Queen Victoria's Windsor Uniform

The Windsor uniform was designed for King George III in 1779 as a distinctive private evening and court dress for male members of the Royal Family and senior courtiers to wear at Windsor Castle.

On the 28th September 1837, Queen Victoria held her first review of the troops at Windsor. The Queen being a woman, was not eligible to wear a military uniform thus a feminine adaptation of the Windsor uniform was tailored for the Queen. Although the Windsor uniform was designed and worn by men there was an exception made for George III's wife and daughters during the earliest part of the uniform's creation.

The Queen described her attire in her journal 'Dressed in a dark blue habit, with red collar & cuffs, (the Windsor Uniform, worn by all my Gentlemen) a military cap, & my Order of the Garter, as I was going to review the Troops.'

Not only did the uniform make an impression on the Queen's troops and courtiers but it also left a lasting impression on the Queen. For the first time since being on the throne Victoria ' felt for the first time like a man, as if I could fight myself at the head of my Troops.' A much-needed confidence boost for the young and inexperienced Queen.

The uniform features tailoring techniques reflecting England's height of tailoring. The uniform is entirely hand-stitched as would all of the Queen's garments be at this time. The jacket features symmetrical pad stitches that sandwich a canvas (often horsehair or heavy linen) between the outer wool and silk lining. The technique of pad stitching added structure to the garment whilst not making the garment too bulky. The collar and cuffs are made of a contrasting red wool facing. The collar would have been stitched with tailor's canvas to add a stiff, structured collar reflecting that of the collars on the men's Windsor uniform.

The cuffs feature three buttons on each cuff and the breast closure features four buttons on each side. Tailors in the 19th century frequently marked their buttons with the name of their company. Queen Victoria's Windsor uniform has gilt metal buttons bearing her cypher and are marked with the supplier's name 'Jennens, London' for Joseph Jennens & co, Buttons, Military and Naval Ornaments Manufactures to her Majesty & the Royal Family.

The only surviving piece of the uniform is the jacket, which still has all its original buttons and facing. The edges of the facing were left raw and are not attributed to damage over time. The edges were left raw to avoid bulky seams, fine wool cloth can be left raw as it does not fray. The maker attributed to this uniform is the Soho habit maker Peter Thompson who received a royal warrant in 1837.

Citations

VICTORIA, Q., 1837. Thursday 28th September 1837. Queen Victoria's Journals - Lord Esher's Typescripts. pp. 77-79.

Staniland, K. and Museum of London (1997). In Royal Fashion.