Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria
Signature with Royal Seal
Light, typically florid signature by Queen Victoria with cipher, likely taken from a royal commission. On light tawny parchment, affixed with Her Majesty’s royal insignia containing remnants of the original red wax seal edging the embossed impression. The items together are approximately 4″ x 3″ in very good condition. Accompanied by a modern print of an early painting of the Queen.
VICTORIA (Alexandrina Victoria, 1819-1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from June 20, 1837, and the first Empress of India from May 1, 1876, until her death on January 22, 1901. Her reign as Queen lasted 63 years and seven months, longer than that of any previous British monarch, surpassed only by Queen Elizabeth II in 2015. The period of history and society centered on her reign is known as the Victorian era.
Victoria was the granddaughter of Britain’s King George III, and the niece of King William IV who was her predecessor and was a descendant of most major European royal houses. Victoria arranged marriages for her nine children and forty two grandchildren across the continent, tying Europe together and earning her the nickname “the grandmother of Europe.”