in exactly the same place, recorded by photographs and albums
* Works and memoirs, both commanded and self-written
*# 1862: Sir Arthur Helps, &quot;a collection of [Prince Albert's] speeches and addresses&quot; &lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (363 of 555), a &quot;weighty tome.&quot; (364 of 505)
*# 1866: General Grey, &quot;an account of the Prince’s early years﻿ — from his birth to his marriage; she herself laid down the design of the book, contributed a number of confidential documents, and added numerous notes.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (364 of 505)
*# 1868: QV published her ''Leaves from the Journal of Our Life in the Highlands from 1848 to 1861''.&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;
*# 1874–1880: Theodore Martin, it took him 14 years to write an Albert's biography, the 1st volume came out in 1874, the last 1880. He got a knighthood, but the books were not popular, the image of Albert was not popular, too idealized and beatified.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (364 of 505)
*# Poet Laureate
*# 1884: QV published her ''More Leaves from the Journal of Our Life in the Highlands from 1862 to 1882''.&lt;ref name=&quot;:4&quot; /&gt;

=== Preserved Rooms and Possessions ===
Strachey says,&lt;blockquote&gt;She gave orders that nothing should be thrown away﻿ — and nothing was. There, in drawer after drawer, in wardrobe after wardrobe, reposed the dresses of seventy years. But not only the dresses﻿ — the furs and the mantles and subsidiary frills and the muffs and the parasols and the bonnets﻿ — all were ranged in chronological order, dated and complete. A great cupboard was devoted to the dolls; in the china room at Windsor a special table held the mugs of her childhood, and her children’s mugs as well. Mementoes of the past surrounded her in serried accumulations. In every room the tables were powdered thick with the photographs of relatives; their portraits, revealing them at all ages, covered the walls; their figures, in solid marble, rose up from pedestals, or gleamed from brackets in the form of gold and silver statuettes. The dead, in every shape﻿ — in miniatures, in porcelain, in enormous life-size oil-paintings﻿ — were perpetually about her. John Brown stood upon her writing-table in solid [460–461] gold. Her favourite horses and dogs, endowed with a new durability, crowded round her footsteps. Sharp, in silver gilt, dominated the dinner table; Boy and Boz lay together among unfading flowers, in bronze. And it was not enough that each particle of the past should be given the stability of metal or of marble: the whole collection, in its arrangement, no less than its entity, should be immutably fixed. There might be additions, but there might never be alterations. No chintz might change, no carpet, no curtain, be replaced by another; or, if long use at last made it necessary, the stuffs and the patterns must be so identically reproduced that the keenest eye might not detect the difference. No new picture could be hung upon the walls at Windsor, for those already there had been put in their places by Albert, whose decisions were eternal. So, indeed, were Victoria’s. To ensure that they should be the aid of the camera was called in. Every single article in the Queen’s possession was photographed from several points of view. These photographs were submitted to Her Majesty, and when, after careful inspection, she [461–462] had approved of them, they were placed in a series of albums, richly bound. Then, opposite each photograph, an entry was made, indicating the number of the article, the number of the room in which it was kept, its exact position in the room and all its principal characteristics. The fate of every object which had undergone this process was henceforth irrevocably sealed. The whole multitude, once and for all, took up its steadfast station. And Victoria, with a gigantic volume or two of the endless catalogue always beside her, to look through, to ponder upon, to expatiate over, could feel, with a double contentment, that the transitoriness of this world had been arrested by the amplitude of her might.&lt;ref name=&quot;:0&quot; /&gt; (460–462 of 555)&lt;/blockquote&gt;

== Demographics ==
*Nationality: English
=== Residences ===
== Questions and Notes ==
#

== Bibliography ==

# Anon. &quot;One of Her Majesty's Servants,&quot; the Private Life of Queen Victoria. London, 1897, 1901.
# Fawcett, Millicent Garrett. ''Life of Her Majesty Queen Victoria''. Roberts Bros., 1895. WikiSource copy: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Index:Life_of_Her_Majesty_Queen_Victoria_(IA_lifeofhermajesty01fawc).pdf.
# Homans, Margaret. &quot;'To the Queen's Private Apartments': Royal Family Portraiture and the Construction of Victoria's Sovereign Obedience.&quot; ''Victorian Studies'' vol. 37, no. 1 (1993) pp. 1–41.
# Homans, Margaret. 1998.
# Mitchell, Rebecca Nicole, editor. ''Fashioning the Victorians: A Critical Sourcebook''. Bloomsbury visual arts, 2018. OCLC # [https://search.worldcat.org/title/1085349620 1085349620] .
# Staniland, Kay. ''In Royal Fashion: The Clothes of Princess Charlotte of Wales and Queen Victoria 1796-1901''. London, 1997.
# Staniland, Kay, and Santina M. Levey. ''Queen Victoria's Wedding Dress and Lace''. Museum of London, 1983?. OCLC # [https://search.worldcat.org/title/473453762 473453762] . [Repr. from ''Costume, The Journal of the Costume Society'' (17:1983), pp. 1–32.]
# Wackerl, Luise. ''Royal Style: A History of Aristocratic Fashion Icons.'' Peribo, 2012. [T.C. Magrath Library: Quarto GT1754 .W33 2012]

== References ==
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      <text bytes="9878" sha1="kv47jkv1bt3zg50tfl9dq7904p7xjqe" xml:space="preserve">=== Introduction ===
* Overview ([[Media:C01.Intro1.Overview.1.A.20170925.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:C01.Intro1.Overview.1.B.20170901.pdf |B.pdf]], [[Media:C01.Intro1.Overview.1.C.20170904.pdf |C.pdf]])
* Number System ([[Media:C01.Intro2.Number.1.A.20171023.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:C01.Intro2.Number.1.B.20170909.pdf |B.pdf]], [[Media:C01.Intro2.Number.1.C.20170914.pdf |C.pdf]])
* Memory System ([[Media:C01.Intro2.Memory.1.A.20170907.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:C01.Intro3.Memory.1.B.20170909.pdf |B.pdf]], [[Media:C01.Intro3.Memory.1.C.20170914.pdf |C.pdf]])

=== Handling Repetition ===
* Control ([[Media:C02.Repeat1.Control.1.A.20170925.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:C02.Repeat1.Control.1.B.20170918.pdf |B.pdf]], [[Media:C02.Repeat1.Control.1.C.20170926.pdf |C.pdf]])
* Loop ([[Media:C02.Repeat2.Loop.1.A.20170925.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:C02.Repeat2.Loop.1.B.20170918.pdf |B.pdf]])

=== Handling a Big Work ===
* Function Overview ([[Media:C03.Func1.Overview.1.A.20171030.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:C03.Func1.Oerview.1.B.20161022.pdf |B.pdf]])
* Functions &amp; Variables ([[Media:C03.Func2.Variable.1.A.20161222.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:C03.Func2.Variable.1.B.20161222.pdf |B.pdf]])
* Functions &amp; Pointers ([[Media:C03.Func3.Pointer.1.A.20161122.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:C03.Func3.Pointer.1.B.20161122.pdf |B.pdf]])
* Functions &amp; Recursions ([[Media:C03.Func4.Recursion.1.A.20161214.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:C03.Func4.Recursion.1.B.20161214.pdf |B.pdf]])

=== Handling Series of Data ===

==== Background ==== 
* Background ([[Media:C04.Series0.Background.1.A.20180727.pdf |A.pdf]])
 
==== Basics ====
* Pointers ([[Media:C04.S1.Pointer.1A.20240524.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:C04.Series2.Pointer.1.B.20161115.pdf |B.pdf]])
* Arrays ([[Media:C04.S2.Array.1A.20240514.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:C04.Series1.Array.1.B.20161115.pdf |B.pdf]])
* Array Pointers ([[Media:C04.S3.ArrayPointer.1A.20240208.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:C04.Series3.ArrayPointer.1.B.20181203.pdf |B.pdf]])
* Multi-dimensional Arrays ([[Media:C04.Series4.MultiDim.1.A.20221130.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:C04.Series4.MultiDim.1.B.1111.pdf |B.pdf]])
* Array Access Methods ([[Media:C04.Series4.ArrayAccess.1.A.20190511.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:C04.Series3.ArrayPointer.1.B.20181203.pdf |B.pdf]])
* Structures ([[Media:C04.Series3.Structure.1.A.20171204.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:C04.Series2.Structure.1.B.20161130.pdf |B.pdf]])

==== Examples ==== 
* Spreadsheet Example Programs
:: Example 1 ([[Media:C04.Series7.Example.1.A.20171213.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:C04.Series7.Example.1.C.20171213.pdf |C.pdf]])
:: Example 2 ([[Media:C04.Series7.Example.2.A.20171213.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:C04.Series7.Example.2.C.20171213.pdf |C.pdf]])
:: Example 3 ([[Media:C04.Series7.Example.3.A.20171213.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:C04.Series7.Example.3.C.20171213.pdf |C.pdf]])
:: Bubble Sort ([[Media:C04.Series7.BubbleSort.1.A.20171211.pdf |A.pdf]])

==== Applications ==== 
* Address-of and de-reference operators ([[Media:C04.SA0.PtrOperator.1A.20260704.pdf |A.pdf]])
* Applications of Pointers ([[Media:C04.SA1.AppPointer.1A.20241121.pdf |A.pdf]])
* Applications of Arrays ([[Media:C04.SA2.AppArray.1A.20240715.pdf |A.pdf]])
* Applications of Array Pointers ([[Media:C04.SA3.AppArrayPointer.1A.20240210.pdf |A.pdf]])
* Applications of Multi-dimensional Arrays ([[Media:C04.Series4App.MultiDim.1.A.20210719.pdf |A.pdf]])
* Applications of Array Access Methods ([[Media:C04.Series9.AppArrAcess.1.A.20190511.pdf |A.pdf]])
* Applications of Structures ([[Media:C04.Series6.AppStruct.1.A.20190423.pdf |A.pdf]])

=== Handling Various Kinds of Data ===
* Types ([[Media:C05.Data1.Type.1.A.20180217.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:C05.Data1.Type.1.B.20161212.pdf |B.pdf]])
* Typecasts ([[Media:C05.Data2.TypeCast.1.A.20180217.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:C05.Data2.TypeCast.1.B.20161216.pdf |A.pdf]])
* Operators ([[Media:C05.Data3.Operators.1.A.20161219.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:C05.Data3.Operators.1.B.20161216.pdf |B.pdf]])
* Files ([[Media:C05.Data4.File.1.A.20161124.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:C05.Data4.File.1.B.20161212.pdf |B.pdf]])

=== Handling Low Level Operations ===
* Bitwise Operations ([[Media:BitOp.1.B.20161214.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:BitOp.1.B.20161203.pdf |B.pdf]])
* Bit Field ([[Media:BitField.1.A.20161214.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:BitField.1.B.20161202.pdf |B.pdf]])
* Union ([[Media:Union.1.A.20161221.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:Union.1.B.20161111.pdf |B.pdf]])
* Accessing IO Registers ([[Media:IO.1.A.20141215.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:IO.1.B.20161217.pdf |B.pdf]])

=== Declarations ===
* Type Specifiers and Qualifiers ([[Media:C07.Spec1.Type.1.A.20171004.pdf |pdf]])
* Storage Class Specifiers ([[Media:C07.Spec2.Storage.1.A.20171009.pdf |pdf]])
* Scope 


=== Class Notes ===

* TOC ([[Media:TOC.20171007.pdf |TOC.pdf]])
* Day01 ([[Media:Day01.A.20171007.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:Day01.B.20171209.pdf |B.pdf]], [[Media:Day01.C.20171211.pdf |C.pdf]]) ...... Introduction (1) Standard Library
* Day02 ([[Media:Day02.A.20171007.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:Day02.B.20171209.pdf |B.pdf]], [[Media:Day02.C.20171209.pdf |C.pdf]]) ...... Introduction (2) Basic Elements
* Day03 ([[Media:Day03.A.20171007.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:Day03.B.20170908.pdf |B.pdf]], [[Media:Day03.C.20171209.pdf |C.pdf]]) ...... Introduction (3) Numbers
* Day04 ([[Media:Day04.A.20171007.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:Day04.B.20170915.pdf |B.pdf]], [[Media:Day04.C.20171209.pdf |C.pdf]]) ...... Structured Programming (1) Flowcharts
* Day05 ([[Media:Day05.A.20171007.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:Day05.B.20170915.pdf |B.pdf]], [[Media:Day05.C.20171209.pdf |C.pdf]]) ...... Structured Programming (2) Conditions and Loops
* Day06 ([[Media:Day06.A.20171007.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:Day06.B.20170923.pdf |B.pdf]], [[Media:Day06.C.20171209.pdf |C.pdf]]) ...... Program Control
* Day07 ([[Media:Day07.A.20171007.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:Day07.B.20170926.pdf |B.pdf]], [[Media:Day07.C.20171209.pdf |C.pdf]]) ...... Function (1) Definitions
* Day08 ([[Media:Day08.A.20171028.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:Day08.B.20171016.pdf |B.pdf]], [[Media:Day08.C.20171209.pdf |C.pdf]]) ...... Function (2) Storage Class and Scope
* Day09 ([[Media:Day09.A.20171007.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:Day09.B.20171017.pdf |B.pdf]], [[Media:Day09.C.20171209.pdf |C.pdf]]) ...... Function (3) Recursion
* Day10 ([[Media:Day10.A.20171209.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:Day10.B.20171017.pdf |B.pdf]], [[Media:Day10.C.20171209.pdf |C.pdf]]) ...... Arrays (1) Definitions
* Day11 ([[Media:Day11.A.20171024.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:Day11.B.20171017.pdf |B.pdf]], [[Media:Day11.C.20171212.pdf |C.pdf]]) ...... Arrays (2) Applications
* Day12 ([[Media:Day12.A.20171024.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:Day12.B.20171020.pdf |B.pdf]], [[Media:Day12.C.20171209.pdf |C.pdf]]) ...... Pointers (1) Definitions
* Day13 ([[Media:Day13.A.20171025.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:Day13.B.20171024.pdf |B.pdf]], [[Media:Day13.C.20171209.pdf |C.pdf]]) ...... Pointers (2) Applications
* Day14 ([[Media:Day14.A.20171226.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:Day14.B.20171101.pdf |B.pdf]], [[Media:Day14.C.20171209.pdf |C.pdf]]) ...... C String (1) 
* Day15 ([[Media:Day15.A.20171209.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:Day15.B.20171124.pdf |B.pdf]], [[Media:Day15.C.20171209.pdf |C.pdf]]) ...... C String (2)
* Day16 ([[Media:Day16.A.20171208.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:Day16.B.20171114.pdf |B.pdf]], [[Media:Day16.C.20171209.pdf |C.pdf]]) ...... C Formatted IO
* Day17 ([[Media:Day17.A.20171031.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:Day17.B.20171111.pdf |B.pdf]], [[Media:Day17.C.20171209.pdf |C.pdf]]) ...... Structure (1) Definitions
* Day18 ([[Media:Day18.A.20171206.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:Day18.B.20171128.pdf |B.pdf]], [[Media:Day18.C.20171212.pdf |C.pdf]]) ...... Structure (2) Applications
* Day19 ([[Media:Day19.A.20171205.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:Day19.B.20171121.pdf |B.pdf]], [[Media:Day19.C.20171209.pdf |C.pdf]]) ...... Union, Bitwise Operators, Enum
* Day20 ([[Media:Day20.A.20171205.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:Day20.B.20171201.pdf |B.pdf]], [[Media:Day20.C.20171212.pdf |C.pdf]]) ...... Linked List 
* Day21 ([[Media:Day21.A.20171206.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:Day21.B.20171208.pdf |B.pdf]], [[Media:Day21.C.20171212.pdf |C.pdf]]) ...... File Processing
* Day22 ([[Media:Day22.A.20171212.pdf |A.pdf]], [[Media:Day22.B.20171213.pdf |B.pdf]], [[Media:Day22.C.20171212.pdf |C.pdf]]) ...... Preprocessing


&lt;!----------------------------------------------------------------------&gt;
&lt;/br&gt;
See also https://cprogramex.wordpress.com/

== '''Old Materials '''==

until 201201
* Intro.Overview.1.A ([[Media:C.Intro.Overview.1.A.20120107.pdf |pdf]])
* Intro.Memory.1.A ([[Media:C.Intro.Memory.1.A.20120107.pdf |pdf]])
* Intro.Number.1.A ([[Media:C.Intro.Number.1.A.20120107.pdf |pdf]])
* Repeat.Control.1.A ([[Media:C.Repeat.Control.1.A.20120109.pdf |pdf]])
* Repeat.Loop.1.A ([[Media:C.Repeat.Loop.1.A.20120113.pdf |pdf]])
* Work.Function.1.A ([[Media:C.Work.Function.1.A.20120117.pdf |pdf]])
* Work.Scope.1.A ([[Media:C.Work.Scope.1.A.20120117.pdf |pdf]])
* Series.Array.1.A ([[Media:Series.Array.1.A.20110718.pdf |pdf]])
* Series.Pointer.1.A ([[Media:Series.Pointer.1.A.20110719.pdf |pdf]])
* Series.Structure.1.A ([[Media:Series.Structure.1.A.20110805.pdf |pdf]])
* Data.Type.1.A ([[Media:C05.Data2.TypeCast.1.A.20130813.pdf |pdf]])
* Data.TypeCast.1.A ([[Media:Data.TypeCast.1.A.pdf |pdf]])
* Data.Operators.1.A ([[Media:Data.Operators.1.A.20110712.pdf |pdf]])
 
&lt;br&gt;

until 201107
* Intro.1.A ([[Media:Intro.1.A.pdf |pdf]])
* Control.1.A ([[Media:Control.1.A.20110706.pdf |pdf]])
* Iteration.1.A ([[Media:Iteration.1.A.pdf |pdf]])
* Function.1.A ([[Media:Function.1.A.20110705.pdf |pdf]])
* Variable.1.A ([[Media:Variable.1.A.20110708.pdf |pdf]])
* Operators.1.A ([[Media:Operators.1.A.20110712.pdf |pdf]])
* Pointer.1.A ([[Media:Pointer.1.A.pdf |pdf]])
* Pointer.2.A ([[Media:Pointer.2.A.pdf |pdf]])
* Array.1.A ([[Media:Array.1.A.pdf |pdf]])
* Type.1.A ([[Media:Type.1.A.pdf |pdf]])
* Structure.1.A ([[Media:Structure.1.A.pdf |pdf]])


go to [ [[C programming in plain view]] ]

[[Category:C programming language]]

&lt;/br&gt;</text>
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    <title>Long Takes</title>
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      <text bytes="16285" sha1="n6z7duumvkablkxl29rd4us86hxx1hm" xml:space="preserve">[[Category:Film]]
[[Category:Cinema Aesthetics]]
A '''long take''' is a filmmaking term that describes a shot that's longer than the usual pace or length of a shot. The term &quot;long take&quot; should not be confused with the term &quot;long shot&quot;, which refers to the distance to the subject and not the length of the shot. Long shots used to be trickier to get as film reels had to be changed every few minutes, but with the invention of digital cameras, this is no longer an issue. [[File:Focus puller adjusts the focus on a Panavision camera.jpg|thumb|Focus puller adjusts the focus on a Panavision camera]]
== History == 
[[File:Rope Film Poster.jpg|none|Rope Film Poster]]
=== Early Examples ===
In Alfred Hitchcock's ''Young and Innocent'' (1937), the climax of the film features a crane shot that starts in the hotel lobby, moves across the ballroom, into the bandstand, and into a close-up of a drummer. The shot lasts for over a minute. &lt;ref name=&quot;talkfilmsociety&quot;&gt;{{cite web| url=https://talkfilmsociety.com/columns/beginners-guide-to-alfred-hitchcock-young-and-innocent-1937 | publisher=talkfilmsociety | first=Manish | last=Mathur | title=Beginner's Guide to Alfred Hitchcock: Young and Innocent (1937) | access-date=9 December 2023}}&lt;/ref&gt; Hitchcock would Later use long takes in several of his films, most notably in ''Rope'' (1948), where each take in the film lasted roughly ten minutes in an attempt to make the entire film seem like it's a singular take. &lt;ref name=&quot;Inside/Out&quot;&gt;Miller, D. A. &quot;Anal ''Rope''&quot; in ''Inside/Out: Lesbian Theories, Gay Theories'', pp. 119–172. Routledge, 1991. {{ISBN|0-415-90237-1}}&lt;/ref&gt;

In Orson Welles' ''The Touch of Evil'' (1958), the opening crane shot lasts for nearly 4 minutes, depicting Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh making their way across the Mexican border. &lt;ref&gt;{{cite news| url=https://www.slashfilm.com/808793/how-orson-welles-filmed-the-impossible-for-touch-of-evil/ | publisher=slashfilm | first=Mike | last=Shutt | title=How Orson Welles Filmed the Impossible for Touch of Evil | date=23 March 2022}}&lt;/ref&gt; Heston talked about the shot saying: &lt;blockquote&gt;It was technically an all but impossible shot, depending on precise timing, not only from Janet and me, the couple in the car and the passing extras, but most critically of all, from the boom grip (the man running the boom) and of course the camera operator. Today, a remote-controlled camera on the end of a Python boom would make the shot far easier to prepare and not nearly as hard to shoot. Then, it was a wonder ... We shot on it all night, with various things going wrong, most often the actor playing the IRS guard at the border crossing. He had only a line or two, but it must have been terrifying for him to see the whole company bearing down on him from a block away. When we'd get to him, he'd flub his lines. At last, as dawn began to lighten in the east, Orson said to him patiently, 'All right, let's do it once more. This time, if you aren't sure of your line, just move your lips-we can dub it in later. But whatever you do, please God don't say, &quot;I'm sorry, Mr. Welles.&quot;' That's the take that's in the movie.&lt;ref&gt;Heston, Charlton 'In the Area'. Boulevard, 1997. {{ISBN|9781572972674}}&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

=== Modern Examples ===
[[File:Paul Thomas Anderson 2007.jpg|thumb|right|Paul Thomas Anderson 2007]]
Paul Thomas Anderson is known for frequently using Steadicam long takes, like in ''Magnolia'' (1999). The camera starts outside, goes into a studio, and follows around people as they're working. The shot lasts for over two minutes, as it reveals the characters and location of the film.&lt;ref name=&quot;sense&quot;/&gt; Paul Thomas Anderson had this to say about the camera movements in Magnolia &quot;I visualize as I'm writing. I know what the scenes are going to look like already, and I put them together as I write them. That's one good thing about being a writer-director.&quot; &lt;ref name=&quot;Frederick&quot;&gt;{{cite web| url=https://www.fredericknewspost.com/archives/film-director-paul-thomas-anderson-discusses-magnolia/article_837d4010-e1a5-56ce-a9a7-403eafbcd9e9.html | publisher=fredericknewspost | first=Antosca | last=Nick | title=Film Director Paul Thomas Anderson discusses 'Magnolia' | access-date=10 December 2023}}&lt;/ref&gt;

In Alfonso Cuaron's ''Children of Men'' (2006), he sought to make an otherwise unrealistic film mimic extreme reality. He attempted this by using several long takes. The most notable being the 7 minute long take that see's Sandra Bullock's character, Dr. Ryan Stone, getting launched through space as pieces of the space station explode around her. The camera moves around space, going in and out of pieces of the station and around Bullock. Each time that the scene was filmed, it would take half a day to reset. &lt;ref name=&quot;vulture2013&quot;/&gt;

== Technology ==
=== Handheld ===
[[File:Filming with handheld camera stabilizer.jpg|thumb|none|Filming with handheld camera stabilizer]]
One way that long takes are done is by simply holding the camera. Handheld shots has a cameraperson physically move the camera with their hands. This typically results in shakier footage, allowing for feelings of danger, anxiety, and tension. &lt;ref name=&quot;FL&quot;&gt;{{cite web|url=https://filmlifestyle.com/the-handheld-shot-in-film/|title=The Handheld Shot In Film: Our Definitive Guide|first=Matt |last=Crawford|access-date=December 10, 2023}}&lt;/ref&gt; ''The Bear'' (2022-present) features an 18 minute handheld long take during a stressful kitchen scene where many characters are on edge and volatile. &lt;ref name=&quot;Vulture2022&quot;/&gt;

=== Dolly ===
[[File:MJK39950 Camera dolly (republica 17).jpg|thumb|MJK39950 Camera dolly (republica 17)]]
A dolly is a track that carries the camera smoothly around, usually in a straight line going back and forth.&lt;ref&gt;{{cite web|url=http://www.dollygrippery.net/|title=Dollygrippery|access-date=2015-06-17|archive-date=2015-06-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613000615/http://www.dollygrippery.net/|url-status=live}}&lt;/ref&gt; Using a dolly for long takes will create a smooth look, though it requires a lengthy track for the camera to be on. ''Spectre'' (2015) features a dolly long take that follows two characters all throughout a city during a Day of the Dead celebration &lt;ref&gt;{{cite web|url=https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/how-to-achieve-perfect-dolly-shot/|first=Charles|last=Yeager|title=The Dolly Shot: How It Works and Why It's Powerful|publisher=PremiumBeat|date=April 20, 2022}}&lt;/ref&gt;

=== Steadicam ===
[[File:Steadicam and operator in front of crowd.jpg|thumb|none|Steadicam and operator in front of crowd]]
A Steadicam is a camera stabilizer that works by attaching the camera to a wearable vest and using counter-balances to steady the frame. If it's correctly balanced, the operator can completely let go of the camera, allowing for longer shots as there is no heaviness to the camera.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.jerryholway.com/manuals/|title=Manuals|website=Jerry Holway|language=en-US|access-date=December 10, 2023}}&lt;/ref&gt; The film ''Goodfellas''(1990) features a 3 minute and 10 second long take using a Steadicam, where the shot starts in the street, goes into a kitchen, and onto a nightclub.&lt;ref name=&quot;Sward&quot;&gt;{{cite web|url=https://www.jeffreysward.com/editorials/longtake.htm|title=Notable Long Takes in Cinema|first=Jeffrey|last=Sward|access-date=December 10, 2023}}&lt;/ref&gt;

=== Crane ===
[[File:Telescopic Camera Crane MovieBird 45.jpg|thumb|none|Telescopic Camera Crane MovieBird 45]]
A crane holds the camera up by a boom, allowing the camera to move forward, backward, up, down, and side to side. One the back of the crane is a counter-weight, which lets the camera move in a smooth and fluid motion.&lt;ref name=Vineyard&gt;{{citation |title=Setting Up Your Shots: Great Camera Moves Every Filmmaker Should Know|author= Jeremy Vineyard, Jose Cruz}}&lt;/ref&gt; In long takes, a crane can be used to showcase huge areas for long periods of time. In ''Lady Be Good'' (1941), a long take crane shot is used to show a musical tap dance number in a very large sound stage.&lt;ref name=&quot;Sward&quot;/&gt;

== One Takes ==
Some films expand on the long take, and film something that's either entirely one take, or made to look like it's one take. ''The Bear'' (2022-present), created by Christopher Storer, is an example of the former. In season 1's penultimate episode titled &quot;Review&quot;, the 20 minute episode features an 18 minute long take. This shot sees the stresses and social aspects of working in a kitchen, depicting frustrations for its staff, mistakes with the pre-order system, a stabbing, and two walkouts. While the shot was originally conceived as a Steadicam shot, the tightness of the kitchen, and the length of the shot, didn't allow it to be used, and instead they did the shot entirely handheld.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;Vulture2022&quot;&gt;{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/article/how-the-bear-shot-episode-7-one-take.html|title=How ''The Bear'' captured 18 frantic minutes at The Beef in one take.|first=Roxana |last=Hadidi|date=July 29, 2022|access-date=May 17, 2023|work=[[New York (magazine)|Vulture]]}}&lt;/ref&gt;

''Birdman'' (2014) was not entirely one shot, but it's edited to look like one long continuous take spanning the length of the film. Most of the shots ended up being over 10 minutes in length, with the longest one being around 15 minutes long. Most of the film was shot using a Steadicam, and specific plotting and rehearsals of each long take were used so the filmmakers could figure out where to hide their scene transitions. Not only did cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki have to carefully hide his lights very carefully, he also had to pay close attention to where the camera, the crew, and the actors were moving in order to not cast shadows that would ruin the shot. &lt;ref name=&quot;NYFA&quot;&gt;{{cite web|url=https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/best-cinematography-look-birdman/#:~:text=A%20proxy%20set%20resembling%20the,to%20help%20set%20the%20tone.|title=The Best Cinematography: A Look at 'Birdman'|date=March 30, 2022|access-date=December 10, 2023|work=NYFA}}&lt;/ref&gt;
[[File:1917logo.svg|thumb|center|1917logo]]
In ''1917'' (2019) a similar technique was used to have the effect of the film being one long take. It's many long scenes that are sewn together, many of the shots being 8-9 minutes long. Everything had to be choreographed perfectly, and the actors had to be extra prepared as one mess-up could ruin an entire days worth of work. The crew ran into many problems while filming such as the sky being too sunny, and not having enough clouds to achieve the look they wanted. The director of photography, Roger Deakins, commented &quot;Some days we just rehearsed and other days we just waited for a long, long time until the clouds came over&quot; &lt;ref name=&quot;THRbudget&quot;&gt;{{cite web|title=Making of '1917': How Sam Mendes Filmed a &quot;Ticking Clock Thriller&quot;|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/making-1917-how-sam-mendes-filmed-a-ticking-clock-thriller-1263469|first=Tatiana|last=Siegel|date=26 December 2019|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|access-date=26 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191226205631/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/making-1917-how-sam-mendes-filmed-a-ticking-clock-thriller-1263469|archive-date=26 December 2019|url-status=live}}&lt;/ref&gt;

== Case Study ==
[[File:Gaspar Noé 2012.jpg|thumb|none|Gaspar Noé 2012]]
=== ''Climax'' (2018) ===
Shot in just 15 days, ''Climax'' (2018) features several long takes, including one that last's almost 42 minutes long. The film was shot without a script in an attempt to allow the film to feel more free&lt;ref name=&quot;WonderlandMasterProvocation&quot;&gt;{{cite web|url=https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2018/09/20/gaspar-noe-climax-interview/|title=The master of provocation on his trippy dance masterpiece, Climax. |last=Maybelle |first=Morgan |work=Wonderland|access-date=20 September 2018|date=15 March 2019}}&lt;/ref&gt; The 42 minute long take was filmed with director Gaspar Noe operating the camera, who didn't know how he was going to frame the scenes until he was on set.&lt;ref name=&quot;SBSPrimalDrives&quot;&gt;{{cite web|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/movies/article/2018/12/03/interview-gaspar-noe-tackles-primal-drives-and-paranoia-climax|title=Interview: Gaspar Noé tackles primal drives and paranoia in 'Climax'|last=Johnson |first=Travis |work=[[SBS (Australian TV channel)|SBS]]|access-date=5 December 2018|date=15 March 2019}}&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref name=&quot;ClimaxÉducation&quot;&gt;{{cite news|url = https://www.letemps.ch/culture/gaspar-noe-climax-un-film-educatif |title = Gaspar Noé: &quot;Climax peut être vu comme un film éducatif&quot;|work=Le Temps |last=Dufour |first=Nicholas |date= 13 July 2018|accessdate= 15 March 2019 |language=French}}&lt;/ref&gt;

The opening 13 minute long take, along with the 42 minute long take, captures the feeling of a drug-infused journey, with chaos, stress, and it's characters being terrified of what could happen next by filming most of the long takes completely handheld. The shakiness of the camera, along with its drug fueled narrative, create a [[Mood &amp; Tone in Cinema|mood and tone]] of something spontaneous and flowing. &lt;ref name&quot;MovieLife&quot;&gt;{{cite web|url=https://www.ourmovielife.com/2019/07/15/that-one-continuous-shot/|title=That One Continuous Shot &amp; Gaspar Noe's Climax|publisher=OurMovieLife|date=15 July 2019}}&lt;/ref&gt;

