Skip to main content

Primary sourcePainting1842

Windsor Castle in Modern Times

Edwin Landseer · 1842

A painting by Edwin Landseer showing Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their infant daughter together at Windsor Castle.

Shows Victoria at home with Albert and their first child, capturing the domestic ideal of her early married life.

Ask Queen Victoria about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Painting of an interior room in Windsor Castle. A seated man in dark jacket and red boots leans toward a standing woman in a white gown with off-shoulder lace, holding a small bouquet. A toddler in a white dress and red hat plays with a bird on a green cushioned stool, and several dogs and dead game birds lie on the patterned carpet. Through a tall window, a formal garden with a fountain and trees is visible.
Edwin Landseer, Windsor Castle in Modern Times, 1842. Royal Collection.

About this source

What it is

This painting by the British artist Edwin Landseer shows a scene inside Windsor Castle, where Prince Albert has returned from hunting and shows his trophies to Queen Victoria and their eldest child, Victoria, Princess Royal. It was painted around 1842-1843 and now belongs to the Royal Collection.

Why it matters

The painting was commissioned not long after Victoria and Albert's wedding, and it reverses the usual way royal couples were shown: here Albert sits while the Queen stands. This unusual arrangement reflects the close, domestic image the couple wanted to present of their early marriage, showing Victoria not only as monarch but as wife and mother.

Look closer

  • Why might the artist have chosen to show Albert seated and Victoria standing, when this reversed normal royal portrait conventions?
  • What do the dead birds and dogs on the floor tell you about Albert's activities and interests?
  • How does this painting try to make the royal family look relatable, and what does it leave out about their public roles?

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.

More Queen Victoria sources

Meet the AI Queen Victoria →
Front cover of a dark red cloth-bound book with a blind-stamped royal cypher and crown at the center, a library barcode label reading University of St. Michael's College at top left, and a decorative embossed border.Letter

Primary source

The Letters of Queen Victoria, vol. 2

Victoria · 1908

Document

Primary source

Proclamation to the Princes, Chiefs and People of India

Victoria / British Government · 1 November 1858

Scan of a black Penny Black postage stamp with a profile of Queen Victoria in white, the word POSTAGE across the top, and ONE PENNY at the bottom with corner letters M and H. Decorative white lattice borders frame the design.Artifact

Primary source

Penny Black

Charles Heath and Frederick Heath (engravers), after Henry Corbould · 1840

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.Painting

Primary source

The Coronation of Queen Victoria in Westminster Abbey

George Hayter · 1838-1839

Painting of a royal family in a red-draped room with gilt chairs and a seascape behind. A woman in a white gown and tiara sits beside a man in dark formal dress and sash. A girl in red stands at left, a toddler in white is at lower left, and two girls in white dresses and a baby are at lower right on a red cushion.Painting

Primary source

The Royal Family in 1846

Franz Xaver Winterhalter · 1846-1847

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Queen Victoria now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions