Shield with Ladies Portrait Bust
Needle Case (photograph from eBay)
Design Representation
Design Details
Needle Case Type: |
Figural (although the design registration drawing reflects a stag head, the diamond registration mark on the needle case matches this
design) |
Patent/Registered to: |
William Avery & Son - Redditch |
Patent/Design Representation #: |
Ornamental Class1: Metal: #274365 |
Patent/Design Registration Date: |
July 11, 1873 |
Location of Patent/Design Registration: |
The National Archives (TNA) - Kew, UK |
Reference #: |
TNA Representation - BT 43/34/274365
TNA Register - BT 44/3/274365 |
Dimensions: |
6.6 x 1 x 9.2 |
Material: |
Brass |
Name Variations: |
W. Avery & Son - Redditch |
Other Variations: |
a) Shield with Bird
b) Shield with Rose
c) Shield with Stag Head |
Who is the Lady on This Needle Case
There are only seven Avery needle cases with a portrait of a woman and two of these are of the same unknown woman: Oval Tub - Ladies Portrait Bust
and Shield with Ladies Portrait Bust. Of the five others, four were made for Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee in 1897 and include a younger and
older portrait of the Queen: Easel, Lap Desk, Oval Tub and Quadruple Casket. The fifth is a Lap Desk exactly like the one for the Queen's
diamond jubilee, except this one has portraits of the Queen’s grandson, George V, second heir to the throne with his wife Mary of Teck. The
portrait of the unknown lady on this needle case is not Queen Victoria since she does not resemble any of the known paintings, drawings, photographs
and depictions of the Queen.
It seems most likely that the portrait on this needle case is a member of the royal family. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had five
daughters: Victoria (1840-1901), Alice (1843-1878), Helena (1846-1923), Louise (1848-1939) and Beatrice (1857-1944). The only other prominent
female in the royal family was Princess Alexandra of Denmark (1844-1925), the wife of Prince Edward VII, first heir to the throne. There are
other Avery style needle cases with the names Helen, Louise, Beatrice and Alexandra stamped on them, presumably named after the Queens’s daughters
or daughter-in-law. While researching the royal family and these woman, it seems unlikely that the daughters Victoria or Alice are the unknown
woman on this needle case since both married into the German branch of the royal family or German nobility and the Germans were not popular with the
British people at that time. Therefore the woman on this needle case is probably Helen or Louise or Beatrice or Alexandra. Photographs,
painting or drawings as well as additional information about these woman are presented on the right side panel on this page. Please
contact us if you have additional thoughts about who the
unknown woman is.
Additional Photographs
Open and back views (photographs courtesy of Bunny's Place)
Interior detail views (photographs courtesy of Bunny's Place)
Detail of front and back (photographs from eBay)
Helena (1840-1901)
Although Helena married a German prince in 1866, unlike her older sisters who moved to Germany, Helena and her husband remained in England so she
could be near the Queen who suffered immensely after the loss of her bellowed husband, Prince Albert, in 1861. Helena was a patron of various
charities, a strong supporter of nurses and in 1872 the founding president of the School of Art Needlework which became the Royal School of
Needlework.
Louise (1848-1939)
When Louise married in 1871 she was the first daughter of a British sovereign to marry a British subject since 1515 and as a result was more
popular with the British people than her sisters. Louise was not only very intelligent and inquisitive, but was considered by many to be the
most artistic and beautiful of Queen Victoria’s daughters. From 1878 until 1883 she lived in Ottawa as her husband was the Governor General
of Canada during those years. Lake Louise in Alberta was named after her. In the engagement photographs taken in 1871, Louise has the
same full face, hairstyle, ruffled dress and two beaded necklaces as the unknown woman on this needle case. Click on the engagement photo of
Louise and John Campbell below to see a larger version of it.
Beatrice (1857-1944)
In 1871, after the last of her sisters married, 14 year old Beatrice became Queen Victoria’s devoted companion for the remainder of the Queen’s
life. In 1885 she also married a German prince, however part of the marriage arrangement was that her husband had to give up his German
obligations and live in England with the Queen and Beatrice. Unfortunately Beatrice’s life mirrored her mother’s in several ways as both of
their husbands died young and they were both widows for over 40 years.
Alexandra (1844-1925)
Alexandra Princess of Denmark, was the daughter of the heir to the Danish throne. At age 16 she was chosen by Queen Victoria to be the wife
of her eldest son, Albert Edward (later known as Edward VII), the future heir apparent to the Queen. They were married in 1863. Alexandra
was well-liked by the British public and her style in clothing set the standard for fashion-conscious women for fifty years. To hide a small
scar on her neck from a childhood illness, she often worn dresses with high collars and a small choker necklace which became quite popular.
These early portraits of Alexandra show her with a hairstyle similar to the one worn by the unknown woman on this needle case. Click on the
portrait of Edward and Alexandra from 1863 below to see a larger version of it.
Here is another portrait of Edward and Alexandra from a Victorian Tartanware cotton reel box in the collection of Christina Bertrand. In
this portrait Alexandra has a hairstyle and choker necklace similar to the one worn by the unknown woman on this needle case. Click on the
portrait of Edward and Alexandra below to see a larger more detailed version of it. Photo courtesy of Christina Bertrand.
This paper needle packet contains another portrait of Alexandra with the same hairsytle. Click on the portrait below to see a larger
more detailed version of it. Photo courtesy of Christina Bertrand.
