Monday, January 30, 2012

The Royal Family!


Staffordshire figure of the young Victoria and Albert.



Queen Victoria at her wedding to Albert. She wore a white dress, making that the choice for brides form that day forward and is still ,to this day.


  Queen Victoria of Great Britain was born in 1819 and died in 1901. She was the daughter of Prince Edward-Duke of Kent, 4th son of King George III. She inherited the throne at age 18-after her father's three older brothers died without an heir.Victoria married Prince Albert of Saxe Coburg and Gotha in 1840. She had 9 children and 35 grandchildren. Her off springs married into the Royal and Noble families across the continent, making her the,"Grandmother of Europe." She reigned 63 years and 7 months. so far the longest reigning monarch of Europe. She was the last British Monarch of the House of Hanover. her son, Edward belonged to the House of Saxe-Coburg.Latter the British monarch took on the name of, House of Windsor, when the Saxe-Colburg name sounded too German. Queen Victoria lost 2 sons, one daughter, her husband and several of her grandchildren , before she died. Victoria was the foundation stone s upon which today's modern monarchy is based. Not only has her direct descendants occupied the British throne, but their large family has insured that there are over 500 descendants in Germany, Sweden, Spain,Russia, Danes and Romanian, all with some sort of claims to those thrones.The 19th century was a turbulent time for Royals of Europe. Several thrones were toppled by waves of republican  fever that sweep across the land, but the British throne survived..
Queen Victoria's daughters. Victoria (Vicky) Adelaide Mary- Princess Royal , married Frederick III of Germany. 1840 -1901
  Alice Maud Mary, 1843 -1878  Married Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse 




Albert (Bertie) -Prince Albert and Victoria Mary- Princess Royal , as children, Victoria's two oldest children. Albert became Edward VII upon Victoria's death and he married Princess Alexandra of Denmark. 


     

Queen Victoria's children.
   








Victoria ( Vicky) and Alice Mary, Princess Royals, Queen Victoria's two oldest daughters.

    In Staffordshire, England, great pottery companies had srung up everywhere.. Pottery of all kinds were being made. Some where marked, while others were not. All this pottery soon became known as, "Staffordshire." Mainly for the town instead of one particular company. Most of the  Staffordshie statues collected today were manufactured in factories during the Victorian Period, mid and late 19th century. This period was named after the reigning Queen. Every body wanted everything like Victoria. Images of the Queen were loved and highly hunted.Few people ever really saw her and newspapers were for the well to do. The Staffordshire factories began making images of the Queen and her family. The statues were made inexpensively and sold for reasonable prices to the middle class. They would have never been found in a Royal home, even though the Royals were one of the favorite subjects. Queen Victoria and Albert were some of those favorite subjects, from there wedding ,there  children and older age. I have always been drawn to the Staffordshire figures of the Royals. There is something more romantic about them. Staffordshire figures are often made fast and are somewhat crude. hand painted by un-trained artist, they can take on a folk art feel. Damages and manufacturing flaws are much accepted on these figures and usually do not effect the price. They were almost never marked. Some of the newer figures do say Staffordshire, but that is a clear mark that they are newer. I think these figures are one of the joys of the 19th century. What would history have been like without them? I wonder if any of you out there have any? If not, it would be a fun collection for you to start. They have come down in price and can be found very reasonable. Don't just settle for a reproduction, when the real are out there and there is no comparison to the real thing. I love them and I am sure you will to.
    My Royal family resides on the mantle in my kitchen. Victoria and Albert and some of there children are there to greet me each day. I wish you could come and see them soon and take a tour.  You are welcome anytime, I will leave the lights on and Sissy Dog will always meet you with a jump and a kiss. Thanks for coming by for a visit. Please take time to leave a comment. I  sure would appreciate it, after all that makes all this worth while.





Close up of Albert, Prince Consort.




Queen Victoria .

One of Queen Victoria's daughters, carrying a purse. maybe this is where Queen Elizabeth picked up that habit?

25 comments:

Pat@Back Porch Musings said...

Another wonderful post Richard. I love the figures and the history!

Ann@A Sentimental Life said...

I love your royal pieces. Always so fascinating to me. so glad I have been fortunate enough to go to London and see the sights.

Thoughtfully Blended Hearts said...

Great post...love your "royalty"!!!

FABBY'S LIVING said...

The royal figures are stunning! Thank you always for the bit of history about them, I love to know from you. Have a sweet week my friend. Hugs,
FABBY

Pamela Gordon said...

What an interesting post! Some things I never knew about Queen Victoria and her prince. I didn't know that Stafforshire pottery statues were made in their likeness for the common people to enjoy. Thanks for sharing.

It's Just Dottie said...

I love Queen Victoria!!
Thank you for sharing!!!
Smiles,Dottie

lvroftiques said...

As always I love seeing your collections Richard! And I'm sure it will come as no surprise that I love staffordshire figures too *winks* I only have a couple (And mine are not of the royals) but I love them so much for their crudely painted charm.
I also really enjoyed the lesson on Queen Victoria and her family.

Unfortunately (for me) the prices of staffordshire figures remains quite high in my neck of the woods. I saw a really wonderful large statue (15"ish tall) of Bonnie Prince Charlie on his horse and it was $380......Good price or not so much?
Hugs to you and Miss Sissy girl! And Richard thank you so much for your opinion on my Victorian girl. She does indeed look like royal dux!You have an amazing amount of knowledge in that handsome noggin of yours *winks* Vanna

Love Of Quilts said...

Very interesting! I had no idea these figurine’s were made to be of the Royal Family.

xinex said...

Thank you a very much for an intersting Victorian royal history, Richard. You have a great collection...Christine

Olive said...

My kiddos beat friend is named Adelaide after that child of the Queens. These figures are lovely and I have one piece, I think, but would love more, if I had room. I think I have reached critical mass. Thanks for bringing us beauty with history Richard.

Barbara F. said...

Very informative post, and your figurines are beautiful. I never knew that Queen Victoria wore the first all white bridal gown. xo

Mrs. D said...

Dear Richard

I enjoy your posts, and this one is especially wonderful about Queen Victoria and her family. I love the figurines--they are stunning. A tour through your home is on my bucket list.

Mrs. D

ornamentsbypink said...

Beautiful figurines Richard!
You always have interesting posts!
Mary

PAINTORDIG.blogspot.com said...

I really enjoyed this post. I am currently reading the new book-Elizabeth The Queen. It is a fascinating book about the royal family. I like the two children on the dogs the best!

Curtains in My Tree said...

I like the girls the best because of their love for the dogs ? maybe and her little purse doesn't hurt anything since I am a purse lover also
Your history lessons are always interesting

Stacy Leigh said...

Very interesting post Richard! You are such a great historian! :) Thanks for being my friend!

Charlotte Wilson said...

Richard,
Lovely post as always and I learned something. the only figurines that i know are the Staffordshire Dogs..you know the ones. I am thinking that the ones you show here are very rare. With all the things you have shown us, you sure have a lot of treasures (or stuff as you call it). :o)

♥charlotte

Ivy and Elephants said...

Such fabulous pieces you have Richard. I just pretty much love anything that comes out of Staffordshire. I love the history you you gave about the pieces and the royal family. Hope you can share this awesome post at our linky party.

Paula
ivyandelephants.blogspot.com

Marcia said...

I love your collection of Royals! Anyone who knows you knows that you are so knowledgeable with the kings and queens of England. A virtual walking encyclopedia. And to have their little figurines embellishing your kitchen...that's just plain cool!

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

Richard,
What a fantastic post filled with so much wonderful information on Queen Victoria and her family!
Loved reading all about them and the pieces that you have shared with us today are breath taking!!

You are a treasure trove of knowledge, my friend!
Thanks so much for sharing it with all of us!

Hugs,
Deb

annies home said...

love the historical figures

Eclectically Vintage said...

I love watching and reading bios on the royals - thanks for this bit of history. Your figurines remind me of a little lamp of a frolicking couple!
Kelly

Ivy and Elephants said...

Hi Richard,
Thanks so much for linking and sharing this great post with us at WIW. We really loved it and have featured you this week. Come on by and grab a button!
Big hugs,
Patti

Pattie @ Olla-Podrida said...

I love Staffordshire! What a lovely collection you have.

Anonymous said...

I'm growing to appreciate Staffordshire. I think at first I was thrown off a bit by the crudeness of the figures, but now I understand how and why they were made that way. They're really appealing. So far, I'm finding them to be quite pricey here in Oklahoma. I would like to collect dogs and sheep, but I always back away from the price. Someday, though, I'll take the plunge!

Thanks for an informative post!

Deb