Queen Victoria’s petticoat

Dating between 1840-1841, this petticoat was worn by Queen Victoria during the earlier years of her reign, when she was in her early 20s. Made out of lawn cotton and trimmed with French lace, this lightweight garment would have been worn under her lavish silk gowns to help create that iconic bell-shaped silhouette of the 1840s. Throughout her reign Queen Victoria regularly gave away many items of clothing – particularly gloves, nightgowns and underwear (especially her knickers!) – as a way of thanking people for their service. As a piece of underwear this petticoat was given by the Queen to publisher, Samuel Bagster the Elder and his wife Eunice, who had supplied three monarchs, King George IV, King William IV and Queen Victoria, with Bibles. The petticoat was proudly passed through the family before joining The Ceremonial Dress Collection at Historic Royal Palaces. It was last displayed at Kensington Palace in 2019 as part of the ‘Victoria: Woman and Crown’ exhibition, celebrating 200 years since the monarch’s birth. This exhibition is particularly poignant to my career as it was the first exhibition I attended, with this beautiful historic garment being the very first piece of Victoria’s clothing that I saw in person, helping me to see her as a real human rather than just a name in history.

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