10 Fascinating Facts About the Great Exhibition of 1851

In 1851, Great Britain stood at the very pinnacle of industrial and cultural leadership of the world.

But running in parallel was an undercurrent of class inequality, a fear of foreigners, and a contempt for internationalism.

Against this backdrop, Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert organized the first world’s fair as a means to unite nations and encourage economic growth through international trade.

The first of many to come, the Great Exhibition was the symbol of Victorian progress and modernization.

Here are 10 fascinating facts about the Great Exhibition of 1851.

1. The Great Exhibition was a showcase for British pride

Although the Great Exhibition was a platform for countries from around the world to display their own achievements, Britain’s primary concern was to promote its own superiority.

British exhibits held the lead in almost every field where strength, durability, utility and quality were concerned, whether in iron and steel, machinery, or textiles.

It was thought foreign visitors would look positively upon British accomplishments, customs, and institutions—learning more in the six months during the exhibition than the prior thirty-six years since the fall of Napoleon.

The Opening of the Great Exhibition by Queen Victoria on 1 May 1851 by Henry Courtney Selous, 1852
The Opening of the Great Exhibition by Queen Victoria on 1 May 1851 by Henry Courtney Selous, 1852

Great Britain also wanted to instill optimism and the hope for a better future.

Following two difficult decades of political and social upheaval in Europe, Great Britain hoped to convey that technology—particularly its own—was the key to a better future.

One of a pair of extravagant vases with finely painted views of the Crystal Palace on one side, and patriotic portraits of the Queen and Prince Consort on the other. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
One of a pair of extravagant vases designed to be solely exhibition pieces with finely painted views of the Crystal Palace on one side, and patriotic portraits of the Queen and Prince Consort on the other. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Despite being an advocate for internationalism, Prince Albert’s main objective was predominantly a national one—for Great Britain to make clear to the world its role as industrial leader.

The British Department viewed towards the transept
The British Department viewed towards the transept. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Even so, some saw the rise of a new industrial power—one that would threaten Britain’s dominance in years to come.

With the industrial revolution well underway in the United States,  the Great Exhibition was an opportunity for the former British colony to show its machines, products, and agricultural wealth on the world stage.

Unavoidably compared to Great Britain, many looked favorably on the United States’ offerings.

The British Nave - Dickinson's comprehensive pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851
The British Nave – Dickinson’s comprehensive pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

2. The Great Exhibition was a symbol of the Victorian Age

From the 1850’s onward, the term “Victorianism” became popular for describing the strength, bullish superiority, and pride of an ever-improving Britain.

Opening of the Great Exhibition, 1 May 1851 by Eugène Louis Lami
Opening of the Great Exhibition, 1 May 1851 by Eugène Louis Lami. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Colonial raw materials and British art were displayed in the most prestigious parts of the exhibition.

Reflecting it’s important as the jewel in the crown of the British Empire, a disproportionately large area was allocated to India.

Opulently appointed, the India exhibits focused on the trappings of empire rather than technological achievements.

The India exhibit - Dickinson's comprehensive pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851
The India exhibit – Dickinson’s comprehensive pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The India exhibit - Dickinson's comprehensive pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851
The India exhibit – Dickinson’s comprehensive pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The India exhibit - Dickinson's comprehensive pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851
The India exhibit – Dickinson’s comprehensive pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Technology and moving machinery proved popular, as did working exhibits like the entire process of cotton production from spinning to finished cloth.

Drawing attention from the curious-minded were scientific instruments, the like of which most people had never seen before, including electric telegraphs, microscopes, air pumps and barometers, as well as musical, horological, and surgical instruments.

Moving Machinery. A view from The Great Exhibition of 1851
Moving Machinery. A view from The Great Exhibition of 1851. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Queen Victoria previewed the exhibition the day before the official opening and wrote in her journal “We saw beautiful china from Minton’s factory and beautiful designs”.

The combination of glazed and decorated bone china with unglazed Parian figures was praised by the Great Exhibition jury for its ‘original design, high degree of beauty and harmony of effect’.

Queen Victoria purchased a 116 piece ‘Victoria pierced’ dessert service in bleu celeste at the Great Exhibition.

She was overwhelmed by the spectacular service with allegorical figure supports modelled by Pierre-Emile Jeannest.

Victoria pierced tiered centrepiece for a dessert service
Victoria pierced tiered centrepiece for a dessert service. . © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

She purchased the service as a gift for the Empress of Prussia but gave permission for it to remain on display for the duration of the exhibition.

Vase and cover, Minton (manufacturer), Stoke-on-Trent
Vase and cover, Minton (manufacturer), Stoke-on-Trent. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

3. The Crystal Palace was purpose-built to house the Great Exhibition

Drawing on his experience building greenhouses for the Duke of Devonshire, architect Joseph Paxton designed the largest greenhouse in the world—so spacious was its interior that it fully enclosed some of Hyde Park’s own trees.

The Crystal Palace was an enormous success, considered an architectural marvel, but also an engineering triumph that reflected the importance of the Exhibition itself.

The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park for Grand International Exhibition of 1851
The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park for Grand International Exhibition of 1851
William Makepeace Thackeray (1811 - 1863)
William Makepeace Thackeray (1811 – 1863)

In the lead-up to the momentous Great Exhibition of 1851, William Makepeace Thackeray’s “May-Day Ode” appeared in The Times, its verses echoing through London’s streets like a triumphant fanfare. Published just one day prior to the opening ceremony, the poem served as more than just an ode to architectural innovation and colonial might.

As though ’twere by a wizard’s rod
As blazing arch of lucid glass
Leaps like a fountain from the grass
To meet the sun.

Thackeray’s lyrical brushstrokes painted the Crystal Palace not just as a testament to human ingenuity, but as a sacred space touched by the divine, bathed in the ethereal light of God’s grace. This literary offering stood as a potent symbol of Britain’s ambition, showcasing not only its industrial prowess and imperial reach, but also its enduring cultural and artistic influence. Open entire poem in a popup window: May-Day Ode

The transept from the Grand Entrance, Souvenir of the Great Exhibition , William Simpson (lithographer), Ackermann & Co. (publisher), 1851, V&A
The transept from the Grand Entrance, Souvenir of the Great Exhibition , William Simpson (lithographer), Ackermann & Co. (publisher), 1851, V&A. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

4. Six Million People visited 13,000 exhibits

Lasting six months, the average daily attendance at the exhibition was 42,831, with a peak attendance of 109,915 on 7 October.

One third of the entire population of Britain visited the Great Exhibition.

Whilst the western half of the building was occupied with exhibits by Great Britain and her colonies and dependencies, the eastern half was filled with foreign exhibits, with their names inscribed on banners suspended over the various divisions.

The Great Industrial Exhibition of 1851. The Foreign Nave by Joseph Nash
The Great Industrial Exhibition of 1851. The Foreign Nave by Joseph Nash. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The United States exhibit - Dickinson's comprehensive pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851
The United States exhibit – Dickinson’s comprehensive pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The Canadian exhibit - Dickinson's comprehensive pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851
The Canadian exhibit – Dickinson’s comprehensive pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Guernsey, Jersey, Malta, Ceylon - Dickinson's comprehensive pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851
Guernsey, Jersey, Malta, Ceylon – Dickinson’s comprehensive pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The China exhibit - Dickinson's comprehensive pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851
The China exhibit – Dickinson’s comprehensive pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Holland section. Visitors are examining stalls showing goods of Dutch deisgn. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Holland section. Visitors are examining stalls showing goods of Dutch deisgn. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The Turkey exhibit - Dickinson's comprehensive pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851
The Turkey exhibit – Dickinson’s comprehensive pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The Italian Court - Dickinson's comprehensive pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851
The Italian Court – Dickinson’s comprehensive pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
'Part of the French Court, No. 1 (Sèvres)', with a display of porcelain by the Sèvres factory visible in the background. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
‘Part of the French Court, No. 1 (Sèvres)’, with a display of porcelain by the Sèvres factory visible in the background. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

5. Numerous Victorian A-list celebrities visited the Great Exhibition

Attending the Great Exhibition were many notable celebrities of the time, including Charles Darwin, Samuel Colt, members of the Orléanist Royal Family and the writers Charlotte Brontë, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll, George Eliot and Alfred Tennyson.

