Happy Heavenly Birthday to Queen Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states over the course of her lifetime and remained the monarch of 15 realms by the time of her death. Her reign of over 70 years is the longest of any British monarch, the longest of any female monarch, and the second longest verified reign of any monarch of a sovereign state in history.

Queen of the United Kingdom

Reign
6 February 1952 – 8 September 2022

Coronation
2 June 1953

Predecessor
George VI

Successor
Charles III

Born
Princess Elizabeth of York
21 April 1926
Mayfair, London, England

Died
8 September 2022 (aged 96)
Balmoral Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Burial
19 September 2022
King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle

Spouse
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
(m. 1947; died 2021)​

Names
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary

House
Windsor

Religion
Protestant

Signature

Bibliography:

The Little Princesses, Marion Crawford Nanny of Queen Elizabeth 1952 Paperback; Bantam.

Guy Little Theatrical Photograph

Lydia Hawthorne and Dorothy Bantam

Photograph

September 1886 (photographed), ca. 2000s (copied)

ARTIST/MAKER
W. & D. Downey (photographers)

PLACE OF ORIGIN
London (photographed)

Photograph of Florence Dysart as Lydia Hawthorne and Marion Hood as as Dorothy Bantam in Dorothy at the Gaiety Theatre.

Photography was a novel and exciting development in Victorian days. Most actors and actresses had studio photographs taken, in everyday dress or theatrical costume, for ‘cartes de visite’, and later ‘cabinet cards’. Both were albumen prints made from glass negatives, attached to stiff card backing printed with the photographer’s name.

‘Cartes de visite’, the size of formal visiting cards, were patented in 1854 and produced in their millions during the 1860s when it became fashionable to collect them. Their subjects included scenic views, tourist attractions and works of art, as well as portraits. They were superseded in the late 1870s by the larger and sturdier ‘cabinet cards’ whose popularity waned in turn during the 1890s in favour of postcards and studio portraits.

This photograph comes from a large collection of ‘cartes de visite’ and ‘cabinet cards’ removed from their backings and mounted in albums by Guy Tristram Little (d.1953) who bequeathed them to the V&A. A collector of greetings cards, games and photographs, Guy Little was a partner in the legal firm Messrs Milles Jennings White & Foster, and the solicitor and executor of Mrs. Gabrielle Enthoven, whose theatrical collection formed the basis of the Theatre Collections at the V&A.

This article originally appeared at Victoria and Albert Museum, Collections.vam.ac.uk

Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

A beautiful potrait of Princess Victoria

Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; 14 February 1822 – 10 November 1857) was the daughter of Ferdinand, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry and Princess Maria Antonia Koháry de Csábrág et Szitnya. She was a first cousin to Queen Victoria as Queen Victoria's mother was her aunt.

Born to Ferdinand, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry and Princess Maria Antonia Koháry de Csábrág et Szitnya. Her mother was the daughter and heiress of Ferenc József, Prince Koháry de Csábrág et Szitnya. When Antonia's father died in 1826, she inherited his estates in Slovakia and Hungary. Her elder brother was King Ferdinand II of Portugal and first cousins included British Queen Victoria, her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha as well as Belgian King Leopold II and his sister, Empress Carlota of Mexico.

Marriage of Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Prince Louis at Saint Cloud

References :

"Meet the cast of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story". Radio Times. Retrieved June 2023.

Jones, Steve (1996). In the Blood: God, Genes and Destiny. London: HarperCollins.

Röhl, John C. G.; Warren, Martin; Hunt, David (1998) Purple Secret: Genes, "Madness" and the Royal Houses of Europe, London: Bantam Press.

A beloved memory of Queen Victoria

A beautiful potrait of Queen Victoria

The Queen and Prince Albert had a keen interest in poultry matters at, “the home farm,” (Windsor).

The diminutive Cochin Bantam was featured in the Crystal Palace poultry exhibition in 1862, shown by Mr. Kerrich of Dorking.

Numerous writers documented the enormous popularity of the birds after they were reported to be kept by the royal couple. “This consignment created a wondrous furore among the lovers of poultry; and the royal ‘Cochin Chinas’ were the town talk for months after their arrival upon British soil.”

Romantic and gifts exchanged between Victoria and Prince Albert are to go on display at Osborne House, the couple’s grand seaside retreat on the Isle of Wight, which is stuffed with art and fabulous objects.