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Primary sourcePainting1838-1839

The Coronation of Queen Victoria in Westminster Abbey

George Hayter · 1838-1839

George Hayter's official painting of Victoria's 1838 coronation, showing her acclaimed as queen shortly after being crowned.

This official painting records Victoria's coronation at age nineteen, shown as she wished to be presented at the start of her reign.

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Large painting of the coronation of Queen Victoria in Westminster Abbey. A young queen in white and ermine robes sits on a gold throne at center right, wearing a crown, surrounded by richly dressed nobles, clergy and attendants in red robes. Gothic gold canopy and dark blue curtains frame the scene; a crowded gallery of spectators is visible at right.
George Hayter, The Coronation of Queen Victoria in Westminster Abbey, 1838-1839. Royal Collection.

About this source

What it is

This is an 1839 painting by the British artist George Hayter, depicting the coronation of Queen Victoria at Westminster Abbey on 28 June 1838. It is held in the Royal Collection.

Why it matters

Hayter was commissioned just days before the coronation to record the event. Victoria, who became queen at eighteen, chose to be shown not at the actual moment of crowning but shortly after, being acclaimed, because she did not want to be depicted with her head bowed. The painting includes sixty-four identifiable people present at the ceremony, based on sittings Hayter arranged afterwards. It shows how the new queen and her advisers wanted her reign to be presented to the public from its very start.

Look closer

  • Why might Victoria have preferred to be shown after the crowning rather than during it?
  • What does the inclusion of sixty-four identifiable figures tell you about who the painting was meant to record and impress?
  • How does the setting and lighting in the painting try to make the young queen look powerful?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Queen Victoria on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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