Victorian A-list celebrities
Victorian A-list celebrities: Charles Darwin, George Eliot, Charlotte Bronte, Lewis Carroll, Charles Dickens, Alfred Lord Tennyson

Charlotte Brontë described her visit:

Yesterday I went for the second time to the Crystal Palace. We remained in it about three hours, and I must say I was more struck with it on this occasion than at my first visit. It is a wonderful place …

Read more …

… vast, strange, new and impossible to describe. Its grandeur does not consist in one thing, but in the unique assemblage of all things. Whatever human industry has created you find there, from the great compartments filled with railway engines and boilers, with mill machinery in full work, with splendid carriages of all kinds, with harness of every description, to the glass-covered and velvet-spread stands loaded with the most gorgeous work of the goldsmith and silversmith, and the carefully guarded caskets full of real diamonds and pearls worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. It may be called a bazaar or a fair, but it is such a bazaar or fair as Eastern genii might have created. It seems as if only magic could have gathered this mass of wealth from all the ends of the earth – as if none but supernatural hands could have arranged it this, with such a blaze and contrast of colours and marvellous power of effect. The multitude filling the great aisles seems ruled and subdued by some invisible influence. Amongst the thirty thousand souls that peopled it the day I was there not one loud noise was to be heard, not one irregular movement seen; the living tide rolls on quietly, with a deep hum like the sea heard from the distance.

6. The Great Exhibition broke through class barriers

Ever present in Victorian society was the nagging guilt that this age of individualism, capitalism, and overwhelming self-confidence could not be embraced by all.

Crushing poverty ran concurrent with enormous wealth.

But Prince Albert was not oblivious to the plight of the poor and was determined to make the Great Exhibition accessible to all.

Ticket prices came down dramatically as the exhibition progressed—in today’s equivalent, prices varied from £311 for a season ticket to about £5 for one day.

Thus even the working classes could afford to attend —four and half million of the cheapest day tickets were sold.

A rank in which no aristocratic distinctions were observed from the doors of the Crystal Palace to the very centre of the Metropolis. The proudest equipage of the peer was obliged to fall in behind the humblest fly or the ugliest Henson; there being no privileged order but the order of arrival.Punch, vol.1, 1851, 190.
The Transept from the South Gallery, The Great Exhibition of 1851. Watercolour over pencil heightened with body colour on buff paper, 1851
The Transept from the South Gallery, The Great Exhibition of 1851. Watercolour over pencil heightened with body colour on buff paper, 1851. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Refreshment Department of the Great International Exhibition of 1851
Refreshment Department of the Great International Exhibition of 1851. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

7. The world’s largest diamond had its own exhibit

The Koh-i-Noor, meaning the “Mountain of Light,” was the world’s largest known diamond in 1851.

One of the most popular attractions of the India exhibit, it was acquired in 1850 as part of the Lahore Treaty.

Dazzling and bewildering, the prismatically separated light of the Koh-i-Noor diamond was a metaphor for the Crystal Palace as a whole.

The eye is completely dazzled by the rich variety of hues which burst upon it on every side.Art Journal Illustrated Catalogue, 1851.

Originally thought to weigh as much as 793 carats, the earliest recorded weight was 186 carats, from which Prince Albert ordered it cut down to 105.6 carats so as to give the much brighter, oval-cut appearance preferred by Victorians—and fit for his Queen.

Today, the Koh-i-Noor diamond is set into The Queen Mother’s Crown and housed in the Tower of London.

The Koh-i-Noor Diamond 'mountain of light'. Credit Ji Ruan, flickr
The Koh-i-Noor Diamond ‘mountain of light’. Credit Ji Ruan, flickr

8. The Great Exhibition was a great success, but was not without controversy

Just as today, there were naysayers who thought the Great Exhibition would be a flop.

Some people feared that in the face of grinding poverty, the building would be gutted by a revolutionary mob.

The folly and absurdity of the Queen in allowing this trumpery must strike every sensible and well-thinking mind, and I am astonished the ministers themselves do not insist on her at least going to Osborne during the Exhibition, as no human being can possibly answer for what may occur on the occasion. The idea … must shock every honest and well-meaning Englishman. But it seems everything is conspiring to lower us in the eyes of Europe.King Ernest Augustus I of Hanover

But the Great Exhibition of 1851 demonstrated the wisdom of internationalism at a time of widespread isolationism in Europe.

Its success inspired Napoleon III to open the second World’s Fair in Paris in 1855 and to hold some of the world’s grandest, including the Exposition Universelle 1889, for which the Eiffel Tower was built as a grand entrance.

By the time of the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, attitudes had progressed even further by focusing not on nationalistic prowess, but on the history of the world and its peoples.

9. The profits funded three of London’s most loved museums

Built in the area to the south of the exhibition and nicknamed ‘Albertopolis’, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum were all founded using the surplus profit from the Great Exhibition which amounted to a sum equal to £18 million in today’s money.

Even with the cost of these beautiful buildings, there was enough money left over to set up a trust for grants and scholarships for industrial research that continues to this day.

Victoria and Albert Museum. Credit Nick Garrod, flickr
Victoria and Albert Museum. Credit Nick Garrod, flickr
Inside The Natural History Museum, London. Credit Gene Krasko
Inside The Natural History Museum, London. Credit Gene Krasko
The Modern World gallery in the science museum, london. Credit Geni
The Modern World gallery in the science museum, london. Credit Geni

10. The Crystal Palace was destroyed by fire in 1936

After the Great Exhibition had come to a close, plans were drawn up to move the entire Crystal Palace structure to a new location in the suburbs of south-east London.

In 1852, the building went into private ownership and was moved to Sydenham, Kent.

Completely dismantled and re-built in the new Beaux-arts style, the greatly enlarged Crystal Palace was opened by Queen Victoria in 1854.

Costing six times as much to move as the original palace had cost to build, it became an extravagant money pit and the owners quickly fell into debt.

Unlike the unmitigated success of the Great Exhibition, the new Crystal Palace was plagued with financial woes.

Although Sunday was the only free day for the working classes, religious observance prevented the palace from opening.

Even when the palace did start to open on Sundays, people had largely lost interest and attendance was low.

Crystal Palace Fire of 1936
Crystal Palace Fire of 1936

Falling into a state of disrepair, and despite a restoration project by Sir Henry Buckland in the 1920s, tragedy struck on 30 November, 1936.

In a few hours we have seen the end of the Crystal Palace. Yet it will live in the memories not only of Englishmen, but the whole world.Sir Henry Buckland.

100,000 people came to watch the blaze, as 89 fire engines and over 400 firemen fought valiantly through the night.

One of the onlookers was Winston Churchill, who said, “this is the end of an age”.

10 History Lessons from the Masterpiece TV Series “Victoria”

Victoria is a British drama television series created by Daisy Goodwin and starring Jenna Coleman and Rufus Sewell.

There are many fascinating history lessons contained within the PBS Masterpiece series.

Here are 10 of our favorites.

1. Victoria’s dog “Dash”

Thought to have been Victoria’s closest childhood companion, Dash was a Cavalier King Charles spaniel initially given to her mother, the Duchess of Kent, by Sir John Conroy, the head of the Duchess’s household.

So close were Victoria and Dash that on one occasion when she went sailing on a yacht, Dash couldn’t bear being apart from her and jumped into the sea to swim after her.

Writing in her diary of Dash, she would shower him with words of affection: “dear sweet little Dash” and “dear Dashy”.

Portrait of Princess Victoria of Kent (later Queen Victoria, Empress of India) with her spaniel Dash after George Hayter
Portrait of Princess Victoria of Kent (later Queen Victoria, Empress of India) with her spaniel Dash after George Hayter

When Dash died, a marble effigy over the grave in Windsor Home Park read:

Here lies DASH
The favourite spaniel of Her Majesty Queen Victoria
In his 10th year
His attachment was without selfishness
His playfulness without malice
His fidelity without deceit
READER
If you would be beloved and die regretted
Profit by the example of DASH

2. The Kensington System

Raised largely isolated from other children under what was known as the “Kensington System”, Victoria had few if any childhood friends.

