Queen Victoria's Dressing-Room, Windsor Castle dated 1847
Pencil, watercolour and bodycolour | 32.7 x 24.4 cm (whole object) | RCIN 919809
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A watercolour view of Queen Victoria's dressing room at Windsor Castle. Dated on original mount: January 1847.
On returning from her first visit to Germany, made with Prince Albert in 1845, Victoria had 'the pictures of dear Rosenau, Coburg etc.' hung in her dressing room (Queen Victoria's journal, 25 September 1845), which can be seen in this watercolour.
Nash appears to have first worked for Victoria and Albert in 1844, when he was commissioned to record events from the visits of, first, the Emperor of Russia and then Louis-Philippe, King of the French. In 1848 Nash published a volume titled Views of the Interior and Exterior of Windsor Castle, which he dedicated to the Queen. The introduction states: "On the various occasions when the Continental Sovereigns were entertained by Her Majesty at Windsor Castle, Mr Nash had the honour of receiving Her Majesty's commands to make Drawings of the scenes illustrative of the state and ceremony which distinguish the Royal hospitality". As well as such narrative scenes (see, for example, RCIN 919791), Nash's publication also included illustrations of rooms and spaces within the Castle which must have been made with Victoria and Albert's permission - though unsurprisingly, this particular watercolour of one of the Queen's private rooms was not included. A complete set of the watercolours relating to the publication - 26 in total - is in the collection of Anglesey Abbey (National Trust).
This watercolour was originally mounted in View Album IV. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert compiled nine View Albums during their marriage. These albums contained watercolours and drawings documenting their life together and were arranged in chronological order. The albums were dismantled in the early twentieth century and rebound in new volumes both in a different arrangement and with additional items, but a written record of their original contents and arrangement still exists.Provenance
Commissioned by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and mounted in the fourth of their series of View Albums; possibly related to a payment in 1847 to Nash of 20 gns for unspecified drawings (RA ADDT/231/122)
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Medium and techniques
Pencil, watercolour and bodycolour
Measurements
32.7 x 24.4 cm (whole object)
Object type(s)
Other number(s)
RL 19809