=== ''Fantastic Mr. Fox'' (2009) ===
[[File:Fantastic Mr. Fox logo.png|thumb|Fantastic Mr. Fox logo]]
[[Fantastic Mr. Fox]], written by [[Noah Baumbach]] and directed by [[Wes Anderson]], features a long take lasting over 1 minute in the opening of the film that smoothly moves to the right at the same time its character do. In order to make the shot seem more natural, they recorded parts of it outside. This, along with the smooth motion of the camera, the length of the shot, and the [[Yellow in Film|yellow]] grading of the movie allows the film to seem more outdoorsy and filled with nature.&lt;ref name=&quot;ScreenRant&quot;&gt;{{cite web| url=https://screenrant.com/fantastic-mr-fox-wes-anderson-roald-dahl-movie/#mr-fox-s-fashion-is-based-on-wes-anderson-s | publisher=ScreenRant | first=Sam | last=Hutchinson | title=Fantastic Mr. Fox: 10 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Wes Anderson's Movie | date=October 8, 2020}}&lt;/ref&gt;

== Films ==
* ''Rope'' (1948) &lt;ref name=&quot;Inside/Out&quot;/&gt;
* ''Goodfellas'' (1990) &lt;ref name=&quot;BFI&quot;&gt;{{cite web| url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/16-incredible-long-takes | publisher=BFI | first=Matthew | last=Thrift | title=16 incredible long takes | date=13 July 2015}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* ''Weekend'' (1967) &lt;ref name=&quot;BFI&quot;/&gt;
* ''Stalker'' (1979) &lt;ref&gt;{{cite thesis |last=Marnoch |first=Christopher |title=The Long Take in Modern European Cinema |url=https://core.ac.uk/reader/28905640 |degree=PHD |publisher=Royal Holloway University of London}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* ''Gravity'' (2013) &lt;ref name=&quot;vulture2013&quot;/&gt;

== Filmmakers ==
* Alfred Hitchcock &lt;ref name=&quot;BFI&quot;/&gt;
* Orson Welles &lt;ref&gt;{{cite web| url=https://offscreen.com/view/moving_camera1 | publisher=offscreen | first=David | last=Menard| title=Toward a Synthesis of Cinema -A Theory of the Long Take Moving Camera, Part 1| date=August 2003}} &lt;/ref&gt;
* Paul Thomas Anderson &lt;ref name=sense&gt;{{cite web|last =Crous|first =André|title =Paul Thomas Anderson: Tracking through a Fantastic Reality|publisher =Senses of Cinema|website =SensesofCinema.com|issue =45|date =November 25, 2007|url =http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2007/45/paul-thomas-anderson/|access-date =September 21, 2010|archive-date =October 27, 2011|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20111027001906/http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2007/45/paul-thomas-anderson/|url-status =live}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* Andrei Tarkovsky &lt;ref name=&quot;BFI&quot;/&gt;
* Jean-Luc Godard &lt;ref name=&quot;BFI&quot;/&gt;
* Alfonso Cuarón &lt;ref name=&quot;vulture2013&quot;&gt;{{cite web | author = Dan P. Lee | work = [[New York (magazine)|New York]] | via = Vulture.com | url = https://www.vulture.com/2013/09/director-alfonso-cuaron-on-making-gravity.html | title = The Camera's Cusp: Alfonso Cuarón Takes Filmmaking to a New Extreme With Gravity | date = 22 September 2013 | access-date = 12 July 2015 | archive-date = 25 September 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130925035522/http://www.vulture.com/2013/09/director-alfonso-cuaron-on-making-gravity.html | url-status = live }}&lt;/ref&gt;

== References ==
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      <text bytes="16347" sha1="m5ubij15wz3tobf4rl6wfbtuiuwoq3l" xml:space="preserve">[[Category:Film]]
[[Category:Cinema Aesthetics]]
A '''long take''' is a filmmaking term that describes a shot that's longer than the usual pace or length of a shot. The term &quot;long take&quot; should not be confused with the term &quot;long shot&quot;, which refers to the distance to the subject and not the length of the shot. Long shots used to be trickier to get as film reels had to be changed every few minutes, but with the invention of digital cameras, this is no longer an issue. [[File:Focus puller adjusts the focus on a Panavision camera.jpg|thumb|Focus puller adjusts the focus on a Panavision camera]]
== History == 
[[File:Rope Film Poster.jpg|none|Rope Film Poster]]
=== Early Examples ===
In Alfred Hitchcock's ''Young and Innocent'' (1937), the climax of the film features a crane shot that starts in the hotel lobby, moves across the ballroom, into the bandstand, and into a close-up of a drummer. The shot lasts for over a minute. &lt;ref name=&quot;talkfilmsociety&quot;&gt;{{cite web| url=https://talkfilmsociety.com/columns/beginners-guide-to-alfred-hitchcock-young-and-innocent-1937 | publisher=talkfilmsociety | first=Manish | last=Mathur | title=Beginner's Guide to Alfred Hitchcock: Young and Innocent (1937) | access-date=9 December 2023}}&lt;/ref&gt; Hitchcock would later use long takes in several of his films, most notably in ''Rope'' (1948), where each take in the film lasted roughly ten minutes in an attempt to make the entire film seem like it's a singular take. &lt;ref name=&quot;Inside/Out&quot;&gt;Miller, D. A. &quot;Anal ''Rope''&quot; in ''Inside/Out: Lesbian Theories, Gay Theories'', pp. 119–172. Routledge, 1991. {{ISBN|0-415-90237-1}}&lt;/ref&gt;

In Orson Welles' ''The Touch of Evil'' (1958), the opening crane shot lasts for nearly 4 minutes, depicting Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh making their way across the Mexican border. &lt;ref&gt;{{cite news| url=https://www.slashfilm.com/808793/how-orson-welles-filmed-the-impossible-for-touch-of-evil/ | publisher=slashfilm | first=Mike | last=Shutt | title=How Orson Welles Filmed the Impossible for Touch of Evil | date=23 March 2022}}&lt;/ref&gt; Heston talked about the shot saying: &lt;blockquote&gt;It was technically an all but impossible shot, depending on precise timing, not only from Janet and me, the couple in the car and the passing extras, but most critically of all, from the boom grip (the man running the boom) and of course the camera operator. Today, a remote-controlled camera on the end of a Python boom would make the shot far easier to prepare and not nearly as hard to shoot. Then, it was a wonder ... We shot on it all night, with various things going wrong, most often the actor playing the IRS guard at the border crossing. He had only a line or two, but it must have been terrifying for him to see the whole company bearing down on him from a block away. When we'd get to him, he'd flub his lines. At last, as dawn began to lighten in the east, Orson said to him patiently, 'All right, let's do it once more. This time, if you aren't sure of your line, just move your lips-we can dub it in later. But whatever you do, please God don't say, &quot;I'm sorry, Mr. Welles.&quot;' That's the take that's in the movie.&lt;ref&gt;Heston, Charlton 'In the Area'. Boulevard, 1997. {{ISBN|9781572972674}}&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

=== Modern Examples ===
[[File:Paul Thomas Anderson 2007.jpg|thumb|right|Paul Thomas Anderson 2007]]
Paul Thomas Anderson is known for frequently using Steadicam long takes, like in ''Magnolia'' (1999). The camera starts outside, goes into a studio, and follows around people as they're working. The shot lasts for over two minutes, as it reveals the characters and location of the film.&lt;ref name=&quot;sense&quot;/&gt; Paul Thomas Anderson had this to say about the camera movements in Magnolia &quot;I visualize as I'm writing. I know what the scenes are going to look like already, and I put them together as I write them. That's one good thing about being a writer-director.&quot; &lt;ref name=&quot;Frederick&quot;&gt;{{cite web| url=https://www.fredericknewspost.com/archives/film-director-paul-thomas-anderson-discusses-magnolia/article_837d4010-e1a5-56ce-a9a7-403eafbcd9e9.html | publisher=fredericknewspost | first=Antosca | last=Nick | title=Film Director Paul Thomas Anderson discusses 'Magnolia' | access-date=10 December 2023}}&lt;/ref&gt;

In Alfonso Cuarón's ''Children of Men'' (2006), Cuarón sought to make an otherwise unrealistic film closely mimic reality. He attempted this by using several long takes. Another notable longshot of Cuarón's is found in ''Gravity'' (2013)''--'' a 7 minute long take sees Sandra Bullock's character, Dr. Ryan Stone, launched through space as pieces of the space station explode around her. The camera moves around space, going in and out of pieces of the station and around Bullock. Each time that the scene was filmed, it would take half a day to reset. &lt;ref name=&quot;vulture2013&quot;/&gt;

== Technology ==
=== Handheld ===
[[File:Filming with handheld camera stabilizer.jpg|thumb|none|Filming with handheld camera stabilizer]]
One way that long takes are done is by simply holding the camera. Handheld shots has a cameraperson physically move the camera with their hands. This typically results in shakier footage, allowing for feelings of danger, anxiety, and tension. &lt;ref name=&quot;FL&quot;&gt;{{cite web|url=https://filmlifestyle.com/the-handheld-shot-in-film/|title=The Handheld Shot In Film: Our Definitive Guide|first=Matt |last=Crawford|access-date=December 10, 2023}}&lt;/ref&gt; ''The Bear'' (2022-present) features an 18 minute handheld long take during a stressful kitchen scene where many characters are on edge and volatile. &lt;ref name=&quot;Vulture2022&quot;/&gt;

=== Dolly ===
[[File:MJK39950 Camera dolly (republica 17).jpg|thumb|MJK39950 Camera dolly (republica 17)]]
A dolly is a track that carries the camera smoothly around, usually in a straight line going back and forth.&lt;ref&gt;{{cite web|url=http://www.dollygrippery.net/|title=Dollygrippery|access-date=2015-06-17|archive-date=2015-06-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613000615/http://www.dollygrippery.net/|url-status=live}}&lt;/ref&gt; Using a dolly for long takes will create a smooth look, though it requires a lengthy track for the camera to be on. ''Spectre'' (2015) features a dolly long take that follows two characters all throughout a city during a Day of the Dead celebration &lt;ref&gt;{{cite web|url=https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/how-to-achieve-perfect-dolly-shot/|first=Charles|last=Yeager|title=The Dolly Shot: How It Works and Why It's Powerful|publisher=PremiumBeat|date=April 20, 2022}}&lt;/ref&gt;

=== Steadicam ===
[[File:Steadicam and operator in front of crowd.jpg|thumb|none|Steadicam and operator in front of crowd]]
A Steadicam is a camera stabilizer that works by attaching the camera to a wearable vest and using counter-balances to steady the frame. If it's correctly balanced, the operator can completely let go of the camera, allowing for longer shots as there is no heaviness to the camera.&lt;ref&gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.jerryholway.com/manuals/|title=Manuals|website=Jerry Holway|language=en-US|access-date=December 10, 2023}}&lt;/ref&gt; The film ''Goodfellas'' (1990) features a 3 minute and 10 second long take using a Steadicam, where the shot starts in the street, goes into a kitchen, and onto a nightclub.&lt;ref name=&quot;Sward&quot;&gt;{{cite web|url=https://www.jeffreysward.com/editorials/longtake.htm|title=Notable Long Takes in Cinema|first=Jeffrey|last=Sward|access-date=December 10, 2023}}&lt;/ref&gt;

=== Crane ===
[[File:Telescopic Camera Crane MovieBird 45.jpg|thumb|none|Telescopic Camera Crane MovieBird 45]]
A crane holds the camera up by a boom, allowing the camera to move forward, backward, up, down, and side to side. One the back of the crane is a counter-weight, which lets the camera move in a smooth and fluid motion.&lt;ref name=Vineyard&gt;{{citation |title=Setting Up Your Shots: Great Camera Moves Every Filmmaker Should Know|author= Jeremy Vineyard, Jose Cruz}}&lt;/ref&gt; In long takes, a crane can be used to showcase huge areas for long periods of time. In ''Lady Be Good'' (1941), a long take crane shot is used to show a musical tap dance number in a very large sound stage.&lt;ref name=&quot;Sward&quot;/&gt;

== One Takes ==
Some films expand on the long take, and film something that's either entirely one take, or made to look like it's one take. ''The Bear'' (2022-2026), created by Christopher Storer, is an example of the former. In season 1's penultimate episode titled &quot;Review&quot;, the 20 minute episode features an 18 minute long take. This shot sees the stresses and social aspects of working in a kitchen, depicting frustrations for its staff, mistakes with the pre-order system, a stabbing, and two walkouts. While the shot was originally conceived as a Steadicam shot, the tightness of the kitchen, and the length of the shot, didn't allow it to be used, and instead they did the shot entirely handheld.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;Vulture2022&quot;&gt;{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/article/how-the-bear-shot-episode-7-one-take.html|title=How ''The Bear'' captured 18 frantic minutes at The Beef in one take.|first=Roxana |last=Hadidi|date=July 29, 2022|access-date=May 17, 2023|work=[[New York (magazine)|Vulture]]}}&lt;/ref&gt;

''Birdman'' (2014) was not entirely one shot, but it's edited to look like one long continuous take spanning the length of the film. Most of the shots ended up being over 10 minutes in length, with the longest one being around 15 minutes long. Most of the film was shot using a Steadicam, and specific plotting and rehearsals of each long take were used so the filmmakers could figure out where to hide their scene transitions. Not only did cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki have to carefully hide his lights very carefully, he also had to pay close attention to where the camera, the crew, and the actors were moving in order to not cast shadows that would ruin the shot. &lt;ref name=&quot;NYFA&quot;&gt;{{cite web|url=https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/best-cinematography-look-birdman/#:~:text=A%20proxy%20set%20resembling%20the,to%20help%20set%20the%20tone.|title=The Best Cinematography: A Look at 'Birdman'|date=March 30, 2022|access-date=December 10, 2023|work=NYFA}}&lt;/ref&gt;
[[File:1917logo.svg|thumb|center|1917logo]]
In ''1917'' (2019), a similar technique was used to have the effect of the film being one long take. The film is comprised of many long scenes that are sewn together, many of the shots being 8-9 minutes long. Everything had to be choreographed perfectly, and the actors had to be extra prepared as one mess-up could ruin an entire days worth of work. The crew ran into many problems while filming, such as the sky being too sunny and not having enough clouds to achieve the look they wanted. The director of photography, Roger Deakins, commented &quot;Some days we just rehearsed and other days we just waited for a long, long time until the clouds came over.&quot; &lt;ref name=&quot;THRbudget&quot;&gt;{{cite web|title=Making of '1917': How Sam Mendes Filmed a &quot;Ticking Clock Thriller&quot;|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/making-1917-how-sam-mendes-filmed-a-ticking-clock-thriller-1263469|first=Tatiana|last=Siegel|date=26 December 2019|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|access-date=26 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191226205631/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/making-1917-how-sam-mendes-filmed-a-ticking-clock-thriller-1263469|archive-date=26 December 2019|url-status=live}}&lt;/ref&gt;

== Case Study ==
[[File:Gaspar Noé 2012.jpg|thumb|none|Gaspar Noé 2012]]
=== ''Climax'' (2018) ===
Shot in just 15 days, ''Climax'' (2018) features several long takes, including one that lasts almost 42 minutes long. The film was shot without a script in an attempt to allow the film to feel more free.&lt;ref name=&quot;WonderlandMasterProvocation&quot;&gt;{{cite web|url=https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2018/09/20/gaspar-noe-climax-interview/|title=The master of provocation on his trippy dance masterpiece, Climax. |last=Maybelle |first=Morgan |work=Wonderland|access-date=20 September 2018|date=15 March 2019}}&lt;/ref&gt; The 42 minute long take was filmed with director Gaspar Noe operating the camera. Noe didn't know how he was going to frame the scenes until he was on set.&lt;ref name=&quot;SBSPrimalDrives&quot;&gt;{{cite web|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/movies/article/2018/12/03/interview-gaspar-noe-tackles-primal-drives-and-paranoia-climax|title=Interview: Gaspar Noé tackles primal drives and paranoia in 'Climax'|last=Johnson |first=Travis |work=[[SBS (Australian TV channel)|SBS]]|access-date=5 December 2018|date=15 March 2019}}&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref name=&quot;ClimaxÉducation&quot;&gt;{{cite news|url = https://www.letemps.ch/culture/gaspar-noe-climax-un-film-educatif |title = Gaspar Noé: &quot;Climax peut être vu comme un film éducatif&quot;|work=Le Temps |last=Dufour |first=Nicholas |date= 13 July 2018|accessdate= 15 March 2019 |language=French}}&lt;/ref&gt;

The opening 13 minute long take, along with the 42 minute long take, captures the feeling of a drug-infused journey, with chaos, stress, and its characters being terrified of what could happen next, by filming most of the long takes completely handheld. The shakiness of the camera, along with its drug-fueled narrative, create a [[Mood &amp; Tone in Cinema|mood and tone]] of something spontaneous and flowing. &lt;ref name&quot;MovieLife&quot;&gt;{{cite web|url=https://www.ourmovielife.com/2019/07/15/that-one-continuous-shot/|title=That One Continuous Shot &amp; Gaspar Noe's Climax|publisher=OurMovieLife|date=15 July 2019}}&lt;/ref&gt;

=== ''Fantastic Mr. Fox'' (2009) ===
[[File:Fantastic Mr. Fox logo.png|thumb|Fantastic Mr. Fox logo]]
[[Fantastic Mr. Fox]], written by [[Noah Baumbach]] and directed by [[Wes Anderson]], features a long take lasting over 1 minute in the opening of the film that smoothly moves to the right at the same time its character do. In order to make the shot seem more natural, they recorded parts of it outside. This, along with the smooth motion of the camera, the length of the shot, and the [[Yellow in Film|yellow]] grading of the movie allows the film to seem more outdoorsy and filled with nature.&lt;ref name=&quot;ScreenRant&quot;&gt;{{cite web| url=https://screenrant.com/fantastic-mr-fox-wes-anderson-roald-dahl-movie/#mr-fox-s-fashion-is-based-on-wes-anderson-s | publisher=ScreenRant | first=Sam | last=Hutchinson | title=Fantastic Mr. Fox: 10 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Wes Anderson's Movie | date=October 8, 2020}}&lt;/ref&gt;

== Films ==
* ''Rope'' (1948) &lt;ref name=&quot;Inside/Out&quot;/&gt;
* ''Goodfellas'' (1990) &lt;ref name=&quot;BFI&quot;&gt;{{cite web| url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/16-incredible-long-takes | publisher=BFI | first=Matthew | last=Thrift | title=16 incredible long takes | date=13 July 2015}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* ''Weekend'' (1967) &lt;ref name=&quot;BFI&quot;/&gt;
* ''Stalker'' (1979) &lt;ref&gt;{{cite thesis |last=Marnoch |first=Christopher |title=The Long Take in Modern European Cinema |url=https://core.ac.uk/reader/28905640 |degree=PHD |publisher=Royal Holloway University of London}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* ''Gravity'' (2013) &lt;ref name=&quot;vulture2013&quot;/&gt;

== Filmmakers ==
* Alfred Hitchcock &lt;ref name=&quot;BFI&quot;/&gt;
* Orson Welles &lt;ref&gt;{{cite web| url=https://offscreen.com/view/moving_camera1 | publisher=offscreen | first=David | last=Menard| title=Toward a Synthesis of Cinema -A Theory of the Long Take Moving Camera, Part 1| date=August 2003}} &lt;/ref&gt;
* Paul Thomas Anderson &lt;ref name=sense&gt;{{cite web|last =Crous|first =André|title =Paul Thomas Anderson: Tracking through a Fantastic Reality|publisher =Senses of Cinema|website =SensesofCinema.com|issue =45|date =November 25, 2007|url =http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2007/45/paul-thomas-anderson/|access-date =September 21, 2010|archive-date =October 27, 2011|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20111027001906/http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2007/45/paul-thomas-anderson/|url-status =live}}&lt;/ref&gt;
* Andrei Tarkovsky &lt;ref name=&quot;BFI&quot;/&gt;
* Jean-Luc Godard &lt;ref name=&quot;BFI&quot;/&gt;
* Alfonso Cuarón &lt;ref name=&quot;vulture2013&quot;&gt;{{cite web | author = Dan P. Lee | work = [[New York (magazine)|New York]] | via = Vulture.com | url = https://www.vulture.com/2013/09/director-alfonso-cuaron-on-making-gravity.html | title = The Camera's Cusp: Alfonso Cuarón Takes Filmmaking to a New Extreme With Gravity | date = 22 September 2013 | access-date = 12 July 2015 | archive-date = 25 September 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130925035522/http://www.vulture.com/2013/09/director-alfonso-cuaron-on-making-gravity.html | url-status = live }}&lt;/ref&gt;

== References ==
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    <title>User talk:Codename Noreste</title>
    <ns>3</ns>
    <id>303304</id>
    <revision>
      <id>2817729</id>
      <parentid>2810963</parentid>
      <timestamp>2026-07-05T02:35:33Z</timestamp>
      <contributor>
        <username>~2026-38096-63</username>
        <id>3098908</id>
      </contributor>
      <comment>/* You didn’t notice that I edit here */ new section</comment>
      <origin>2817729</origin>
      <model>wikitext</model>
      <format>text/x-wiki</format>
      <text bytes="7608" sha1="b40dnkfcyivcaulbda4l0yyq920jx4g" xml:space="preserve">==Welcome==
{{Robelbox|theme=9|title='''[[Wikiversity:Welcome|Welcome]] to [[Wikiversity:What is Wikiversity|Wikiversity]],  Codename Noreste!'''|width=100%}}
&lt;div style=&quot;{{Robelbox/pad}}&quot;&gt;
You can [[Wikiversity:Contact|contact us]] with [[Wikiversity:Questions|questions]] at the [[Wikiversity:Colloquium|colloquium]] or get in touch with [[User talk:Jtneill|me personally]] if you would like some [[Help:Contents|help]].

Remember to [[Wikiversity:Signature#How to add your signature|sign]] your comments when [[Wikiversity:Who are Wikiversity participants?|participating]] in [[Wikiversity:Talk page|discussions]]. Using the signature icon [[File:OOjs UI icon signature-ltr.svg]] makes it simple.

We invite you to [[Wikiversity:Be bold|be bold]] and [[Wikiversity|assume good faith]]. Please abide by our [[Wikiversity:Civility|civility]], [[Wikiversity:Privacy policy|privacy]], and [[Foundation:Terms of Use|terms of use]] policies.

To find your way around, check out:
&lt;!-- The Left column --&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;width:50.0%; float:left&quot;&gt;
* [[Wikiversity:Introduction|Introduction to Wikiversity]]
* [[Help:Guides|Take a guided tour]] and learn [[Help:Editing|how to edit]]
* [[Wikiversity:Browse|Browse]] or visit an educational level portal:&lt;br&gt;[[Portal:Pre-school Education|pre-school]] | [[Portal:Primary Education|primary]] | [[Portal:Secondary Education|secondary]] | [[Portal:Tertiary Education|tertiary]] | [[Portal:Non-formal Education|non-formal]]
* [[Wikiversity:Introduction explore|Explore]] links in left-hand navigation menu
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;!-- The Right column --&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;width:50.0%; float:left&quot;&gt;

* Read an [[Wikiversity:Wikiversity teachers|introduction for teachers]]
* Learn [[Help:How to write an educational resource|how to write an educational resource]]
* Find out about [[Wikiversity:Research|research]] activities
* Give [[Wikiversity:Feedback|feedback]] about your observations
* Discuss issues or ask questions at the [[Wikiversity:Colloquium|colloquium]]
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;br clear=&quot;both&quot;/&gt;

To get started, experiment in the [[wikiversity:sandbox|sandbox]] or on [[special:mypage|your userpage]].

See you around Wikiversity! ---- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 12:39, 24 March 2026 (UTC)&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;!-- Template:Welcome --&gt;
{{Robelbox/close}}

== [[Wikiversity:Candidates for Custodianship/Codename Noreste]] ==

I have closed this as successful. Please reach out if you have any questions. Congrats! —[[User:Atcovi|Atcovi]] [[User talk:Atcovi|(Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Atcovi|Contribs)]] 18:47, 31 March 2026 (UTC)

Congratulations. Please add yourself to [[Wikiversity:Staff]]. Sincerely, James -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 01:29, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

:@[[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]], {{done|[[Special:Diff/2802052|done]]}}. [[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]] ([[User talk:Codename Noreste|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Codename Noreste|contribs]]) 02:59, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

Congratulations. I've added you as custodian. --[[User:Mu301|mikeu]] &lt;sup&gt;[[User talk:Mu301|talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 16:57, 21 May 2026 (UTC)
: Congrats. Welcome aboard. Let me know if I can do anything as mentor as you go along. -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 00:14, 22 May 2026 (UTC)
: You're welcome, y'all. [[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]] ([[User talk:Codename Noreste|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Codename Noreste|contribs]]) 00:49, 22 May 2026 (UTC)

== Abusefilters ==

Thanks for pointing me to abuse filters. Now I can see, that they bring whole new agenda. [[User:Juandev|Juandev]] ([[User talk:Juandev|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Juandev|contribs]]) 17:58, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

:Yes, custodians can see local private abuse filters, and I am a global abuse filter helper, so I can teach you about abuse filters, if needed [[User:Juandev|Juandev]]. Thanks. [[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]] ([[User talk:Codename Noreste|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Codename Noreste|contribs]]) 18:16, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

== Hi ==

Hi, I'm from Wikibooks. I was just wondering how the draft on my [[User:2005-Fan|userpage]] for a Pokemon-based project on here (and potentially more video games) since I want stable resources to contribute gaming knowledge, and I was informed of this website.

Admittedly I used Anthropic to help make the draft., but I just wanted to see what the policies and your opinion is. [[User:2005-Fan|2005-Fan]] ([[User talk:2005-Fan|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/2005-Fan|contribs]]) 16:09, 13 April 2026 (UTC)
: Hello, I believe MathXplore has responded to your question(s) per [[User talk:MathXplore#c-MathXplore-20260414121900-2005-Fan-20260413234100]]. [[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]] ([[User talk:Codename Noreste|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Codename Noreste|contribs]]) 16:13, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

==Interface administrator==
You are now an [[Wikiversity:Interface administrators]] for 120 days. Thanks for your willingness to improve the English Wikiversity interface. -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 22:39, 12 May 2026 (UTC)

== Curator rights ==

You have removed curator flag from [[Wikiversity:Bureaucratship]]. My point in the discussion was, that non of the pages is mentioning that they can give curator flag. So if it is technically posible for admins, that information, should probably be placed in [[Wikiversity:Custodianship]]. I am not doing that, because I dont know if it is a habit on en.wv. [[User:Juandev|Juandev]] ([[User talk:Juandev|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Juandev|contribs]]) 12:14, 13 May 2026 (UTC)
: See [[Special:Diff/2808912]]. Bold change, but I added information about which permissions custodians can grant and remove, but which permissions they cannot do. [[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]] ([[User talk:Codename Noreste|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Codename Noreste|contribs]]) 15:05, 13 May 2026 (UTC)
::Yes, if you can improve the accuracy, clarity, and consistency of information on the curator, custodian, and bureaucrat policy/proposed policy pages, especially about user rights, please go ahead and do so. -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 23:01, 13 May 2026 (UTC)

== Wikinews ==

I want to write @[[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]], @[[User:Koavf|Koavf]] [[User:BigKrow|BigKrow]] ([[User talk:BigKrow|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/BigKrow|contribs]]) 21:32, 13 May 2026 (UTC)

:I encourage you to start working with the [[:Category:Journalism|existing journalism resources]] and propose general new-writing at [[Wikiversity:Colloquium]]. I would support the idea of en masse allowing Wikinews to be continued here, including a new namespace. I think that it's a valid continuing learning activity to see citizen journalism in practice. ―[[User:Koavf|Justin (&lt;span style=&quot;color:grey&quot;&gt;ko'''a'''&lt;span style=&quot;color:black&quot;&gt;v&lt;/span&gt;f&lt;/span&gt;)]]&lt;span style=&quot;color:red&quot;&gt;❤[[User talk:Koavf|T]]☮[[Special:Contributions/Koavf|C]]☺[[Special:Emailuser/Koavf|M]]☯&lt;/span&gt; 21:54, 13 May 2026 (UTC)

== You didn’t notice that I edit here ==

Yeah, because the person I talk about sucks (it’s not you) [[Special:Contributions/&amp;#126;2026-38096-63|&amp;#126;2026-38096-63]] ([[User talk:&amp;#126;2026-38096-63|talk]]) 02:35, 5 July 2026 (UTC)</text>
      <sha1>b40dnkfcyivcaulbda4l0yyq920jx4g</sha1>
    </revision>
    <revision>
      <id>2817731</id>
      <parentid>2817729</parentid>
      <timestamp>2026-07-05T02:41:35Z</timestamp>
      <contributor>
        <username>~2026-38096-63</username>
        <id>3098908</id>
      </contributor>
      <comment>/* You didn’t notice that I edit here */ Reply</comment>
      <origin>2817731</origin>
      <model>wikitext</model>
      <format>text/x-wiki</format>
      <text bytes="7797" sha1="3uvjlerbdse80mcvpjgar590x78mjd1" xml:space="preserve">==Welcome==
{{Robelbox|theme=9|title='''[[Wikiversity:Welcome|Welcome]] to [[Wikiversity:What is Wikiversity|Wikiversity]],  Codename Noreste!'''|width=100%}}
&lt;div style=&quot;{{Robelbox/pad}}&quot;&gt;
You can [[Wikiversity:Contact|contact us]] with [[Wikiversity:Questions|questions]] at the [[Wikiversity:Colloquium|colloquium]] or get in touch with [[User talk:Jtneill|me personally]] if you would like some [[Help:Contents|help]].

Remember to [[Wikiversity:Signature#How to add your signature|sign]] your comments when [[Wikiversity:Who are Wikiversity participants?|participating]] in [[Wikiversity:Talk page|discussions]]. Using the signature icon [[File:OOjs UI icon signature-ltr.svg]] makes it simple.

We invite you to [[Wikiversity:Be bold|be bold]] and [[Wikiversity|assume good faith]]. Please abide by our [[Wikiversity:Civility|civility]], [[Wikiversity:Privacy policy|privacy]], and [[Foundation:Terms of Use|terms of use]] policies.

To find your way around, check out:
&lt;!-- The Left column --&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;width:50.0%; float:left&quot;&gt;
* [[Wikiversity:Introduction|Introduction to Wikiversity]]
* [[Help:Guides|Take a guided tour]] and learn [[Help:Editing|how to edit]]
* [[Wikiversity:Browse|Browse]] or visit an educational level portal:&lt;br&gt;[[Portal:Pre-school Education|pre-school]] | [[Portal:Primary Education|primary]] | [[Portal:Secondary Education|secondary]] | [[Portal:Tertiary Education|tertiary]] | [[Portal:Non-formal Education|non-formal]]
* [[Wikiversity:Introduction explore|Explore]] links in left-hand navigation menu
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;!-- The Right column --&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;width:50.0%; float:left&quot;&gt;

* Read an [[Wikiversity:Wikiversity teachers|introduction for teachers]]
* Learn [[Help:How to write an educational resource|how to write an educational resource]]
* Find out about [[Wikiversity:Research|research]] activities
* Give [[Wikiversity:Feedback|feedback]] about your observations
* Discuss issues or ask questions at the [[Wikiversity:Colloquium|colloquium]]
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;br clear=&quot;both&quot;/&gt;

To get started, experiment in the [[wikiversity:sandbox|sandbox]] or on [[special:mypage|your userpage]].

See you around Wikiversity! ---- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 12:39, 24 March 2026 (UTC)&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;!-- Template:Welcome --&gt;
{{Robelbox/close}}

== [[Wikiversity:Candidates for Custodianship/Codename Noreste]] ==

I have closed this as successful. Please reach out if you have any questions. Congrats! —[[User:Atcovi|Atcovi]] [[User talk:Atcovi|(Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Atcovi|Contribs)]] 18:47, 31 March 2026 (UTC)

Congratulations. Please add yourself to [[Wikiversity:Staff]]. Sincerely, James -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 01:29, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

:@[[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]], {{done|[[Special:Diff/2802052|done]]}}. [[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]] ([[User talk:Codename Noreste|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Codename Noreste|contribs]]) 02:59, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

Congratulations. I've added you as custodian. --[[User:Mu301|mikeu]] &lt;sup&gt;[[User talk:Mu301|talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 16:57, 21 May 2026 (UTC)
: Congrats. Welcome aboard. Let me know if I can do anything as mentor as you go along. -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 00:14, 22 May 2026 (UTC)
: You're welcome, y'all. [[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]] ([[User talk:Codename Noreste|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Codename Noreste|contribs]]) 00:49, 22 May 2026 (UTC)

== Abusefilters ==

Thanks for pointing me to abuse filters. Now I can see, that they bring whole new agenda. [[User:Juandev|Juandev]] ([[User talk:Juandev|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Juandev|contribs]]) 17:58, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

:Yes, custodians can see local private abuse filters, and I am a global abuse filter helper, so I can teach you about abuse filters, if needed [[User:Juandev|Juandev]]. Thanks. [[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]] ([[User talk:Codename Noreste|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Codename Noreste|contribs]]) 18:16, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

== Hi ==

Hi, I'm from Wikibooks. I was just wondering how the draft on my [[User:2005-Fan|userpage]] for a Pokemon-based project on here (and potentially more video games) since I want stable resources to contribute gaming knowledge, and I was informed of this website.

