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1 of 253523 objects
Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (1819-1901)
Baroness Lehzen c. 1833
Pencil, coloured chalk | 14.1 x 11.5 cm (sheet of paper) | RCIN 980015.cc
In an exhibition, Kensington Palace
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A pencil drawing with coloured chalk on brown paper showing Princess Victoria's governess, Baroness Lehzen. She is shown half-length, seated in a high backed chair, facing forward. She is dressed in nineteenth-century costume with a large frilled bonnet. There is a black scarf resting over her left shoulder, with the end being held in one hand on her lap. A bust, possibly of Princess Victoria, is shown in the background to the right.
Baroness Louise Lehzen was Princess Victoria's governess from 1824 and became the young queen's unofficial aide after she ascended the throne in 1837. In her journal the young princess described her governess as "the most affectionate, devoted, attached, and disinterested friend I have, and I love her most dearly." Lehzen remained a close companion of Queen Victoria, until she was pensioned off to Germany in 1842 after clashing with the queen's husband, Prince Albert. Queen Victoria visited her former governess twice during family trips to Germany and the two maintained a regular correspondence until Lehzen's death in 1870. -
Medium and techniques
Pencil, coloured chalk
Measurements
14.1 x 11.5 cm (sheet of paper)