Victoria acceded the throne in 1837 following the reign of her uncle, William IV. She was then 29 years old and the mother of 6. She was a, um, strong willed woman during her reign as Queen of England. Victoria had a way of looking at things and that was the only way anyone should look at a situation. She would even threaten to step down if policies did not match her agenda. (Hibbert)

Victoria was very happily married to Albert of Saxe-Coberg. In total, the couple had 9 children- 4 sons and 5 daughters. Victoria loved her husband and thought the world of him. (Interesting fact: it is because of Prince Albert that we have the Christmas tree; he brought the tradition from Germany.) When Albert died of typhoid fever in 1861 after 17 years of marriage, Victoria entered into a deep state of mourning. She wore black for the rest of her life to lament his death. Institutions that came about as a result of the Victorian era are the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Science Museum, the Imperial College of Science and Technology, the Royal College of Music and the Royal Albert Hall. P erhaps the most visible, and blatantly colonial, of all memorials of Albert is the Royal Albert Memorial located in Kensington Gardens. (Delderfield)

The Albert Memorial was built between 1863 and 1877. Sir Gilbert Scott was the architect and he is especially known for his use of Gothic traditions in his designs. (Sutcliffe) The building is striking. Its gold luster and intricate carving provides a stark difference from the scene of the vibrant green Hyde Park surrounding the memorial.

The memorial consists of a stone base with figures representing 4 different continents (Asia, Europe, Africa, America). Inside this square is a smaller base with 4 corners with figures of different types of industry (including commerce, manufacturing, trade and agriculture). Underneath all of these is a line of famous scholars and intellects from Britain. Male intellects and scholars.

I sense a trend of colonization, hierarchy, and oppression surrounding the memento. It signifies the country’s belief of its own greatness and its right to take control of areas different from their own and take them out of the darkness of their own traditions and culture. And even though Victoria was on the crown, she did not seem to mind that none of those honored for greatness were women, and that the only women portrayed were in exotic and revealing clothes. I don’t understand how it can be so accepted and revered as being a great monument when it is such a blatant demonstration of inequality and discrimination.

Sources:

1. The Story of England, Christopher Hibbert, Phaidon Press Limited, 1992.

2. Kings and Queens of England and Great Britain, Eric R. Delderfield, Greenwhich Editions, 1996.

3. London: An Architectural History, Anthony Sutcliffe, 2006.

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