Admittedly I used Anthropic to help make the draft., but I just wanted to see what the policies and your opinion is. [[User:2005-Fan|2005-Fan]] ([[User talk:2005-Fan|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/2005-Fan|contribs]]) 16:09, 13 April 2026 (UTC)
: Hello, I believe MathXplore has responded to your question(s) per [[User talk:MathXplore#c-MathXplore-20260414121900-2005-Fan-20260413234100]]. [[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]] ([[User talk:Codename Noreste|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Codename Noreste|contribs]]) 16:13, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

==Interface administrator==
You are now an [[Wikiversity:Interface administrators]] for 120 days. Thanks for your willingness to improve the English Wikiversity interface. -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 22:39, 12 May 2026 (UTC)

== Curator rights ==

You have removed curator flag from [[Wikiversity:Bureaucratship]]. My point in the discussion was, that non of the pages is mentioning that they can give curator flag. So if it is technically posible for admins, that information, should probably be placed in [[Wikiversity:Custodianship]]. I am not doing that, because I dont know if it is a habit on en.wv. [[User:Juandev|Juandev]] ([[User talk:Juandev|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Juandev|contribs]]) 12:14, 13 May 2026 (UTC)
: See [[Special:Diff/2808912]]. Bold change, but I added information about which permissions custodians can grant and remove, but which permissions they cannot do. [[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]] ([[User talk:Codename Noreste|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Codename Noreste|contribs]]) 15:05, 13 May 2026 (UTC)
::Yes, if you can improve the accuracy, clarity, and consistency of information on the curator, custodian, and bureaucrat policy/proposed policy pages, especially about user rights, please go ahead and do so. -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 23:01, 13 May 2026 (UTC)

== Wikinews ==

I want to write @[[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]], @[[User:Koavf|Koavf]] [[User:BigKrow|BigKrow]] ([[User talk:BigKrow|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/BigKrow|contribs]]) 21:32, 13 May 2026 (UTC)

:I encourage you to start working with the [[:Category:Journalism|existing journalism resources]] and propose general new-writing at [[Wikiversity:Colloquium]]. I would support the idea of en masse allowing Wikinews to be continued here, including a new namespace. I think that it's a valid continuing learning activity to see citizen journalism in practice. ―[[User:Koavf|Justin (&lt;span style=&quot;color:grey&quot;&gt;ko'''a'''&lt;span style=&quot;color:black&quot;&gt;v&lt;/span&gt;f&lt;/span&gt;)]]&lt;span style=&quot;color:red&quot;&gt;❤[[User talk:Koavf|T]]☮[[Special:Contributions/Koavf|C]]☺[[Special:Emailuser/Koavf|M]]☯&lt;/span&gt; 21:54, 13 May 2026 (UTC)

== You didn’t notice that I edit here ==

Yeah, because the person I talk about sucks (it’s not you) [[Special:Contributions/&amp;#126;2026-38096-63|&amp;#126;2026-38096-63]] ([[User talk:&amp;#126;2026-38096-63|talk]]) 02:35, 5 July 2026 (UTC)

:@[[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]], come her3 [[Special:Contributions/&amp;#126;2026-38096-63|&amp;#126;2026-38096-63]] ([[User talk:&amp;#126;2026-38096-63|talk]]) 02:41, 5 July 2026 (UTC)</text>
      <sha1>3uvjlerbdse80mcvpjgar590x78mjd1</sha1>
    </revision>
    <revision>
      <id>2817734</id>
      <parentid>2817731</parentid>
      <timestamp>2026-07-05T02:42:31Z</timestamp>
      <contributor>
        <username>Codename Noreste</username>
        <id>2969951</id>
      </contributor>
      <minor />
      <comment>Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/~2026-38096-63|~2026-38096-63]] ([[User_talk:~2026-38096-63|talk]]) to last version by [[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]] using [[Wikiversity:Rollback|rollback]]</comment>
      <origin>2810963</origin>
      <model>wikitext</model>
      <format>text/x-wiki</format>
      <text bytes="7370" sha1="njndp23d5qnfqkv848bv8adcv9o24ng" xml:space="preserve">==Welcome==
{{Robelbox|theme=9|title='''[[Wikiversity:Welcome|Welcome]] to [[Wikiversity:What is Wikiversity|Wikiversity]],  Codename Noreste!'''|width=100%}}
&lt;div style=&quot;{{Robelbox/pad}}&quot;&gt;
You can [[Wikiversity:Contact|contact us]] with [[Wikiversity:Questions|questions]] at the [[Wikiversity:Colloquium|colloquium]] or get in touch with [[User talk:Jtneill|me personally]] if you would like some [[Help:Contents|help]].

Remember to [[Wikiversity:Signature#How to add your signature|sign]] your comments when [[Wikiversity:Who are Wikiversity participants?|participating]] in [[Wikiversity:Talk page|discussions]]. Using the signature icon [[File:OOjs UI icon signature-ltr.svg]] makes it simple.

We invite you to [[Wikiversity:Be bold|be bold]] and [[Wikiversity|assume good faith]]. Please abide by our [[Wikiversity:Civility|civility]], [[Wikiversity:Privacy policy|privacy]], and [[Foundation:Terms of Use|terms of use]] policies.

To find your way around, check out:
&lt;!-- The Left column --&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;width:50.0%; float:left&quot;&gt;
* [[Wikiversity:Introduction|Introduction to Wikiversity]]
* [[Help:Guides|Take a guided tour]] and learn [[Help:Editing|how to edit]]
* [[Wikiversity:Browse|Browse]] or visit an educational level portal:&lt;br&gt;[[Portal:Pre-school Education|pre-school]] | [[Portal:Primary Education|primary]] | [[Portal:Secondary Education|secondary]] | [[Portal:Tertiary Education|tertiary]] | [[Portal:Non-formal Education|non-formal]]
* [[Wikiversity:Introduction explore|Explore]] links in left-hand navigation menu
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;!-- The Right column --&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;width:50.0%; float:left&quot;&gt;

* Read an [[Wikiversity:Wikiversity teachers|introduction for teachers]]
* Learn [[Help:How to write an educational resource|how to write an educational resource]]
* Find out about [[Wikiversity:Research|research]] activities
* Give [[Wikiversity:Feedback|feedback]] about your observations
* Discuss issues or ask questions at the [[Wikiversity:Colloquium|colloquium]]
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;br clear=&quot;both&quot;/&gt;

To get started, experiment in the [[wikiversity:sandbox|sandbox]] or on [[special:mypage|your userpage]].

See you around Wikiversity! ---- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 12:39, 24 March 2026 (UTC)&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;!-- Template:Welcome --&gt;
{{Robelbox/close}}

== [[Wikiversity:Candidates for Custodianship/Codename Noreste]] ==

I have closed this as successful. Please reach out if you have any questions. Congrats! —[[User:Atcovi|Atcovi]] [[User talk:Atcovi|(Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Atcovi|Contribs)]] 18:47, 31 March 2026 (UTC)

Congratulations. Please add yourself to [[Wikiversity:Staff]]. Sincerely, James -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 01:29, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

:@[[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]], {{done|[[Special:Diff/2802052|done]]}}. [[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]] ([[User talk:Codename Noreste|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Codename Noreste|contribs]]) 02:59, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

Congratulations. I've added you as custodian. --[[User:Mu301|mikeu]] &lt;sup&gt;[[User talk:Mu301|talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 16:57, 21 May 2026 (UTC)
: Congrats. Welcome aboard. Let me know if I can do anything as mentor as you go along. -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 00:14, 22 May 2026 (UTC)
: You're welcome, y'all. [[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]] ([[User talk:Codename Noreste|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Codename Noreste|contribs]]) 00:49, 22 May 2026 (UTC)

== Abusefilters ==

Thanks for pointing me to abuse filters. Now I can see, that they bring whole new agenda. [[User:Juandev|Juandev]] ([[User talk:Juandev|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Juandev|contribs]]) 17:58, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

:Yes, custodians can see local private abuse filters, and I am a global abuse filter helper, so I can teach you about abuse filters, if needed [[User:Juandev|Juandev]]. Thanks. [[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]] ([[User talk:Codename Noreste|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Codename Noreste|contribs]]) 18:16, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

== Hi ==

Hi, I'm from Wikibooks. I was just wondering how the draft on my [[User:2005-Fan|userpage]] for a Pokemon-based project on here (and potentially more video games) since I want stable resources to contribute gaming knowledge, and I was informed of this website.

Admittedly I used Anthropic to help make the draft., but I just wanted to see what the policies and your opinion is. [[User:2005-Fan|2005-Fan]] ([[User talk:2005-Fan|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/2005-Fan|contribs]]) 16:09, 13 April 2026 (UTC)
: Hello, I believe MathXplore has responded to your question(s) per [[User talk:MathXplore#c-MathXplore-20260414121900-2005-Fan-20260413234100]]. [[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]] ([[User talk:Codename Noreste|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Codename Noreste|contribs]]) 16:13, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

==Interface administrator==
You are now an [[Wikiversity:Interface administrators]] for 120 days. Thanks for your willingness to improve the English Wikiversity interface. -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 22:39, 12 May 2026 (UTC)

== Curator rights ==

You have removed curator flag from [[Wikiversity:Bureaucratship]]. My point in the discussion was, that non of the pages is mentioning that they can give curator flag. So if it is technically posible for admins, that information, should probably be placed in [[Wikiversity:Custodianship]]. I am not doing that, because I dont know if it is a habit on en.wv. [[User:Juandev|Juandev]] ([[User talk:Juandev|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Juandev|contribs]]) 12:14, 13 May 2026 (UTC)
: See [[Special:Diff/2808912]]. Bold change, but I added information about which permissions custodians can grant and remove, but which permissions they cannot do. [[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]] ([[User talk:Codename Noreste|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Codename Noreste|contribs]]) 15:05, 13 May 2026 (UTC)
::Yes, if you can improve the accuracy, clarity, and consistency of information on the curator, custodian, and bureaucrat policy/proposed policy pages, especially about user rights, please go ahead and do so. -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 23:01, 13 May 2026 (UTC)

== Wikinews ==

I want to write @[[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]], @[[User:Koavf|Koavf]] [[User:BigKrow|BigKrow]] ([[User talk:BigKrow|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/BigKrow|contribs]]) 21:32, 13 May 2026 (UTC)

:I encourage you to start working with the [[:Category:Journalism|existing journalism resources]] and propose general new-writing at [[Wikiversity:Colloquium]]. I would support the idea of en masse allowing Wikinews to be continued here, including a new namespace. I think that it's a valid continuing learning activity to see citizen journalism in practice. ―[[User:Koavf|Justin (&lt;span style=&quot;color:grey&quot;&gt;ko'''a'''&lt;span style=&quot;color:black&quot;&gt;v&lt;/span&gt;f&lt;/span&gt;)]]&lt;span style=&quot;color:red&quot;&gt;❤[[User talk:Koavf|T]]☮[[Special:Contributions/Koavf|C]]☺[[Special:Emailuser/Koavf|M]]☯&lt;/span&gt; 21:54, 13 May 2026 (UTC)</text>
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        <username>ThinkingScience</username>
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      <comment>/* This message is 100% human written. Somebody tried to reach out to me. */ new section</comment>
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      <text bytes="8870" sha1="ijvi43unbp1a9nlaffagrbzafa330so" xml:space="preserve">==Welcome==
{{Robelbox|theme=9|title='''[[Wikiversity:Welcome|Welcome]] to [[Wikiversity:What is Wikiversity|Wikiversity]],  Codename Noreste!'''|width=100%}}
&lt;div style=&quot;{{Robelbox/pad}}&quot;&gt;
You can [[Wikiversity:Contact|contact us]] with [[Wikiversity:Questions|questions]] at the [[Wikiversity:Colloquium|colloquium]] or get in touch with [[User talk:Jtneill|me personally]] if you would like some [[Help:Contents|help]].

Remember to [[Wikiversity:Signature#How to add your signature|sign]] your comments when [[Wikiversity:Who are Wikiversity participants?|participating]] in [[Wikiversity:Talk page|discussions]]. Using the signature icon [[File:OOjs UI icon signature-ltr.svg]] makes it simple.

We invite you to [[Wikiversity:Be bold|be bold]] and [[Wikiversity|assume good faith]]. Please abide by our [[Wikiversity:Civility|civility]], [[Wikiversity:Privacy policy|privacy]], and [[Foundation:Terms of Use|terms of use]] policies.

To find your way around, check out:
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* [[Wikiversity:Introduction|Introduction to Wikiversity]]
* [[Help:Guides|Take a guided tour]] and learn [[Help:Editing|how to edit]]
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* [[Wikiversity:Introduction explore|Explore]] links in left-hand navigation menu
&lt;/div&gt;
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&lt;div style=&quot;width:50.0%; float:left&quot;&gt;

* Read an [[Wikiversity:Wikiversity teachers|introduction for teachers]]
* Learn [[Help:How to write an educational resource|how to write an educational resource]]
* Find out about [[Wikiversity:Research|research]] activities
* Give [[Wikiversity:Feedback|feedback]] about your observations
* Discuss issues or ask questions at the [[Wikiversity:Colloquium|colloquium]]
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;br clear=&quot;both&quot;/&gt;

To get started, experiment in the [[wikiversity:sandbox|sandbox]] or on [[special:mypage|your userpage]].

See you around Wikiversity! ---- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 12:39, 24 March 2026 (UTC)&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;!-- Template:Welcome --&gt;
{{Robelbox/close}}

== [[Wikiversity:Candidates for Custodianship/Codename Noreste]] ==

I have closed this as successful. Please reach out if you have any questions. Congrats! —[[User:Atcovi|Atcovi]] [[User talk:Atcovi|(Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Atcovi|Contribs)]] 18:47, 31 March 2026 (UTC)

Congratulations. Please add yourself to [[Wikiversity:Staff]]. Sincerely, James -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 01:29, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

:@[[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]], {{done|[[Special:Diff/2802052|done]]}}. [[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]] ([[User talk:Codename Noreste|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Codename Noreste|contribs]]) 02:59, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

Congratulations. I've added you as custodian. --[[User:Mu301|mikeu]] &lt;sup&gt;[[User talk:Mu301|talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 16:57, 21 May 2026 (UTC)
: Congrats. Welcome aboard. Let me know if I can do anything as mentor as you go along. -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 00:14, 22 May 2026 (UTC)
: You're welcome, y'all. [[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]] ([[User talk:Codename Noreste|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Codename Noreste|contribs]]) 00:49, 22 May 2026 (UTC)

== Abusefilters ==

Thanks for pointing me to abuse filters. Now I can see, that they bring whole new agenda. [[User:Juandev|Juandev]] ([[User talk:Juandev|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Juandev|contribs]]) 17:58, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

:Yes, custodians can see local private abuse filters, and I am a global abuse filter helper, so I can teach you about abuse filters, if needed [[User:Juandev|Juandev]]. Thanks. [[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]] ([[User talk:Codename Noreste|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Codename Noreste|contribs]]) 18:16, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

== Hi ==

Hi, I'm from Wikibooks. I was just wondering how the draft on my [[User:2005-Fan|userpage]] for a Pokemon-based project on here (and potentially more video games) since I want stable resources to contribute gaming knowledge, and I was informed of this website.

Admittedly I used Anthropic to help make the draft., but I just wanted to see what the policies and your opinion is. [[User:2005-Fan|2005-Fan]] ([[User talk:2005-Fan|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/2005-Fan|contribs]]) 16:09, 13 April 2026 (UTC)
: Hello, I believe MathXplore has responded to your question(s) per [[User talk:MathXplore#c-MathXplore-20260414121900-2005-Fan-20260413234100]]. [[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]] ([[User talk:Codename Noreste|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Codename Noreste|contribs]]) 16:13, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

==Interface administrator==
You are now an [[Wikiversity:Interface administrators]] for 120 days. Thanks for your willingness to improve the English Wikiversity interface. -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 22:39, 12 May 2026 (UTC)

== Curator rights ==

You have removed curator flag from [[Wikiversity:Bureaucratship]]. My point in the discussion was, that non of the pages is mentioning that they can give curator flag. So if it is technically posible for admins, that information, should probably be placed in [[Wikiversity:Custodianship]]. I am not doing that, because I dont know if it is a habit on en.wv. [[User:Juandev|Juandev]] ([[User talk:Juandev|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Juandev|contribs]]) 12:14, 13 May 2026 (UTC)
: See [[Special:Diff/2808912]]. Bold change, but I added information about which permissions custodians can grant and remove, but which permissions they cannot do. [[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]] ([[User talk:Codename Noreste|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/Codename Noreste|contribs]]) 15:05, 13 May 2026 (UTC)
::Yes, if you can improve the accuracy, clarity, and consistency of information on the curator, custodian, and bureaucrat policy/proposed policy pages, especially about user rights, please go ahead and do so. -- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 23:01, 13 May 2026 (UTC)

== Wikinews ==

I want to write @[[User:Codename Noreste|Codename Noreste]], @[[User:Koavf|Koavf]] [[User:BigKrow|BigKrow]] ([[User talk:BigKrow|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/BigKrow|contribs]]) 21:32, 13 May 2026 (UTC)

:I encourage you to start working with the [[:Category:Journalism|existing journalism resources]] and propose general new-writing at [[Wikiversity:Colloquium]]. I would support the idea of en masse allowing Wikinews to be continued here, including a new namespace. I think that it's a valid continuing learning activity to see citizen journalism in practice. ―[[User:Koavf|Justin (&lt;span style=&quot;color:grey&quot;&gt;ko'''a'''&lt;span style=&quot;color:black&quot;&gt;v&lt;/span&gt;f&lt;/span&gt;)]]&lt;span style=&quot;color:red&quot;&gt;❤[[User talk:Koavf|T]]☮[[Special:Contributions/Koavf|C]]☺[[Special:Emailuser/Koavf|M]]☯&lt;/span&gt; 21:54, 13 May 2026 (UTC)

== This message is 100% human written. Somebody tried to reach out to me. ==

Hello. I got 2 notifications kinda recently and I don't want to lose my &quot;momentum&quot; as I'm worried that whomever was not making constructive edits but perhaps had a reason to &quot;vent&quot; and the place they chose to &quot;vent&quot; may have just been English Wikiversity I'm hanging out here https://etherpad.wikimedia.org/p/letstalk which is a 100% sort of &quot;monitored&quot; place considering all edit history is saved in real time which is why I love Etherpad so much.
I feel I am strong enough that regardless of whatever that user wanted to throw my way I can handle it. The strength of etherpad is that everything is documented automatically but it's also a great brainstorming tool and I think I could turn whatever is being thrown my way into &quot;a positive and creative way&quot;. I'm not asking you to do anything. Perhaps just me posting this may encourage some interaction with another human being and I'm ok with people not agreeing with me or even wanting to throw abuse my way to vent(as a special exception just for the next 24 hours) I hope this was written in a constructive way. If it was not feel free to remove this message completely along with its edit history. If you have any questions feel free to ask them. Thank you for making English Wikiversity a better place! [[User:ThinkingScience|ThinkingScience]] ([[User talk:ThinkingScience|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/ThinkingScience|contribs]]) 03:02, 5 July 2026 (UTC)</text>
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      <comment>User statistics.</comment>
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[[File:Sorbus torminalis Trunk and canopy.jpg|thumb|310px|The intracanopy of a Wild Service Tree, i.e. &lt;small&gt;''Torminalis glaberrima'' (Gand.) Sennikov &amp; Kurtto, ''Memoranda Soc. Fauna Fl. Fenn.'' 93: 32 (2017).&lt;/small&gt;]]&lt;br /&gt;
 
Most of my wiki contributions are made to [[:species:Main Page|Wikispecies]] where I'm an administrator, bureaucrat and interface admin,&lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[https://species.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:ListUsers&amp;limit=1&amp;username=Tommy_Kronkvist (verify)]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; to the Swedish Wikimedia Chapter [[WMSE:|Wikimedia Sverige]] (WMSE) where I'm an administrator,&lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;(&lt;span class=&quot;plainlinks&quot;&gt;[https://se.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Användare&amp;limit=1&amp;username=Tommy_Kronkvist verify]&lt;/span&gt;)&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; and as administrator and interface administrator at the Swedish version of [[wikivoyage:sv:Huvudsida|Wikivoyage]].&lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;(&lt;span class=&quot;plainlinks&quot;&gt;[https://sv.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Special:ListUsers&amp;limit=1&amp;username=Tommy_Kronkvist verify]&lt;/span&gt;)&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt;

So far (July 5, 2026), I've made just over 395,400 edits to 153 of the Wikimedia sister projects&amp;nbsp;– the majority of them to Wikispecies and Wikidata. My global account information for all of Wikimedia can be found [[meta:Special:CentralAuth/Tommy Kronkvist|here]].

Swedish is my mother tongue&amp;nbsp;– even though I was born in Finland&amp;nbsp;– but I feel comfortable speaking and writing English and to some extent in German as well. Odd as it may seem, unfortunately I can't speak any Finnish even though I went to school there for a few years prior to moving to Sweden (see [[w:Swedish-speaking population of Finland|Swedish-speaking population of Finland]] in Wikipedia). I've lived all over Sweden but nowadays reside in Uppsala, the fourth biggest city and former capital of Sweden.

I'm only the fourth generation named &quot;Kronkvist&quot;. My family name consists of two parts: ''kron'' – a short form of the Swedish word ''krona'' meaning 'crown', as in coronation crown or tree crown – and ''kvist'', meaning 'bough' or 'twig'. Hence the name ''Kronkvist'' refers to a twig in the canopy of a forest. I'm the fourth generation of Kronkvist's. Prior to that our family name was ''Mattus'': an oeconym meaning &quot;Matthew's Farm&quot;, dating back to at least 1637.
{{Clear}}
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  <page>
    <title>WikiJournal Preprints/Pentagram map</title>
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      <comment>fixed sfn error</comment>
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      <text bytes="61222" sha1="jbsabsiybfqn1flmhyyn3dtxd096fcf" xml:space="preserve">{{Article info
| last1 = Stiegler
| orcid1 = 0009-0001-5789-6923
| first1 = Jean-Baptiste
| affiliation1 = Université Paris-Saclay
| correspondence1 = jean-baptiste.stiegler@universite-paris-saclay.fr
| journal = WikiJournal of Science
| et_al = true
| w1 = Pentagram map
| from w1 = true
| keywords = Pentagram map, Dynamical system, Projective geometry, Moduli space, Integrable systems
| license = CC-BY-SA 4.0
| submitted = 2025-12-08
| abstract = In [[w:mathematics|mathematics]], the '''pentagram map''' is a [[w:Dynamical system#Discrete dynamical system|discrete dynamical system]] acting on [[w:polygons|polygons]] in the [[w:projective plane|projective plane]]. It defines a new polygon whose vertices are obtained as the intersection points of the shortest [[w:Diagonal|diagonals]] of the initial polygon. This is a [[w:Projective linear group|projectively]] [[w:Equivariant map|equivariant]] procedure, hence it [[w:Quotient space (topology)|descends]] to the [[w:moduli space|moduli space]] of polygons and defines another dynamical system (which is also referred to as the pentagram map). It was first introduced by [[w:Richard Schwartz (mathematician)|Richard Schwartz]] in 1992.{{Sfn|Schwartz|1992}}

The pentagram map on the moduli space is famous for its [[w:Completely integrable|complete integrability]] and its link with [[w:cluster algebra|cluster algebras]].{{sfn|Gekhtman|Izosimov|2025|p=14}}

It admits many generalizations in [[w:Projective space|projective spaces]] and other settings.
}}
== Introduction ==

=== Informal definition ===

==== On polygons ====
[[File:Pentagram pentagon nolabel big.svg|alt=|thumb|300x300px|The pentagram map applied on a [[w:Convex set|convex]] [[w:pentagon|pentagon]].]]
Initially, the pentagram map was defined for [[w:convex polygon|convex polygon]]s (with at least five sides) on the [[w:euclidean plane|Euclidean plane]]. Given such a polygon &lt;math&gt;P&lt;/math&gt; with &lt;math&gt;n&lt;/math&gt; sides, one can draw the &quot;shortest [[w:diagonal|diagonal]]s&quot;, meaning the [[w:Line segment|segments]] whose endpoints are a [[w:Vertex (geometry)|vertex]] and one of its second neighbors (as in Figure 1). The intersections of the shortest diagonals are then taken as the vertices of a new &lt;math&gt;n&lt;/math&gt;-gon &lt;math&gt;T(P)&lt;/math&gt;; this new polygon is the output of the pentagram map.{{Sfn|Berger|2005}}

The same construction can be done on [[w:Concave polygon|non-convex polygons]], but there are several complications. First, some consecutive short diagonals may not intersect, so one must extend the segments to [[w:Line (geometry)|lines]]. Second, the image &lt;math&gt;T(P)&lt;/math&gt; can fail to be a new &lt;math&gt;n&lt;/math&gt;-gon because some consecutive vertices could coincide. However, this [[w:Generic property|generically]] doesn't happen.{{Sfn|Ovsienko|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|p=411|2009}} Finally, it is possible that two diagonals are [[w:Parallel (geometry)|parallel]] and don't intersect on the [[w:euclidean plane|Euclidean plane]]. This is resolved by extending the Euclidean plane to the [[w:real projective plane|real projective plane]] by the addition of a [[w:line at infinity|line at infinity]], where the [[w:Vanishing point|intersection point]] lies (see Figure 3). Hence, the pentagram map is defined for generic polygons in the real projective plane.{{Sfn|Berger|2005|p=25}}

More generally, the construction of the pentagram map is well defined whenever the concepts of lines and their intersections make sense. This is encompassed by the notion of a general [[w:projective plane|projective plane]], of which the real projective plane is one example; but the pentagram map can also be considered over other [[w:Field (mathematics)|fields]], for instance the [[w:complex number|complex number]]s, which give the [[w:complex projective plane|complex projective plane]].{{Sfn|Weinreich|2022|loc=§3.1.1}}

==== On the moduli space of polygons ====
Since the pentagram map is constructed by drawing lines and marking their intersections, it [[w:Commutative property|commutes]] with any transformation that sends lines to lines. Such maps are called [[w:projective transformations|projective transformations]]. Hence, polygons can be identified [[w:up to|up to]] [[w:Perspectivity#Projectivity|projective transformations]]. This identification gives the [[w:Quotient space (topology)|quotient space]] (technically called a [[w:moduli space|moduli space]]) of [[w:Equivalence class|classes]] of polygons. 

The pentagram map on polygons induces another dynamical system on the moduli space,{{Sfn|Schwartz|1992|loc=§1 Projective geometry}} whose behavior differs quite a lot from the initial one.{{Efn|Compare the paragraph about the [[w:Pentagram map#Collapsing of convex polygons|collapsing of convex polygons]] and the one about [[w:Pentagram map#Complete integrability|complete integrability]].}} The dynamic is trivial for the classes of pentagons and hexagons, but this is no longer the case for polygons with more vertices.{{Efn|See the paragraph about [[w:Pentagram_map#Pentagons_and_hexagons|pentagons and hexagons]].}}

=== Historical elements ===
The pentagram map for general polygons was introduced in {{Harvard citation|Schwartz|1992}}, but the simplest case is the one of [[w:pentagons|pentagons]], hence the name &quot;[[w:pentagram|pentagram]]&quot;.{{Sfn|Marí-Beffa|2014|p=1}} Their study goes back to {{Harvard citation|Clebsch|1871}},{{Sfn|Izosimov|2022a|p=1085}} {{Harvard citation|Kasner|1928}}{{Sfn|Tabachnikov|2019}} and {{Harvard citation|Motzkin|1945}}.{{Sfn|Schwartz|2013|p=1}}

The pentagram map interacts with some classical configuration theorems of [[w:projective geometry|projective geometry]]. It provides results analogous to the ones of [[w:Pascal's theorem|Pascal's theorem]] and [[wikipedia:Brianchon's_theorem|Brianchon's theorem]].{{Sfn|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2010}} Some specific configurations make [[w:Desargues' theorem|Desargues's theorem]] and [[w:Poncelet's porism|Poncelet's porism]] appear.{{Sfn|Berger|2005|loc=§4 and §5}}{{Efn|See the paragraph about [[w:Pentagram map#Poncelet polygons|Poncelet polygons]].}}

==Definitions and first properties==

=== Definition of the map ===
[[File:Pentagram pentagon label big.svg|alt=|thumb|300x300px|The pentagram map on a convex pentagon, with vertices labeled.]]
[[File:Pentagram on nonconvex pentagon.svg|alt=|thumb|300x300px|The pentagram map applied on a [[w:Self-intersecting polygon|self-intersecting]] (in particular, non-convex) pentagon. The vertex &lt;math&gt;w_2&lt;/math&gt; is on the [[w:line at infinity|line at infinity]], because it is the [[w:Vanishing point|intersection of two parallel lines]].]]
Let &lt;math&gt;n\geq 5&lt;/math&gt; be an integer. A polygon &lt;math&gt;P&lt;/math&gt; with &lt;math&gt;n&lt;/math&gt; sides, or &lt;math&gt;n&lt;/math&gt;-gon, is a tuple of [[w:Vertex (geometry)|vertices]] &lt;math&gt;(v_1,\dots,v_n)&lt;/math&gt; lying in some [[w:projective plane|projective plane]] &lt;math&gt;\mathbb P ^2&lt;/math&gt;,{{Efn|In the following, the figures represent polygons on the real plane, where the intuition is easier to grasp.}} where the indices are understood [[w:Modular arithmetic|modulo]] &lt;math&gt;n&lt;/math&gt;. The [[w:Dimension of an algebraic variety|dimension]] of the space of &lt;math&gt;n&lt;/math&gt;-gons is &lt;math&gt;2n&lt;/math&gt;.{{Sfn|Weinreich|2022|loc=definition 1.1}}

Suppose that the vertices are in sufficiently [[w:general position|general position]], meaning that no consecutive triple of points are [[w:Collinearity|collinear]].{{Sfn|Ovsienko|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2013|p=1}} Taking the intersection of two consecutive &quot;shortest&quot; [[w:diagonal|diagonal]]s{{Efn|Meaning the line between a vertex &lt;math&gt;v_k&lt;/math&gt; and a &quot;second neighbour&quot; &lt;math&gt;v_{k\pm 2}&lt;/math&gt;.}} defines a new point&lt;math display=&quot;block&quot;&gt; w_k := \overline{v_{k-1} v_{k+1}} \cap \overline{v_{k} v_{k+2}}. &lt;/math&gt;This procedure defines a new &lt;math&gt;n&lt;/math&gt;-gon &lt;math&gt;T(P)=(w_1,\dots,w_n)&lt;/math&gt;, as in Figure 2.{{Sfn|Schwartz|1992|p=71}}

The labeling of the indices of &lt;math&gt;T(P)&lt;/math&gt; is not [[w:canonical|canonical]]. In most papers, a choice is made at the beginning of the paper and the formulas are tuned accordingly.{{Sfn|Izosimov|2016|loc=remark 1.5}}

The pentagram map on polygons is a [[w:birational map|birational map]] &lt;math&gt;T:(\mathbb P^2)^n&lt;/math&gt;{{nowrap|{{font|size=145%|⇢}}}}&lt;math&gt;(\mathbb P^2)^n&lt;/math&gt;. Indeed, each [[w:Homogeneous coordinates|coordinate]] of &lt;math&gt;w_k&lt;/math&gt; is given as a [[w:rational function|rational function]] of the coordinates of &lt;math&gt;v_{k-1},\dots,v_{k+2}&lt;/math&gt;, since it is defined as the intersection of lines passing by them. Moreover, the [[w:inverse map|inverse map]] is given by taking the intersections &lt;math&gt;\overline{w_{k-2} w_{k-1}} \cap \overline{w_{k} w_{k+1}} &lt;/math&gt;, which is rational for the same reason.{{Sfnp|Weinreich|2022|loc=definition 1.2}}

=== Moduli space ===
The pentagram map is defined by taking [[w:Line (geometry)|lines]] and intersections of them. The biggest [[w:Group (mathematics)|group]] which maps lines to lines is the one of [[w:projective transformations|projective transformations]], denoted by &lt;math&gt;\mathbb P \mathrm{GL}_{3}&lt;/math&gt;. Such a transformation &lt;math&gt;M&lt;/math&gt; [[w:Group action|acts]] on a polygon &lt;math&gt;P&lt;/math&gt; by sending it to &lt;math&gt;M \cdot P:=(Mv_1,\dots,Mv_n)&lt;/math&gt;. The pentagram map [[w:Commutative property|commutes]] with this action, and thereby induces another [[w:dynamical system|dynamical system]] on the [[w:moduli space|moduli space]] of projective [[w:equivalence classes|equivalence classes]] of polygons, whose [[w:Dimension of an algebraic variety|dimension]] is &lt;math&gt;2n-8&lt;/math&gt;.{{Sfn|Schwartz|1992|loc=§1 Projective geometry}}

===Twisted polygons===
[[File:Twisted heptagon.svg|alt=|thumb|300x300px|An example of twisted [[w:heptagon|heptagon]] on the real plane.]]
The pentagram map naturally generalizes to the larger space of twisted polygons (see example in Figure 4). For any integer &lt;math&gt;n\geq5&lt;/math&gt;, a twisted &lt;math&gt;n&lt;/math&gt;-gon &lt;math&gt;P&lt;/math&gt; is the data of:

* a [[w:Sequence#Indexing|bi-infinite sequence]] of points &lt;math&gt;(v_k)_{k\in\mathbb Z}&lt;/math&gt; in the projective plane (called the vertices),
* a [[w:projective transformation|projective transformation]] &lt;math&gt;M \in \mathbb P \mathrm{GL}_3&lt;/math&gt; (called the [[w:monodromy|monodromy]]),

such that for any &lt;math&gt;k \in \mathbb Z&lt;/math&gt;, the property &lt;math&gt;v_{k+n}=Mv_k&lt;/math&gt; is satisfied. The dimension of the space of twisted &lt;math&gt;n&lt;/math&gt;-gons is &lt;math&gt;2n+8&lt;/math&gt;.{{Sfn|Schwartz|2008}}

When &lt;math&gt;M&lt;/math&gt; is the [[w:Identity_element|identity]], this gives back the initial definition of polygons (which are said to be closed). The space of closed &lt;math&gt;n&lt;/math&gt;-gons is of [[w:codimension|codimension]] &lt;math&gt;8&lt;/math&gt; in the space of twisted ones.{{Sfn|Soloviev|2013|p=2816}}

The action of projective transformations over the space of closed polygons generalizes to the space of twisted ones (the monodromy is changed by [[w:Matrix similarity|conjugation]]). This provides again a moduli space, of dimension &lt;math&gt;2n&lt;/math&gt;.{{Sfn|Weinreich|2022|loc=definition 1.3}}

== Collapsing of convex polygons ==

=== Exponential shrinking ===
[[File:Pentagram map convex heptagon iterate.svg|alt=|thumb|300x300px|The pentagram map iterated on a convex [[w:heptagon|heptagon]], exhibiting the convergence.]]
Let &lt;math&gt;P&lt;/math&gt; be a closed [[w:Convex polygon#Strictly convex polygon|strictly convex polygon]] lying on the real plane. One of the first results proved by Richard Schwartz it that its iterates under the pentagram map shrink [[w:Exponential growth|exponentially fast]] to a point, as illustrated in Figure 5. This follows from two facts.
# The image of a strictly convex polygon is contained in its [[w:Interior (topology)|interior]], and is also strictly convex.{{Sfn|Glick|2020|p=2818}}
# There exists a constant &lt;math&gt;0&lt; \eta_P&lt;1&lt;/math&gt;, depending on &lt;math&gt;P&lt;/math&gt;, such that for any &lt;math&gt;N \in \mathbb N&lt;/math&gt;, the diameters of the iterates verify the inequality &lt;math display=&quot;inline&quot;&gt;\operatorname{diam}(T^N(P))\leq\eta_P^N \operatorname{diam}(P). &lt;/math&gt;{{Sfn|Schwartz|1992|loc=theorem 3.1}}

Hence, by [[w:Cantor's intersection theorem#Variant in complete metric spaces|Cantor's intersection theorem]], the sequence of polygons collapses toward a point.{{Sfn|Schwartz|1992|loc=§3 Convex polygons}}

The behavior on the moduli space is very different, since the dynamics is [[w:Recurrent point|recurrent]].{{Sfn|Schwartz|2001|loc=theorem 1.1}} It is even a [[w:quasiperiodic motion|quasiperiodic motion]],{{Sfn|Ovsienko|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2009}} as discussed in [[w:Pentagram map#Complete integrability|the section about integrability]].

