Statue of Queen Victoria

1888

Sculptor: Joseph Edgar Boehm (1834-1890)

Commissioned for the Sydney Centennial Exhibition

Bronze on granite pedestal

Sydney, Australia

The foundation stone for a statue of Queen Victoria in Sydney, Australia, was laid as early as 1881 to coincide with the royal visit of Prince Edward and Prince George of Wales. This statue, commissioned for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 1887, was unveiled by the British colonial governor in front of over fifty thousand spectators. Upon the queen’s death in 1901, the statue served as the focal point for expressions of mourning. Over the following decades, the statue remained an important ceremonial site for manifestations of colonial loyalty. A photograph from 1930 shows the statue decorated for Empire Day, commemorating the queen’s birthday, an event that continued to be celebrated in many cities long after Victoria’s death.

Related Media

"Centennial Celebrations at Sydney— Unveiling the Queen’s Statue": unveiling by Lord Charles Robert Carrington, Governor of New South Wales, and Lady Carrington, on January 24, 1888. "Centennial Celebrations at Sydney— Unveiling the Queen’s Statue": unveiling by Lord Charles Robert Carrington, Governor of New South Wales, and Lady Carrington, on January 24, 1888. [Wood engraving, main image by F.A. Sleap (?) and inset by George Rossi Ashton. Illustrated Australian News, February 11, 1888. http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/167543450?redirectedFrom=12174629&q&versionId=182603593.]

Unveiling by Lord Charles Robert Carrington, Governor of New South Wales, and Lady Carrington, on January 24, 1888 Unveiling by Lord Charles Robert Carrington, Governor of New South Wales, and Lady Carrington, on January 24, 1888. [State Records New South Wales. http://investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/]

Queen Victoria’s statue with mourning wreaths, 1901 Queen Victoria’s statue with mourning wreaths, 1901. [New South Wales Government Printing Office, 1–09167; http://www.acmssearch.sl.nsw.gov.au.]

Statue of Queen Victoria decorated for Empire Day, c.1930. Statue of Queen Victoria decorated for Empire Day, c.1930. [Fairfax Archive of Glass Plate Negatives (Fairfax number: 5251), National Library of Australia, nla.pic-vn6265203; http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn6265203.]