National Victoria Memorial

     The unveiling of Britain’s national Victoria Memorial in London was a long-anticipated moment. The memorial was first proposed two weeks after the queen’s death in 1901, and its development over the next decade was continually discussed in the press. It was finally inaugurated on May 16, 1911, by George V in what the New York Times described as a “brilliant ceremony.”  Seating was installed for four thousand invited guests, while the public gathered in the thousands in St. James’s Park, along the Mall, and near Buckingham Gate. The unveiling itself was accomplished with a modern electric button pressed by the king, whereupon the statue was revealed.