Queen's Album e-catalogue - Catalog - Page 10
the queen’s album:
A 19th Century pictorial expression of optimism,
possibility and identity
6
A
t Windsor Castle on 27 February 1882 Queen
photographs was the ‘Queen’s album’, gifted to
Victoria received a special gift from the people
her as an expression of the spirit of optimism
of New South Wales (NSW). Encased in an ornate
and possibility that defined the Colony of NSW.
wooden box was a large book clad in purple velvet
At the time, the album was gifted as a tribute
embellished with elaborate silver mountings.
of loyalty to the 63 year old monarch. Today, its
As she opened the cover and turned the pages of
whereabouts are unknown.
the heavy tome, Victoria would have seen a faraway
place: a land where ancient landscapes, sites of
‘civilisation’ and symbols of Empire coalesced
under a sharp light and clear bright sky. This, no
ordinary armchair selection of late-19 Century
th
This is the story of the Queen’s album: its
creation nearly 140 years ago and its reimagining
through a NSW State Archives exhibition project,
The Queen’s Album.