Devised by her mother and  Conroy to render Victoria weak and dependent on their guidance, it comprised an elaborate set of rules and protocols.

Victoria, aged four Painting by Stephen Poyntz Denning, 1823
Victoria, aged four Painting by Stephen Poyntz Denning, 1823

Victoria’s every move was monitored and recorded.

Her mother and Conroy decided who she could and couldn’t see and trips outside the palace grounds were few and far between.

At some point, possibly from when she knew she would be Queen one day, Victoria’s courage grew and she resisted constant threats and intimidation to try to force her into appointing Conroy as her personal secretary and treasurer.

Kensington Palace with statue of Victoria. Credit Shisha-Tom
Kensington Palace with statue of Victoria. Credit Shisha-Tom

3. Sir John Conroy (1786 – 1854)

Serving as comptroller to the Duchess of Kent and her young daughter, Princess Victoria, Conroy was originally an equerry to Victoria’s father, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn.

Sir John Ponsonby Conroy, 1st Baronet by Henry William Pickersgill, 1837
Sir John Ponsonby Conroy, 1st Baronet by Henry William Pickersgill, 1837

Thanks to the oppressive Kensington System, Victoria hated Conroy and had her revenge by expelling him from the royal household when she ascended to the throne.

Remaining in the Duchess’s service for a number of years, his attempts to discredit Victoria and plot to have her mother appointed as regent were unsuccessful.

Rumours circulated that the Duchess and Conroy were lovers. According to an account by the Duke of Wellington, the 10-year-old Victoria had reportedly caught Conroy and her mother engaged in “some familiarities”.

By 1842, Conroy retired to his Berkshire estate with a pension but died 12 years later, heavily in debt.

4. Lord Melbourne (1779 – 1848)

Serving as Home secretary and twice as Prime Minister, Lord “M”, as Victoria affectionately called him, is best known for mentoring her for the first three years of her reign.

William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, by Sir Edwin Henry Landseer
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, by Sir Edwin Henry Landseer

As a younger man at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, he made friends with Romantic poets Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron.

Whilst the association may have imbued him with some romantic charm, he later suffered great embarrassment and humiliation when his wife, Lady Caroline Ponsonby, had a public affair with Lord Byron.

Spending four or five hours a day visiting and corresponding with Victoria, tutoring her was the pinnacle of his career.

His influence faded when Victoria married Prince Albert and he died in retirement at Melbourne Hall in the Derbyshire countryside.

The city of Melbourne, Australia, was named in his honour in March 1837.

Melbourne Hall, Derbyshire. Credit Kevin T, flickr
Melbourne Hall, Derbyshire. Credit Kevin T, flickr

5. Rotten Row

A fashionable thoroughfare for upper-class Londoners to be seen horseriding, Rotten Row originally connected Kensington Palace with St James’s Palace.

Rotten Row and Hyde Park Corner, London
Rotten Row and Hyde Park Corner, London

Created by King William III and completed in 1690, Rotten Row was lit with 300 oil lamps and was the first artificially lit highway in Britain.

As can be seen at least twice in the Masterpiece first episode of Victoria, acquaintances would stop to chat on Rotten Row and the adjacent South Carriage Drive to bid each other good day.

Lord Melbourne is seen stopping on Rotten Row to chat with Lady Emma Portman and later, Sir Robert Peel.

Called “Route du Roi”, French for “King’s Road”, it became known by the nickname “Rotten Row”.

6. Everyone was “on the make”

This episode of Victoria highlighted just how much wheeling and dealing was at the centre of Victorian society at all levels.

While the upper classes sought to manipulate their way to political favors or plot the downfall of a rival, the working class was peddling anything they could to make ends meet.

The Peddler's Wares by Felix Schlesinger
The Peddler’s Wares by Felix Schlesinger

From Queen Victoria’s used gloves to half-used candles, there was some serious rivalry to find “nice little earners” on the side.

Working as a servant in the royal household was a great privilege and considerably better paid than elsewhere.

A domestic servant in a modest household might earn about £12/year, whereas the lowest level in the palace received £15 15s/year.

We think we have it tough today, but at the beginning of Queen Victoria’s reign, an entry-level servant received the equivalent of £385/year (~$477/year). That’s £7.40/week ($9.16/week).

No wonder they were all “on the make”.

7. Uncle Cumberland

Every good drama has a villain. And Victoria is no exception.

The dastardly “Uncle Cumberland” aka Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover, makes a fine villain.

As the fifth son of George III, he thought he stood no chance of ever becoming monarch.

But fate works in mysterious ways.

Ernst August von Hannover (1771-1851) by Edmund Koken
Ernst August von Hannover (1771-1851) by Edmund Koken

None of his four elder brothers produced a legitimate heir who lived beyond infancy.

And so when his elder brother William IV died in 1837, he became king … of Hanover.

Hanover was part of the old Holy Roman Empire and honored “Salic Law”, barring women from succession.

Not so in the United Kingdom, where Victoria succeeded as next in line.

This must have rattled Uncle Cumberland quite a bit and so he plotted to have Victoria replaced by the co-regency of her mother and himself.

Completing the villainous look was a huge scar across his left eye that he received in 1793 from a sabre blow to the head.

Played down in most of his portraits, the damage to his eye is somewhat visible in the painting below from when he was 22 years old.

Ernest Augustus in an 1823 miniature based on an 1802 portrait by William Beechey
Ernest Augustus in an 1823 miniature based on an 1802 portrait by William Beechey

8. Victoria was no more than 5ft tall

A diminutive queen reigning over a mighty global empire must have seemed at odds to the taller males in the royal household.

To put things into perspective, even Napoleon Bonaparte, who was considered very short thanks to British propaganda (but was actually 5 ft 6″), would have stood a whole head taller than Victoria.

Masterpiece’s drama plays on Victoria’s height—from Lord Melbourne’s line “every inch a queen” to her feet dangling six inches from the floor as she sits on the old throne at Buckingham House.

Victoria may have been small in stature, but she was a giant in terms of the courage and willpower she showed to overcome such an oppressive childhood.

Queen Victoria by Franz Xaver Winterhalter
Queen Victoria by Franz Xaver Winterhalter

9. Buckingham House

Originally a townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703, Buckingham Palace was once known as Buckingham House.

Acquired by King George III in 1761 as a residence for Queen Charlotte (when it was called “The Queen’s House”), Buckingham House was enlarged in the 19th century by the famous architect John Nash, who had been responsible for much of Regency London’s beautiful layout.

A view of the East Front of Buckingham House, before it was rebuilt as Buckingham Palace, 1819
A view of the East Front of Buckingham House, before it was rebuilt as Buckingham Palace, 1819

Becoming the principal royal residence in 1837, Queen Victoria was the first monarch to reside at Buckingham Palace.

Although the state rooms glowed with gilt and brightly colored semi-precious stones, the fireplaces were so ineffective that the palace was usually cold and drafty.

Today’s Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms and the largest private garden in London.

A view of the Crimson Drawing Room at Buckingham House
A view of the Crimson Drawing Room at Buckingham House

10. Candles and Gaslighting

Besides the staff making a “nice little earner” on half-used candles, we learned in the first Masterpiece episode of Victoria that shortly after her moving into the palace, gas lighting was installed.

Candle chandelier
Candle chandelier

In 1792, William Murdoch, a Scottish engineer and inventor,  was the first to exploit the flammability of gas for the practical application of lighting.

By 1807, London’s Pall Mall was lit by gaslighting to celebrate the birthday of the Prince of Wales who later became King George IV.

A Peep at the Gas-lights in Pall Mall by Thomas Rowlandson, 1809
A Peep at the Gas-lights in Pall Mall by Thomas Rowlandson, 1809

Believed to help reduce crime, gas street lighting became widespread during the 1840s.

Along with new technology came new jobs as 380 lamplighters were employed by 1842 in London alone.

At the same time, Buckingham Palace and the new Houses of Parliament also went over to gas lighting.

