O-1189

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painting (portrait)

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Queen Victoria

Portrait - Queen Victoria

This 1842 portrait by John Partridge depicts Queen Victoria just a few years into her long reign. On a table next to her is the Imperial State Crown, crafted for her coronation in 1838 and a symbol of sovereignty that has existed in various forms since the 15th century. The dark velvet band around the Queen’s left arm represents the Order of the Garter, the highest order of chivalry in the British honours system. The bracelet on the Queen’s right arm features a portrait of her husband, Prince Albert.

The painting is part of a collection of portraits of British monarchs normally displayed in the foyer of the Senate of Canada. It was acquired by the Province of Canada (1841–1867) before Confederation and was hung in the original Parliament Building. The portrait was saved from the fire that destroyed the building in 1916.

John Partridge

John Partridge was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1789. He moved to London, England, in 1815, and exhibited his first painting at the Royal Academy the same year. From 1823 to 1827 he lived in Italy, where he acquired a number of wealthy patrons. In the years following his return to London, he produced portraits of many prestigious people, including political figures. An 1836 commission from Leopold I of Belgium drew the attention of Queen Victoria. Partridge was asked to paint several portraits of her and, in 1843, the Queen made him her “portrait painter-extraordinary.” However, his career as a royal portraitist would soon be cut short with the arrival of a new fashionable artist. After Partridge fell out of favour with influential members of the Royal Academy, he ran a studio out of his London home, but commissions dwindled. He donated many of his unsold works to the National Portrait Gallery before he died in 1872.