One of the more unusual ways the Queen kept souvenirs of her children was by commissioning marble facsimiles of their infant forearms and feet. Each carving was based on a plaster cast made from moulds taken while the child was asleep. The sculptor, Mary Thornycroft, worked for the royal couple for many years and excelled in her depictions of their children.

Text adapted from Victoria & Albert: Art & Love, London, 2010