Good ventilation was important for gas lighting because it consumed a lot of oxygen and since Buckingham Palace had such bad ventilation, there were serious concerns about gas build-up on lower floors.

Have you watched Season 2 yet?

The Other Lady Diana Spencer: the tragic story of the princess that never was

We all know, love, and remember the Lady Diana Spencer whose wedding in 1981 was watched by an estimated 750 million people, and whose life was cut short by a tragic accident.

But did you know there was another Lady Diana Spencer—an 18th century ancester who was also destined to marry the Prince of Wales in a fairytale wedding?

The Early Years

Lady Anne Churchill (1682-1715), daughter of the 1st Duke of Marlborough and 2nd spouse of Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland, and her daughter Diana.
Diana and her mother, Lady Anne Churchill (1682-1715), daughter of the 1st Duke of Marlborough and 2nd spouse of Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland

Born in London in 1710 to the English statesman Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland and Anne Spencer, Countess of Sunderland, Diana was the youngest of five children and the favorite grandchild of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough—one of the most powerful women in England and close friend to Queen Anne.

Affectionately called “dear little Di” by her family, Diana’s first taste of tragedy was at six years old with the death of her mother.

When her father remarried, the couple had three children, but each one died in infancy. Two died shortly after birth, with a third—her little brother William—dying before he was two years old.

Her next heartache came with the death of her father when she was 12, making her an orphan, followed shortly by the passing of her grandfather, the Duke of Marlborough. Diana was now entirely in the care of her grandmother, the Dowager Duchess of Marlborough.

As she grew up, Diana became a tall, fair-haired and attractive young lady with a compassionate nature and charming personality.

Suffering from the effects of gout, her grandmother found it painful to write and so Diana became her full-time assistant, writing letters that her grandmother dictated.

They became inseparable and her grandmother said of Diana that she had more sense than any woman she knew.

The Royal Marriage Plot

The Dowager Duchess of Marlborough and Lady Diana Spencer, by Maria Verelst, 1722
The Dowager Duchess of Marlborough and Lady Diana Spencer, by Maria Verelst, 1722

When it was time for Diana’s coming of age, both her looks and her relationship with the wealthy Dowager Duchess, made her one of the most eligible high-society brides in the country.

Among her suitors were the Duke of Somerset’s grandson, the Viscount Weymouth, and the Earl of Shaftesbury. The Earl of Chesterfield proposed marriage by writing to the Dowager Duchess while traveling in the Netherlands in 1731:

The person, the merit and the family of Lady Diana Spencer are objects so valuable that they must necessarily have … caused many such applications of this nature to Your Grace.

All were turned down. None were good enough for her granddaughter. The Dowager Duchess wanted to reach higher—to the top.

The next great tumult in Diana’s life was developing a disfiguring skin disease, for which the Dowager Duchess paid a princely sum to have treated by a prominent surgeon.

Waiting for the right suitor was proving costly, so the Dowager Duchess put her plan into action. Aware of his debts, she offered the King’s eldest son, Frederick, Prince of Wales, the enormous sum of £100,000 to marry her granddaughter. A date and secret location were agreed upon.

The Prime Minister Foils the Plot

Everything was going swimmingly until the Prime Minister, Robert Walpole, caught wind of the plan through his network of spies.

For diplomatic reasons, he preferred a European match and wanted the Prince to marry Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, a duchy of the Holy Roman Empire.

Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford and Prime Minister of Great Britain (left) preferred Augusta of Saxe-Gotha (top right) as a match for Frederick, Prince of Wales (lower right)
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford and Prime Minister of Great Britain preferred Augusta of Saxe-Gotha as a match for Frederick, Prince of Wales

Alas, Diana would not get her royal wedding, and time was of the essence, so the Dowager Duchess settled on the Duke of Bedford’s younger brother, 21-year-old Lord John Russell, presuming that he would eventually become Duke of Bedford himself.

Diana came with the handsome dowry of £30,000 and another £100,000 on the death of the Dowager Duchess.

John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford
John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford

Two years into the marriage, on the untimely death of her brother-in-law, Diana’s husband inherited the Dukedom—just as her grandmother had predicted—and became Duchess of Bedford.

That same year, the pregnant Lady Diana was thrown from her carriage in an accident that caused the premature birth of their son, John.

Sadly, more tragedy was to beset Diana as her little boy died the day after his baptism.

The Duke was now desperate to father an heir and just a few months after the death of their son, the Duchess was pregnant again. But the hand of fate was not on her side and she miscarried, only to be blamed for not taking enough care of herself.

Diana’s Demise

In the spring of 1735, the Duchess’s morning sickness signaled that she was pregnant for a third time.

Bloomsbury Square in London, 1725
Bloomsbury Square in London, 1725

But all was not as it should be. She started to lose, rather than gain, weight, and was diagnosed as having tuberculosis.

The Dowager Duchess insisted she be moved to Southampton House in Bloomsbury Square.

And it was there that she died in late September of 1735 at the age of 25.

A Princess Reborn

226 years later, a baby was born to Viscount Althorp, the direct descendant of the 18th-century Lady Diana’s brother John.

Christened Diana, she would get to marry her Prince … and the rest is history.

Embed from Getty Images

References

Wikipedia
The First Lady Diana (Lady Diana Spencer 1710-1735) by Victoria Massey Contains Amazon affiliate link—We earn a small commission from qualifying purchases through Amazon. Thanks for supporting our work.

Royal Carriages: Traveling in Splendor

Electric windows, heating, and hydraulic stabilizers: these are the accouterments afforded a modern royal carriage fit for the longest reigning monarch in British history—Queen Elizabeth II.

Atop the roof sits a crown carved from timber from HMS Victory—Lord Nelson’s flagship.

Other timber segments from the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral, Hampton Court Palace, and a long list of historically significant buildings are inlaid into the interior lining of the coach.

Segments related to Shakespeare, Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Florence Nightingale, and others are also included.

The Diamond Jubilee State Coach. Credit Grahamedown
The Diamond Jubilee State Coach. Credit Grahamedown

It is, quite simply, a museum on wheels.

Taking around 10 years to build, the Diamond Jubilee State Coach is now part of the Royal Collection and has been officially put to use.

In June 2014, it was used for the first time at the State Opening of Parliament.

It is the latest in a long line of royal carriages going back several hundred years.

What’s the Difference between a Carriage and a Coach?

Just in case you’re wondering—the two terms are often used interchangeably.

The word carriage is from Old Northern French cariage, meaning to carry in a vehicle.

Horsecarts showing signs of an early type of suspension have been found in Celtic graves from the Iron Age.

Egyptians, Romans, and Chinese used chariots and wagons for warfare and transport.

In the middle ages, carriages suspended with leather or chains were largely used by royalty and aristocrats and were often elaborately decorated and gilded—and also heavy and slow.

King Mathias Coribus (1458 – 90), King of Hungary and Croatia, wanted a faster way to travel about his Kingdom.

So the wheelwrights of the small post-town of Kocs began to build a horse-drawn vehicle with steel-spring suspension that was lighter, faster and could be towed by a single horse.

Kocs is pronounced “kotch” which is how we derive the English word coach.

This more comfortable carriage became popular among wealthy European nobility.

When one looks at the variety of royal carriages throughout history, a number of adjectives spring to mind: magnificent, spectacular, sumptuous, resplendent. These are palaces on wheels—symbols of majesty and power—and perfect for making a grand entrance.

Entrance of the Emperor Franz I. Stephan and his son Joseph (II.) into Frankfurt on March 29, 1764 by Johann Dallinger von Dalling, 1767
Entrance of the Emperor Franz I. Stephan and his son Joseph (II.) into Frankfurt on March 29, 1764 by Johann Dallinger von Dalling, 1767

Pick your favorite(s) royal carriage from our shortlist of the grandest and enjoy the extended gallery of carriages.

