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Queen Mary's photograph albums
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 19, 2017
Although the text of the book absolutely falls into the 'secular hagiography' category, to be expected from an author granted full access to photograph albums belonging to the royals, this is still an excellent addition to works on the British royal family.
Queen Mary died before I was born and my view of her was informed chiefly by stiff, posed formal portraits and actresses presenting an equally stiff and remote view of her person in various films. The photographs collected herein show a woman with a strong sense of duty and personal dignity, but one with an actual personality; a lovely woman with a beautiful smile and the occasional spark of mischief coming through.
To her bones she was an aristocratic woman of her time, absolutely devoted to duty (it took her almost a decade to speak to her eldest son after he abdicated his responsibility as King in favor of Mrs. Simpson), but a woman who took obvious pleasure in ordinary leisure activities with her family. There are a number of photos of she and her husband, George V, spending time away from duty with their children, playing games and enjoying one another's company.
Later in life, as Queen Mother and then Queen Dowager, she endured loss and heartache with a quiet dignity that further endeared her to a beleaguered English working class that had long admired her for her personal commitment to working class betterment.
Far from being a stiff, remote, caricature of an aristocratic 'grandmamma,' Queen Mary was an enthusiastic English granny to her numerous grandchildren and there are many snapshots of she, and some of her husband, enjoying their company. Now famously, the day after the death of her son George VI, third of her six children to predecease her, she remarked to her staff as she went to great her granddaughter, newly Queen Elizabeth II, that "Her old Grannie and subject must be the first to kiss her hand."
Queen Mary died before I was born and my view of her was informed chiefly by stiff, posed formal portraits and actresses presenting an equally stiff and remote view of her person in various films. The photographs collected herein show a woman with a strong sense of duty and personal dignity, but one with an actual personality; a lovely woman with a beautiful smile and the occasional spark of mischief coming through.
To her bones she was an aristocratic woman of her time, absolutely devoted to duty (it took her almost a decade to speak to her eldest son after he abdicated his responsibility as King in favor of Mrs. Simpson), but a woman who took obvious pleasure in ordinary leisure activities with her family. There are a number of photos of she and her husband, George V, spending time away from duty with their children, playing games and enjoying one another's company.
Later in life, as Queen Mother and then Queen Dowager, she endured loss and heartache with a quiet dignity that further endeared her to a beleaguered English working class that had long admired her for her personal commitment to working class betterment.
Far from being a stiff, remote, caricature of an aristocratic 'grandmamma,' Queen Mary was an enthusiastic English granny to her numerous grandchildren and there are many snapshots of she, and some of her husband, enjoying their company. Now famously, the day after the death of her son George VI, third of her six children to predecease her, she remarked to her staff as she went to great her granddaughter, newly Queen Elizabeth II, that "Her old Grannie and subject must be the first to kiss her hand."
November 29, 2014
Many private pictures, that I have not seen anywhere else.They are supposed to have been taken from Queen Mary's personal albums. The only criticism of the pictures is that a lot(not all) are tiny.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews