Statue of Queen Victoria

     Erecting a royal statue was a significant patriotic gesture during the nineteenth century, and unveiling ceremonies were considered important enough to warrant royal visits. Prince Albert, Duke of Clarence, eldest son of Edward VII, unveiled Joseph Edgar Boehm’s statue of Queen Victoria on Bristol’s College Green. In this photograph the Prince, doffing his silk hat, stands with the Mayor of Bristol (holding an umbrella).  The statue is a variation of the Jubilee statues Joseph Edgar Boehm provided for Windsor, Balmoral, Sydney, and Pietermaritzburg. As Boehm’s output demonstrates, the commissioning of replicas, rather than new works, was common practice and not considered a compromise.