Gallery

Queen Brysselska carriage. The Royal Armoury, Stockholm
Queen Brysselska carriage. The Royal Armoury, Stockholm
1761 Rococo state carriage used by Gustav III and Sophia Magdalena of Sweden
1761 Rococo state carriage used by Gustav III and Sophia Magdalena of Sweden
Royal Carriage. at Buckingham Palace. Credit eltpics
Royal Carriage. at Buckingham Palace. Credit eltpics
Royal Carriage. at Buckingham Palace. Credit eltpics
Royal Carriage. at Buckingham Palace. Credit eltpics
A Gala Coupé, 18th century, Brussels. Credit Carolus
A Gala Coupé, 18th century, Brussels. Credit Carolus
Charles X of France (1824 - 1830), carriage, Versailles, France, 1895
Charles X of France (1824 – 1830), carriage, Versailles, France, 1895
The Imperial Coach of the court of Vienna. Credit Vladimir Tkalčić
The Imperial Coach of the court of Vienna. Credit Vladimir Tkalčić
Grand Cornationa Carriage. Early 1720s. Hermitage
Grand Cornationa Carriage. Early 1720s. Hermitage
Gold state coach of the Royal Mews. Credit Crochet.david
Gold state coach of the Royal Mews. Credit Crochet.david
The Irish State Coach at the Royal Mews. Credit Steve F-E-Cameron
The Irish State Coach at the Royal Mews. Credit Steve F-E-Cameron
Her Majesty The Queen traveling for the State Opening of Parliament.. Credit Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Her Majesty The Queen travelling for the State Opening of Parliament.. Credit Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The carriage carrying the parents of Prince William of Wales and Kate Middleton from the marriage ceremony.. Credit John Pannell
The carriage carrying the parents of Prince William of Wales and Kate Middleton from the marriage ceremony.. Credit John Pannell
The Queen, along with the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, rides in the 1902 State Landau during a procession as part of the celebrations of her Diamond Jubilee, 2012. Credit Ben
The Queen, along with the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, rides in the 1902 State Landau during a procession as part of the celebrations of her Diamond Jubilee, 2012. Credit Ben
Landau Carriage with Figures, 1849
Landau Carriage with Figures, 1849
Gold State Coach. Credit Ibagli
Gold State Coach. Credit Ibagli
The Gold Coach with Prince Willem-Alexander, Queen Beatrix, and Princess Máxima. Credit Toni
The Gold Coach with Prince Willem-Alexander, Queen Beatrix, and Princess Máxima. Credit Toni
Golden Coach (Netherlands). Credit GALERIEopWEG
Golden Coach (Netherlands). Credit GALERIEopWEG
Gold state coach de la Royal Mews. Credit Crochet.david
Gold state coach de la Royal Mews. Credit Crochet.david
Detail of a coach at the National Coach Museum, Portugal. Credit Ricardo Tulio Gandelman
Detail of a coach at the National Coach Museum, Portugal. Credit Ricardo Tulio Gandelman
Catherine the Great's Coronation Coach
Catherine the Great’s Coronation Coach
Coronation carriage of King Max I
Coronation carriage of King Max I
Crown Prince Carriage of King Gustav III of Sweden 1763 to 1768. Credit Livrustkammaren (The Royal Armoury, Sweden)
Crown Prince Carriage of King Gustav III of Sweden 1763 to 1768. Credit Livrustkammaren (The Royal Armoury, Sweden)

Trivia

Rig—a carriage and horse.
Equipage—an elegant horse-drawn carriage with its retinue of servants.
Turnout (or setout)—a carriage together with horses, harness, and attendants.
Cavalcade—a procession of carriages.

Suggested Reading & Gift Ideas

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Gloriana!—the Many Faces of Elizabeth I

Portraiture played an important role in the Elizabethan era. Queen Elizabeth’s portraits conveyed the regal image of a powerful monarch—the steadfast, ageless force behind England.

Queen Elizabeth I of England in her coronation robes, patterned with Tudor roses and trimmed with ermine. She wears her hair loose, as traditional for the coronation of a queen, perhaps also as a symbol of virginity.

Owning paintings of the Queen was viewed as a status symbol. Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, displayed over 50 paintings at his Castle in Kenilworth, Warwickshire—a bold reminder to guests that he was the man closest to the Queen.

Although Elizabethan artists drew inspiration from the European Renaissance, it was Elizabeth herself who was the national preoccupation. Invoking her image in paintings and literature had the effect of elevating them to a higher level.

Procession Portrait of Elizabeth. Queen Elizabeth I of England preceded by the Knights of the Garter.
Procession Portrait of Elizabeth. Queen Elizabeth I of England preceded by the Knights of the Garter.

Today, we like to think of art as an expression of feelings and beliefs. But in Elizabethan England, flattery was the order of the day—a time when most artists needed wealthy sponsors to survive.

It was the patriotic duty of artists to glorify their queen. Gloriana!

Join us as we marvel at paintings from Queen Elizabeth’s life and discuss some of the symbolism used to project an image of purity, virginity, and majesty.

The Lady Elizabeth in about 1546, by an unknown artist.
The Lady Elizabeth in about 1546, by an unknown artist.
The 'Hampden' portrait, by Steven van der Meulen, ca. 1563.
The ‘Hampden’ portrait, by Steven van der Meulen, ca. 1563.

The ‘Hampden portrait’ (above) is the earliest full-length portrait of the queen, made before the emergence of symbolic portraits representing the iconography of the “Virgin Queen”.

Elizabeth I by Hans Eworth, c. 1570. Current location: Denver Art Museum.
Elizabeth I by Hans Eworth, c. 1570. Current location: Denver Art Museum.
The Pelican Portrait by Nicholas Hilliard, c.1573. The pelican was thought to wound her breast to nourish her young, and became a symbol of Passion and Eucharist, adopted by Elizabeth portraying herself as the
The ‘Pelican Portrait’ by Nicholas Hilliard, c.1575.
The 'Phoenix Portrait', attributed to Nicholas Hilliard, c. 1575
The ‘Phoenix Portrait’, attributed to Nicholas Hilliard, c. 1575

The ‘Pelican’ and ‘Phoenix’ portraits (above) were named after the beautiful pendants worn by the queen (shown just above her hand in each painting).

Pelican (left) and Phoenix pendants
Pelican (left) and Phoenix pendants

The Pelican jewel denotes self-sacrifice since a pelican was thought to draw blood from its own breast to feed its young. It represents Elizabeth’s role as mother to the nation and of the Church of England.

The Phoenix is a mythical bird symbolizing rebirth and chastity—an emblem of virginity, carrying the hope that she would be able to continue the dynasty. Elizabeth holds a red rose—the symbol of the House of Tudor.

Portrait of Elizabeth I of England by George Gower, 1580s
Portrait of Elizabeth I of England by George Gower, 1580s
The
The “Darnley Portrait” of Elizabeth I of England, c1575.

The Darnley Portrait (above) features symbols of sovereignty—a crown and sceptre—used as props instead of being worn or carried. This Tudor theme would be expanded upon in later portraiture.

Named after a previous owner, it is the source of the face pattern called “The Mask of Youth” which would be used for authorized portraits of Elizabeth for decades to come. The faded oranges and browns would have been crimson red in Elizabeth’s time.

The Siena Sieve Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I by Quentin Metsys the Younger, 1583
The Siena ‘Sieve Portrait’ of Queen Elizabeth I by Quentin Metsys the Younger, 1583

The ‘Sieve Portrait’ (above) depicts Elizabeth as Tuccia, a Vestal Virgin who carried a sieve full of water from the Tiber to the Temple of Vesta to prove her chastity.

Around her are symbols of imperial power, including a column with the crown of the Holy Roman Empire at its base and a globe showing ships sailing west in search of the New World.

The Ermine Portrait of Elizabeth I of England by William Segar, 1585.
The ‘Ermine Portrait’ of Elizabeth I of England by William Segar, 1585.

The Ermine Portrait (above) symbolizes purity and status. Legend has it that the ermine (of the stoat or weasel family) would rather die than soil its pure white coat—prized as a status symbol that only royalty and nobility could afford to wear. The olive branch and the sword of justice represent the righteousness and justice of Elizabeth’s government.

Portrait of Elizabeth I of England, the Armada Portrait by an anonymous artist
Portrait of Elizabeth I of England, the Armada Portrait by an anonymous artist.