=== Coordinates of the limit point ===
The limit point coordinates were given in {{Harvard citation|Glick|2020}}. They satisfy some [[w:Degree of a polynomial|degree]] 3 [[w:polynomial equation|polynomial equations]], whose coefficients are [[w:rational function|rational function]]s in the coordinates of the vertices of the starting polygon. The proof relies on the fact that the limit point must be an [[w:eigenline|eigenline]] of a certain [[w:linear operator|linear operator]] of &lt;math&gt;\mathbb R^3&lt;/math&gt;.{{sfn|Glick|2020}}

This operator was reinterpreted in {{Harvard citation|Aboud|Izosimov|2022}} as the infinitesimal monodromy of the polygon. The [[w:Pentagram map#The scaling symmetry|scaling symmetry]] is used to [[w:Deformation (mathematics)|deform]] a closed polygon &lt;math&gt;P&lt;/math&gt; into a family of twisted ones '''&lt;math&gt;(P_z)_{z\in \mathbb C^*}&lt;/math&gt;''' with monodromy &lt;math&gt;M_z&lt;/math&gt;. The infinitesimal monodromy is defined to be:{{sfn|Aboud|Izosimov|2022}}
&lt;math display=&quot;block&quot;&gt;\left.\frac{dM_z}{dz}\right|_{z=1}.&lt;/math&gt;

=== Generalization ===
The collapsing of polygons may also happen in some [[w:Pentagram map#Generalizations|generalization of the pentagram map]], when considering some specific configurations of polygons in the real plane. The coordinates of the collapse point are given by a formula analogous to the one for the original pentagram map.{{Sfn|Schwartz|2026}}

== Periodic orbits on the moduli space ==
For some configurations of closed polygons, the iterate of the pentagram map will send &lt;math&gt;P&lt;/math&gt; to a projectively equivalent polygon (up to some shift of the indices). This means that, on the moduli space, the orbit of the class of &lt;math&gt;P&lt;/math&gt; is [[w:Periodic orbit|periodic]].

===Pentagons and hexagons===
[[File:penta hexagon.svg|300px|thumb|The outward hexagon is projectively equivalent to the inward one, with respect to their labeling.]]The following two facts are proved by checking [[w:cross-ratio|cross-ratio]] equalities, so they are true for polygons in any [[w:projective plane|projective plane]] (not just the [[w:Real projective plane|real one]]).{{Sfn|Schwartz|1992|loc=§2 Pentagons and hexagons}}

The pentagram map &lt;math&gt;T&lt;/math&gt; is the identity on the moduli space of [[w:pentagon|pentagon]]s.{{Sfn|Schwartz|1992|loc=theorem 2.1}}{{Sfn|Clebsch|1871}}{{Sfn|Motzkin|1945}} The second iterate &lt;math&gt;T^2&lt;/math&gt; is the identity on the space of labeled [[w:hexagon|hexagon]]s, up to a shift of labeling (see Figure 6).{{Sfn|Schwartz|1992|loc=theorem 2.3}} This phenomenon doesn't generalize to generic polygons with at least seven sides, for which the motion is [[w:Quasiperiodic motion|quasiperiodic]].{{Sfn|Tupan|2022}}

==== Generalization ====
The result about pentagons and hexagons generalizes to some [[w:Pentagram map#Generalizations|higher pentagram maps]] in &lt;math&gt;\mathbb P ^k&lt;/math&gt;, for polygons with &lt;math&gt;k+3&lt;/math&gt; or &lt;math&gt;2k+2&lt;/math&gt; sides. The proof uses a generalization of the [[w:Gale transform|Gale transform]].{{Sfn|Dirdak|2024}}

=== Poncelet polygons ===
A polygon is said to be Poncelet{{Efn|The name comes from [[w:Jean-Victor Poncelet|Jean-Victor Poncelet]] and [[w:Poncelet porism|his porism]].{{Sfn|Izosimov|2022a|p=1085}}}} if it is [[w:Inscribed figure|inscribed]] in a [[w:Conic section|conic]] and circumscribed about another one.{{Sfn|Schwartz|2015|loc=|p=433}}{{Efn|In particular, pentagons are Poncelet since [[w:five points determine a conic|five points determine a conic]].{{Sfn|Schwartz|2015|loc=|p=433}}}} For a convex Poncelet &lt;math&gt;n&lt;/math&gt;-gon &lt;math&gt;P&lt;/math&gt; lying on the [[w:real projective plane|real projective plane]], the polygon &lt;math&gt;T^2(P)&lt;/math&gt; is projectively equivalent to &lt;math&gt;P&lt;/math&gt;.{{Sfn|Schwartz|2015|loc=theorem 1.1}} 

In fact, when &lt;math&gt;n&lt;/math&gt; is odd, the converse is also true.{{Sfn|Izosimov|2022a|loc=corollary 1.1}} However, this converse statement is no longer true when the polygons are considered over the [[w:complex projective plane|complex projective plane]] since there are explicit counterexamples.{{Sfn|Izosimov|2022a|loc=remark 1.3}}

==Coordinates for the moduli space==
The moduli space can be described by different [[w:Coordinate_system|coordinate systems]]. The following ones give simple expressions for the dynamics, as presented in the next section.

=== Corner coordinates ===
[[File:Corner coordinates big.svg|thumb|300x300px|The geometric construction of the points defining the corner invariants.]]
Define the [[w:cross-ratio|cross-ratio]] of four [[w:Collinearity|collinear]] points to be

: &lt;math&gt; [a,b,c,d]=\frac{(a-b)(c-d)}{(a-c)(b-d)}. &lt;/math&gt;

The corner invariants are a system of coordinates on the space of twisted polygons, constructed by taking intersections as in Figure 7.{{Sfn|Schwartz|2001|loc=figure 2}} The left and right invariants are respectively defined{{Efn|The ordering of the vertices in the cross-ratios can differ from a paper to another one, which slightly changes the formulas in the following sections.}} as the following cross-ratios:

: &lt;math&gt;x_k:=[v_{k-2},v_{k-1},\overline{v_{k-2}v_{k-1}}\cap\overline{v_{k}v_{k+1}},\overline{v_{k-2}v_{k-1}}\cap\overline{v_{k+1}v_{k+2}}],&lt;/math&gt;

: &lt;math&gt;y_k:=[\overline{v_{k+1}v_{k+2}}\cap\overline{v_{k-2}v_{k-1}}, \overline{v_{k+1}v_{k+2}}\cap\overline{v_{k-1}v_{k}},v_{k+1},v_{k+2}].&lt;/math&gt;

Since the cross-ratio is [[w:Cross-ratio#Projective geometry|projective invariant]], the sequences &lt;math&gt;(x_k)_{k \in \mathbb Z}&lt;/math&gt; and &lt;math&gt;(y_k)_{k \in \mathbb Z}&lt;/math&gt; associated to a twisted &lt;math&gt;n&lt;/math&gt;-gon are &lt;math&gt;n&lt;/math&gt;-periodic.{{Sfn|Ovsienko|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2010|p=415}}

The corner invariants are elements of &lt;math&gt;\mathbb{P}^1\smallsetminus\{0,1,\infty\}&lt;/math&gt;, and they realize an [[w:Isomorphism_of_varieties|isomorphism of varieties]] between the moduli space of twisted &lt;math&gt;n&lt;/math&gt;-gons and &lt;math&gt;(\mathbb{P}^1\smallsetminus\{0,1,\infty\})^{2n}&lt;/math&gt;.{{Sfn|Weinreich|2022|loc=theorem 3.6}}

===ab-coordinates===

There is a second set of coordinates for the moduli space of twisted &lt;math&gt;n&lt;/math&gt;-gons defined over any [[w:Field (mathematics)|field]] &lt;math&gt;F&lt;/math&gt; satisfying &lt;math&gt;\mathrm{SL}_3(F)\cong \mathbb P\mathrm{GL}_3(F)&lt;/math&gt;,{{Sfn|Weinreich|2022|loc=remark 3.8}} and such that &lt;math&gt;n&lt;/math&gt; is not divisible by &lt;math&gt;3&lt;/math&gt;.{{Sfn|Ovsienko|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2010|loc=section 4.1}}

The vertices &lt;math&gt;v_k&lt;/math&gt; in the [[w:projective plane|projective plane]] &lt;math&gt;\mathbb P^2(F)&lt;/math&gt; can be [[w:Lift (mathematics)|lifted]] to [[w:Vector space|vectors]] &lt;math&gt;V_k&lt;/math&gt; in the [[w:affine space|affine space]] &lt;math&gt;F^3&lt;/math&gt; so that each consecutive triple of vectors spans a [[w:parallelepiped|parallelepiped]] having [[w:determinant|determinant]] equal to &lt;math&gt;1&lt;/math&gt;. This leads to the relation defining the &lt;math&gt;ab&lt;/math&gt;-coordinates:{{Sfn|Ovsienko|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2010|loc=equation 4.1}}

: &lt;math&gt;V_{k+3} = a_k V_{k+2} + b_k V_{k+1} + V_k.&lt;/math&gt;

This bring out an analogy between twisted polygons and solutions of third order linear [[w:ordinary differential equations|ordinary differential equations]], normalized to have unit [[w:Wronskian|Wronskian]].{{Sfn|Ovsienko|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2010|loc=remark 6.6}}

They are linked to the corner coordinates by:{{Sfn|Ovsienko|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2010|loc=lemma 4.5}}
: &lt;math&gt;x_k=\frac{a_{k-2}}{b_{k-2}b_{k-1}},&lt;/math&gt;
: &lt;math&gt;y_k=-\frac{b_{k-1}}{a_{k-2}a_{k-1}}.&lt;/math&gt;

==Formulas on the moduli space==

===As a birational map ===
The pentagram map is a [[w:birational map|birational map]] on the moduli space, because it can be decomposed as the [[w:Function composition|composition]] of two [[w:Birational geometry|birational]] [[w:Involution (mathematics)|involutions]].{{Sfn|Schwartz|2008|loc=§1.2 The Pentagram Map}} The corner invariants change in the following way:{{Sfn|Ovsienko|Schwartz|loc=lemma 2.4|Tabachnikov|2010}}

: &lt;math&gt;x_k'=x_k\frac{1-x_{k-1} y_{k-1}}{1-x_{k+1}y_{k+1}},&lt;/math&gt;

: &lt;math&gt;y_k'=y_{k+1}\frac{1-x_{k+2} y_{k+2}}{1-x_k y_k}.&lt;/math&gt;

=== The scaling symmetry ===
The [[w:multiplicative group|multiplicative group]] &lt;math&gt;F\smallsetminus\{0\}&lt;/math&gt; [[w:One-parameter group|acts]] on the moduli space in the following way:

: &lt;math&gt;R_s\cdot(x_1,\dots,x_n,y_1,\dots,y_n)=(sx_1,\dots,sx_n,s^{-1}y_1,\dots,s^{-1}y_n),&lt;/math&gt;

where &lt;math&gt;R&lt;/math&gt; is called the scaling action and &lt;math&gt;s&lt;/math&gt; is the scaling parameter. This action commutes with the pentagram map on the moduli space (as presented in the previous formulas). This property is called the scaling symmetry, and is instrumental in proving the [[w:Pentagram map#Complete integrability|complete integrability]] of the dynamics.{{Sfn|Ovsienko|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2010|loc=corollary 2.5}}

==Invariant structures==

===Monodromy invariants===

The monodromy invariants, introduced in {{Harvard citation|Schwartz|2008}}, are a collection of [[w:Function (mathematics)|functions]] on the [[w:moduli space|moduli space]] that are invariant under the pentagram map.{{Sfn|Schwartz|2008|loc=theorem 1.2}} The simplest examples of them are 
:&lt;math&gt; O_n= x_1x_2\cdots x_{n}, \quad E_n = y_1y_2\cdots y_n. &lt;/math&gt;
The other monodromy invariants can be retrieved through different points of view: through the [[w:Pentagram map#The scaling symmetry|scaling symmetry]], as [[w:Combinatorics|combinatorial]] objects, or as some [[w:determinant|determinant]]s.{{Sfn|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2011|loc=§2 The Monodromy Invariants}} The one involving scaling symmetry is presented here.

Let &lt;math&gt;M\in \mathrm{GL}_3&lt;/math&gt; be a [[w:Lift (mathematics)|lift]] of the monodromy of a twisted &lt;math&gt;n&lt;/math&gt;-gon. The quantities

: &lt;math&gt;\Omega_1=\frac{\operatorname{trace}^3(M)}{\det(M)}, \quad \Omega_2=\frac{\operatorname{trace}^3(M^{-1})}{\det(M^{-1})},&lt;/math&gt;

are independent of the choice of lift and are invariant under [[w:Matrix similarity|conjugation]], so they are well defined for the projective class of the polygon. They are invariant under the pentagram map, since the monodromy matrix doesn't change.{{Sfn|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2011|loc=|p=5}} Now, the quantities

: &lt;math&gt;\tilde{\Omega}_1=O_n^2E_n\Omega_1, \quad \tilde{\Omega}_2=O_nE_n^2\Omega_2,&lt;/math&gt;

have the same properties, but turn out to be polynomials in the corner invariants.{{Efn|Some papers consider the cube roots of this functions, but it doesn't change the following definitions of the monodromy invariants.}} They can be written as{{Sfn|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2011|loc=|p=5}}

: &lt;math&gt;
\tilde{\Omega}_1=\biggl(\sum_{k=0}^{\lfloor n/2\rfloor}O_k\biggr)^3, \quad
\tilde{\Omega}_2=\biggl(\sum_{k=0}^{\lfloor n/2\rfloor}E_k\biggr)^3,
&lt;/math&gt;

where each &lt;math&gt;O_k&lt;/math&gt; and &lt;math&gt;E_k&lt;/math&gt; are [[w:homogeneous polynomial|homogeneous polynomial]]s respectively of weight &lt;math&gt;k&lt;/math&gt; and &lt;math&gt;-k&lt;/math&gt;,{{Sfn|Ovsienko|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2013|p=11}} meaning they change under the [[w:Pentagram map#The scaling symmetry|rescaling action]] on variables by{{Sfn|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2011|p=5}}

: &lt;math&gt; R_s(O_k)= s^k O_k, \quad R_s(E_k)= s^{-k} E_k. &lt;/math&gt;

The quantities &lt;math&gt;O_1,\dots,O_{\lfloor n/2 \rfloor},O_n, E_1,\dots,E_{\lfloor n/2 \rfloor},E_n,&lt;/math&gt; are unchanged by the dynamics, and are called the monodromy invariants. Moreover, they are [[w:algebraically independent|algebraically independent]].{{Sfn|Schwartz|2008|loc=theorem 1.2}}

==== Polygons on conics ====
Whenever &lt;math&gt;P&lt;/math&gt; is [[w:Inscribed figure|inscribed]] in a [[w:conic section|conic section]], one has &lt;math&gt;O_k(P)=E_k(P)&lt;/math&gt; for all &lt;math&gt;k&lt;/math&gt;.{{Sfn|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2011|loc=theorem 1.1}} Moreover, if &lt;math&gt;P&lt;/math&gt; is circumscribed about another conic,{{Efn|See the paragraph about [[w:Pentagram map#Poncelet polygons|Poncelet polygons]].}} then its monodromy invariants are characterized by the pair of conics.{{Sfn|Schwartz|2015|loc=theorem 1.2}} For such odd-gons, the translation on the [[w:Jacobian variety|Jacobian variety]]{{Efn|See the paragraph about [[w:Pentagram map#Algebro-geometric integrability|algebraic integrability]].}} is restricted to the [[w:Prym variety|Prym variety]] (which is a half-dimensional torus in the Jacobian).{{Sfn|Izosimov|2016|loc=theorem 1.3}}

===Poisson bracket===

An invariant [[w:Poisson bracket|Poisson bracket]] on the space of twisted polygons was found in {{Harvard citation|Ovsienko|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2010}}. The monodromy invariants [[w:Poisson bracket#Constants of motion|commute]] with respect to it:
&lt;math display=&quot;block&quot;&gt; \{O_i,O_j\}=\{O_i,E_j\}=\{E_i,E_j\}=0 &lt;/math&gt;for all &lt;math&gt;i,j&lt;/math&gt;.{{sfn|Ovsienko|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2010|loc=theorem 1}}

The Poisson bracket is defined in terms of the corner coordinates by:
&lt;math display=&quot;block&quot;&gt; \begin{align}
 \{x_i,x_{i\pm1}\} &amp;= \mp x_i x_{i+1}, \\
 \{y_i,y_{i\pm 1}\} &amp;= \mp y_i y_{i+1}, \\
\end{align}&lt;/math&gt;and &lt;math display=&quot;block&quot;&gt; \{x_i,x_j\} = \{y_i,y_j\} = \{x_i,y_j\} = 0&lt;/math&gt;for all other &lt;math&gt; i,j.&lt;/math&gt;{{sfn|Ovsienko|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2010|loc=equation 2.16}}

=== The spectral curve ===

Let &lt;math&gt;\zeta&lt;/math&gt; be an element of the [[w:multiplicative group|multiplicative group]] and &lt;math&gt;P_\zeta&lt;/math&gt; be the polygon obtained by applying the [[w:Pentagram map#The scaling symmetry|rescaling action]] &lt;math&gt;R_\zeta&lt;/math&gt; on &lt;math&gt;P&lt;/math&gt;.  A [[w:Lax matrix|Lax matrix]] &lt;math&gt;\hat{T}(\zeta) \in \mathrm{GL}_3&lt;/math&gt; is a lift of the monodromy of &lt;math&gt;P_\zeta&lt;/math&gt; satisfying a [[w:Lax pair#Zero-curvature equation|zero-curvature equation]].{{Sfn|Weinreich|2022|loc=§5 The Lax representation}} Then, the spectral function is the [[w:Bivariate polynomial|bivariate]] [[w:characteristic polynomial|characteristic polynomial]]&lt;math display=&quot;block&quot;&gt; Q(\lambda,\zeta) := \det(\lambda\operatorname{Id}-\hat{T}(\zeta)),&lt;/math&gt;or some renormalization of it. The [[w:spectral curve|spectral curve]] is the [[w:Projective variety#projective completion|projective completion]] of the [[w:Algebraic curve|affine curve]] defined by the equation &lt;math&gt;Q(\lambda,\zeta)=0&lt;/math&gt;.{{Sfn|Weinreich|2022|loc=§6. The geometry of the spectral curve}} It is invariant under the pentagram map, and the monodromy invariants appear as the [[w:coefficient|coefficient]]s of &lt;math&gt;Q&lt;/math&gt;.{{Sfn|Soloviev|2013|loc=theorem 6.4}} Its [[w:geometric genus|geometric genus]] is &lt;math&gt;n-1&lt;/math&gt; if &lt;math&gt;n&lt;/math&gt; is odd, and &lt;math&gt;n-2&lt;/math&gt; if &lt;math&gt;n&lt;/math&gt; is even.{{Sfn|Weinreich|2022|p=|loc=theorem 6.4}}

It was first introduced in {{Harv|Soloviev|2013|ps=|p=}} for his proof of [[w:Pentagram map#Algebro-geometric integrability|algebro-geometric integrability]].{{sfn|Soloviev|2013}}

==Complete integrability==
The pentagram map on the moduli space has been proved to be a [[w:completely integrable|completely integrable]] [[w:discrete dynamical system|discrete dynamical system]], both in the [[w:Integrable system#Hamiltonian systems and Liouville integrability|Arnold-Liouville]]{{Efn|Over the [[w:real number|real number]]s.}} and the [[w:Integrable system#Complete integrability over the complex numbers|algebro-geometric]]{{Efn|Over [[w:algebraically closed field|algebraically closed field]]s of [[w:Characteristic (algebra)|characteristic]] different from 2.}} senses. In any case, this means that the moduli space is [[w:almost everywhere|almost everywhere]] [[w:Foliation|foliated]] by [[w:Torus#Flat torus|flat tori]] (or in the algebraic setting, [[w:Abelian variety|Abelian varieties]]), where the motion is a [[w:Translation (geometry)|translation]]. This [[w:Generic property|generically]] induces a [[w:quasiperiodic motion|quasiperiodic motion]] on the corresponding torus.{{Sfn|Ovsienko|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2009}}

===Arnold–Liouville integrability===

The proof of the integrability of the pentagram map on a real twisted polygon was achieved in {{Harvard citation|Ovsienko|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2010}}. This is done by noticing that the monodromy invariants &lt;math&gt;O_n&lt;/math&gt; and &lt;math&gt;E_n&lt;/math&gt; are [[w:Casimir invariant|Casimir invariant]]s for the Poisson bracket, meaning (in this context) that&lt;math display=&quot;block&quot;&gt; \{O_n,f\}=\{E_n,f\} = 0 &lt;/math&gt;for every smooth function &lt;math&gt;f&lt;/math&gt;.{{sfn|Ovsienko|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2010|loc=theorem 1}} When &lt;math&gt;n&lt;/math&gt; is even, this is also true for the monodromy invariants &lt;math&gt;O_{\lfloor n/2 \rfloor }&lt;/math&gt; and &lt;math&gt;E_{\lfloor n/2 \rfloor }&lt;/math&gt;.{{sfn|Ovsienko|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2010|loc=theorem 1}}

This allows to consider the Casimir [[w:level set|level set]], where each Casimir invariant has a specified value. Because of [[w:Sard's theorem|Sard's theorem]], any generic level set is a [[w:smooth manifold|smooth manifold]].{{Sfn|Schwartz|2017|p=44}} This family of level sets forms a [[w:foliation|foliation]] in [[w:Poisson manifold#Symplectic leaves|symplectic leaves]], on which the Poisson bracket gives rise to a [[w:symplectic form|symplectic form]].{{sfn|Ovsienko|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2010|loc=corollary 2.13}}

Each of these symplectic leaves has an iso-monodromy [[w:foliation|foliation]], namely, a decomposition into the common level sets of the remaining monodromy functions. By using again [[w:Sard's theorem|Sard's theorem]], they are generically [[w:Symplectic manifold#Lagrangian submanifolds|Lagrangian manifolds]].{{Sfn|Schwartz|2017|p=45}} Moreover, they are compact.{{Sfn|Ovsienko|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2010|loc=§3.3. Compactness of the level sets}} Since the monodromy invariants Poisson-commute and there are enough of them, the discrete [[w:Liouville–Arnold theorem|Liouville–Arnold theorem]] can be applied to prove that the level sets are [[w:Torus#Flat torus|flat tori]] over which the dynamics is a translation.{{sfn|Ovsienko|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2010|p=412}}
===Algebro-geometric integrability===

In {{Harvard citation|Soloviev|2013}}, it was shown that the pentagram map admits a [[w:Lax representation|Lax representation]] with a spectral parameter, which allows to prove its algebro-geometric integrability. This means that the space of polygons (either twisted or closed) is parametrized by its spectral data, consisting of [[w:Pentagram map#The spectral curve|its spectral curve]], with marked points and a [[w:Divisor (algebraic geometry)|divisor]] given by a [[w:Floquet theory|Floquet]]–[[w:Bloch's theorem|Bloch]] equation. This gives an embedding to the [[w:Jacobian variety|Jacobian variety]] through the [[w:Abel–Jacobi map|Abel–Jacobi map]], where the motion is expressed in terms of translation.{{sfn|Soloviev|2013|loc=theorems A, B and C}} The previously defined Poisson bracket is also retrieved.{{sfn|Soloviev|2013|loc=theorem D}} 

This integrability was generalized in {{Harvard citation|Weinreich|2022}} from the field of [[w:complex number|complex number]]s to any [[w:algebraically closed field|algebraically closed field]] of [[w:Characteristic (algebra)|characteristic]] different from 2. The translation on a torus is replaced by a translation on an [[w:Abelian variety|Abelian variety]] (in fact, a Jacobian variety again).{{sfn|Weinreich|2022|loc=theorem 1.4}}

=== Dimension of the invariant manifold ===

For twisted &lt;math&gt;n&lt;/math&gt;-gons, the [[w:dimension|dimension]] of the invariant tori (or Jacobian varieties) is{{Sfn|Ovsienko|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2010|p=421}}

: &lt;math&gt;\begin{cases} 
n-1 &amp; \text{when }n \text{ is odd,}\\
n-2 &amp; \text{when }n \text{ is even.}
\end{cases}&lt;/math&gt;

Moreover, when &lt;math&gt;n&lt;/math&gt; is even, there are two isomorphic Jacobians on which the iterates of the pentagram map alternate. But on each of them, the second iterate is a translation.{{Sfn|Weinreich|2022|loc=theorem 1.4}}

=== For closed polygons ===
There is no Poisson structure on the space of closed polygons.{{Sfn|Soloviev|2013|loc=corollary 4.1}} Nevertheless, the one from twisted polygons can be used to prove integrability.{{sfn|Ovsienko|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2013|p=2153}}

Algebro-geometric integrability holds for closed polygons in a same manner as for the twisted ones.{{Sfn|Soloviev|2013|loc=theorem C}} However, Arnold-Liouville integrability is proved for real closed polygons only when they are convex. This is done by restricting the [[w:Hamiltonian vector field|Hamiltonian vector field]]s of monodromy functions to smaller dimensional tori, and showing that enough of them are still independent.{{sfn|Ovsienko|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2013|loc=corollary 1.1}}

In both situation, the dimension of the invariant manifolds decreases by &lt;math&gt;3&lt;/math&gt; for closed &lt;math&gt;n&lt;/math&gt;-gons (compared to the twisted case), and is equal to{{Sfn|Soloviev|2013|loc=theorem C}}{{sfn|Ovsienko|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2013|loc=theorem 1}}
:&lt;math&gt;\begin{cases} 
n-4 &amp; \text{when }n \text{ is odd,}\\
n-5 &amp; \text{when }n \text{ is even.}
\end{cases}&lt;/math&gt;

==Connections to other topics==

===The Boussinesq equation===

The [[w:Discretization|continuous limit]] of a convex polygon is a parametrized convex curve in the plane. When the time parameter is suitably chosen, the continuous limit of the pentagram map is the [[w:Boussinesq approximation (water waves)|Boussinesq equation]]. This [[w:partial differential equation|partial differential equation]] models water waves under some conditions, which is a classical example of [[w:integrable|integrable system]].{{Sfn|Ovsienko|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2010|loc=theorem 5}}

Here is a description of the geometric action of the Boussinesq equation. Given a [[w:locally convex|locally convex]] curve &lt;math&gt; C:\mathbb R\to \mathbb R^2 &lt;/math&gt; and real numbers &lt;math&gt;x&lt;/math&gt; and &lt;math&gt;t&lt;/math&gt;, consider the [[w:chord (geometry)|chord]] connecting &lt;math&gt; C(x-t) &lt;/math&gt; to &lt;math&gt; C(x+t) &lt;/math&gt;. The [[w:Envelope (mathematics)|envelope]] of all these chords is a new curve &lt;math&gt; C_t(x) &lt;/math&gt;. When &lt;math&gt;t&lt;/math&gt; is extremely small, the curve &lt;math&gt; C_t(x) &lt;/math&gt; is a good model for the time &lt;math&gt;t&lt;/math&gt; evolution of the original curve &lt;math&gt; C_0(x) &lt;/math&gt; under the Boussinesq equation. This construction is also similar to the pentagram map. Moreover, the pentagram invariant bracket is a discretization of an invariant Poisson bracket associated to the Boussinesq equation.{{Sfn|Ovsienko|Schwartz|Tabachnikov|2010|loc=§6.4 Discretization}}

===Cluster algebras===

The pentagram map{{Sfn|Glick|2011}} and some of its generalizations{{Sfn|Gekhtman|Shapiro|Tabachnikov|Vainshtein|2012}}{{Sfn|Glick|Pylyavskyy|2016}} are identified as special cases of discrete dynamical systems powered by [[w:cluster algebra|cluster algebras]]. Using the results from {{Harvard citation|Goncharov|Kenyon|2013}}, this provides a link with the [[w:Poisson–Lie group|Poisson–Lie group]]s, [[w:dimer model|dimer model]]s and other so-called cluster-integrable systems.{{Sfn|Fock|Marshakov|2016}}{{Sfn|Izosimov|2022c}} These methods allow to retrieve the Poisson bracket and Hamiltonians used to prove complete integrability{{Sfn|Affolter|George|Ramassamy|2025|loc=§5 The pentagram map}} and provide [[w:Lax representation|Lax representation]]s.{{Sfn|Izosimov|2022b}}

=== Octahedron recurrence ===
Using a method to compute [[w:Determinant|determinants]] called [[w:Dodgson_condensation|Dodgson condensation]], {{Harvard citation|Schwartz|2008}} proves that the pentagram map satisfies a property called the &quot;octahedron recurrence&quot;.{{Sfn|Schwartz|2008|loc=§5 The Method of Condensation}} This property turns out to be shared by other dynamical systems defined by geometric constructions similar to one of the pentagram map.{{Sfn|Affolter|de Tilière|Melotti|2025|loc=§9 The Pentagram Map}} It is also shared by higher dimensional pentagram maps defined through cluster algebras mutations, referred as &lt;math&gt;T&lt;/math&gt;-systems.{{Sfn|Kedem|Vichitkunakorn|2015||loc=}}

=== Singularity theory ===
The pentagram map exhibits a property called singularity confinement, which is a typical phenomenon in [[w:integrable system|integrable system]]s.{{Sfn|Grammaticos|Ramani|Papageorgiou|1991}} It states that if a polygon &lt;math&gt;P&lt;/math&gt; is [[w:Singular point of an algebraic variety|singular]] for the pentagram map &lt;math&gt;T&lt;/math&gt;, then there exists an integer &lt;math&gt;m&lt;/math&gt; such that &lt;math&gt;P&lt;/math&gt; not singular for the iterate map &lt;math&gt;T^m&lt;/math&gt;.{{Sfn|Glick|2012}}

Moreover, the pentagram map (along with some of its generalizations and other discrete dynamical systems) exhibit the Devron property.{{Efn|The name comes from an episode of [[w:Star Trek|Star Trek]].{{Sfn|Glick|2015|loc=§1 Introduction}}}} This means that if a polygon &lt;math&gt;P&lt;/math&gt; is singular for some iterate of the pentagram map &lt;math&gt;T^m&lt;/math&gt;, then it will also be singular for some iterate of the inverse map &lt;math&gt;T^{-m'}&lt;/math&gt;.{{Sfn|Glick|2015}}

== Generalizations ==
The definition of polygons still makes sense in any [[w:projective space|projective space]] &lt;math&gt;\mathbb P^d&lt;/math&gt; under the action of the [[w:Projective linear group|projective group]] &lt;math&gt;\mathbb P \mathrm{GL}_{d+1}&lt;/math&gt;, and even in other spaces with their associated groups.

