VICTORIA!

VICTORIA!

Ocular Lab, Melbourne


curated by Elvis Richardson

I was thinking about the gold fields that established Melbourne, and researched Queen Vic and her coronation;

"After the Homage was concluded I left the Throne, took off my Crown and received the Sacrament; I then put on my Crown again, and re-ascended the Throne, leaning on Lord Melbourne's arm; at the commencement of the Anthem I descended from the Throne, and went into St Edward's Chapel ...where I took off the Dalmatic robe, Supertunica, and put on the Purple Velvet Kirtle and Mantle, and proceeded again to the Throne, which I ascended leaning on Lord Melbourne's hand ... I then again descended from the Throne, and repaired with all the Peers bearing the Regalia, my Ladies and Trainbearers,to St Edward's Chapel, as it is called; but which, as Lord Melbourne said, was more unlike a Chapel than anything he had ever seen; for, what was called an Altar was covered with sandwiches, bottles of wine etc. The Archbishop came in and ought to have delivered the Orb to me, but I had already got it…The Queen of Hawaii gave me a present of very rare feathers, but very strangely arranged as a wreath about my monogram, also in feathers on a black ground, framed." From Queen Victoria's diaries online

I have seen Queen Vic's clothes and although she was much shorter than I, as she grew older we filled about the same space. Also, when I was in London I visited the Royal Albert Hall, and the monument to her lost and beloved Albert, which amazed me. I spent many hours in the Victoria and Albert Museum and believe it is my spiritual home. For the opening I made real cucumber sandwiches, and shandies.