One of three versions of the same portrait, the Woburn Abbey version (above) is unusual in its landscape format. It depicts England’s victory over the Spanish Armada in the background.

Elizabeth has her back against the storm and darkness of the past, and her hand rests over the New World, signifying England’s expansionist plans for the future.

Queen Elizabeth I ('The Ditchley portrait') by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, 1592.
Queen Elizabeth I (‘The Ditchley portrait’) by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, 1592.

The Ditchley Portrait (above) was commissioned by Sir Henry Lee (1533 – 1611), of Ditchley, Oxfordshire, who was Queen’s Champion and Master of the Armoury.

After his wife died, Lee lived openly with one of the Queen’s Ladies in Waiting. Needless to say, the queen did not approve. But on a visit to his home in Ditchley, she forgave him—for becoming a “stranger lady’s thrall”.

The portrait is the largest and grandest ever painted of the queen. The symbolism shows just how eager Sir Henry must have been to show his loyalty and subservience.

Elizabeth stands on a globe directly over Oxfordshire as the sun (symbol of the monarch) shines through a stormy sky. The Latin inscriptions say: “she gives and does not expect”; “she can but does not take revenge”, and “in giving back she increases”.

The 'Hardwick Hall' portrait of Elizabeth I of England by Nicholas Hilliard, c.1599.
The ‘Hardwick Hall’ portrait of Elizabeth I of England by Nicholas Hilliard, c.1599.

The ‘Hardwick portrait” (above) is all about the dress—typical of extravagant and sometimes outlandish late-Elizabethan embroidery depicting an eclectic mix of motifs from nature. Roses, irises and pansies intermix with insects, animals and fish. The lace ruff alone is a masterpiece.

It is thought that the dress was a New Year’s Day gift to the Queen from Bess of Hardwick—one of the most influential of Elizabeth’s courtiers who became England’s most powerful woman after the Queen died.

The Rainbow Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I, c1601.
The ‘Rainbow Portrait’ of Queen Elizabeth I, c1602.

The ‘Rainbow portrait’ (above) was painted near the end of Elizabeth’s life—she was in her late sixties. It represents an ageless queen and is full of allegorical symbols. The cloak with eyes, ears and mouths has been given many interpretations by historians and is a fitting symbol to end our journey with.

During her reign of 44 years, English drama flourished through the likes of Shakespeare and Marlowe, the age of discovery was opening up the world through the likes of Sir Francis Drake.

The eyes of the world were upon Elizabeth; people listened to Elizabeth, and people spoke of her the world over.

Elizabeth carries a rainbow, next to which are the words non sine sol iris—”no rainbow without the sun”.

Gloriana!

10 Amazing Facts About the Cursed Hope Diamond

In 1839, a blue diamond weighing over forty-five carats appeared in the collection catalogue of London banker and diamond collector, Henry Phillip Hope.

It would become known as the Hope Diamond, and is famously alleged to have been surrounded by bad luck.

Many owners of the cursed gem met with a grisly death, family tragedy, or a hapless fate.

Henry Philip Hope
Henry Philip Hope

King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette who owned the diamond were beheaded.

Other owners and their families experienced suicides, marriage break-ups, bankruptcy, deaths in car crashes, falls off cliffs, mental breakdowns, and deaths through drug overdoses.

Most grisly of all was perhaps the death of the man who discovered—or some say, stole—the diamond in 1642.

Today, spectators gaze in awe at the Hope Diamond through a thick glass in its case at the National Gem Collection of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D. C.

Here are 10 amazing facts about the “the most famous diamond in the world”.

1

Jean-Baptiste Tavernier acquired the precursor to the Hope Diamond

Non, monsieur, I ‘ave not seen any diamond

A French merchant-traveler named Jean-Baptiste Tavernier obtained the stone in 1642 in India, either by purchase, or, as some think more likely, through deception and murder.

Tavernier returned to Paris with a large uncut diamond that became known as the Tavernier Blue diamond and sold it to King Louis XIV.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, numerous dubious reports claimed that the Tavernier Blue was pilfered from the eye of a sculpture of the Hindu goddess Sita.

There is a myth that Tavernier was later torn apart by wild dogs because of the diamond’s curse.

2

The Tavernier Blue was the Precursor to the Hope Diamond

The Tavernier Blue was a crudely cut triangular shaped stone of an estimated 115 carats (23.0 g).

Tavernier’s book, the Six Voyages, contains sketches of several large diamonds that he sold to Louis XIV c.1668.

One of the historical fabrications regarding this gem suggests that it is as large as a man’s fist. However, the reality is that it measures slightly over an inch in both length and width, and is half an inch deep (32.89 x 27.65 x 12.92 mm).

In 2005, 3D imaging technology was used to confirm beyond doubt that the Tavernier Blue was the precursor to the French Blue—and subsequently the Hope Diamond.

3

King Louis XV’s Order of the Golden Fleece

In 1678, Louis XIV had his court jeweler, Jean Pitau, recut the Tavernier Blue into a 67.125 carat diamond, which became known as the French Blue.

Louis’ descendant, King Louis XV, had the French Blue set into a more elaborate jewelled pendant for the Order of the Golden Fleece by court jeweler André Jacquemin.

The assembled piece included a red spinel of 107 carats shaped as a dragon breathing “covetous flames”, as well as 83 red-painted diamonds and 112 yellow-painted diamonds to suggest a fleece shape.

King Louis XV died of smallpox at the Palace of Versailles.

The diamond became the property of his grandson, the ill-fated Louis XVI.

Image credit: Francoisfarges.

4

A cursed King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette before her public execution by guillotine in 1793

During the reign of her husband, Marie Antoinette wore many of the French Crown Jewels for personal use and had the gems placed in new settings and combinations.

In January 1793, King Louis XVI was guillotined, followed by Marie in October. Some said their beheadings were a direct result of the diamond’s “curse”.

During the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror, most of the Crown jewels were stolen. The French Blue mysteriously vanished.

5

Is Queen Maria Luisa of Spain Wearing the Diamond?

No one knows for sure, but the French blue is thought to have made its way to Spain.

This famous portrait of Queen Maria Luisa of Spain by Francisco Goya (1746–1828) shows her wearing what was believed to be the stolen French Blue.

Soon after goya painted this portrait, Maria Luisa was forced to abdicate and flee the country.

Was this the curse of the French Blue?

6

Caroline Of Brunswick Became a Smuggler of Hope

On September 11, 1792, during the early stages of the French Revolution, Louis XVI and his family were held captive in the Palais des Tuileries near the Place de la Concorde.

Thieves broke into the Royal Storehouse and over five days of looting most of the Crown Jewels were stolen.

The French Blue was cut into the Hope Diamond in an attempt to prevent its proper identification.

Caroline Of Brunswick—the wife of King George IV of the United Kingdom—is rumored to have played a part in smuggling the Hope Diamond into England.

7

The Hope Diamond was Sold to Pay George IV’s Debts

Yes, it is a rather fetching little outfit, isn’t it? We can always sell the diamond. I’ll take two.

In 1812, a deep blue diamond described by John Francillion as weighing 177 grains (4 grains = 1 carat) was documented as being in the possession of London diamond merchant, Daniel Eliason.

Strong evidence indicates that the stone was the recut French Blue—the same stone known today as the Hope Diamond.

Several references suggest that it was acquired by King George IV of the United Kingdom.

At his death, in 1830, the king’s debts were so great that the blue diamond was privately sold to pay them.

8

Actress May Yohe Died Penniless. The Diamond’s curse?

In 1894, American musical theatre actress May Yohé married Lord Francis Hope—heir to the Hope fortune—and possessed the Hope Diamond.

She divorced Lord Hope eight years later, followed by a string of failed marriages with handsome adventurers.

May Yohé performed in London’s West End and music hall and vauderville on the US West Coast, but suffered frequent financial woes and died penniless.

9

Pierre Cartier’s Famous Sales Pitch

Pierre Cartier with wife and daughter

Pierre Cartier, the Parisian jeweler, is widely credited with publicizing the stories of a curse on the diamond in hopes of increasing its saleability.

