Linda Ganstrom

Linda Ganstrom

Bell(e): Victoria

Porcelain figure stained and painted on a steel skirt covered in tulle. Antique silver filigree butterlies hover on her veil.

Inspiration and Celebration



Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India

 Victoria lived from May 24, 1819 to January 22, 1901 (Died age 81)

She reigned from 1837 – 1901 (64 years). Until recently, Victoria held the record for longest reign of any British monarch and longest reign of any female monarch in history.

Victoria married her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Nine of their children and 26 grandchildren survived infancy, many going on to royal marriages. 

A great patron of learning and the Arts, the style, taste and patronage of Victoria and Albert ushered in another golden age for England.  Albert died in 1861 and Victoria mourned his loss for the rest of her life, wearing black and earning the name of the Widow of Windsor.

Victoria was small, around 5’ tall.  She grew stout in later years.

As a constitutional monarch, her realm of influence was limited, but she was a national icon and beloved queen.  She was identified with strict standards of personal morality and family values.  The Victorian Age saw a great expansion of the British Empire and rapid changes in military, industrial, political, scientific and cultural spheres ushering in the modern era.

As a mature woman full of wisdom, I imagine Victoria as a rock, a stabilizing force in a world of rapid and dramatic change symbolized by the butterflies.