The Family of Queen Victoria in 1887

Laurits Tuxen's The Family of Queen Victoria in 1887 is one of the most ambitious royal group portraits of the Victorian era — a massive canvas documenting the assembled family at the golden jubilee, when European royalty descended on London in numbers unprecedented before or since. Tuxen, the Danish court painter who had established his reputation with exactly this type of royal group portrait, spent years on the commission. The painting records Victoria surrounded by children, grandchildren, and in-laws who included the Emperor of Germany, the kings of Denmark, Greece, and Belgium, and many other monarchs. It is both portraiture and dynastic document — the visual testament to Victoria's success as the 'grandmother of Europe.'

Tuxen manages the extraordinary compositional challenge of a large group portrait — dozens of figures in court dress, arranged to convey both familial intimacy and dynastic grandeur — with considerable skill. Each face is rendered with individual attention, even for minor figures. The palette is rich with the gold, red, and blue of court uniforms and decorations, managed to avoid visual chaos while creating appropriate splendor. Light falls to unite the group while distinguishing the central figure of Victoria from her family.