When publishing magnate Edward Beale McLean and his socialite wife Evalyn Walsh visited Paris in 1910, Pierre wasted no time in arranging to meet the wealthy couple at their hotel.

As the McLeans sipped their breakfast tea, Cartier, a mischievous glint in his eye, spun tales of the diamond’s past—from gilded Versailles to a Sultan’s opulent harem. The whispers of a curse swirled about, but Evalyn, ever the iconoclast, scoffed. “Bad luck objects for me are lucky,” she declared, a challenge sparking in her eyes. Pierre, with a flourish, unveiled the sparkling mystery, its brilliance cutting through the Parisian morning. Would fortune favor the fearless McLeans?

Cartier made sure to add a clause to the sale agreement, stating: “Should any fatality occur to the family of Edward B. McLean within six months, the said Hope diamond is agreed to be exchanged for jewelry of equal value”.

10

Evalyn Walsh and the Hope’s Curse

Seven years after purchasing the Hope Diamond, The McLean’s first-born son, nine-year-old Vinson Walsh McLean, was killed by a car outside their house.

In 1932, she was conned out of $100,000 (about $2 million today) by a grifter connected with the Lindbergh kidnapping. Some accounts say she even pawned the Hope Diamond, albeit for a short time until the con-artist was apprehended.

By 1933, the McLeans had divorced and Edward B. McLean was declared legally insane. He died of a heart attack in 1941 at the age of 51.

Evalyn died of pneumonia at age 60 and bequeathed the diamond to her grandchildren.

However, the designated trustees obtained permission to sell the Hope Diamond to help pay Evalyn’s debts.

Harry Winston, the jeweler who bought the Hope Diamond from the Walsh estate, donated it to the Smithsonian.

Had the curse ended at long last?

As a Smithsonian curator aptly declared, the Hope Diamond has brought “nothing but good luck” to the non-profit museum.” Its arrival helped build a “world-class gem collection” and attendance has soared.

Queen Victoria’s Beloved Pomeranians

It was springtime in 1888.

Queen Victoria was visiting Florence, Italy … and she fell in love.

She was swept off her feet by a beautiful male with auburn hair.

But this was no man, for no man could replace her dearest Albert.

The cute little nose and big intelligent eyes of the Volpino Italiano dog stole her heart.

She instantly fell in love, saying they reminded her of her grandmother, Queen Charlotte’s dogs, only these were much smaller.

The Volpino Italiano is a Spitz breed, which along with other Spitz-type dogs, are today generically referred to as Pomeranians—named for the Pomerania region in Central Europe which forms present-day northern Poland and eastern Germany.

Scenes from the historic Pomerania region as it looks today.

The name Pomerania comes from Slavic po more, which means Land by the Sea. Most of the region is coastal lowland, but its southern, hilly parts are dotted with lakes and form the beautiful Pomeranian Lake District.

Contemporary administrative units with Pomerania in the name.
Gina—a white female Pomeranian brought back from Victoria’s trip to Italy in 1888. Image credit: Pedigreedatabase.com

In Pomeranians, the Queen had found the new love of her life and introduced four new members to the Royal household—Marco, a 12-pound (5 kg) red sable named after the Italian merchant traveler Marco Polo, Gina, a white female, and two others.

Marco and Gina would both go on to win prizes in the show ring.

Queen Victoria had such a powerful influence on popular culture that Pomeranians soon became one of the most fashionable toy breeds—especially the smaller, red-coated ones like Marco.

Here is a description of the Pomeranian breed from the late Victorian Era:

They have a long, thick coat that seems to stand out from the body, a tail which curls tightly and lies close to the back, a foxy head, small, erect ears, rather short legs, short back, and a generally square and thick-set appearance, in spite of which, however, they are active as kittens.

The Toronto Daily Mail of 1894 ran an article on Queen Victoria’s dogs, describing Marco as an auburn dog with tawny red hair.

Marco on the Queen’s Breakfast Table
“Marco on the Queen’s Breakfast Table” painted by Charles Burton Barber in 1893.
The Queen has her favorites among the dogs, and some of them become jealous of the attentions she pays to others.
Among those she likes best is one named “Marco.”
This is said to be the finest Spitz dog in England. It has taken a number of prizes.
He weighs just about twelve pounds and he has brighter eyes, quicker motion, and sharper bark than any other dog in the kennel. He is just three years old, and he carries his tail over his back as though he owned the whole establishment.

Queen Victoria had at one time 35 Pomeranians in the royal kennels.

In 1891, she showed six of the dogs at the opening of Cruft’s—now the world’s largest international dog show—their names were Fluffy, Nino, Mino, Beppo, Gilda and Lulu.

10 years later, on her dying day, the Queen requested that her beloved Pomeranian, Turi, be brought to her bedside.

Queen Victoria with her beloved Pomeranian, Turi

At half-past six in the evening, Tuesday, 22 January 1901, at the age of 81, Queen Victoria died at Osbourne House, her faithful little white pomeranian, Turi, by her side to the last.

Osbourne House
Osbourne House, Isle of Wight, East Cowes, England.

References

Queen Victoria: A Biographical Companion by Helen Rappaport.

Pomeranians by Karla S. Rugh.

The Complete Dog Book: 20th Edition by American Kennel Club.

Anyone for Tennis?

French Monastery
Credit: Fr Maxim Massalitin (Click to Enlarge).

“Advantage Brother Egbert.”

During the 12th century, in monasteries across Northern France, there were some very strange goings on.

The sound of a ball being struck by hand, of laughter, shouting, and clapping. How could this be?

The game was afoot … or more precisely, at hand. Monks were playing jeu de paume—“game of the palm”—where the ball was struck with the palm of the hand in a closed courtyard.

Today, we call it “tennis”.

The Sport of Kings

Real Tennis, aka “The Sport of Kings”, was the original racquet sport and precursor to the modern game. Its popularity grew quickly among the French nobility.

The French King, Francis I (1515-47), was an enthusiastic player and advocate, building many courts and bringing the sport to a broader populace.

Henry VIII (1509–47) of England enjoyed playing the game so much that he had a tennis court built at the Royal Palace of Hampton Court in 1530. It is still used in competition today.

Some historians believe that Anne Boleyn, his second wife, was watching him play when she was arrested. Legend has it that Henry was even engrossed in a game when news of her execution arrived.

Lawn Tennis

Walter Clopton Wingfield
Walter Clopton Wingfield

It was the Victorians who are widely credited with the development of the modern game.

Walter Clopton Wingfield was a Welsh army officer and inventor.

In the late 1860s Wingfield recognized that vulcanized bouncing rubber balls could transform real tennis from an indoor game to one played outdoors on modified croquet lawns.

Wingfield patented his court design and in 1874 began selling boxed sets including poles, court markers, racquets, balls, and instructions.

First Wimbledon Championships, 1877.
First Wimbledon Championships, 1877.

Tennis was growing in importance as a supplement to cricket and was even played at Lord’s Cricket Ground. The governing body for cricket decided to adopt and modify Wingfield’s system of rules, leading to the formation of a new club for tennis.

In 1877, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) launched the Wimbledon Championship.

Lawn tennis will never rank among our great games.

—Spencer Gore, first Wimbledon champion.

200 spectators watched Spencer William Gore beat William Marshall 6–1, 6–2, 6–4 on 19 July 1877 at a cost of one shilling. Today, tickets cost £2,667 (about $4200).

That first year at Wimbledon, when service was underarm, the champion Spencer Gore predicted that lawn tennis would never rank among the great games.

Tennis Terms

Tennis comes from the French tenez, meaning “hold!”, “receive!” or “take!”—a call from the server to tell the opponent that they’re about to serve.

Racket derives from the Arabic rakhat, meaning the palm of the hand.

Deuce comes from à deux le jeu, meaning “to both is the game” (both players have the same score).

The origin of the use of Love for zero is thought to derive from “l’oeuf”, the French word for “egg”, which is shaped like a “0”.

Alternatively, it could be from the Dutch saying “iets voor lof doen”, which means to do something for praise (for the love of it).

Ever wonder why scores are unevenly spaced as “15”, “30” and “40”? A popular theory is the quarters of a clock, but “45” was simplified over time.