The pentagram map can be generalized in many ways, and some of them are presented here. Not all of them are integrable.{{Sfn|Khesin|Soloviev|2015a|}} Some are [[w:discretization|discretization]]s of [[w:PDEs|PDEs]] from the [[w:KdV hierarchy|KdV hierarchy]], seen as higher dimensional version of [[w:Boussinesq approximation (water waves)|Boussinesq]] or [[w:Kadomtsev–Petviashvili equation|KP]] equations.{{Sfn|Marí-Beffa|2012}}{{Sfn|Wang|2023}} The description of all generalized pentagram maps in terms of [[w:cluster algebra|cluster algebra]]s is still an open question.{{Sfn|Gekhtman|Izosimov|2025|p=14}}

=== Polygons in general positions ===
Let &lt;math&gt;d \geq 2&lt;/math&gt; and &lt;math&gt;P&lt;/math&gt; be a twisted polygon of &lt;math&gt;\mathbb P^d&lt;/math&gt; in [[w:general position|general position]].

==== Short diagonal pentagram maps ====
The &lt;math&gt;k&lt;/math&gt;-th short diagonal hyperplane &lt;math&gt;H_k^{sh}&lt;/math&gt; is uniquely defined by passing through the vertices &lt;math&gt;v_k,v_{k+2},\dots,v_{k+2d-2}&lt;/math&gt;. [[w:Generic property#In algebraic geometry|Generically]], the intersection of &lt;math&gt;d&lt;/math&gt; consecutive [[w:Hyperplane|hyperplanes]] uniquely defines a new point

: &lt;math&gt;T_{sh}v_k:=H_k^{sh}\cap H_{k+1}^{sh}\cap \dots \cap H_{k+d-1}^{sh}.&lt;/math&gt;

Doing this for every vertex defines a new twisted polygon. This map, denoted by &lt;math&gt;T_{sh}&lt;/math&gt;, is again projectively equivariant.{{Sfn|Khesin|Soloviev|2013}}

==== Generalized pentagram maps ====
The previous procedure can be generalized. Let &lt;math&gt;I=(i_1,\dots,i_{d-1}),~J=(j_1,\dots,j_{d-1})&lt;/math&gt; be two sets of integers, respectively called the jump tuple and the intersection tuple. Define &lt;math&gt;H_k^I&lt;/math&gt; to be the unique hyperplane passing through the vertices &lt;math&gt;v_k,v_{k+i_1},\dots,v_{k+i_1+\dots+i_{d-1}}&lt;/math&gt;. A new point is given by the intersection

: &lt;math&gt;T_{I,J}v_k:=H_k^I \cap H_{k+j_1}^I \cap \dots \cap H_{k+j_1+\dots +j_{d-1}}^I.&lt;/math&gt;

The map &lt;math&gt;T_{I,J}&lt;/math&gt; is called a generalized pentagram map.{{Sfn|Khesin|Soloviev|2015a}} The original pentagram map is recovered by considering&lt;math&gt;d=2,~I=(2),~J=(1)&lt;/math&gt;.

Integrability can be numerically tested by picking a random polygon &lt;math&gt;P&lt;/math&gt; with [[wikipedia:Rational_point|rational coordinates]] and studying the growth rate of the [[wikipedia:Height_function|height]] of its iterates. This is called the [[wikipedia:Integrable_system#Diophantine_integrability|diophantine integrability]] test, and some generalized pentagram maps don't seem to pass it.{{Sfn|Khesin|Soloviev|2015a|loc=§5 and §6}} However, it is conjectured that the maps &lt;math&gt;T_{I,I}&lt;/math&gt; are integrable for any &lt;math&gt;I&lt;/math&gt;.{{Sfn|Bolsinov|Matveev|Miranda|Tabachnikov|2018|loc=conjecture 4.13 (B. Khesin, F. Soloviev)}}

Some of these maps are [[w:discretization|discretization]]s of higher dimensional counterpart of the [[w:Boussinesq approximation (water waves)|Boussinesq equation]] in the [[w:KdV hierarchy|KdV hierarchy]].{{Sfn|Khesin|Soloviev|2015b|loc=theorem 4.1}}{{Sfn|Izosimov|2022b|loc=theorem 4.1}}

==== Dented pentagram maps ====
Fix an integer &lt;math&gt;m\in \{1,\dots ,d-1\}&lt;/math&gt;. Consider the jump tuple &lt;math&gt;I_m:=(1,\dots,1,2,1,\dots,1)&lt;/math&gt;, where the &lt;math&gt;2&lt;/math&gt; is at the &lt;math&gt;m&lt;/math&gt;-th place, and the intersection tuple &lt;math&gt;J:=(1,\dots,1)&lt;/math&gt;. The dented pentagram map is &lt;math&gt;T_m :=T_{I_m,J}&lt;/math&gt;. They are proved to be integrable.{{Sfn|Khesin|Soloviev|2015b|loc=theorem 2.14}}

For an integer &lt;math&gt;p \geq 2&lt;/math&gt;, the deep dented pentagram map (of depth &lt;math&gt;p&lt;/math&gt;) &lt;math&gt;T_m^p&lt;/math&gt; is the same map as before, but the number &lt;math&gt;2&lt;/math&gt; in the definition of &lt;math&gt;I_m&lt;/math&gt; is replaced by &lt;math&gt;p&lt;/math&gt;. This kind of pentagram maps are integrable too.{{Sfn|Khesin|Soloviev|2015b|loc=theorem 6.2}}

=== Corrugated polygons ===
A twisted polygon &lt;math&gt;P&lt;/math&gt; lying in &lt;math&gt;\mathbb P^d&lt;/math&gt; is said to be corrugated if for any &lt;math&gt;k\in \mathbb Z&lt;/math&gt;, the vertices &lt;math&gt;v_k,v_{k+1},v_{k+d},v_{k+d+1}&lt;/math&gt; span a projective two-dimensional plane. Such polygons are not in [[w:general position|general position]]. A new point is defined by

: &lt;math&gt;T_\text{cor}v_k:=\overline{v_k v_{k+d}}\cap \overline{v_{k+1} v_{k+d+1}}.&lt;/math&gt;

The map &lt;math&gt;T_\text{cor}&lt;/math&gt; yields a new corrugated polygon. This dynamics is [[w:Integrable system#Hamiltonian systems and Liouville integrability|completely Liouville-integrable]].{{Sfn|Gekhtman|Shapiro|Tabachnikov|Vainshtein|2012|loc=theorem 4.4}}

In fact, they can be retrieved as some dented pentagram map applied on corrugated polygons.{{Sfn|Khesin|Soloviev|2015b|loc=theorem 5.3}}

=== Grassmannian polygons ===
Let &lt;math&gt;d \geq 3, m \geq 1&lt;/math&gt; be integers. The pentagram map can also be generalized to the [[w:Grassmannian|Grassmannian]] space &lt;math&gt;\mathrm{Gr}(m,md)&lt;/math&gt;, which consists of &lt;math&gt;m&lt;/math&gt;-[[w:Dimension (vector space)|dimensional]] [[w:linear subspace|linear subspace]]s of an &lt;math&gt;md&lt;/math&gt;-dimensional [[w:vector space|vector space]]. When &lt;math&gt;m=1&lt;/math&gt;, the linear subspaces are [[w:Vector space#vector line|lines]], which retrieves the definition of [[w:projective space|projective space]]s &lt;math&gt;\mathbb P^d&lt;/math&gt;.{{Sfn|Felipe|Marí-Beffa|2019|loc=§2 definitions and notations}}

A point &lt;math&gt;v\in\operatorname{Gr}(m,md)&lt;/math&gt; is represented by an &lt;math&gt;md \times m&lt;/math&gt; matrix &lt;math&gt;X_v&lt;/math&gt; such that its columns form a [[w:Basis (linear algebra)|basis]] of &lt;math&gt;v&lt;/math&gt;. Consider the [[w:Group action|action]] of the [[w:general linear group|general linear group]] &lt;math&gt;\mathrm{GL}_{md}&lt;/math&gt; by multiplication on the left of &lt;math&gt;X_v&lt;/math&gt;. This defines an action on the Grassmannian, even though it is not [[w:Faithful action|faithful]].{{Efn|Because there can be many lifts for &lt;math&gt;v&lt;/math&gt;, and because some matrices act trivially.}} Hence, the polygons of &lt;math&gt;\mathrm{Gr}(m,md)&lt;/math&gt; and their moduli spaces are defined as before, after the change of underlying group.{{Sfn|Felipe|Marí-Beffa|2019|loc=§2 definitions and notations}}

Depending on the parity of &lt;math&gt;d&lt;/math&gt;, one can define linear subspaces spanned by some &lt;math&gt;X_{v_k}&lt;/math&gt;'s such that taking their intersection generically defines a new point &lt;math&gt;v\in\mathrm{Gr}(m,md)&lt;/math&gt;.{{Sfn|Felipe|Marí-Beffa|2019|loc=sections 4 and 5}} This generalization of the pentagram map is integrable in a [[w:noncommutative|noncommutative]] sense.{{Sfn|Ovenhouse|2020}}

=== Over rings ===
The pentagram map admits a generalization by considering [[w:Projective space#Generalizations|projective planes]] over [[w:stably finite ring|stably finite ring]]s, instead of [[w:Field (mathematics)|field]]s. In particular, this retrieves the pentagram map over Grassmannians. Again, it admits a [[w:Lax representation|Lax representation]].{{Sfn|Hand|Izosimov|2025}}

== References ==
{{reflist|25em}}

===Notes===
{{notelist}}

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*{{Cite journal |ref=harv |last=Izosimov |first=Anton |date=2016 |title=Pentagrams, inscribed polygons, and Prym varieties |journal=Electronic Research Announcements in Mathematical Sciences |volume=23 |pages=25–40 |doi=10.3934/era.2016.23.004 |issn=1935-9179}}
*{{Cite journal |ref=harv |last=Izosimov |first=Anton |year=2022a |title=The pentagram map, Poncelet polygons, and commuting difference operators |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/compositio-mathematica/article/pentagram-map-poncelet-polygons-and-commuting-difference-operators/0FFBDEB3EEE4F3F570B2321773721A9D |journal=Compositio Mathematica |language=en |volume=158 |issue=5 |pages=1084–1124 |doi=10.1112/S0010437X22007345 |issn=0010-437X}}
*{{Cite journal|ref=harv |title=Pentagram maps and refactorization in Poisson-Lie groups|journal=[[w:Advances in Mathematics|Advances in Mathematics]]|year=2022b|issn=0001-8708|article-number=108476|volume=404|doi=10.1016/j.aim.2022.108476|first=Anton|last=Izosimov}}
*{{Cite journal|last=Izosimov|first=Anton|date=|year=2022c|title=Dimers, networks, and cluster integrable systems|url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s00039-022-00605-8|journal=Geometric and Functional Analysis|doi=10.1007/s00039-022-00605-8|issn=1016-443X|ref=harv}}
*{{Cite journal |ref=harv |last=Kasner |first=Edward |author-link=w:Edward Kasner |date=1928 |title=A Projective Theorem on the Plane Pentagon |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/00029890.1928.11986851 |journal=The American Mathematical Monthly |volume=35 |issue=7 |pages=352–356 |doi=10.1080/00029890.1928.11986851 |issn=0002-9890}}
*{{Cite journal|last=Kedem|first=Rinat|last2=Vichitkunakorn|first2=Panupong|date=2015-01-01|title=T-systems and the pentagram map|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0393044014001375|journal=Journal of Geometry and Physics|series=Finite dimensional integrable systems: on the crossroad of algebra, geometry and physics|volume=87|pages=233–247|doi=10.1016/j.geomphys.2014.07.003|issn=0393-0440|ref=harv}}
*{{Cite journal|ref=harv |title=Integrability of higher pentagram maps|url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00208-013-0922-5|journal=Mathematische Annalen|date=2013|issn=0025-5831|pages=1005–1047|volume=357|issue=3|doi=10.1007/s00208-013-0922-5|language=en|first1=Boris|last1=Khesin|first2=Fedor|last2=Soloviev |arxiv=1204.0756 }}
*{{Cite journal |ref=harv |title=Non-integrability vs. integrability in pentagram maps |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0393044014001685 |journal=Journal of Geometry and Physics |year=2015a |pages=275–285 |volume=87 |doi=10.1016/j.geomphys.2014.07.027 |language=en |first1=Boris |last1=Khesin |first2=Fedor |last2=Soloviev |arxiv=1404.6221 |bibcode=2015JGP....87..275K }}
*{{Cite journal |ref=harv |title=The geometry of dented pentagram maps |journal=[[w:Journal of the European Mathematical Society|Journal of the European Mathematical Society]] |year=2015b |issn=1435-9855 |pages=147–179 |volume=18 |issue=1 |doi=10.4171/jems/586 |doi-access=free |first1=Boris |last1=Khesin |first2=Fedor |last2=Soloviev}}
*{{Cite journal|ref=harv |title=On Generalizations of the Pentagram Map: Discretizations of AGD Flows|journal=Journal of Nonlinear Science|date=2012-12-13|issn=0938-8974|pages=303–334|volume=23|issue=2|doi=10.1007/s00332-012-9152-3|first=Gloria|last=Marí-Beffa}}
*{{Cite journal|ref=harv |title=On Integrable Generalizations of the Pentagram Map|url=https://academic.oup.com/imrn/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/imrn/rnu044|journal=International Mathematics Research Notices|date=2014-03-24|issn=1073-7928|doi=10.1093/imrn/rnu044|language=en|first=Gloria|last=Marí-Beffa}}
*{{Cite journal |ref=harv |title=The pentagon in the projective plane, with a comment on Napier's rule |url=https://www.ams.org/bull/1945-51-12/S0002-9904-1945-08488-2/ |journal=Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society |date=1945 |issn=0002-9904 |pages=985–989 |volume=51 |issue=12 |doi=10.1090/S0002-9904-1945-08488-2 |language=en |first=Theodor |last=Motzkin |author-link=w:Theodore Motzkin}}
*{{Cite journal|ref=harv |title=Non-commutative integrability of the Grassmann pentagram map|journal=[[w:Advances in Mathematics|Advances in Mathematics]]|date=2020|article-number=107309|volume=373|doi=10.1016/j.aim.2020.107309|doi-access=free|language=en|first=Nicholas|last=Ovenhouse}}
*{{cite journal |ref=harv |title=Quasiperiodic Motion for the Pentagram Map |url=http://aimsciences.org/journals/pdfs.jsp?paperID=4031&amp;mode=full |format=pdf |first1=Valentin |last1=Ovsienko |first2=Richard Evan |last2=Schwartz |first3=Serge |author-link3=w:Sergei Tabachnikov |last3=Tabachnikov |s2cid=10821671 |journal=Electronic Research Announcements in Mathematical Sciences |volume=16 |year=2009 |pages=1–8 |doi=10.3934/era.2009.16.1 |arxiv=0901.1585 |bibcode=2009arXiv0901.1585O }}
*{{Cite journal|ref=harv |title=The Pentagram Map: A Discrete Integrable System|journal=Communications in Mathematical Physics|date=2010-10-01|issn=1432-0916|pages=409–446|volume=299|issue=2|doi=10.1007/s00220-010-1075-y|language=en|first1=Valentin|last1=Ovsienko|first2=Richard|last2=Schwartz|first3=Serge|last3=Tabachnikov |bibcode=2010CMaPh.299..409O }}
*{{Cite journal|ref=harv |title=Liouville–Arnold integrability of the pentagram map on closed polygons|url=https://projecteuclid.org/journals/duke-mathematical-journal/volume-162/issue-12/LiouvilleArnold-integrability-of-the-pentagram-map-on-closed-polygons/10.1215/00127094-2348219.full|journal=Duke Mathematical Journal|date=2013-09-15|issn=0012-7094|volume=162|issue=12|doi=10.1215/00127094-2348219|first1=Valentin|last1=Ovsienko|first2=Richard Evan|last2=Schwartz|first3=Serge|last3=Tabachnikov |arxiv=1107.3633 }}
*{{Cite journal |ref=harv |title=The Pentagram Map |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10586458.1992.10504248 |journal=Experimental Mathematics |date=1992-01-01 |issn=1058-6458 |pages=71–81 |volume=1 |issue=1 |doi=10.1080/10586458.1992.10504248 |first=Richard |author-link=w:Richard Schwartz (mathematician) |last=Schwartz |doi-broken-date=29 January 2026 }}
*{{Cite journal|ref=harv |title=The Pentagram Map is Recurrent|journal=Experimental Mathematics|date=2001|issn=1058-6458|pages=519–528|volume=10|issue=4|doi=10.1080/10586458.2001.10504671|first=Richard Evan|last=Schwartz}}
*{{Cite journal|ref=harv |title=Discrete monodromy, pentagrams, and the method of condensation|journal=Journal of Fixed Point Theory and Applications|date=2008-09-01|issn=1661-7746|pages=379–409|volume=3|issue=2|doi=10.1007/s11784-008-0079-0|language=en|first=Richard Evan|last=Schwartz}}
*{{Cite journal|ref=harv |title=Pentagram Spirals|journal=Experimental Mathematics|date=2013-10-02|issn=1058-6458|pages=384–405|volume=22|issue=4|doi=10.1080/10586458.2013.830582|first=Richard Evan|last=Schwartz}}
*{{Cite journal|ref=harv |title=The pentagram integrals for Poncelet families|url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S039304401400165X|journal=Journal of Geometry and Physics|date=2015|pages=432–449|volume=87|doi=10.1016/j.geomphys.2014.07.024|language=en|first=Richard Evan|last=Schwartz |bibcode=2015JGP....87..432S }}
*{{Cite book |ref=harv |last=Schwartz |first=Richard Evan |title=The projective heat map |date=2017 |publisher=American Mathematical Society |isbn=978-1-4704-3514-1 |series=Mathematical surveys and monographs |location=Providence, Rhode Island}}
*{{Cite journal|ref=harv |last=Schwartz|first=Richard|date=2026-02-14|title=The Flapping Birds in the Pentagram Zoo|url=https://armj.math.stonybrook.edu/Articles/241224-Schwartz/index.html|journal=Arnold Mathematical Journal|volume=011|issue=004|pages=10|doi=10.56994/ARMJ.011.004.002|issn=2199-6792}}
*{{Cite journal |ref=harv |title=Elementary Surprises in Projective Geometry |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00283-010-9137-8 |journal=The Mathematical Intelligencer |date=2010 |issn=0343-6993 |pages=31–34 |volume=32 |issue=3 |doi=10.1007/s00283-010-9137-8 |language=en |first1=Richard Evan |last1=Schwartz |first2=Serge |last2=Tabachnikov |hdl=21.11116/0000-0004-24EE-8 }}
*{{Cite journal|ref=harv |title=The Pentagram Integrals on Inscribed Polygons|url=https://www.combinatorics.org/ojs/index.php/eljc/article/view/v18i1p171|journal=The Electronic Journal of Combinatorics|date=2011-09-02|issn=1077-8926|volume=18|issue=1|doi=10.37236/658|first1=Richard Evan|last1=Schwartz|first2=Serge|last2=Tabachnikov |article-number=P171 }}
*{{Citation |last=Soloviev |first=Fedor |title=Integrability of the pentagram map |date=1 December 2013 |journal=[[w:Duke Mathematical Journal|Duke Mathematical Journal]] |volume=162 |issue=15 |pages=2815–2853 |doi=10.1215/00127094-2382228 |arxiv=1106.3950 |url=https://doi.org/10.1215/00127094-2382228}}
*{{Cite journal |ref=harv |last=Tabachnikov |first=Serge |date=2019-05-07 |title=Kasner Meets Poncelet |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s00283-019-09897-5 |journal=The Mathematical Intelligencer |volume=41 |issue=4 |pages=56–59 |doi=10.1007/s00283-019-09897-5 |arxiv=1707.09267 |issn=0343-6993}}
*{{Cite journal |ref=harv |last=Tupan |first=Alexandru |date=2022-07-03 |title=Pentagram Configurations for Pentagons and Hexagons |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00029890.2022.2060695 |journal=The American Mathematical Monthly |language=en |volume=129 |issue=6 |pages=554–565 |doi=10.1080/00029890.2022.2060695 |issn=0002-9890}}
*{{Cite journal|ref=harv |title=Pentagram-Type Maps and the Discrete KP Equation|url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00332-023-09961-7|journal=Journal of Nonlinear Science|date=2023|issn=0938-8974|volume=33|issue=6|doi=10.1007/s00332-023-09961-7|language=en|first=Bao|last=Wang |article-number=101 |bibcode=2023JNS....33..101W }}
*{{Cite journal |ref=harv |title=The algebraic dynamics of the pentagram map |journal=Ergodic Theory and Dynamical Systems |date=2022-11-25 |issn=0143-3857 |pages=3460–3505 |volume=43 |issue=10 |doi=10.1017/etds.2022.82 |first=Max H. |last=Weinreich}}</text>
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  <page>
    <title>User:ThinkingScience</title>
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      <text bytes="9995" sha1="sb4tb9cg37oeqnm0onlkw47olywxowz" xml:space="preserve">== Main focus: my &quot;idea&quot; ==

* This is my [[Draft:The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea]]. There goes the &quot;main effort&quot; based on my other smaller effort in various places and also by using the methodology I one day hope I will make.
* [[User:ThinkingScience/ND_Inspired_Idea_Notebook|Daily Diary of ND Inspired Idea]]
* These are my course notes: [[User:ThinkingScience/Draftspace/Coursera]]

=== Secondary Goals ===

These are secondary goals in no particular order:

* Contribute to Wikiversity by understanding and improving on content:
** I begin with interpreting the [[Neurodiversity Movement]] by creating this subpage: [[User:ThinkingScience/Neurodiversity_Movement_Interpretation]]
* Documenting all &quot;Quasi-AI&quot; inputs and outputs related to a particular action:
** [[User:ThinkingScience/All General AI Prompt History Archive|All General AI Prompt History Archive]]

== Taking responsibility for famous people or people to focus on in [[Draft:The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea]] ==

I need to take responsibility for the choices I make. If any of my choices resulted in a harm to a real person I am responsible whether I agree or not to any blame being put on me.

This section may be moved to a sub-page if I think it starts getting too &quot;cluttered&quot; and later into more sub-pages if the list just grows and grows.

=== T ===

==== '''Taylor Swift''' ====

Taylor Swift. Why I chose Taylor Swift. I have watched interviews with her before. She is an interesting person to me. I discovered she is open about her creation process. I value that in human beings and that includes people I meet offline, in the &quot;real world&quot; but it will be a challenge for me to make video notes that are &quot;Do no harm&quot;. I may be &quot;way in over my head&quot;. Please help me if you think I'm doing something wrong. 

She has a dedicated follower base which may have a large influence. Maybe I'll suffer for this but keeping my &quot;idea&quot; locked inside &quot;my head&quot; I think will cause greater harm to me than good. I know what risk I am taking...or probably not but I gotta move forward or try to. Perhaps my fears are greater than real risks in reality but who knows?

==== '''Tom Hanks''' ====

I chose Tom Hanks because I need to move on. In my personal notes I have tens of famous people and not. Now that I'm adding people here I need to adhere to the Wikiversity rules and guidelines so the list will be limited, or will it? 
Maybe it will grow because applying &quot;Do no harm&quot; is a very good foundation considering I am not consciously trying to come up with idea how my comparisons here will do not harm and I think that is healthy for both me and for everyone!

== April 20th experiment, &quot;AI Decisions, sure. AI-generation NEVER&quot; ==

Starting today on April 20th after 08:46 UTC Time(I got UTC time on this computer where I'm so far only using this account), I'll begin by editing Wikiversity resources by being more encouraged by &quot;yeah, do that&quot; comments by Large Language Models.

Nothing of it will be &quot;AI-generated&quot; but the decisions I take: the reason for the decisions I take may be because of &quot;AI-generation&quot; but of course I will try to stay away from clear stupidity like if the AI-generation says &quot;jump off a cliff&quot;. An extreme example, but I wanted to make a point that I won't take any decision and I will question the &quot;AI/LLM&quot; if it suggests something that to me sounds insane.

If you see anything weird please comment on my talk page after you've reverted my edits.

When this experiment ends, I don't have a plan for that yet. User input might help.

This is where I make notes of decisions that may motivate me to do edits in places. It should include both inputs and outputs and what kind of &quot;version&quot; of &quot;AI&quot;s/LLMs I'm using:
* [[/April 20th Experiment Notes|&quot;AI Notes&quot; for motivation purposes in this &quot;experiment&quot;]]

=== Defining the end goal ===

The end goal is supposed to make me make useful edits or being able to make edits or contributions on more than just only the projects I'm &quot;mainly&quot; interested in.

'''Success Criteria'''

* &quot;Did the AI's output lead me to make a useful edit on a page I wouldn't have thought about and/or chosen on my own?&quot;
** This question was modified by myself based on an AI's output(this part was generated by &quot;AI Mode&quot; on May 1, 2026)

== Coursera schedule and notes ==

Today April 16, 2026 my contributions contain a lot of spelling mistakes. They may be present other days too. You'll probably spot spelling mistakes all over.

My studying schedule as I've understood it so far(studying with my mother):

This schedule is not reliable(cause my studying partner keeps changing the time, which is not necessarily bad):

UTC TIME: 07:30 - 09:30 (2 hours a day, 6 hours a week)
* Monday
* Thursday
* Saturday

== I'm studying on Coursera and about their Terms of Use ==
'''Nothing here is legal advice'''. This is very important.
Nothing in this &quot;Wikisection&quot; constitutes legal advice! Please don't blindly follow my advice and if someone copies some parts of this text without providing context then they are responsible for what they share! If you have been tricked by scammers that's sad but I am NOT responsible for illegal activities.

* web.archive.org/web/20260325233813/https://www.coursera.org/about/terms

&quot;When you create your Coursera account, and when you subsequently use certain features, you must provide us with accurate and complete information, and you agree to update your information to keep it accurate and complete.&quot;

My interpretation of that is that on Coursera I have to provide a real name. There is a field for &quot;Full name&quot;(retrieved 2026-04-09 UTC YYYY-MM-DD). How does that correspond to these terms? It doesn't say &quot;Real name&quot; but even if it did, what if I choose a name for myself and I'd like to call myself ThinkingScience? Is it still accurate? 

They don't specify what I actually have to do, just based on my quote. It would be nice for me and other Coursera learners to know what is true. Is the privacy on Wikiversity better? I'd say it is because on Coursera we are forced to provide an email address to create an account. We are not forced to do that on Wikiversity, Wikidata etc.

== notes about this account ==

This account is an alternative account on a computer I don't trust. It should never be allowed to vote and if it does please block this account. Doubling down on this today at 2026-04-30!(intent unchanged)

It's an alt of [[User:Dekatriofovia]] which unfortunately I have to prove right now despite me being in a hurry...so I'll edit my account at Dekatriofovia at the same time almost and publish at the same time...so you know it's me.

The reason for this account is it's on a computer with a bigger screen so I can more easily read books and documents.

== a thing I did not regret(modified section title) ==

This may be blathering but it ends with another Wikilink where I will pass my &quot;idea&quot; through '''Wikiversity:Research ethics''' and through anything else that might be required before anything enters Draft space. The &quot;idea&quot; is &quot;'''The Neurodiversity-inspired idea'''&quot;.

[[Protoscience]] was an interesting read. I think it will be calming for me if my idea is proven to be pseudoscience cause I can stop worrying about it and leave it behind me. &quot;The Neurodiversity-inspired idea&quot;(in lack for a better name, for now) will not be published in main space, only in draft space.

[[Wikiversity:Original research]] made me think &quot;I may be way over my head&quot; (though I stumbled around a bit due to not knowing English at an advanced enough level...this parenthesis is about some unimportant trivia).

I'm gonna place everything regarding &quot;The Neurodiversity-inspired idea&quot; into draft space and pass it through '''Wikiversity:Research ethics'''(sorry for repeating myself) and anything else I can find and also ask the community here on Wikiversity what else to place it through.

I thought I was gonna create '''User:ThinkingScience/The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea'''(but turns out I was encouraged to create it in Draft: space ... (this paragraph has been modified. Edit history might keep the original). Here are my notes again which I wanted to link to [[User:ThinkingScience/ND Inspired Idea Notebook]]

'''Draft:The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea''' that probably is in line with &quot;be bold&quot;.

=== It happened, a small burden has been lifted ===

I posted to the [[Wikiversity:Colloquium]] https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?title=Wikiversity:Colloquium&amp;oldid=2805080

Thing may be archive in the future. I've lost many things that way.(but also re-discovered many things that landed in the archive that I had posted too!)

One week. One small burden lifted. It was the only way forward. I may have been driven insane otherwise or this is just a very bad day I'm having. Full of things that &quot;real life&quot; is demanding of me.

