Queen Victoria’s Georgian Ball Costume

This Royal Fashion Friday I want to talk about one of the most extravagant outfits worn by Queen Victoria… her Georgian ball gown. Taking place at Buckingham Palace on 6th June 1845, the Georgian Ball was perhaps the most lavish event to take place during Victoria’s reign.

By the 1840s it was fashionable to use fabrics imported from Europe, pushing British vendors to the brink of closing down due to decreased business. Queen Victoria, too, had followed the trend during the early years of her reign but after receiving criticism from the British public she realised just how dire things had become for local silk weavers and lace makers. Recognising the influence she had as Queen, Victoria began using locally sourced fabrics in hope that others would follow. A perfect example of this is her wedding dress as she opted to use Honiton lace rather than popular Brussels lace. However, Victoria didn’t stop there and between 1842-1851 hosted a series of three themed balls, to which guests were encouraged to wear brand new costumes made from British fabrics.

Out of all three costume balls, the Georgian ball is by far my favourite due to the pure flamboyance of the costumes. Out of the estimated 1,400-1,500 people that were invited, around 1,200 aristocrats and diplomats had the pleasure of experiencing the grandeur of the event and witnessing everyone in their lavish costumes, including the Queen’s servants.

According to the Preston Chronicle dated 14^th June 1845, the costumes – which were based between the years 1745-1755 – were of ‘every possible variety of colour, texture, and material, and the greatest magnificence of embroidery and jewelled decoration consistent with propriety were brought to bear on this quaint and antiquated costume, and the result was a harmony and unity of effect perfectly surprising.’

 

Whilst the men wore velvet coats, mostly of black, crimson or blue and decorated with silver and gold, the ladies dresses were naturally more impressive. The dresses were large, volumised by hoop skirts and petticoats, they were of bright, brocaded fabrics, with dramatic trains hanging straight from their shoulders and trimmed with the finest laces and diamonds, before being topped off with powdered wigs, with draped curls and occasionally the addition of a bonnet, or in Queen Victoria’s case, a tiara.

 

Many of the aristocratic guests chose to wear costumes that matched outfits worn in portraits of relatives from the correct time period. However, others, like Queen Victoria chose to wear their own unique outfits, which had been designed specifically for themselves. Victoria’s dress was made by designer Vouillon et Laure and certainly didn’t fail to impress. The main dress was made out gold tissue and brocaded with a design of marguerites, poppies and foliage, with additions of silver to make the reflect the candlelight, making the Queen glow amongst her guests. The tight fitted sleeves and edges of the dress were trimmed with point lace, red ribbons and ruffles. The front of the dress was open, revealing a petticoat of white and silver tissue, which Victoria described as having ‘a running sky-blue pattern.’ The petticoat was trimmed with a deep flounce of lace which had once belonged to Victoria’s grandmother, Queen Charlotte, and more red ribbons and bows.

In addition to her outstanding dress, Victoria wore the regalia of the Order of the Garter, including the diamond star, sash and lesser George. She also wore a small diamond tiara, necklace, bracelet and stomacher, which was made up of two large diamond bows and a diamond point. Diamonds had also been added to the centre of the diamonds and rosettes that adorned her dress.

Just like the other guests, Victoria wore heels to her shoes, a trend which had died out in the early and mid 1800s. Despite not being accustomed to the added height, Victoria later wrote in her journal that she felt ‘quite at home’ in pointed heels. And of course it wouldn’t be a Georgian ball without the large, powdered hair. Unlike some other guests (including Prince Albert), Queen Victoria had her own hair powdered and arranged in the eccentric style of the mid 1700s. This perfectly finished off her authentic Georgian look and, as evidenced of how firmly set her hair was, Victoria writes in her journal that it had taken half an hour to brush the powder out before she was finally able to sleep at 3:30 in the morning. A struggle that I’m sure loomed over the daily routine of many Georgians.

Unfortunately, Queen Victoria’s Georgian ball gown no longer survives but representations of the iconic costume still survive through contemporary paintings, as well as through sketches by the Queen herself. In 2019 the Georgian ball was recreated in season three of the TV series ‘Victoria’. In the episode we can see Jenna Coleman who plays Queen Victoria wearing an outstanding replica of the Queen’s historic garment.

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