Tennis Through the Centuries

First known depiction of a medieval tennis court. From a french translation of Valerius Maximus, original today in British Library.
First known depiction of a medieval tennis court. From a french translation of Valerius Maximus, original today in British Library.
Copper engraving of a game of Tennis in France, in the 16. century. From the series "Children games". Bibliothèque Nationale, Cabinet des Estampes, Paris.
Copper engraving of a game of Tennis in France, in the 16. century. From the series “Children games”. Bibliothèque Nationale, Cabinet des Estampes, Paris.
Medieval Tennis, France, c. 1510
Medieval Tennis, France, c. 1510
A Tennis game, one of the first depictions of a line in the middle (the predecessor of today's net).
A Tennis game, one of the first depictions of a line in the middle (the predecessor of today’s net).
Watercolor painting from an unknown German student who had studied in Italy (Padua or Siena), depicting an early form of Tennis
Watercolor painting from an unknown German student who had studied in Italy (Padua or Siena), depicting an early form of Tennis
Real Tennis (predecessor of modern tennis) in Germany, 17th century.
Real Tennis (predecessor of modern tennis) in Germany, 17th century.
Copper engraving of a tennis game at the College Illustre (university) of Tübingen, Germany
Copper engraving of a tennis game at the College Illustre (university) of Tübingen, Germany
Creation of a tennis racket in the 18th century
Creation of a tennis racket in the 18th century
Early advertisement for tennis equipment, from an English newspaper.
Early advertisement for tennis equipment, from an English newspaper.
Lawn Tennis in Bad Homburg, Germany, 1885
Lawn Tennis in Bad Homburg, Germany, 1885
Drawing of a Lawn Tennis court as originally designed by Walter Clopton Wingfield in 1874.
Drawing of a Lawn Tennis court as originally designed by Walter Clopton Wingfield in 1874.
Engraving of the first Wimbledon Championships 1877
Engraving of the first Wimbledon Championships 1877
First Official Tennis Tournament in the US, Staten Island Cricket Club, New York City, on September 1st, 1880.
First Official Tennis Tournament in the US, Staten Island Cricket Club, New York City, on September 1st, 1880.
William Renshaw and Herbert Lawford, playing a match at the Wimbledon Championships in the 1880s
William Renshaw and Herbert Lawford, playing a match at the Wimbledon Championships in the 1880s
"A Rally" painting by Sir John Lavery, Irish artist (1885); shows woman playing tennis with vigor, despite fashionable Victorian clothing.
“A Rally” painting by Sir John Lavery, Irish artist (1885); shows woman playing tennis with vigor, despite fashionable Victorian clothing.
Two women dressed for a game of tennis, 1890-1900
Two women dressed for a game of tennis, 1890-1900
A. Gillou, French contestant, at the 1900 Olympic games Tennis tournament, at the Tennis court Cercles des Sports de l'Ile de Puteaux, Paris. Cover page of magazine La vie au grand air, No 97 from July 22nd, 1900.
A. Gillou, French contestant, at the 1900 Olympic games Tennis tournament, at the Tennis court Cercles des Sports de l’Ile de Puteaux, Paris. Cover page of magazine La vie au grand air, No 97 from July 22nd, 1900.
Three young women in light dresses holding tennis racquets, 1900
Three young women in light dresses holding tennis racquets, 1900
Walking home after an afternoon of tennis, Uppsala, Sweden in 1902.
Walking home after an afternoon of tennis, Uppsala, Sweden in 1902.
Dorothea Köring and Heinrich Schomburgk, German tennis players, gold medal winner in tennis mixed of the 1912 Olympics.
Dorothea Köring and Heinrich Schomburgk, German tennis players, gold medal winner in tennis mixed of the 1912 Olympics.
New Zealand tennis player Anthony Wilding in 1913
New Zealand tennis player Anthony Wilding in 1913
British tennis player Dorothy Holman, 1919
British tennis player Dorothy Holman, 1919
St. Anne's Union Lawn Tennis Club, Waterford, Ireland, 1924
St. Anne’s Union Lawn Tennis Club, Waterford, Ireland, 1924
Daphne Akhurst (1925) and Christian Boussus (1927)
Daphne Akhurst (1925) and Christian Boussus (1927)
Australian tennis player Jack Crawford (left) and British tennis player Fred Perry (right) at the White City Stadium in Sydney, Australia with a senior tennis offical (center) 1930s
Australian tennis player Jack Crawford (left) and British tennis player Fred Perry (right) at the White City Stadium in Sydney, Australia with a senior tennis offical (center) 1930s
American tennis player Don Budge at the White City Stadium, Sydney, 1937
American tennis player Don Budge at the White City Stadium, Sydney, 1937
Rosewall (right) and Hoad playing doubles at the Wimbledon Championships in the 1950s
Rosewall (right) and Hoad playing doubles at the Wimbledon Championships in the 1950s
Australian tennis player Evonne Goolagong at the 1971 Dutch Open tournament in Hilversum.
Australian tennis player Evonne Goolagong at the 1971 Dutch Open tournament in Hilversum.
Björn Borg (1979) and John McEnroe (1979)
Björn Borg (1979) and John McEnroe (1979)
Young Boris Becker playing at the Kitzbühel Tennis Tournament
Young Boris Becker playing at the Kitzbühel Tennis Tournament
Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams - highest Seeded Players in 2015 and 2016
Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams – highest Seeded Players in 2015 and 2016

Heads Will Roll – The Beheading of Charles I

There was a chill breeze blowing as Charles stepped out onto the execution scaffold on that cold, gray afternoon of January 30, 1649.

Charles had requested two shirts to lessen the chance that he would shiver, and that the crowd might mistake it for fear.

The season is so sharp as probably may make me shake, which some observers may imagine proceeds from fear. I would have no such imputation.

Only those on the scaffold could hear Charles’s last words.

I shall go from a corruptible to an incorruptible Crown, where no disturbance can be.
An executioner's block in tHe Tower of London. Image credit John Morris, flickr
An executioner’s block in the Tower of London. Image credit John Morris, flickr

It was two o’clock in the afternoon and Charles knelt to put his head on the block.

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Normally, execution blocks were about 2 ft high, which meant the accused could kneel. But the block used for Charles was only 10″ high, and he had to lie prone, exacerbating the humiliating experience. (Source: A King Condemned: The Trial and Execution of Charles I).

The executioner lined up the axe, and Charles stretched his arms out in front of him to signal he was ready. Back went the axe and then down it came, slicing clean through Charles’s neck in a single stroke.

Contemporary German print of Charles I’s beheading vs what really happened.

A moan rose from the crowd, “as I never heard before and desire I may never hear again”, according to observer Philip Henry.

In one sense, Charles had been lucky, for it only took one pass for his head to come clean off. Quite often, the block bounced under the axe’s impact and the executioner would have to adjust his aim and take another swipe.

The Burial of Charles I by Charles West Cope

The execution of Charles I is unique in British history. It symbolized the death of the divine right theory that a monarch has the right to rule directly from the will of God. It was the birth of constitutional politics.

What is the last thought that passed through his mind before the axe fell? Let us hope for the unfortunate Charles, that it was memories of a happier time.

An Episode in the Happier Days of Charles I by Frederick Goodall – 1853.
Charles I Receiving a Rose from a Young Girl by Eugene Louis Lami, 1829

Charles I Trivia

  • Out of 135 judges, only 68 turned up for his trial. Most did not want to be associated with regicide (the killing of a king).
  • The persecutors allowed Charles to take a last walk in St James’s park with his dog.
  • He ate bread and wine at his last meal.
  • The chosen executioner refused to perform the deed and others had to be bribed £100 (about $10,000 today) and allowed to wear masks to hide their identity.
  • Spectators paid to dip handkerchiefs in his blood in the belief that it would have healing powers.
  • When his son returned to become king of England as Charles II in 1660, anyone still alive who had signed his father’s death warrant was tried and executed for regicide.

Additional Learning

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Charles I: The Downfall Of A King
How did Charles I’s rule collapse in just fifty days?
Watch Episode One FREE with ads on Amazon Freevee.