More specifically, this is what I posted [[Wikiversity:Colloquium#Advice_needed:_A_Neurodiversity-inspired_Idea/observation]]

== Posting on talk pages using &quot;Quasi-AI&quot; depending on user preference ==

This is a list of users who have told me how they prefer maximum amount of characters/words to be if I post on their talk page using &quot;Quasi-AI&quot;[1](whatever that is since there's no such Q item nor alias on Wikidata right now regarding that term):
* [[User:Juandev]] - max amount of words: 100 as long as it respects [[Wikiversity:Artificial intelligence]]
* [[User:Jtneill]] - no restrictions but advising to read [[Wikiversity:Artificial intelligence]]

== References ==
[1] - https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?title=Is_the_output_of_ChatGPT_copyrighted%3F&amp;oldid=2711065 {{quote|ChatGPT is an automated quasi-AI technology that allows human-like text console interaction online in which a human can ask questions and ChatGPT returns answers.}}

[2] - https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk%3AJuandev&amp;diff=2807627&amp;oldid=2807367 {{quote|I am OK with &quot;Quasi-AI&quot; response if it respectes [[Wikiversity:Artificial intelligence]] policy. Max amount words 100 thx}}</text>
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      <comment>/* Posting on talk pages using &quot;Quasi-AI&quot; depending on user preference */ reference 2, max 100 words and respecting current AI policy</comment>
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      <text bytes="9998" sha1="lj89brpj188p2b8fn49kxgozb1mv9un" xml:space="preserve">== Main focus: my &quot;idea&quot; ==

* This is my [[Draft:The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea]]. There goes the &quot;main effort&quot; based on my other smaller effort in various places and also by using the methodology I one day hope I will make.
* [[User:ThinkingScience/ND_Inspired_Idea_Notebook|Daily Diary of ND Inspired Idea]]
* These are my course notes: [[User:ThinkingScience/Draftspace/Coursera]]

=== Secondary Goals ===

These are secondary goals in no particular order:

* Contribute to Wikiversity by understanding and improving on content:
** I begin with interpreting the [[Neurodiversity Movement]] by creating this subpage: [[User:ThinkingScience/Neurodiversity_Movement_Interpretation]]
* Documenting all &quot;Quasi-AI&quot; inputs and outputs related to a particular action:
** [[User:ThinkingScience/All General AI Prompt History Archive|All General AI Prompt History Archive]]

== Taking responsibility for famous people or people to focus on in [[Draft:The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea]] ==

I need to take responsibility for the choices I make. If any of my choices resulted in a harm to a real person I am responsible whether I agree or not to any blame being put on me.

This section may be moved to a sub-page if I think it starts getting too &quot;cluttered&quot; and later into more sub-pages if the list just grows and grows.

=== T ===

==== '''Taylor Swift''' ====

Taylor Swift. Why I chose Taylor Swift. I have watched interviews with her before. She is an interesting person to me. I discovered she is open about her creation process. I value that in human beings and that includes people I meet offline, in the &quot;real world&quot; but it will be a challenge for me to make video notes that are &quot;Do no harm&quot;. I may be &quot;way in over my head&quot;. Please help me if you think I'm doing something wrong. 

She has a dedicated follower base which may have a large influence. Maybe I'll suffer for this but keeping my &quot;idea&quot; locked inside &quot;my head&quot; I think will cause greater harm to me than good. I know what risk I am taking...or probably not but I gotta move forward or try to. Perhaps my fears are greater than real risks in reality but who knows?

==== '''Tom Hanks''' ====

I chose Tom Hanks because I need to move on. In my personal notes I have tens of famous people and not. Now that I'm adding people here I need to adhere to the Wikiversity rules and guidelines so the list will be limited, or will it? 
Maybe it will grow because applying &quot;Do no harm&quot; is a very good foundation considering I am not consciously trying to come up with idea how my comparisons here will do not harm and I think that is healthy for both me and for everyone!

== April 20th experiment, &quot;AI Decisions, sure. AI-generation NEVER&quot; ==

Starting today on April 20th after 08:46 UTC Time(I got UTC time on this computer where I'm so far only using this account), I'll begin by editing Wikiversity resources by being more encouraged by &quot;yeah, do that&quot; comments by Large Language Models.

Nothing of it will be &quot;AI-generated&quot; but the decisions I take: the reason for the decisions I take may be because of &quot;AI-generation&quot; but of course I will try to stay away from clear stupidity like if the AI-generation says &quot;jump off a cliff&quot;. An extreme example, but I wanted to make a point that I won't take any decision and I will question the &quot;AI/LLM&quot; if it suggests something that to me sounds insane.

If you see anything weird please comment on my talk page after you've reverted my edits.

When this experiment ends, I don't have a plan for that yet. User input might help.

This is where I make notes of decisions that may motivate me to do edits in places. It should include both inputs and outputs and what kind of &quot;version&quot; of &quot;AI&quot;s/LLMs I'm using:
* [[/April 20th Experiment Notes|&quot;AI Notes&quot; for motivation purposes in this &quot;experiment&quot;]]

=== Defining the end goal ===

The end goal is supposed to make me make useful edits or being able to make edits or contributions on more than just only the projects I'm &quot;mainly&quot; interested in.

'''Success Criteria'''

* &quot;Did the AI's output lead me to make a useful edit on a page I wouldn't have thought about and/or chosen on my own?&quot;
** This question was modified by myself based on an AI's output(this part was generated by &quot;AI Mode&quot; on May 1, 2026)

== Coursera schedule and notes ==

Today April 16, 2026 my contributions contain a lot of spelling mistakes. They may be present other days too. You'll probably spot spelling mistakes all over.

My studying schedule as I've understood it so far(studying with my mother):

This schedule is not reliable(cause my studying partner keeps changing the time, which is not necessarily bad):

UTC TIME: 07:30 - 09:30 (2 hours a day, 6 hours a week)
* Monday
* Thursday
* Saturday

== I'm studying on Coursera and about their Terms of Use ==
'''Nothing here is legal advice'''. This is very important.
Nothing in this &quot;Wikisection&quot; constitutes legal advice! Please don't blindly follow my advice and if someone copies some parts of this text without providing context then they are responsible for what they share! If you have been tricked by scammers that's sad but I am NOT responsible for illegal activities.

* web.archive.org/web/20260325233813/https://www.coursera.org/about/terms

&quot;When you create your Coursera account, and when you subsequently use certain features, you must provide us with accurate and complete information, and you agree to update your information to keep it accurate and complete.&quot;

My interpretation of that is that on Coursera I have to provide a real name. There is a field for &quot;Full name&quot;(retrieved 2026-04-09 UTC YYYY-MM-DD). How does that correspond to these terms? It doesn't say &quot;Real name&quot; but even if it did, what if I choose a name for myself and I'd like to call myself ThinkingScience? Is it still accurate? 

They don't specify what I actually have to do, just based on my quote. It would be nice for me and other Coursera learners to know what is true. Is the privacy on Wikiversity better? I'd say it is because on Coursera we are forced to provide an email address to create an account. We are not forced to do that on Wikiversity, Wikidata etc.

== notes about this account ==

This account is an alternative account on a computer I don't trust. It should never be allowed to vote and if it does please block this account. Doubling down on this today at 2026-04-30!(intent unchanged)

It's an alt of [[User:Dekatriofovia]] which unfortunately I have to prove right now despite me being in a hurry...so I'll edit my account at Dekatriofovia at the same time almost and publish at the same time...so you know it's me.

The reason for this account is it's on a computer with a bigger screen so I can more easily read books and documents.

== a thing I did not regret(modified section title) ==

This may be blathering but it ends with another Wikilink where I will pass my &quot;idea&quot; through '''Wikiversity:Research ethics''' and through anything else that might be required before anything enters Draft space. The &quot;idea&quot; is &quot;'''The Neurodiversity-inspired idea'''&quot;.

[[Protoscience]] was an interesting read. I think it will be calming for me if my idea is proven to be pseudoscience cause I can stop worrying about it and leave it behind me. &quot;The Neurodiversity-inspired idea&quot;(in lack for a better name, for now) will not be published in main space, only in draft space.

[[Wikiversity:Original research]] made me think &quot;I may be way over my head&quot; (though I stumbled around a bit due to not knowing English at an advanced enough level...this parenthesis is about some unimportant trivia).

I'm gonna place everything regarding &quot;The Neurodiversity-inspired idea&quot; into draft space and pass it through '''Wikiversity:Research ethics'''(sorry for repeating myself) and anything else I can find and also ask the community here on Wikiversity what else to place it through.

I thought I was gonna create '''User:ThinkingScience/The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea'''(but turns out I was encouraged to create it in Draft: space ... (this paragraph has been modified. Edit history might keep the original). Here are my notes again which I wanted to link to [[User:ThinkingScience/ND Inspired Idea Notebook]]

'''Draft:The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea''' that probably is in line with &quot;be bold&quot;.

=== It happened, a small burden has been lifted ===

I posted to the [[Wikiversity:Colloquium]] https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?title=Wikiversity:Colloquium&amp;oldid=2805080

Thing may be archive in the future. I've lost many things that way.(but also re-discovered many things that landed in the archive that I had posted too!)

One week. One small burden lifted. It was the only way forward. I may have been driven insane otherwise or this is just a very bad day I'm having. Full of things that &quot;real life&quot; is demanding of me.

More specifically, this is what I posted [[Wikiversity:Colloquium#Advice_needed:_A_Neurodiversity-inspired_Idea/observation]]

== Posting on talk pages using &quot;Quasi-AI&quot; depending on user preference ==

This is a list of users who have told me how they prefer maximum amount of characters/words to be if I post on their talk page using &quot;Quasi-AI&quot;[1](whatever that is since there's no such Q item nor alias on Wikidata right now regarding that term):
* [[User:Juandev]] - max amount of words: 100[2] as long as it respects [[Wikiversity:Artificial intelligence]]
* [[User:Jtneill]] - no restrictions but advising to read [[Wikiversity:Artificial intelligence]]

== References ==
[1] - https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?title=Is_the_output_of_ChatGPT_copyrighted%3F&amp;oldid=2711065 {{quote|ChatGPT is an automated quasi-AI technology that allows human-like text console interaction online in which a human can ask questions and ChatGPT returns answers.}}

[2] - https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk%3AJuandev&amp;diff=2807627&amp;oldid=2807367 {{quote|I am OK with &quot;Quasi-AI&quot; response if it respectes [[Wikiversity:Artificial intelligence]] policy. Max amount words 100 thx}}</text>
      <sha1>lj89brpj188p2b8fn49kxgozb1mv9un</sha1>
    </revision>
    <revision>
      <id>2817723</id>
      <parentid>2817722</parentid>
      <timestamp>2026-07-05T02:07:24Z</timestamp>
      <contributor>
        <username>ThinkingScience</username>
        <id>3061446</id>
      </contributor>
      <comment>/* References */ References can now be linked to. Adding 3rd reference now</comment>
      <origin>2817723</origin>
      <model>wikitext</model>
      <format>text/x-wiki</format>
      <text bytes="10334" sha1="nz2zong3o0f4wcb7nsp91iahpaevijp" xml:space="preserve">== Main focus: my &quot;idea&quot; ==

* This is my [[Draft:The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea]]. There goes the &quot;main effort&quot; based on my other smaller effort in various places and also by using the methodology I one day hope I will make.
* [[User:ThinkingScience/ND_Inspired_Idea_Notebook|Daily Diary of ND Inspired Idea]]
* These are my course notes: [[User:ThinkingScience/Draftspace/Coursera]]

=== Secondary Goals ===

These are secondary goals in no particular order:

* Contribute to Wikiversity by understanding and improving on content:
** I begin with interpreting the [[Neurodiversity Movement]] by creating this subpage: [[User:ThinkingScience/Neurodiversity_Movement_Interpretation]]
* Documenting all &quot;Quasi-AI&quot; inputs and outputs related to a particular action:
** [[User:ThinkingScience/All General AI Prompt History Archive|All General AI Prompt History Archive]]

== Taking responsibility for famous people or people to focus on in [[Draft:The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea]] ==

I need to take responsibility for the choices I make. If any of my choices resulted in a harm to a real person I am responsible whether I agree or not to any blame being put on me.

This section may be moved to a sub-page if I think it starts getting too &quot;cluttered&quot; and later into more sub-pages if the list just grows and grows.

=== T ===

==== '''Taylor Swift''' ====

Taylor Swift. Why I chose Taylor Swift. I have watched interviews with her before. She is an interesting person to me. I discovered she is open about her creation process. I value that in human beings and that includes people I meet offline, in the &quot;real world&quot; but it will be a challenge for me to make video notes that are &quot;Do no harm&quot;. I may be &quot;way in over my head&quot;. Please help me if you think I'm doing something wrong. 

She has a dedicated follower base which may have a large influence. Maybe I'll suffer for this but keeping my &quot;idea&quot; locked inside &quot;my head&quot; I think will cause greater harm to me than good. I know what risk I am taking...or probably not but I gotta move forward or try to. Perhaps my fears are greater than real risks in reality but who knows?

==== '''Tom Hanks''' ====

I chose Tom Hanks because I need to move on. In my personal notes I have tens of famous people and not. Now that I'm adding people here I need to adhere to the Wikiversity rules and guidelines so the list will be limited, or will it? 
Maybe it will grow because applying &quot;Do no harm&quot; is a very good foundation considering I am not consciously trying to come up with idea how my comparisons here will do not harm and I think that is healthy for both me and for everyone!

== April 20th experiment, &quot;AI Decisions, sure. AI-generation NEVER&quot; ==

Starting today on April 20th after 08:46 UTC Time(I got UTC time on this computer where I'm so far only using this account), I'll begin by editing Wikiversity resources by being more encouraged by &quot;yeah, do that&quot; comments by Large Language Models.

Nothing of it will be &quot;AI-generated&quot; but the decisions I take: the reason for the decisions I take may be because of &quot;AI-generation&quot; but of course I will try to stay away from clear stupidity like if the AI-generation says &quot;jump off a cliff&quot;. An extreme example, but I wanted to make a point that I won't take any decision and I will question the &quot;AI/LLM&quot; if it suggests something that to me sounds insane.

If you see anything weird please comment on my talk page after you've reverted my edits.

When this experiment ends, I don't have a plan for that yet. User input might help.

This is where I make notes of decisions that may motivate me to do edits in places. It should include both inputs and outputs and what kind of &quot;version&quot; of &quot;AI&quot;s/LLMs I'm using:
* [[/April 20th Experiment Notes|&quot;AI Notes&quot; for motivation purposes in this &quot;experiment&quot;]]

=== Defining the end goal ===

The end goal is supposed to make me make useful edits or being able to make edits or contributions on more than just only the projects I'm &quot;mainly&quot; interested in.

'''Success Criteria'''

* &quot;Did the AI's output lead me to make a useful edit on a page I wouldn't have thought about and/or chosen on my own?&quot;
** This question was modified by myself based on an AI's output(this part was generated by &quot;AI Mode&quot; on May 1, 2026)

== Coursera schedule and notes ==

Today April 16, 2026 my contributions contain a lot of spelling mistakes. They may be present other days too. You'll probably spot spelling mistakes all over.

My studying schedule as I've understood it so far(studying with my mother):

This schedule is not reliable(cause my studying partner keeps changing the time, which is not necessarily bad):

UTC TIME: 07:30 - 09:30 (2 hours a day, 6 hours a week)
* Monday
* Thursday
* Saturday

== I'm studying on Coursera and about their Terms of Use ==
'''Nothing here is legal advice'''. This is very important.
Nothing in this &quot;Wikisection&quot; constitutes legal advice! Please don't blindly follow my advice and if someone copies some parts of this text without providing context then they are responsible for what they share! If you have been tricked by scammers that's sad but I am NOT responsible for illegal activities.

* web.archive.org/web/20260325233813/https://www.coursera.org/about/terms

&quot;When you create your Coursera account, and when you subsequently use certain features, you must provide us with accurate and complete information, and you agree to update your information to keep it accurate and complete.&quot;

My interpretation of that is that on Coursera I have to provide a real name. There is a field for &quot;Full name&quot;(retrieved 2026-04-09 UTC YYYY-MM-DD). How does that correspond to these terms? It doesn't say &quot;Real name&quot; but even if it did, what if I choose a name for myself and I'd like to call myself ThinkingScience? Is it still accurate? 

They don't specify what I actually have to do, just based on my quote. It would be nice for me and other Coursera learners to know what is true. Is the privacy on Wikiversity better? I'd say it is because on Coursera we are forced to provide an email address to create an account. We are not forced to do that on Wikiversity, Wikidata etc.

== notes about this account ==

This account is an alternative account on a computer I don't trust. It should never be allowed to vote and if it does please block this account. Doubling down on this today at 2026-04-30!(intent unchanged)

It's an alt of [[User:Dekatriofovia]] which unfortunately I have to prove right now despite me being in a hurry...so I'll edit my account at Dekatriofovia at the same time almost and publish at the same time...so you know it's me.

The reason for this account is it's on a computer with a bigger screen so I can more easily read books and documents.

== a thing I did not regret(modified section title) ==

This may be blathering but it ends with another Wikilink where I will pass my &quot;idea&quot; through '''Wikiversity:Research ethics''' and through anything else that might be required before anything enters Draft space. The &quot;idea&quot; is &quot;'''The Neurodiversity-inspired idea'''&quot;.

[[Protoscience]] was an interesting read. I think it will be calming for me if my idea is proven to be pseudoscience cause I can stop worrying about it and leave it behind me. &quot;The Neurodiversity-inspired idea&quot;(in lack for a better name, for now) will not be published in main space, only in draft space.

[[Wikiversity:Original research]] made me think &quot;I may be way over my head&quot; (though I stumbled around a bit due to not knowing English at an advanced enough level...this parenthesis is about some unimportant trivia).

I'm gonna place everything regarding &quot;The Neurodiversity-inspired idea&quot; into draft space and pass it through '''Wikiversity:Research ethics'''(sorry for repeating myself) and anything else I can find and also ask the community here on Wikiversity what else to place it through.

I thought I was gonna create '''User:ThinkingScience/The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea'''(but turns out I was encouraged to create it in Draft: space ... (this paragraph has been modified. Edit history might keep the original). Here are my notes again which I wanted to link to [[User:ThinkingScience/ND Inspired Idea Notebook]]

'''Draft:The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea''' that probably is in line with &quot;be bold&quot;.

=== It happened, a small burden has been lifted ===

I posted to the [[Wikiversity:Colloquium]] https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?title=Wikiversity:Colloquium&amp;oldid=2805080

Thing may be archive in the future. I've lost many things that way.(but also re-discovered many things that landed in the archive that I had posted too!)

One week. One small burden lifted. It was the only way forward. I may have been driven insane otherwise or this is just a very bad day I'm having. Full of things that &quot;real life&quot; is demanding of me.

More specifically, this is what I posted [[Wikiversity:Colloquium#Advice_needed:_A_Neurodiversity-inspired_Idea/observation]]

== Posting on talk pages using &quot;Quasi-AI&quot; depending on user preference ==

This is a list of users who have told me how they prefer maximum amount of characters/words to be if I post on their talk page using &quot;Quasi-AI&quot;[1](whatever that is since there's no such Q item nor alias on Wikidata right now regarding that term):
* [[User:Juandev]] - max amount of words: 100[2] as long as it respects [[Wikiversity:Artificial intelligence]]
* [[User:Jtneill]] - no restrictions but advising to read [[Wikiversity:Artificial intelligence]]

== References ==

=== Ref 1 ===

[1] - https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?title=Is_the_output_of_ChatGPT_copyrighted%3F&amp;oldid=2711065 {{quote|ChatGPT is an automated quasi-AI technology that allows human-like text console interaction online in which a human can ask questions and ChatGPT returns answers.}}

=== Ref 2 ===

[2] - https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk%3AJuandev&amp;diff=2807627&amp;oldid=2807367 {{quote|I am OK with &quot;Quasi-AI&quot; response if it respectes [[Wikiversity:Artificial intelligence]] policy. Max amount words 100 thx}}

=== Ref 3 ===

[3] - https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk%3AJtneill&amp;diff=2816511&amp;oldid=2816496 {{quote|I don't much care whether or not content is AI-generated, but note the principles suggested by [[Wikiversity:Artificial intelligence|Wikiversity's artificial intelligence policy]].}}</text>
      <sha1>nz2zong3o0f4wcb7nsp91iahpaevijp</sha1>
    </revision>
    <revision>
      <id>2817726</id>
      <parentid>2817723</parentid>
      <timestamp>2026-07-05T02:27:34Z</timestamp>
      <contributor>
        <username>ThinkingScience</username>
        <id>3061446</id>
      </contributor>
      <comment>Being able to link to references</comment>
      <origin>2817726</origin>
      <model>wikitext</model>
      <format>text/x-wiki</format>
      <text bytes="10363" sha1="knqz6os22mewi86as4cadl6il1y68c3" xml:space="preserve">== Main focus: my &quot;idea&quot; ==

* This is my [[Draft:The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea]]. There goes the &quot;main effort&quot; based on my other smaller effort in various places and also by using the methodology I one day hope I will make.
* [[User:ThinkingScience/ND_Inspired_Idea_Notebook|Daily Diary of ND Inspired Idea]]
* These are my course notes: [[User:ThinkingScience/Draftspace/Coursera]]

=== Secondary Goals ===

These are secondary goals in no particular order:

* Contribute to Wikiversity by understanding and improving on content:
** I begin with interpreting the [[Neurodiversity Movement]] by creating this subpage: [[User:ThinkingScience/Neurodiversity_Movement_Interpretation]]
* Documenting all &quot;Quasi-AI&quot; inputs and outputs related to a particular action:
** [[User:ThinkingScience/All General AI Prompt History Archive|All General AI Prompt History Archive]]

== Taking responsibility for famous people or people to focus on in [[Draft:The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea]] ==

I need to take responsibility for the choices I make. If any of my choices resulted in a harm to a real person I am responsible whether I agree or not to any blame being put on me.

This section may be moved to a sub-page if I think it starts getting too &quot;cluttered&quot; and later into more sub-pages if the list just grows and grows.

=== T ===

==== '''Taylor Swift''' ====

Taylor Swift. Why I chose Taylor Swift. I have watched interviews with her before. She is an interesting person to me. I discovered she is open about her creation process. I value that in human beings and that includes people I meet offline, in the &quot;real world&quot; but it will be a challenge for me to make video notes that are &quot;Do no harm&quot;. I may be &quot;way in over my head&quot;. Please help me if you think I'm doing something wrong. 

She has a dedicated follower base which may have a large influence. Maybe I'll suffer for this but keeping my &quot;idea&quot; locked inside &quot;my head&quot; I think will cause greater harm to me than good. I know what risk I am taking...or probably not but I gotta move forward or try to. Perhaps my fears are greater than real risks in reality but who knows?

==== '''Tom Hanks''' ====

I chose Tom Hanks because I need to move on. In my personal notes I have tens of famous people and not. Now that I'm adding people here I need to adhere to the Wikiversity rules and guidelines so the list will be limited, or will it? 
Maybe it will grow because applying &quot;Do no harm&quot; is a very good foundation considering I am not consciously trying to come up with idea how my comparisons here will do not harm and I think that is healthy for both me and for everyone!

== April 20th experiment, &quot;AI Decisions, sure. AI-generation NEVER&quot; ==

Starting today on April 20th after 08:46 UTC Time(I got UTC time on this computer where I'm so far only using this account), I'll begin by editing Wikiversity resources by being more encouraged by &quot;yeah, do that&quot; comments by Large Language Models.

Nothing of it will be &quot;AI-generated&quot; but the decisions I take: the reason for the decisions I take may be because of &quot;AI-generation&quot; but of course I will try to stay away from clear stupidity like if the AI-generation says &quot;jump off a cliff&quot;. An extreme example, but I wanted to make a point that I won't take any decision and I will question the &quot;AI/LLM&quot; if it suggests something that to me sounds insane.

If you see anything weird please comment on my talk page after you've reverted my edits.

When this experiment ends, I don't have a plan for that yet. User input might help.

This is where I make notes of decisions that may motivate me to do edits in places. It should include both inputs and outputs and what kind of &quot;version&quot; of &quot;AI&quot;s/LLMs I'm using:
* [[/April 20th Experiment Notes|&quot;AI Notes&quot; for motivation purposes in this &quot;experiment&quot;]]

=== Defining the end goal ===

The end goal is supposed to make me make useful edits or being able to make edits or contributions on more than just only the projects I'm &quot;mainly&quot; interested in.

'''Success Criteria'''

* &quot;Did the AI's output lead me to make a useful edit on a page I wouldn't have thought about and/or chosen on my own?&quot;
** This question was modified by myself based on an AI's output(this part was generated by &quot;AI Mode&quot; on May 1, 2026)

== Coursera schedule and notes ==

Today April 16, 2026 my contributions contain a lot of spelling mistakes. They may be present other days too. You'll probably spot spelling mistakes all over.

My studying schedule as I've understood it so far(studying with my mother):

This schedule is not reliable(cause my studying partner keeps changing the time, which is not necessarily bad):

UTC TIME: 07:30 - 09:30 (2 hours a day, 6 hours a week)
* Monday
* Thursday
* Saturday

== I'm studying on Coursera and about their Terms of Use ==
'''Nothing here is legal advice'''. This is very important.
Nothing in this &quot;Wikisection&quot; constitutes legal advice! Please don't blindly follow my advice and if someone copies some parts of this text without providing context then they are responsible for what they share! If you have been tricked by scammers that's sad but I am NOT responsible for illegal activities.

* web.archive.org/web/20260325233813/https://www.coursera.org/about/terms

&quot;When you create your Coursera account, and when you subsequently use certain features, you must provide us with accurate and complete information, and you agree to update your information to keep it accurate and complete.&quot;

My interpretation of that is that on Coursera I have to provide a real name. There is a field for &quot;Full name&quot;(retrieved 2026-04-09 UTC YYYY-MM-DD). How does that correspond to these terms? It doesn't say &quot;Real name&quot; but even if it did, what if I choose a name for myself and I'd like to call myself ThinkingScience? Is it still accurate? 

They don't specify what I actually have to do, just based on my quote. It would be nice for me and other Coursera learners to know what is true. Is the privacy on Wikiversity better? I'd say it is because on Coursera we are forced to provide an email address to create an account. We are not forced to do that on Wikiversity, Wikidata etc.

== notes about this account ==

This account is an alternative account on a computer I don't trust. It should never be allowed to vote and if it does please block this account. Doubling down on this today at 2026-04-30!(intent unchanged)

It's an alt of [[User:Dekatriofovia]] which unfortunately I have to prove right now despite me being in a hurry...so I'll edit my account at Dekatriofovia at the same time almost and publish at the same time...so you know it's me.

The reason for this account is it's on a computer with a bigger screen so I can more easily read books and documents.

== a thing I did not regret(modified section title) ==

This may be blathering but it ends with another Wikilink where I will pass my &quot;idea&quot; through '''Wikiversity:Research ethics''' and through anything else that might be required before anything enters Draft space. The &quot;idea&quot; is &quot;'''The Neurodiversity-inspired idea'''&quot;.

[[Protoscience]] was an interesting read. I think it will be calming for me if my idea is proven to be pseudoscience cause I can stop worrying about it and leave it behind me. &quot;The Neurodiversity-inspired idea&quot;(in lack for a better name, for now) will not be published in main space, only in draft space.

[[Wikiversity:Original research]] made me think &quot;I may be way over my head&quot; (though I stumbled around a bit due to not knowing English at an advanced enough level...this parenthesis is about some unimportant trivia).

I'm gonna place everything regarding &quot;The Neurodiversity-inspired idea&quot; into draft space and pass it through '''Wikiversity:Research ethics'''(sorry for repeating myself) and anything else I can find and also ask the community here on Wikiversity what else to place it through.

I thought I was gonna create '''User:ThinkingScience/The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea'''(but turns out I was encouraged to create it in Draft: space ... (this paragraph has been modified. Edit history might keep the original). Here are my notes again which I wanted to link to [[User:ThinkingScience/ND Inspired Idea Notebook]]

'''Draft:The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea''' that probably is in line with &quot;be bold&quot;.

=== It happened, a small burden has been lifted ===

I posted to the [[Wikiversity:Colloquium]] https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?title=Wikiversity:Colloquium&amp;oldid=2805080

Thing may be archive in the future. I've lost many things that way.(but also re-discovered many things that landed in the archive that I had posted too!)

One week. One small burden lifted. It was the only way forward. I may have been driven insane otherwise or this is just a very bad day I'm having. Full of things that &quot;real life&quot; is demanding of me.

More specifically, this is what I posted [[Wikiversity:Colloquium#Advice_needed:_A_Neurodiversity-inspired_Idea/observation]]

== Posting on talk pages using &quot;Quasi-AI&quot; depending on user preference ==

This is a list of users who have told me how they prefer maximum amount of characters/words to be if I post on their talk page using &quot;Quasi-AI&quot;[1](whatever that is since there's no such Q item nor alias on Wikidata right now regarding that term):
* [[User:Juandev]] - max amount of words: 100 ([[#Ref 2|#2]]) as long as it respects [[Wikiversity:Artificial intelligence]]
* [[User:Jtneill]] - no restrictions but advising to read [[Wikiversity:Artificial intelligence]] ([[#Ref 3|#3]])

== References ==

=== Ref 1 ===

[1] - https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?title=Is_the_output_of_ChatGPT_copyrighted%3F&amp;oldid=2711065 {{quote|ChatGPT is an automated quasi-AI technology that allows human-like text console interaction online in which a human can ask questions and ChatGPT returns answers.}}

=== Ref 2 ===

[2] - https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk%3AJuandev&amp;diff=2807627&amp;oldid=2807367 {{quote|I am OK with &quot;Quasi-AI&quot; response if it respectes [[Wikiversity:Artificial intelligence]] policy. Max amount words 100 thx}}

=== Ref 3 ===

[3] - https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk%3AJtneill&amp;diff=2816511&amp;oldid=2816496 {{quote|I don't much care whether or not content is AI-generated, but note the principles suggested by [[Wikiversity:Artificial intelligence|Wikiversity's artificial intelligence policy]].}}</text>
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      <comment>Reverted edit by [[Special:Contributions/~2026-38096-63|~2026-38096-63]] ([[User_talk:~2026-38096-63|talk]]) to last version by [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] using [[Wikiversity:Rollback|rollback]]</comment>
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      <model>wikitext</model>
      <format>text/x-wiki</format>
      <text bytes="2332" sha1="8vdxfoc6xmot5rz7iau6d4mynerku1o" xml:space="preserve">==Welcome==
{{Robelbox|theme=9|title='''[[Wikiversity:Welcome|Welcome]] to [[Wikiversity:What is Wikiversity|Wikiversity]],  ThinkingScience!'''|width=100%}}
&lt;div style=&quot;{{Robelbox/pad}}&quot;&gt;
You can [[Wikiversity:Contact|contact us]] with [[Wikiversity:Questions|questions]] at the [[Wikiversity:Colloquium|colloquium]] or get in touch with [[User talk:Jtneill|me personally]] if you would like some [[Help:Contents|help]].

Remember to [[Wikiversity:Signature#How to add your signature|sign]] your comments when [[Wikiversity:Who are Wikiversity participants?|participating]] in [[Wikiversity:Talk page|discussions]]. Using the signature icon [[File:OOjs UI icon signature-ltr.svg]] makes it simple.

We invite you to [[Wikiversity:Be bold|be bold]] and [[Wikiversity|assume good faith]]. Please abide by our [[Wikiversity:Civility|civility]], [[Wikiversity:Privacy policy|privacy]], and [[Foundation:Terms of Use|terms of use]] policies.

To find your way around, check out:
&lt;!-- The Left column --&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;width:50.0%; float:left&quot;&gt;
* [[Wikiversity:Introduction|Introduction to Wikiversity]]
* [[Help:Guides|Take a guided tour]] and learn [[Help:Editing|how to edit]]
* [[Wikiversity:Browse|Browse]] or visit an educational level portal:&lt;br&gt;[[Portal:Pre-school Education|pre-school]] | [[Portal:Primary Education|primary]] | [[Portal:Secondary Education|secondary]] | [[Portal:Tertiary Education|tertiary]] | [[Portal:Non-formal Education|non-formal]]
* [[Wikiversity:Introduction explore|Explore]] links in left-hand navigation menu
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;!-- The Right column --&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;width:50.0%; float:left&quot;&gt;

* Read an [[Wikiversity:Wikiversity teachers|introduction for teachers]]
* Learn [[Help:How to write an educational resource|how to write an educational resource]]
* Find out about [[Wikiversity:Research|research]] activities
* Give [[Wikiversity:Feedback|feedback]] about your observations
* Discuss issues or ask questions at the [[Wikiversity:Colloquium|colloquium]]
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;br clear=&quot;both&quot;/&gt;

To get started, experiment in the [[wikiversity:sandbox|sandbox]] or on [[special:mypage|your userpage]].

