Conclusions

Queen Victoria’s accession to the throne sparked a new era of hope, after a wave of death across the monarchy that resulted in an eighteen year old girl taking control of an entire country. Despite her youth, Victoria was well-educated and had been trained her entire life to be a respectable and intelligent woman under the guardianship of a strict and controlling uncle. When Victoria ascended to the throne, not only did she gain a country, but she also gained control of her life. This was the first instance during her life in which she could send her mother away, disobey her uncle, and spend time alone. Queen Victoria’s coronation symbolizes her autonomy and transition to womanhood. In her coronation portrait, Victoria is shrouded in symbols of power, divinity, and tradition to solidify her new role and authority. She proudly holds a scepter to symbolize her new ability to control people, where she was controlled by others during her childhood. The robes she wears represent her inheritance of power from the previous monarch, along with her oath to God as a loyal servant. Queen Victoria is dressed in gold garments to grant her power a sense of eternity, as she is backed by England’s Coat of Arms to represent her grasp on the country. Although Queen Victoria’s ascension gave the country a sense of hope, the true significance of this image is the legacy that lives on within her and the power she gained within herself. She broke the shackles of her confines as a woman to take control of her new life, and became one of England’s longest reigning Queens.