Queen Anne and her Children thumbnail 1
Queen Anne and her Children thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Queen Anne and her Children

Doll Group
1835-50 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The tradition of enclosing decorative artefacts in glass-fronted frames and boxes dates back to at least the early 18th century, and reached its height in the 1850s. Some boxes are for single figures, such as the Christ Child, or a doll in a particularly elaborate dress. Others show scenes, such as a church and village, or Christ's nativity. The setting within a box protects the objects as well as drawing attention to them, and also creates a sense of the theatrical, an image preserved for the spectator to see.

The name of this group of dolls is something of a mystery because Queen Anne (reigned 1702-1714) had such a tragic experience of motherhood. Even if the three other adult females are ladies in waiting, or the children's governesses, at no point did she have four children of the ages represented here. She married Prince George of Denmark in 1683 and had at least thirteen miscarriages or stillbirths. Her other five children each died young - Mary and Anne under the age of two, and George and a second Mary a few hours after birth. The longest survivor, William, died of smallpox in 1700, at the age of eleven. The 'queen' doll is also fair-haired whereas Queen Anne was dark, and the costumes are from 1835-50, when the box was assembled, rather than 1684-1700. In this tradition, the telling of a story was more important than historical accuracy or physical likeness to the persons portrayed.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleQueen Anne and her Children (popular title)
Materials and techniques
Wood, glass and paper box with dolls made of wax, composition, leather, cotton, wire
Brief description
Group of eight dolls, called 'Queen Anne and her children', in a glass-fronted box, made in England, 1835-50
Physical description
Eight dolls representing four caucasian adult females and four children, enclosed in a glass-fronted wooden box covered with white and gold-coloured paper on the outside, lined with red and gold-coloured paper, and trimmed with gold-coloured tinsel and imitation pearl ornaments. A doll dressed as a queen is centrally seated on a throne of card covered in red velvet. She has a cotton body and limbs, and leather hands with separate fingers and thumbs; her dress is of net over pink silk trimmed with lace, artificial flowers, pearl beads, metallic lace, gold foil and mother-of-pearl. Two panels of red velvet, edged with mock ermine, attached at her shoulders give the impression of a cloak; she wears a crown of metallic lace decorated with beads and gold foil and holds an orb and sceptre. On her true right are two other similar dolls, one in a red/white/pink silk dress over a pale green petticoat, and holding a composition-headed baby doll dressed in a white gown with a pink sash; the other wears a mauve silk dress and holds a bunch of artificial flowers. A composition-headed doll dressed as a boy in long white trousers, feathered head-dress and navy jacket with gold-coloured belt and insignia stands by the queen's true right knee. On her true left is another female doll with a baby, similar to the second and third dolls, the adult female dressed in white silk. By the queen's true left knee is a composition-headed doll dressed as a boy holding a book with a gold foil cover: he wears long white trousers, a full-skirted green velvet coat trimmed with gold metallic lace, and a feathered hat. All the dolls have at least some wire armature; one of the babies is made using a glove as a foundation. Both the boys have heads originally made as female, with elaborate moulded hairstyles.
Dimensions
  • Max height: 44cm
  • Width: 49cm
  • Depth: 23.5cm
Production typeUnique
Marks and inscriptions
Over (illegible)00 years o(ld) (Damaged paper label pasted to front of case: even if the illegible first digit is a 1, rather than anything higher, the dolls were not over 100 years old at the time it is likely to have been placed there)
Credit line
Given by Mrs Greg
Object history
Given to the museum by the toy and doll collector Mrs Greg (RF 23/7117)
Subjects depicted
Summary
The tradition of enclosing decorative artefacts in glass-fronted frames and boxes dates back to at least the early 18th century, and reached its height in the 1850s. Some boxes are for single figures, such as the Christ Child, or a doll in a particularly elaborate dress. Others show scenes, such as a church and village, or Christ's nativity. The setting within a box protects the objects as well as drawing attention to them, and also creates a sense of the theatrical, an image preserved for the spectator to see.

The name of this group of dolls is something of a mystery because Queen Anne (reigned 1702-1714) had such a tragic experience of motherhood. Even if the three other adult females are ladies in waiting, or the children's governesses, at no point did she have four children of the ages represented here. She married Prince George of Denmark in 1683 and had at least thirteen miscarriages or stillbirths. Her other five children each died young - Mary and Anne under the age of two, and George and a second Mary a few hours after birth. The longest survivor, William, died of smallpox in 1700, at the age of eleven. The 'queen' doll is also fair-haired whereas Queen Anne was dark, and the costumes are from 1835-50, when the box was assembled, rather than 1684-1700. In this tradition, the telling of a story was more important than historical accuracy or physical likeness to the persons portrayed.
Collection
Accession number
MISC.184-1923

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Record createdMarch 29, 2006
Record URL
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