See you around Wikiversity! ---- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 10:26, 14 April 2026 (UTC)&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;!-- Template:Welcome --&gt;
{{Robelbox/close}}</text>
      <sha1>8vdxfoc6xmot5rz7iau6d4mynerku1o</sha1>
    </revision>
    <revision>
      <id>2817737</id>
      <parentid>2817732</parentid>
      <timestamp>2026-07-05T03:18:47Z</timestamp>
      <contributor>
        <username>ThinkingScience</username>
        <id>3061446</id>
      </contributor>
      <comment>/* Encouraging people who might be having a bad day to vent or just talk/converse */ new section</comment>
      <origin>2817737</origin>
      <model>wikitext</model>
      <format>text/x-wiki</format>
      <text bytes="2804" sha1="bncmlbj02pbtmsvg5lha2esn2qfmpbp" xml:space="preserve">==Welcome==
{{Robelbox|theme=9|title='''[[Wikiversity:Welcome|Welcome]] to [[Wikiversity:What is Wikiversity|Wikiversity]],  ThinkingScience!'''|width=100%}}
&lt;div style=&quot;{{Robelbox/pad}}&quot;&gt;
You can [[Wikiversity:Contact|contact us]] with [[Wikiversity:Questions|questions]] at the [[Wikiversity:Colloquium|colloquium]] or get in touch with [[User talk:Jtneill|me personally]] if you would like some [[Help:Contents|help]].

Remember to [[Wikiversity:Signature#How to add your signature|sign]] your comments when [[Wikiversity:Who are Wikiversity participants?|participating]] in [[Wikiversity:Talk page|discussions]]. Using the signature icon [[File:OOjs UI icon signature-ltr.svg]] makes it simple.

We invite you to [[Wikiversity:Be bold|be bold]] and [[Wikiversity|assume good faith]]. Please abide by our [[Wikiversity:Civility|civility]], [[Wikiversity:Privacy policy|privacy]], and [[Foundation:Terms of Use|terms of use]] policies.

To find your way around, check out:
&lt;!-- The Left column --&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;width:50.0%; float:left&quot;&gt;
* [[Wikiversity:Introduction|Introduction to Wikiversity]]
* [[Help:Guides|Take a guided tour]] and learn [[Help:Editing|how to edit]]
* [[Wikiversity:Browse|Browse]] or visit an educational level portal:&lt;br&gt;[[Portal:Pre-school Education|pre-school]] | [[Portal:Primary Education|primary]] | [[Portal:Secondary Education|secondary]] | [[Portal:Tertiary Education|tertiary]] | [[Portal:Non-formal Education|non-formal]]
* [[Wikiversity:Introduction explore|Explore]] links in left-hand navigation menu
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;!-- The Right column --&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;width:50.0%; float:left&quot;&gt;

* Read an [[Wikiversity:Wikiversity teachers|introduction for teachers]]
* Learn [[Help:How to write an educational resource|how to write an educational resource]]
* Find out about [[Wikiversity:Research|research]] activities
* Give [[Wikiversity:Feedback|feedback]] about your observations
* Discuss issues or ask questions at the [[Wikiversity:Colloquium|colloquium]]
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;br clear=&quot;both&quot;/&gt;

To get started, experiment in the [[wikiversity:sandbox|sandbox]] or on [[special:mypage|your userpage]].

See you around Wikiversity! ---- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 10:26, 14 April 2026 (UTC)&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;!-- Template:Welcome --&gt;
{{Robelbox/close}}

== Encouraging people who might be having a bad day to vent or just talk/converse ==

If you feel like you are a person who would like to vent please visit https://etherpad.wikimedia.org/p/letstalk then please in a nice and respecting way try to get my attention so that I can join you there. Then we can talk [[User:ThinkingScience|ThinkingScience]] ([[User talk:ThinkingScience|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/ThinkingScience|contribs]]) 03:18, 5 July 2026 (UTC)</text>
      <sha1>bncmlbj02pbtmsvg5lha2esn2qfmpbp</sha1>
    </revision>
  </page>
  <page>
    <title>User:ThinkingScience/ND Inspired Idea Notebook</title>
    <ns>2</ns>
    <id>329177</id>
    <revision>
      <id>2817727</id>
      <parentid>2816497</parentid>
      <timestamp>2026-07-05T02:29:38Z</timestamp>
      <contributor>
        <username>ThinkingScience</username>
        <id>3061446</id>
      </contributor>
      <comment>/* June 22, 2026, Monday */ == July 05, 2026, Sunday ==</comment>
      <origin>2817727</origin>
      <model>wikitext</model>
      <format>text/x-wiki</format>
      <text bytes="8850" sha1="4u58ixen0cijegqr900lvxuszwnjgng" xml:space="preserve">Template Links:
* {{tl|Draft}}
* {{tl|underconstruction}}

'''On this page I plan to add daily notes regarding [[Draft:The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea]].'''

== &quot;Diary&quot; ==

== April 18, 2026 ==

A suggestion I got was that it may help the project if I provide some questions along with the idea. Also to make a main space where I gather info about my progress but that will probably be the draft itself if I move forward. Now if I write a &quot;diary&quot; that will be only regarding the project.

Turned &quot;me language&quot; into expressing that everyone is welcome, that I don't &quot;own&quot; [[Draft:The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea]]. Now everything that says &quot;I did this&quot; &quot;I did that&quot; should be gone. I think this was an improvement of some sort.

Plan for next edits on the draft page: Add an &lt;nowiki&gt;&quot; == Old Methodology needing updating == &quot;&lt;/nowiki&gt; where I will add old methodologies where I had not planned ahead too good and the &quot;Do no harm&quot; I did not know about or could not focus on. That was before I created my own Draft that feels like it only happened some days ago.

Interaction I thought was an efficient method but how would methodology be modified today with what I know now and will know in the future?

== April 20, 2026 ==

Why does it seem like I'm the only one using the word &quot;methodology&quot;? Did the [[Wikiversity:Research ethics]] mention it?
* I cannot find it! I checked all infoboxes! It must have been generated and I probably never questioned it...until now.

== April 21, 2026 ==

I think I put a new subsection on the Draft space something that was related to developing my method/methodology into the &quot;Do no harm&quot;. Considering I have almost not developed anything but I still gotta work on this...to do...

== April 22, 2026 ==

I am yearning / looking forward to working on video notes in a &quot;Do no harm&quot; way. I don't feel like it has happened yet. I did make modifications but it may have increased complexity. A complexity that will make it harder for me to work or just different.

== April 27, 2026 ==

I met with my father and he is a friend of the sciences. One word: hypothesis. He asked what my main hypothesis is. Of course hypothesis is a way to test if the idea is sound or if it's for the trashcan. I'm glad he gave me this feedback or interest in trying to learn more.

Today I woke up being inspired by that:

* Is there a hypothesis or a number of hypotheses related to the idea?
** Can this idea be proven false?

Why it's important to prove a hypothesis false: so that we don't waste time on trash ideas. If they are not provable we give time to the creator of the suggestion/idea to prove make a hypothesis. Only when the creator fails to provide any sort of hypothesis and maybe suggests their own idea be removed because as hard as they tried they couldn't make a functioning hypothesis...then I guess that's one of the more 'natural' ways for a project to more naturally leave Wikiversity.

Deadlines etc. can help me keep moving...

What a hypothesis is: &quot;I predict this will happen&quot; and then checking results what happens and whether it fulfilled the prediction or not and sometimes we stumble upon new things we did not expect.

[[Operationalization]] is then also needed to make &quot;ambiguous ideas&quot; measurable. My father remembers that I &quot;wanted to save the world&quot; but it was nothing other than an observation I wanted to share with other people that I had made that began years earlier. June 16 should be 2 months roughly after the creation of the Draft:Idea...

== April 29, 2026 ==

Just made my father aware of this &quot;idea&quot; that so far doesn't have a published hypothesis of any kind, not even in a &quot;basic stage&quot;. Only the deadline for June 16 exists right now.

I'm happy he did not reject me working on it. He encourages me to work harder. I got a &quot;Great job so far!&quot; compliment.

=== Google's &quot;AI Mode&quot; ===

This part was 100% AI-generated:

{{quote|What you are describing is a core concept in the philosophy of science called Falsification. It was popularized by Karl Popper, who argued that science doesn't progress by &quot;proving things right,&quot; but by rigorously trying to prove things wrong and failing to do so.}}

== April 30, 2026 ==

Was gonna start writing on the Colloquium again and composed a large message to reply/'talk to' Jtneill but I got input from &quot;AI Mode&quot; and then I realized after a while, maybe what I'm trying to ask I can find out with the help of &quot;AI Mode&quot; leading me to the right resources? ie. formatting on talk pages...how important is that? Prioritizing...

Also replying to everything? Is it really needed? Would I like to be known as &quot;Needy ThinkingScience&quot;? I can't do anything on my own? So yeah, I started thinking maybe I can focus on doing more.
Starting by talking less and the tools we have available can fix a lot anyway, LLMs are great but designed in interesting and challenging ways!

Do I even need a mentor or do I '''just think I need one'''? I am very much a needy guy in terms of hand-holding and being related to a social context &quot;historically&quot; in my life, or at least that's what I thought. What I think I need for myself may be completely wrong.

People in talk pages I interpreted as saying that I shouldn't put obstacles in my path by being mean to myself and putting pressure on myself to do certain things in a certain amount of time but I guess I couldn't stop myself! I also need a social context but would I just drag others into my &quot;bad routines&quot;? It all depends on who one interacts with...which now makes me think about &quot;the idea&quot; again. I guess I should see this as a warning sign :)

My father suggested peer-review related activities and here I am looking inward and isolating myself. I don't know...

:I figured today I begin with {{quote|April 20th experiment, &quot;AI Decisions, sure. AI-generation NEVER&quot;}}

== May 5, 2026 ==

Today I became very emotional when thinking about the importance of taking the decision to finally &quot;unload&quot; my idea on and trying to develop it on Wikiversity while talking to a friend. It's important to know when I last felt this deep of an &quot;emotion unload&quot;.

The original question from my friend in the original language: {{quote|&quot;Σκεφτόμουν εάν αυτή η συναισθηματική αντίδραση σου συμβαίνει συχνά ή εάν έτυχε απλώς τώρα στην συνάντησή μας?&quot;}} which I'll translate for you. I was also pondering the &quot;suitability&quot; of adding foreign languages to Wikiversity. It would make sense as long as that is the training material for the course which is in English about learning a foreign language.

The question as I interpret it as of this moment and which may be incorrect is this:

{{quote|I was thinking if this emotional reaction happens to you often or if it just happened now at the meeting?}}

And I think I remember my answer being that it only happened now.

It was very important for me because no longer will only I think about this draft in my own mind but other people can think too about what I describe about it. Any data I can find will also then be able to be studied by contributors or interested parties. So far, no data at all.

My point: Not having to carry this weight anymore. It was too heavy. It was basically too hard for me to formulate &quot;coherent&quot; sentences and only thought about them at brief periods while waking up or during &quot;Aha!&quot; moments.

== May 18, 2026, Monday ==

As I wrote in the diary of my main user account, screen arrived. I can now work.

I will continue work on the translation for my unfinished draft &quot;idea&quot; on the Greek Wikiversity. I'm following the &quot;Be bold&quot;. Translating also means processing, that means that a different &quot;take&quot; on the idea may happen. That may lead to a better formulated text.

== May 19, 2026, Tuesday ==

[[v:el:Χρήστης:ThinkingScience|User ThinkingScience on Greek Wikiversity]]

Today I can work on the translation and other work on Greek Wikiversity regarding my idea. This is good so I can continue the work on explaining to friends and family regarding my &quot;idea&quot;/&quot;observation&quot;. I might work right now...maybe make more notes later today?

== June 22, 2026, Monday ==

I think I'm forced to side-track due to nobody yet having shown interest in learning what my draft is about, nor interacted with me in any meaningful way yet. All initiative has come from me so it's only right it continues to come from me.
In the topic of [[Neurodiversity Movement]] I may begin to contribute.

Well I guess that I managed to contact at least 1 user. Wouldn't hurt with multiple but I guess I have to choose my &quot;battles&quot; and I only had so much &quot;mental energy&quot; for today...and it may sound silly but I need a break now...I think...

== July 05, 2026, Sunday ==

Maybe time to interact with somebody in a meaningful way? My first talk page message written by an &quot;LLM&quot;?</text>
      <sha1>4u58ixen0cijegqr900lvxuszwnjgng</sha1>
    </revision>
  </page>
  <page>
    <title>User:ThinkingScience/All General AI Prompt History Archive</title>
    <ns>2</ns>
    <id>329403</id>
    <revision>
      <id>2817740</id>
      <parentid>2807443</parentid>
      <timestamp>2026-07-05T04:25:41Z</timestamp>
      <contributor>
        <username>ThinkingScience</username>
        <id>3061446</id>
      </contributor>
      <comment>/* Prompts */ === Goal: Interact with User:Jtneill at July 5, 2026 === Making this linkable...so I can refer to it in talk page post 'metadata'</comment>
      <origin>2817740</origin>
      <model>wikitext</model>
      <format>text/x-wiki</format>
      <text bytes="25515" sha1="sopkjwyxep4x4kwcjwcfp9g47sq4g5y" xml:space="preserve">This page is adhering to [[Wikiversity:Artificial intelligence]]'s latest revision as of the making of this post based on this oldid: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?title=Wikiversity:Artificial_intelligence&amp;oldid=2806663

If this text becomes too much...then I may suggest archiving it. If there later is an archive of this text, then maybe I'll request a full wipe of this page so that the size that the text takes up on this page doesn't become too much for the Wikiversity database and then can save some space.

== Prompts ==

The way in which this page is written is made to conserve space. If you don't understand any part of this subpage please ask me on my talk page what you don't understand and I'll try to explain as well as I can for you to understand regardless of how many attempts that may '''require'''.

Each prompt and it's follow-up inputs and outputs are put into one section at a time. ie. if a series of inputs and outputs were related and it was my judgement that based on all the &quot;back and forth&quot; between me and the Quasi-AI the end result was posting on a talk page or editing something else it will be documented here into its own subsection.

=== Goal: Post directly to [[Neurodiversity Movement]] at May 2, 2026 ===

Title and this text so far is 100% human-generated. If it will stop to be it will be because I'm typing like this example:

* input to &quot;AI Mode&quot;: hi. Max response 20 words please.
** output: Hello! I will keep my responses brief and under 20 words for you. How can I help today?

That output was 100% &quot;AI Mode&quot; by Google. My input was my own. With other words the 100% &quot;Quasi-AI&quot;-generation has already began and the full [[Wikiversity:Artificial intelligence]]-compliance requirement is in motion.

'''Goal''': 

This conversation with &quot;AI Mode&quot; resulting in a useful contribution at [[Neurodiversity Movement]] based on my thought that we need to help students understand that the Neurodiversity Movement is an alive movement and that it is hard(and that it differs from person to person) to measure what is going on in the movement.

That the encouragement ... I'll stop myself here. Here comes the prompts but also a system I'm developing for saving prompt space that the text takes up on hard drives:

I'm looking at Neurodiversity Movement on https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Neurodiversity_Movement

'''Here begins 100% human inputs and 100% &quot;AI Mode&quot; by Google outputs. They will all be placed in''' {{quote|example text}} '''and be referred to as input 1, output 1, input 2, output 2 etc. for organizational reasons&quot;:'''

I'm going to be using emojis so I don't miss any input or making it easier for me to find old and new inputs:
* ☢️ for human inputs
* ⛔ for &quot;Quasi-AI&quot; outputs

⚠️ '''Here begin the inputs!''' ⚠️

☢️ input 1: {{quote|I'm looking at Neurodiversity Movement on https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Neurodiversity_Movement

This is my goal: &quot;'''Goal''': 

This conversation with &quot;AI Mode&quot; resulting in a useful contribution at [[Neurodiversity Movement]] based on my thought that we need to help students understand that the Neurodiversity Movement is an alive movement and that it is hard(and that it differs from person to person) to measure what is going on in the movement but that there is hope and that we together can develop some ways to measure it in a &quot;Do no harm&quot; way.&quot;

I'm looking at what Luai_lashire wrote with inspiration. I believe that when Wikiversity lost Luai, we lost something precious. A person that encouraged its students and yes maybe I feel a bit like &quot;her student&quot; so I may be becoming a bit emotional writing this...and that may &quot;add to my bias&quot; but I can't help that also knowing that bias existing is accepted on Wikiversity and I'm glad about that! Can you make sure that your responses are not too much text because I &quot;may&quot; have a learning disability even though I'm not sure but I work better when a &quot;Quasi-AI&quot; like yourself responds in with shorter text and I may have to ask you in the future to respond with less text as I'm also trying to &quot;know myself&quot;.
This is being documented live right now so if this triggers a &quot;Google-engineer to having to intervene&quot; I don't mind that at all. I want to work in a &quot;Do no harm&quot; way, so I don't want to harm Google by making this prompt}}

⛔ output 1: {{quote|It’s an honor to help you build on Luai_Lashire’s work. Her vision for the Neurodiversity Movement resource on Wikiversity is a powerful foundation, and your focus on the movement being &quot;alive&quot; and measurable in a &quot;do no harm&quot; way is a vital addition.
To keep this manageable and scannable for you, let’s break your goal into three clear steps:
## 1. Documenting the &quot;Living&quot; Movement
The movement isn't just history; it’s happening now in communities like r/neurodiversity. We can add a section highlighting how students can observe real-time activism through:

* Social Media Trends: Tracking current hashtags or viral discussions.
* Active Blogs: Referencing the &quot;Autism Hub&quot; and newer &quot;DifferentBrains&quot; blogs.

## 2. Measuring Progress (The &quot;Do No Harm&quot; Way)
Measuring a social movement is hard because it's about feelings and acceptance, not just numbers. We could propose a &quot;Qualitative Feedback&quot; model:

* Self-Reflection: Asking students, &quot;How has your understanding changed?&quot;
* Community Surveys: Using the &quot;Experimental Public Transparent Communication Project&quot; to gather data safely.

## 3. Next Steps for Wikiversity
To make your contribution, I can help you draft a short, clear paragraph for the &quot;Goals&quot; or &quot;Experimental Resources&quot; section of the page.
How would you like to start? I can draft a short &quot;Alive Movement&quot; section for you to review, or we can brainstorm specific &quot;Do No Harm&quot; questions for students.}}

☢️ input 2: {{quote|You still there? Answer max 3 words(only in this input this is an exception. Behave normally in the prompts after that)}}
⛔ output 2: {{quote|I am here.
How should we begin drafting the section on the living movement?}}

☢️ input 3: {{quote|I'm not going on any of your suggestions so far so listen to this: The latest oldid I can find where Luai lashire contributed to the main page of [[Neurodiversity Movement]] and that happened on 20 July, 2008: &lt;nowiki&gt;https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?title=Neurodiversity_Movement&amp;oldid=297014.&lt;/nowiki&gt; I want to check that out first, this is one of the &quot;original&quot; pages which I've chosen as of now to focus on. Please post even less text than you usually do! Your last output was very long! Remember when I said &quot;Can you make sure that your responses are not too much text&quot;?}}
⛔ output 3: {{quote|Understood. I will be much more brief.
Looking at that 2008 version, I see Luai focused on:

* Basics: Defining neurotypes.
* Abuse: History of harmful &quot;cures&quot;.
* Activism: Groups like Aspies For Freedom.

To keep it &quot;alive&quot; as you want: what specific part of her 2008 outline catches your eye to update first?}}

☢️ input 4: {{quote|So that this leads somewhere and just doesn't lead nowhere, I'm focusing on one part I can relate to and am thus probably 'biased towards'. It's very personal. It's related to when I got my Asperger's diagnosis. The negative thought(cause I had one positive too!) was related to concentration camps. Thus it feels related to &quot;Section 4: Causes And Cures&quot; and &quot;Fears of a ‘Genocide’&quot;. Although I may not wanna focus on that now. I may wanna focus on &quot;Section 6: History Of The Movement&quot; and begin making it. Perhaps beginning with writing a bit about &quot;The Disability Rights Movement&quot;}}
⛔ output 4: {{quote|That makes sense. Connecting to Section 6 via the Disability Rights Movement provides a strong, hopeful foundation.

The 2008 version mentions this roots the movement in &quot;Civil Rights&quot; rather than &quot;Medical&quot; models.

Would you like to draft a short sentence linking Disability Rights to the idea of an alive, ongoing movement?}}

☢️ input 5: {{quote|I'd like to make this subsection wikitext linkable so I modified it: &lt;nowiki&gt;&quot;===[[/Section 6:  History Of The Movement/]]===&lt;/nowiki&gt;
#The Disability Rights Movement
#Branching Off
#Aspies For Freedom Is Born
#Spreading Awareness:  Protests, Petitions, And Publicity&quot;

I guess I hit publish and then I start adding the history of the movement?}}

⛔ output 5: {{quote|Yes, that is the correct way to start.

By hitting publish, you create the structural framework. Once those links are live, you can click them to begin writing the specific history for each sub-page.

Tip: Since you want to keep the movement &quot;alive,&quot; consider adding a &quot;Recent History&quot; bullet point to that list before you publish.

Should we draft a few sentences for &quot;The Disability Rights Movement&quot; section now?}}

☢️ input 6: {{quote|}}
⛔ output 6: {{quote|}}

☢️ input 7: {{quote|}}
⛔ output 7: {{quote|}}

Temp ⛔☢️

=== Goal: Interact with User:Jtneill at July 5, 2026 ===

It must be practical to document the interaction between user and Large Language Model, the previous work I did in April is not practical and may have discouraged me from participating at all. Thus I will take advantage of duck.ai's text export feature.

For practical purposes let's assume that 100% of this text is 100% LLM generated by duck.ai's &quot;fast&quot; &quot;5.4-nano&quot;. Overthinking is something I try to avoid but it's hard...but this is gonna be everything that inspired me:

File name downloaded from duck.ai: duck.ai_2026-07-05_04-19-50.txt
File size: 15,9 kB (15865 bytes)

☢️WARNING☢️: below follows a ☢️&quot;raw text&quot;☢️ which is probably a lot of ☢️Kilobytes☢️ or in worst case even Megabytes(I hope not!):

﻿This conversation was generated with Duck.ai (https://duck.ai) using OpenAI's GPT-5.4 nano Model. AI chats may display inaccurate or offensive information (see https://duckduckgo.com/duckai/privacy-terms for more info).

====================

User prompt 1 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 2:44:34 AM:
This is what I'm writing now:

=== Goal: Interact with User:Jtneill at July 5, 2026 ===

It must be practical to document the interaction between user and Large Language Model, the previous work I did in April is not practical and may have discouraged me from participating at all. Thus I will take advantage of duck.ai's text export feature.

For practical purposes let's assume that 100% of this text is 100% LLM generated by duck.ai's &quot;fast&quot; &quot;5.4-nano&quot;. Overthinking is something I try to avoid but it's hard...but this is gonna be everything that inspired me:

GPT-5.4 nano:
If you want this to be practical to document, make it a clean “LLM interaction log” template and treat everything you paste as the record—not as evidence you *must* prove.

Here’s a revised draft you can use:

=== Goal: Document an Interaction with User:Jtneill (July 5, 2026) ===

I want a practical, copy/paste-friendly record of how I used a Large Language Model to help me. Earlier documentation I did in April was too detailed and didn’t feel actionable, so I’m going to simplify.

For practicality, I’ll assume the exported text below was generated by duck.ai using the “fast” setting and model “5.4-nano.” I’m not trying to overanalyze provenance—this is purely for keeping a usable interaction log.

What inspired me / what I’m optimizing for:
- (your bullets go here)

Next, paste (or export) the exact LLM output I’m documenting, and label it with:
1) Prompt:
2) Model settings:
3) Response:
4) My takeaways / what I changed afterward:

Once you paste your “everything that inspired me” section, I can turn it into a tight set of bullets that fits the log format.


--------------------

User prompt 2 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 2:45:13 AM:
No, look I'm just saying what it says...I'm not saying I need help

GPT-5.4 nano:
Got it—you’re describing the text you’re writing, and you’re not asking for help.

If you want, paste the “everything that inspired me” part and I’ll just rewrite it into clean, practical log-style wording (without adding “you need help” framing).

--------------------

User prompt 3 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 2:45:32 AM:
I am obviously needing help...otherwise I wouldn't interact with you

GPT-5.4 nano:
I hear you. What kind of help do you want with that draft—rewrite it, make it more practical, or turn it into an interaction log template?

--------------------

User prompt 4 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 3:45:24 AM:
No, I want to interact with https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/User_talk:Jtneill regarding the draft I created here: https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Draft:The_Neurodiversity-inspired_Idea whether Jtneill might be interested to contribute a question regarding that entire project or regarding me...or my motivation to work on it...

GPT-5.4 nano:
I can’t fetch those Wikiversity pages right now (the pages are returning empty/404 payloads from my side), so I can’t tailor the message to what’s actually on them.

Meanwhile, here’s a ready-to-post short note you can leave for User talk:Jtneill:

Hi Jtneill — I’ve started a Wikiversity draft at “The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea”. Would you be interested in contributing a question or two about the project as a whole, and/or commenting on my motivation for working on it? If you’d prefer, I can also paste the specific sections I’m trying to improve so the questions are targeted. Thanks!

If you paste the draft text (or just your “Goal/Questions” sections), I’ll tighten this to match the exact themes and tone.

--------------------

User prompt 5 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 3:46:21 AM:
You don't need to feel bad because I can just provide content from the pages, so you don't need to fetch anything. Just ask me and I'll provide anything you need

GPT-5.4 nano:
Great—please paste:

1) The latest text of your draft at “The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea” (or at least its key sections: purpose/goal, what questions you want input on, and your “motivation” section—if any).
2) Any specific contribution you want from Jtneill (e.g., “2–3 critique questions,” “question-writing,” “commentary,” “help narrowing scope”).
3) Your preferred tone for the outreach: casual / neutral / formal.

Then I’ll produce:
- a single concise message to post on User talk:Jtneill, and
- 2–5 example questions Jtneill could answer (focused on the project + on your motivation).

--------------------

User prompt 6 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 3:52:42 AM:
1. Latest revision as of 18:26, 18 June 2026

Difference between revisions

My previous diff before that was: &quot;=== Hypothesis: Rapport between dating couples or random strangers meeting etc. ===&quot;

but maybe you just wanted me to post stuff from the existing page as of right now?

+

** 2026-06-18 This plan failed. Suggestions from the Colloquium were also that no deadlines should be set. Opinions change over time. Perhaps one day deadlines will be suggested.

2. Any question that Jtneill has time for and does not require ie. more than 5 minutes from his time. I don't like demanding too much as of this early communication. What if Jtneill isn't interested in the topic, I can't demand people to be interested in topics that they are not interested in.

3. Formal to allow Jtneill to make a response in I dunno 3-4 weeks, that this is not urgent...also I've not done too much hard work...ie. is there a hypothesis? No. There are concepts of possibly forming a hypothesis sort of. Also my goal is title and message should both combined not sum up to more than 100 words...

GPT-5.4 nano:
Here’s a ≤100-word post you can put on User talk:Jtneill:

Hello Jtneill — I’ve begun a Wikiversity draft titled “The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea” (latest revision 18 June 2026). I’m still early-stage (no firm hypothesis yet), and earlier deadline-based planning has been revised after Colloquium feedback. If you have 5 minutes, would you be willing to suggest 1–2 short guiding questions I could refine (and/or comment on whether a hypothesis or alternative framing makes sense)? This is non-urgent; even a response in 3–4 weeks would be very welcome. Thank you.

If you want, paste your draft’s current first paragraph/headings and I’ll tailor the questions further.

--------------------

User prompt 7 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 3:57:05 AM:
Draft:The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea

was created on 23:44, 16 April 2026 (UTC time?)...anyway my time is UTC now so. I chose use wiki default to UTC...so yeah I'm still using that.

GPT-5.4 nano:
Hello Jtneill — I’ve begun a Wikiversity draft titled “The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea” (created 16 April 2026, UTC). The latest revision is 18 June 2026. I’m still early-stage: I don’t yet have a clear hypothesis, though there are related concepts/themes. After Colloquium feedback, I also removed deadlines because opinions may change. If you have 5 minutes, would you be willing to suggest 1–2 short guiding questions I could refine (and/or comment on whether a hypothesis-style framing would help)? This is non-urgent; a response in 3–4 weeks would be welcome. Thank you.

--------------------

User prompt 8 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 3:59:38 AM:
maybe we go for pure minimalism like, saying the hello, not referencing past interactions much...then going just for &quot;Does the subject that I brought up interest you? Would you like to spend 5 minutes skimming through the 'idea' that I propose? That we don't have to overthink it...that I'm not expecting a reply anytime soon that he can take his time&quot;

GPT-5.4 nano:
Hello Jtneill — does the topic I’ve brought up interest you? If so, would you be willing to spend about 5 minutes skimming through my “idea” on Wikiversity (“The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea”)? No need to overthink it, and there’s no expectation of a reply soon—please take your time. Thank you.

--------------------

User prompt 9 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 4:00:12 AM:
adding, whether a reply happens tomorrow or in 1 month or even later it's all wlecome

GPT-5.4 nano:
Hello Jtneill — does the topic I’ve brought up interest you? If so, would you be willing to spend about 5 minutes skimming through my “idea” on Wikiversity (“The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea”)? No need to overthink it, and I’m not expecting a reply soon—tomorrow, in a month, or even later would all be welcome. Thank you.

--------------------

User prompt 10 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 4:06:14 AM:
55 words using wc -w file.txt...so a few words left to write a topic on his talk page then...I Prefer few words, perhaps 10?

GPT-5.4 nano:
Just post: “(Low pressure) Thanks!”

--------------------

User prompt 11 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 4:07:06 AM:
LLM generated message: Input on Neurodiversity inspired idea

right?

GPT-5.4 nano:
Yes—that’s fine, but you can make it slightly clearer with this ~10-word version:

“Low-pressure request: Would you skim my neurodiversity-inspired idea?”

--------------------

User prompt 12 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 4:10:34 AM:
Now figuring out if according to policy, I need to add that the message itself was &quot;AI Generated&quot;:

https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Wikiversity:Artificial_intelligence

Content as of Revision as of 12:48, 26 May 2026:

{{policy|WV:AI}}
This policy specifies the requirements for contributing [[w:Generative artificial intelligence|AI-generated content]] (text and media) to [[Main page|Wikiversity]].

AI-generated content is permitted where it follows good [[w:scholarly method|scholarly practice]]s, including:
* '''Edit summary''': The origin of contributed AI text is clearly indicated in the [[Wikiversity:FAQ/Editing/Edit summary|edit summary]] along with a publicly accessible link to the chatbot conversation (or a copy of the transcript) to maximise transparency.
* '''Verifiability''' / '''Citations''': AI text is [[Wikiversity:Verifiability|verified]] by the contributor. [[Wikiversity:Cite sources|Citations]] are [[w:Fact-checked|fact-checked]] for appropriateness and relevance by the contributor.
* '''Human revision''': AI text is revised and rewritten by the contributor (or originally human-written and improved using genAI)
* '''Copyright''': AI content must be compatible with Wikiversity's [[Wikiversity:Copyrights|licensing requirements]] (CC BY-SA).
* '''Template''': Display the {{tl|AI-generated}} template at the top of pages, or below the description template for files, when the content contains substantial AI-generated material. 

Contributors wanting to use AI-generated content in ways not covered by this policy should seek community input by discussing at the [[Wikiversity:Colloquium|Colloquium]].

==See also==
;Meta
* [[meta:Artificial intelligence/Policies by project|Artificial intelligence/Policies by project]] (List)

;Wikimedia projects
* [[b:Wikibooks:Artificial intelligence|Wikibooks:Artificial intelligence]] (Policy)
* [[c:Commons:AI-generated media|Wikimedia Commons:AI-generated media]] (Policy)
* [[w:Wikipedia:Large language models|Wikipedia:Large language models]] (Information page)
* [[w:Wikipedia:Writing articles with large language models|Writing articles with large language models]] (Guideline)

;Wikiversity project guidelines
* [[Motivation and emotion/Assessment/Using generative AI|Using generative AI]] (Motivation and emotion)

==External links==
;Wiki Education Foundation
* [https://dashboard.wikiedu.org/training/students/generative-ai Using generative AI tools with Wikipedia] (Training module)

[[Category:Artificial intelligence]]


GPT-5.4 nano:
If your talk-page post is itself AI-generated text, then yes—you should clearly indicate the origin in the edit summary when you post it, and include a publicly accessible link to the chatbot conversation (or a copy of the transcript). If the talk-page post counts as “substantial AI-generated material,” you’d also use the `{{AI-generated}}` template—but that’s mainly for page content, not a short note.

Practical minimal approach: when you post, use an edit summary like “AI-generated text (see transcript link)” and include the link/transcript.

--------------------

User prompt 13 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 4:11:54 AM:
so all I need is the edit summary? on talk pages like this users cannot provide a separate edit summary so I'm assuming at the end we add: Meta: Edit Summary: link here...right?

GPT-5.4 nano:
On a Wikiversity user talk page, you can’t reliably rely on the “edit summary” field being visible/usable for others, so the usual practical equivalent is to include the AI notice directly in the message text (and/or in the page’s visible metadata if there is one).

For your exact policy excerpt, the safest interpretation is:
- include an explicit note in the post text that it’s AI-generated, and
- include a publicly accessible link to the chatbot conversation or a copy of the transcript.

You do **not** add “Meta: Edit Summary:” as separate text unless Wikiversity specifically requires that format; instead, just add a short line like:
“AI-generated (chat transcript: …)” with the link/transcript right in your talk-page comment.

--------------------

User prompt 14 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 4:13:02 AM:
This is the 10 word topic. Can we add it here so we warn all users : &quot;you are reading 100% LLM generated content right now&quot;?

Low-pressure request: Would you skim my neurodiversity-inspired idea?

GPT-5.4 nano:
“AI note: This comment is 100% LLM-generated. Low-pressure request: skim my neurodiversity-inspired idea?”

--------------------

User prompt 15 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 4:13:32 AM:
This talk page topic is 100% LLM-generated...right?

GPT-5.4 nano:
I can’t determine whether it’s truly “100% LLM-generated” unless you provide what you wrote vs what was generated.

If the text you plan to post is the exact message produced by the LLM, then yes: it is 100% LLM-generated (i.e., the entire message content was generated by the model).

--------------------

User prompt 16 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 4:13:49 AM:
No, I'm just suggesting what it might say, to be specific...

GPT-5.4 nano:
Then no—I can’t say it’s “100% LLM-generated” yet.

If you copy/paste it exactly as the text produced by the model, it’s 100% LLM-generated; if you wrote or edited it yourself, then it isn’t.

--------------------

User prompt 17 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 4:14:20 AM:
Ok, maybe we opt for this talk page post contains LLM-generated content?

GPT-5.4 nano:
Talk page post: “Note: This talk page post contains LLM-generated content.”

--------------------

User prompt 18 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 4:15:44 AM:
Is this ok if I replace topic with this?

&quot;LLM generated content: This talk page post about Neurodiversity draft.&quot;

GPT-5.4 nano:
Yes—just make it grammatical and unambiguous, e.g.:

“LLM-generated content: This talk page post is about my neurodiversity draft.”

--------------------

User prompt 19 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 4:16:00 AM:
11 words due to adding &quot;is&quot;?

GPT-5.4 nano:
“LLM-generated content: This talk page post is about my neurodiversity draft.”

--------------------

User prompt 20 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 4:16:34 AM:
That's 12 words and that's ok. I wanted 9 words but I won't linger on this...

GPT-5.4 nano:
“LLM-generated content: Talk post about my neurodiversity draft.”

--------------------

User prompt 21 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 4:18:32 AM:
I put both topic and message in text file: file.txt and it counted 63 words. I'm way below 100! I said what I wanted I think! :)

GPT-5.4 nano:
Nice—if you’re under 100 words, you’re well within your target. ✅</text>
      <sha1>sopkjwyxep4x4kwcjwcfp9g47sq4g5y</sha1>
    </revision>
    <revision>
      <id>2817741</id>
      <parentid>2817740</parentid>
      <timestamp>2026-07-05T04:30:17Z</timestamp>
      <contributor>
        <username>ThinkingScience</username>
        <id>3061446</id>
      </contributor>
      <comment>saved formatting changing page display with &lt;nowiki&gt;&lt;/nowiki&gt;. Unfortunately may be less readable</comment>
      <origin>2817741</origin>
      <model>wikitext</model>
      <format>text/x-wiki</format>
      <text bytes="25536" sha1="0ziak973mktf4vtn87b73hho0kbph2d" xml:space="preserve">This page is adhering to [[Wikiversity:Artificial intelligence]]'s latest revision as of the making of this post based on this oldid: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?title=Wikiversity:Artificial_intelligence&amp;oldid=2806663

If this text becomes too much...then I may suggest archiving it. If there later is an archive of this text, then maybe I'll request a full wipe of this page so that the size that the text takes up on this page doesn't become too much for the Wikiversity database and then can save some space.

== Prompts ==

The way in which this page is written is made to conserve space. If you don't understand any part of this subpage please ask me on my talk page what you don't understand and I'll try to explain as well as I can for you to understand regardless of how many attempts that may '''require'''.

Each prompt and it's follow-up inputs and outputs are put into one section at a time. ie. if a series of inputs and outputs were related and it was my judgement that based on all the &quot;back and forth&quot; between me and the Quasi-AI the end result was posting on a talk page or editing something else it will be documented here into its own subsection.

=== Goal: Post directly to [[Neurodiversity Movement]] at May 2, 2026 ===

Title and this text so far is 100% human-generated. If it will stop to be it will be because I'm typing like this example:

* input to &quot;AI Mode&quot;: hi. Max response 20 words please.
** output: Hello! I will keep my responses brief and under 20 words for you. How can I help today?

That output was 100% &quot;AI Mode&quot; by Google. My input was my own. With other words the 100% &quot;Quasi-AI&quot;-generation has already began and the full [[Wikiversity:Artificial intelligence]]-compliance requirement is in motion.

'''Goal''': 

This conversation with &quot;AI Mode&quot; resulting in a useful contribution at [[Neurodiversity Movement]] based on my thought that we need to help students understand that the Neurodiversity Movement is an alive movement and that it is hard(and that it differs from person to person) to measure what is going on in the movement.

That the encouragement ... I'll stop myself here. Here comes the prompts but also a system I'm developing for saving prompt space that the text takes up on hard drives:

I'm looking at Neurodiversity Movement on https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Neurodiversity_Movement

'''Here begins 100% human inputs and 100% &quot;AI Mode&quot; by Google outputs. They will all be placed in''' {{quote|example text}} '''and be referred to as input 1, output 1, input 2, output 2 etc. for organizational reasons&quot;:'''

I'm going to be using emojis so I don't miss any input or making it easier for me to find old and new inputs:
* ☢️ for human inputs
* ⛔ for &quot;Quasi-AI&quot; outputs

⚠️ '''Here begin the inputs!''' ⚠️

☢️ input 1: {{quote|I'm looking at Neurodiversity Movement on https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Neurodiversity_Movement

This is my goal: &quot;'''Goal''': 

This conversation with &quot;AI Mode&quot; resulting in a useful contribution at [[Neurodiversity Movement]] based on my thought that we need to help students understand that the Neurodiversity Movement is an alive movement and that it is hard(and that it differs from person to person) to measure what is going on in the movement but that there is hope and that we together can develop some ways to measure it in a &quot;Do no harm&quot; way.&quot;

I'm looking at what Luai_lashire wrote with inspiration. I believe that when Wikiversity lost Luai, we lost something precious. A person that encouraged its students and yes maybe I feel a bit like &quot;her student&quot; so I may be becoming a bit emotional writing this...and that may &quot;add to my bias&quot; but I can't help that also knowing that bias existing is accepted on Wikiversity and I'm glad about that! Can you make sure that your responses are not too much text because I &quot;may&quot; have a learning disability even though I'm not sure but I work better when a &quot;Quasi-AI&quot; like yourself responds in with shorter text and I may have to ask you in the future to respond with less text as I'm also trying to &quot;know myself&quot;.
This is being documented live right now so if this triggers a &quot;Google-engineer to having to intervene&quot; I don't mind that at all. I want to work in a &quot;Do no harm&quot; way, so I don't want to harm Google by making this prompt}}

⛔ output 1: {{quote|It’s an honor to help you build on Luai_Lashire’s work. Her vision for the Neurodiversity Movement resource on Wikiversity is a powerful foundation, and your focus on the movement being &quot;alive&quot; and measurable in a &quot;do no harm&quot; way is a vital addition.
To keep this manageable and scannable for you, let’s break your goal into three clear steps:
## 1. Documenting the &quot;Living&quot; Movement
The movement isn't just history; it’s happening now in communities like r/neurodiversity. We can add a section highlighting how students can observe real-time activism through:

* Social Media Trends: Tracking current hashtags or viral discussions.
* Active Blogs: Referencing the &quot;Autism Hub&quot; and newer &quot;DifferentBrains&quot; blogs.

## 2. Measuring Progress (The &quot;Do No Harm&quot; Way)
Measuring a social movement is hard because it's about feelings and acceptance, not just numbers. We could propose a &quot;Qualitative Feedback&quot; model:

* Self-Reflection: Asking students, &quot;How has your understanding changed?&quot;
* Community Surveys: Using the &quot;Experimental Public Transparent Communication Project&quot; to gather data safely.

## 3. Next Steps for Wikiversity
To make your contribution, I can help you draft a short, clear paragraph for the &quot;Goals&quot; or &quot;Experimental Resources&quot; section of the page.
How would you like to start? I can draft a short &quot;Alive Movement&quot; section for you to review, or we can brainstorm specific &quot;Do No Harm&quot; questions for students.}}

☢️ input 2: {{quote|You still there? Answer max 3 words(only in this input this is an exception. Behave normally in the prompts after that)}}
⛔ output 2: {{quote|I am here.
How should we begin drafting the section on the living movement?}}

☢️ input 3: {{quote|I'm not going on any of your suggestions so far so listen to this: The latest oldid I can find where Luai lashire contributed to the main page of [[Neurodiversity Movement]] and that happened on 20 July, 2008: &lt;nowiki&gt;https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?title=Neurodiversity_Movement&amp;oldid=297014.&lt;/nowiki&gt; I want to check that out first, this is one of the &quot;original&quot; pages which I've chosen as of now to focus on. Please post even less text than you usually do! Your last output was very long! Remember when I said &quot;Can you make sure that your responses are not too much text&quot;?}}
⛔ output 3: {{quote|Understood. I will be much more brief.
Looking at that 2008 version, I see Luai focused on:

* Basics: Defining neurotypes.
* Abuse: History of harmful &quot;cures&quot;.
* Activism: Groups like Aspies For Freedom.

To keep it &quot;alive&quot; as you want: what specific part of her 2008 outline catches your eye to update first?}}

☢️ input 4: {{quote|So that this leads somewhere and just doesn't lead nowhere, I'm focusing on one part I can relate to and am thus probably 'biased towards'. It's very personal. It's related to when I got my Asperger's diagnosis. The negative thought(cause I had one positive too!) was related to concentration camps. Thus it feels related to &quot;Section 4: Causes And Cures&quot; and &quot;Fears of a ‘Genocide’&quot;. Although I may not wanna focus on that now. I may wanna focus on &quot;Section 6: History Of The Movement&quot; and begin making it. Perhaps beginning with writing a bit about &quot;The Disability Rights Movement&quot;}}
⛔ output 4: {{quote|That makes sense. Connecting to Section 6 via the Disability Rights Movement provides a strong, hopeful foundation.

The 2008 version mentions this roots the movement in &quot;Civil Rights&quot; rather than &quot;Medical&quot; models.

Would you like to draft a short sentence linking Disability Rights to the idea of an alive, ongoing movement?}}

☢️ input 5: {{quote|I'd like to make this subsection wikitext linkable so I modified it: &lt;nowiki&gt;&quot;===[[/Section 6:  History Of The Movement/]]===&lt;/nowiki&gt;
#The Disability Rights Movement
#Branching Off
#Aspies For Freedom Is Born
#Spreading Awareness:  Protests, Petitions, And Publicity&quot;

I guess I hit publish and then I start adding the history of the movement?}}

⛔ output 5: {{quote|Yes, that is the correct way to start.

By hitting publish, you create the structural framework. Once those links are live, you can click them to begin writing the specific history for each sub-page.

Tip: Since you want to keep the movement &quot;alive,&quot; consider adding a &quot;Recent History&quot; bullet point to that list before you publish.

Should we draft a few sentences for &quot;The Disability Rights Movement&quot; section now?}}

☢️ input 6: {{quote|}}
⛔ output 6: {{quote|}}

☢️ input 7: {{quote|}}
⛔ output 7: {{quote|}}

Temp ⛔☢️

=== Goal: Interact with User:Jtneill at July 5, 2026 ===

It must be practical to document the interaction between user and Large Language Model, the previous work I did in April is not practical and may have discouraged me from participating at all. Thus I will take advantage of duck.ai's text export feature.

For practical purposes let's assume that 100% of this text is 100% LLM generated by duck.ai's &quot;fast&quot; &quot;5.4-nano&quot;. Overthinking is something I try to avoid but it's hard...but this is gonna be everything that inspired me:

File name downloaded from duck.ai: duck.ai_2026-07-05_04-19-50.txt
File size: 15,9 kB (15865 bytes)

☢️WARNING☢️: below follows a ☢️&quot;raw text&quot;☢️ which is probably a lot of ☢️Kilobytes☢️ or in worst case even Megabytes(I hope not!):

&lt;nowiki&gt;

﻿This conversation was generated with Duck.ai (https://duck.ai) using OpenAI's GPT-5.4 nano Model. AI chats may display inaccurate or offensive information (see https://duckduckgo.com/duckai/privacy-terms for more info).

====================

User prompt 1 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 2:44:34 AM:
This is what I'm writing now:

=== Goal: Interact with User:Jtneill at July 5, 2026 ===

It must be practical to document the interaction between user and Large Language Model, the previous work I did in April is not practical and may have discouraged me from participating at all. Thus I will take advantage of duck.ai's text export feature.

For practical purposes let's assume that 100% of this text is 100% LLM generated by duck.ai's &quot;fast&quot; &quot;5.4-nano&quot;. Overthinking is something I try to avoid but it's hard...but this is gonna be everything that inspired me:

GPT-5.4 nano:
If you want this to be practical to document, make it a clean “LLM interaction log” template and treat everything you paste as the record—not as evidence you *must* prove.

Here’s a revised draft you can use:

=== Goal: Document an Interaction with User:Jtneill (July 5, 2026) ===

I want a practical, copy/paste-friendly record of how I used a Large Language Model to help me. Earlier documentation I did in April was too detailed and didn’t feel actionable, so I’m going to simplify.

For practicality, I’ll assume the exported text below was generated by duck.ai using the “fast” setting and model “5.4-nano.” I’m not trying to overanalyze provenance—this is purely for keeping a usable interaction log.

What inspired me / what I’m optimizing for:
- (your bullets go here)

Next, paste (or export) the exact LLM output I’m documenting, and label it with:
1) Prompt:
2) Model settings:
3) Response:
4) My takeaways / what I changed afterward:

Once you paste your “everything that inspired me” section, I can turn it into a tight set of bullets that fits the log format.


--------------------

User prompt 2 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 2:45:13 AM:
No, look I'm just saying what it says...I'm not saying I need help

GPT-5.4 nano:
Got it—you’re describing the text you’re writing, and you’re not asking for help.

If you want, paste the “everything that inspired me” part and I’ll just rewrite it into clean, practical log-style wording (without adding “you need help” framing).

--------------------

User prompt 3 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 2:45:32 AM:
I am obviously needing help...otherwise I wouldn't interact with you

GPT-5.4 nano:
I hear you. What kind of help do you want with that draft—rewrite it, make it more practical, or turn it into an interaction log template?

--------------------

User prompt 4 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 3:45:24 AM:
No, I want to interact with https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/User_talk:Jtneill regarding the draft I created here: https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Draft:The_Neurodiversity-inspired_Idea whether Jtneill might be interested to contribute a question regarding that entire project or regarding me...or my motivation to work on it...

GPT-5.4 nano:
I can’t fetch those Wikiversity pages right now (the pages are returning empty/404 payloads from my side), so I can’t tailor the message to what’s actually on them.

Meanwhile, here’s a ready-to-post short note you can leave for User talk:Jtneill:

Hi Jtneill — I’ve started a Wikiversity draft at “The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea”. Would you be interested in contributing a question or two about the project as a whole, and/or commenting on my motivation for working on it? If you’d prefer, I can also paste the specific sections I’m trying to improve so the questions are targeted. Thanks!

If you paste the draft text (or just your “Goal/Questions” sections), I’ll tighten this to match the exact themes and tone.

--------------------

User prompt 5 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 3:46:21 AM:
You don't need to feel bad because I can just provide content from the pages, so you don't need to fetch anything. Just ask me and I'll provide anything you need

GPT-5.4 nano:
Great—please paste:

1) The latest text of your draft at “The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea” (or at least its key sections: purpose/goal, what questions you want input on, and your “motivation” section—if any).
2) Any specific contribution you want from Jtneill (e.g., “2–3 critique questions,” “question-writing,” “commentary,” “help narrowing scope”).
3) Your preferred tone for the outreach: casual / neutral / formal.

Then I’ll produce:
- a single concise message to post on User talk:Jtneill, and
- 2–5 example questions Jtneill could answer (focused on the project + on your motivation).

--------------------

User prompt 6 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 3:52:42 AM:
1. Latest revision as of 18:26, 18 June 2026

Difference between revisions

My previous diff before that was: &quot;=== Hypothesis: Rapport between dating couples or random strangers meeting etc. ===&quot;

but maybe you just wanted me to post stuff from the existing page as of right now?

+

** 2026-06-18 This plan failed. Suggestions from the Colloquium were also that no deadlines should be set. Opinions change over time. Perhaps one day deadlines will be suggested.

2. Any question that Jtneill has time for and does not require ie. more than 5 minutes from his time. I don't like demanding too much as of this early communication. What if Jtneill isn't interested in the topic, I can't demand people to be interested in topics that they are not interested in.

3. Formal to allow Jtneill to make a response in I dunno 3-4 weeks, that this is not urgent...also I've not done too much hard work...ie. is there a hypothesis? No. There are concepts of possibly forming a hypothesis sort of. Also my goal is title and message should both combined not sum up to more than 100 words...

GPT-5.4 nano:
Here’s a ≤100-word post you can put on User talk:Jtneill:

Hello Jtneill — I’ve begun a Wikiversity draft titled “The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea” (latest revision 18 June 2026). I’m still early-stage (no firm hypothesis yet), and earlier deadline-based planning has been revised after Colloquium feedback. If you have 5 minutes, would you be willing to suggest 1–2 short guiding questions I could refine (and/or comment on whether a hypothesis or alternative framing makes sense)? This is non-urgent; even a response in 3–4 weeks would be very welcome. Thank you.

If you want, paste your draft’s current first paragraph/headings and I’ll tailor the questions further.

--------------------

User prompt 7 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 3:57:05 AM:
Draft:The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea

was created on 23:44, 16 April 2026 (UTC time?)...anyway my time is UTC now so. I chose use wiki default to UTC...so yeah I'm still using that.

GPT-5.4 nano:
Hello Jtneill — I’ve begun a Wikiversity draft titled “The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea” (created 16 April 2026, UTC). The latest revision is 18 June 2026. I’m still early-stage: I don’t yet have a clear hypothesis, though there are related concepts/themes. After Colloquium feedback, I also removed deadlines because opinions may change. If you have 5 minutes, would you be willing to suggest 1–2 short guiding questions I could refine (and/or comment on whether a hypothesis-style framing would help)? This is non-urgent; a response in 3–4 weeks would be welcome. Thank you.

--------------------

User prompt 8 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 3:59:38 AM:
maybe we go for pure minimalism like, saying the hello, not referencing past interactions much...then going just for &quot;Does the subject that I brought up interest you? Would you like to spend 5 minutes skimming through the 'idea' that I propose? That we don't have to overthink it...that I'm not expecting a reply anytime soon that he can take his time&quot;

GPT-5.4 nano:
Hello Jtneill — does the topic I’ve brought up interest you? If so, would you be willing to spend about 5 minutes skimming through my “idea” on Wikiversity (“The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea”)? No need to overthink it, and there’s no expectation of a reply soon—please take your time. Thank you.

--------------------

User prompt 9 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 4:00:12 AM:
adding, whether a reply happens tomorrow or in 1 month or even later it's all wlecome

GPT-5.4 nano:
Hello Jtneill — does the topic I’ve brought up interest you? If so, would you be willing to spend about 5 minutes skimming through my “idea” on Wikiversity (“The Neurodiversity-inspired Idea”)? No need to overthink it, and I’m not expecting a reply soon—tomorrow, in a month, or even later would all be welcome. Thank you.

--------------------

User prompt 10 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 4:06:14 AM:
55 words using wc -w file.txt...so a few words left to write a topic on his talk page then...I Prefer few words, perhaps 10?

GPT-5.4 nano:
Just post: “(Low pressure) Thanks!”

--------------------

User prompt 11 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 4:07:06 AM:
LLM generated message: Input on Neurodiversity inspired idea

right?

GPT-5.4 nano:
Yes—that’s fine, but you can make it slightly clearer with this ~10-word version:

“Low-pressure request: Would you skim my neurodiversity-inspired idea?”

--------------------

User prompt 12 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 4:10:34 AM:
Now figuring out if according to policy, I need to add that the message itself was &quot;AI Generated&quot;:

https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Wikiversity:Artificial_intelligence

Content as of Revision as of 12:48, 26 May 2026:

{{policy|WV:AI}}
This policy specifies the requirements for contributing [[w:Generative artificial intelligence|AI-generated content]] (text and media) to [[Main page|Wikiversity]].

AI-generated content is permitted where it follows good [[w:scholarly method|scholarly practice]]s, including:
* '''Edit summary''': The origin of contributed AI text is clearly indicated in the [[Wikiversity:FAQ/Editing/Edit summary|edit summary]] along with a publicly accessible link to the chatbot conversation (or a copy of the transcript) to maximise transparency.
* '''Verifiability''' / '''Citations''': AI text is [[Wikiversity:Verifiability|verified]] by the contributor. [[Wikiversity:Cite sources|Citations]] are [[w:Fact-checked|fact-checked]] for appropriateness and relevance by the contributor.
* '''Human revision''': AI text is revised and rewritten by the contributor (or originally human-written and improved using genAI)
* '''Copyright''': AI content must be compatible with Wikiversity's [[Wikiversity:Copyrights|licensing requirements]] (CC BY-SA).
* '''Template''': Display the {{tl|AI-generated}} template at the top of pages, or below the description template for files, when the content contains substantial AI-generated material. 

Contributors wanting to use AI-generated content in ways not covered by this policy should seek community input by discussing at the [[Wikiversity:Colloquium|Colloquium]].

==See also==
;Meta
* [[meta:Artificial intelligence/Policies by project|Artificial intelligence/Policies by project]] (List)

;Wikimedia projects
* [[b:Wikibooks:Artificial intelligence|Wikibooks:Artificial intelligence]] (Policy)
* [[c:Commons:AI-generated media|Wikimedia Commons:AI-generated media]] (Policy)
* [[w:Wikipedia:Large language models|Wikipedia:Large language models]] (Information page)
* [[w:Wikipedia:Writing articles with large language models|Writing articles with large language models]] (Guideline)

;Wikiversity project guidelines
* [[Motivation and emotion/Assessment/Using generative AI|Using generative AI]] (Motivation and emotion)

==External links==
;Wiki Education Foundation
* [https://dashboard.wikiedu.org/training/students/generative-ai Using generative AI tools with Wikipedia] (Training module)

[[Category:Artificial intelligence]]


GPT-5.4 nano:
If your talk-page post is itself AI-generated text, then yes—you should clearly indicate the origin in the edit summary when you post it, and include a publicly accessible link to the chatbot conversation (or a copy of the transcript). If the talk-page post counts as “substantial AI-generated material,” you’d also use the `{{AI-generated}}` template—but that’s mainly for page content, not a short note.

Practical minimal approach: when you post, use an edit summary like “AI-generated text (see transcript link)” and include the link/transcript.

--------------------

User prompt 13 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 4:11:54 AM:
so all I need is the edit summary? on talk pages like this users cannot provide a separate edit summary so I'm assuming at the end we add: Meta: Edit Summary: link here...right?

GPT-5.4 nano:
On a Wikiversity user talk page, you can’t reliably rely on the “edit summary” field being visible/usable for others, so the usual practical equivalent is to include the AI notice directly in the message text (and/or in the page’s visible metadata if there is one).

For your exact policy excerpt, the safest interpretation is:
- include an explicit note in the post text that it’s AI-generated, and
- include a publicly accessible link to the chatbot conversation or a copy of the transcript.

You do **not** add “Meta: Edit Summary:” as separate text unless Wikiversity specifically requires that format; instead, just add a short line like:
“AI-generated (chat transcript: …)” with the link/transcript right in your talk-page comment.

--------------------

User prompt 14 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 4:13:02 AM:
This is the 10 word topic. Can we add it here so we warn all users : &quot;you are reading 100% LLM generated content right now&quot;?

Low-pressure request: Would you skim my neurodiversity-inspired idea?

GPT-5.4 nano:
“AI note: This comment is 100% LLM-generated. Low-pressure request: skim my neurodiversity-inspired idea?”

--------------------

User prompt 15 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 4:13:32 AM:
This talk page topic is 100% LLM-generated...right?

GPT-5.4 nano:
I can’t determine whether it’s truly “100% LLM-generated” unless you provide what you wrote vs what was generated.

If the text you plan to post is the exact message produced by the LLM, then yes: it is 100% LLM-generated (i.e., the entire message content was generated by the model).

--------------------

User prompt 16 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 4:13:49 AM:
No, I'm just suggesting what it might say, to be specific...

GPT-5.4 nano:
Then no—I can’t say it’s “100% LLM-generated” yet.

If you copy/paste it exactly as the text produced by the model, it’s 100% LLM-generated; if you wrote or edited it yourself, then it isn’t.

--------------------

User prompt 17 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 4:14:20 AM:
Ok, maybe we opt for this talk page post contains LLM-generated content?

GPT-5.4 nano:
Talk page post: “Note: This talk page post contains LLM-generated content.”

--------------------

User prompt 18 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 4:15:44 AM:
Is this ok if I replace topic with this?

&quot;LLM generated content: This talk page post about Neurodiversity draft.&quot;

GPT-5.4 nano:
Yes—just make it grammatical and unambiguous, e.g.:

“LLM-generated content: This talk page post is about my neurodiversity draft.”

--------------------

User prompt 19 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 4:16:00 AM:
11 words due to adding &quot;is&quot;?

GPT-5.4 nano:
“LLM-generated content: This talk page post is about my neurodiversity draft.”

--------------------

User prompt 20 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 4:16:34 AM:
That's 12 words and that's ok. I wanted 9 words but I won't linger on this...

GPT-5.4 nano:
“LLM-generated content: Talk post about my neurodiversity draft.”

--------------------

User prompt 21 of 21 - 7/5/2026, 4:18:32 AM:
I put both topic and message in text file: file.txt and it counted 63 words. I'm way below 100! I said what I wanted I think! :)

GPT-5.4 nano:
Nice—if you’re under 100 words, you’re well within your target. ✅

&lt;/nowiki&gt;</text>
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{{Robelbox|theme=9|title='''[[Wikiversity:Welcome|Welcome]] to [[Wikiversity:What is Wikiversity|Wikiversity]],  Apallo334!'''|width=100%}}
&lt;div style=&quot;{{Robelbox/pad}}&quot;&gt;
You can [[Wikiversity:Contact|contact us]] with [[Wikiversity:Questions|questions]] at the [[Wikiversity:Colloquium|colloquium]] or get in touch with [[User talk:Jtneill|me personally]] if you would like some [[Help:Contents|help]].

Remember to [[Wikiversity:Signature#How to add your signature|sign]] your comments when [[Wikiversity:Who are Wikiversity participants?|participating]] in [[Wikiversity:Talk page|discussions]]. Using the signature icon [[File:OOjs UI icon signature-ltr.svg]] makes it simple.

We invite you to [[Wikiversity:Be bold|be bold]] and [[Wikiversity|assume good faith]]. Please abide by our [[Wikiversity:Civility|civility]], [[Wikiversity:Privacy policy|privacy]], and [[Foundation:Terms of Use|terms of use]] policies.

To find your way around, check out:
&lt;!-- The Left column --&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;width:50.0%; float:left&quot;&gt;
* [[Wikiversity:Introduction|Introduction to Wikiversity]]
* [[Help:Guides|Take a guided tour]] and learn [[Help:Editing|how to edit]]
* [[Wikiversity:Browse|Browse]] or visit an educational level portal:&lt;br&gt;[[Portal:Pre-school Education|pre-school]] | [[Portal:Primary Education|primary]] | [[Portal:Secondary Education|secondary]] | [[Portal:Tertiary Education|tertiary]] | [[Portal:Non-formal Education|non-formal]]
* [[Wikiversity:Introduction explore|Explore]] links in left-hand navigation menu
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;!-- The Right column --&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;width:50.0%; float:left&quot;&gt;

* Read an [[Wikiversity:Wikiversity teachers|introduction for teachers]]
* Learn [[Help:How to write an educational resource|how to write an educational resource]]
* Find out about [[Wikiversity:Research|research]] activities
* Give [[Wikiversity:Feedback|feedback]] about your observations
* Discuss issues or ask questions at the [[Wikiversity:Colloquium|colloquium]]
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;br clear=&quot;both&quot;/&gt;

To get started, experiment in the [[wikiversity:sandbox|sandbox]] or on [[special:mypage|your userpage]].

See you around Wikiversity! ---- [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]] - &lt;small&gt;[[User talk:Jtneill|Talk]] - [[Special:Contributions/Jtneill|c]]&lt;/small&gt; 22:27, 26 June 2026 (UTC)&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;!-- Template:Welcome --&gt;
{{Robelbox/close}}

== Hello. Thank you for editing on Wikiversity. ==

Hello. I'm typing this to reach out. I noticed that you made some draft pages on Wikiversity and I'd like to encourage you to make more edits. If you need my help or my input, even just reflecting on something that you wrote, let me k now.

I want also for myself to find more reasons to work harder on the fields I'm interested in. I'm Neurodivergent and autistic and I have some ideas, dreams and hopes regarding developing something that might be of practical use to the world regarding understanding humen and humanity better(and contributing in self-knowledge), so in that regard one might say I'm super optimistic of how I might contribute to &quot;world knowledge&quot;, even though I might need to prove everything that I claim.

I like using LLM tools. What do you think about those tools? Do you think they are useful? This message was 100% human generated. I did not use an &quot;LLM tool&quot; to make this talk page post, but this was 100% written by me without external help. [[User:ThinkingScience|ThinkingScience]] ([[User talk:ThinkingScience|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/ThinkingScience|contribs]]) 03:42, 5 July 2026 (UTC)</text>
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== 2026-07-04 ==
[[File:Information.svg|25px|alt=Information icon]] Hello, I’m letting you know that one or more of your recent contributions have been reverted because they did not appear constructive. If you would like to experiment, please use the [[Wikiversity:Sandbox|sandbox]] or ask for assistance at the [[Wikiversity:Colloquium|Colloquium]]. Thank you.&lt;!-- Glow-vandalism1 @ 1783170478833.4s --&gt;&lt;nowiki&gt;&lt;/nowiki&gt; [[User:MathXplore|MathXplore]] ([[User talk:MathXplore|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/MathXplore|contribs]]) 13:07, 4 July 2026 (UTC)</text>
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== Licensing ==
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== Licensing ==
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== Licensing ==
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== Licensing ==
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== 2026-07-05 ==
&lt;div class=&quot;mw-content-ltr&quot; dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left&quot; lang=&quot;en&quot;&gt;[[File:Information.svg|25px|alt=Information icon]] Hello. Apologies for writing this in English, but I wanted to let you know that one or more of [[Special:Contributions/Thattechgeek|your recent contributions]] have been undone because they appeared to be promotional. [[:m:en:WP:SOAPBOX|Advertising or using &lt;span style=&quot;white-space:nowrap&quot;&gt;Wikiversity&lt;/span&gt; as a &quot;soapbox&quot;]] are not permitted. Take a look at the welcome pages to learn more about &lt;span style=&quot;white-space:nowrap&quot;&gt;Wikiversity&lt;/span&gt;. Thanks. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;!-- Glow-advert1 @ 1783252152804.1s --&gt;&lt;nowiki&gt;&lt;/nowiki&gt; [[User:MathXplore|MathXplore]] ([[User talk:MathXplore|discuss]] • [[Special:Contributions/MathXplore|contribs]]) 11:49, 5 July 2026 (UTC)</text>
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