Victoria, Princess Royal, with her nurse

What it is

This is an etching made in 1841 by Queen Victoria. It shows a stout older woman in a frilled bonnet and lace cap holding a small baby in a long dress, who looks toward a bird in a cage at the right. The baby is Victoria, Princess Royal, the eldest child of Queen Victoria, known in the family as 'Vicky'. The inscription 'V.R. del & sclt' stands for the Latin 'Victoria Regina delinit et sculptit', and the print was made with the press she shared with Albert. The Victoria and Albert Museum acquired it in 1932. The picture here is a photograph of the print made by the museum.

Why it matters

The etching shows the queen's domestic life as a young mother and her skill as an artist. It was made by a monarch working with her own tools, which was unusual for someone of her rank. Other prints of the same etching are held by the British Museum and in private collections.

Look closer

• Why is the nurse's face hidden, and what does that choice focus our attention on?
• What does the baby's attention to the bird suggest about the scene the artist wanted to record?
• What does this quiet domestic scene leave out about the wider life of a royal household?