**An original by Queen Victoria: a view of Mount Titlis from Engelberg, painted on 2 September 1868.** Royal Collection Trust

The queen of watercolours

In her day, Queen Victoria was the most powerful woman in the world. She came to Switzerland in 1868 to rest and recuperate, and made numerous sketches and paintings of the Swiss scenery. Many of these watercolours and drawings survive today.

Michael van Orsouw

Michael van Orsouw has a PhD in history and is a performance poet and author. He regularly publishes historical books.

Website: geschichte-texte.ch

The hill farmers of Seebodenalp at the foot of Mount Rigi must have been astounded by the sight before them: a large party of travellers, speaking English, suddenly appeared on the way down from the summit, complete with ponies, picnic baskets and an assortment of bags. Servants unfolded chairs and set up an easel in front of a simple mountain hut, where a petite woman then settled down to paint, all the while sipping on a cup of milk tea.

This scene took place on the afternoon of 27 August 1868. After 45 minutes, the happy band packed up their things and continued on their way: “A steep descent on winding paths overhung by endless fruit trees. [...] We had the feeling that today was a very successful day.” The person who had stopped to paint the little mountain hut and who later made this entry in her journal was none other than Queen Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. At that time, she was considered the most powerful woman in the world. Her empire held sway over 1 billion people, she had 9 children, was implicated in 229 wars and uprisings, survived 7 assassination attempts and outlived 21 cabinets. Her 40 grandchildren and 88 great-grandchildren earned her the soubriquet “grandmother of Europe”, and she gave her name to an entire historical period: the Victorian era. Queen Victoria reigned for 63 years.

**Queen Victoria circa 1868: at that time, she was the most powerful woman in the world.** Museum of History Lucerne

**Painted during afternoon tea: a small mountain hut at the foot of the Rigi.** Royal Collection Trust

And yet, on her trip to Switzerland in 1868 she was a broken woman – a traumatised, anxious queen. Her ‘Tour de Suisse’ was a kind of escape, a respite from the great responsibility and innumerable duties she was required to shoulder as ruler of the British Empire. Following her mother’s death and, above all, the passing of her husband Prince Albert, Queen Victoria had fallen into a deep depression. Today, we would probably say she was suffering from severe burnout. It was thought that a four-week getaway to Switzerland would help restore her health and lift her spirits. The royal party arrived in Lucerne in August 1868. To avoid attention and find the peace and quiet she was seeking, Victoria travelled incognita as the Countess of Kent. This indicated that she was travelling as a private individual and did not wish to be officially addressed as a royal personage. She lodged at the Pension Wallis in Lucerne and was impressed by the panoramic views it afforded of the surrounding scenery, as she wrote in her journal.

**View of Mount Rigi from Lucerne, where the Queen had lodgings.** Royal Collection Trust

The view … out over the lake with the city spread out before it, surrounded by the most magnificent mountains u0026 vibrant greenery in the foreground, is ideal. It is truly what I dreamed of, but I could hardly believe I was now seeing it with my own eyes!

Queen Victoria, 1868

**A charming scene: four fishermen in their rowing boat on Lake Lucerne.** Royal Collection Trust

She never once missed afternoon tea…

In the days and weeks that followed the stricken monarch became incredibly adventurous, exploring central Switzerland at length: Victoria visited the chapel where William Tell had escaped from his captors, took the paddle steamer to Brunnen and Küssnacht, went on excursions to the Mythen mountain and the towns of Goldau and Zug, ascended Mount Pilatus, visited the pilgrimage church at Hergiswald, went up the Brünig Pass and to Engelberg, and, as previously mentioned, climbed to the summit of Mount Rigi by way of Seebodenalp. But no matter where the monarch and her retinue went, there was one English tradition she insisted on upholding: afternoon tea was served at five o’clock on the dot every day, regardless of the exertions this required from the servants. The Queen walked, rode the ponies she had brought with her from England, wrote, rested and dined. And she took time to capture the Swiss landscape in drawings and watercolours. One could almost say that she soaked up the scenery. Her journal entries about Lake Lucerne reflect the practised eye of a painter: “The lake, a quite wonderful sapphire blue and emerald green, changes from one colour to the other. [...] It was magnificent & nothing can surpass the beauty of the lake in any respect.”

**A study in violet: the Queen’s depiction of Mount Pilatus is almost Impressionist.** Royal Collection Trust

**An unusual view of Lake Zug: Victoria was visiting Cham when she painted it.** Royal Collection Trust

The Queen spent over a month sojourning in central Switzerland, during which time she managed to produce 59 sketches and paintings that have survived to this day. They can be seen in the famous Royal Collection in London. It is important to note that the Queen began receiving weekly drawing and painting lessons when she was eight years old, and that she was often taught by well-known artists. Her talent repeatedly shone through and is evident in her Swiss compositions.

…or went anywhere without an easel

In any event, the royal household had to carry an easel, brushes, paints or at least a sketchbook with it on all its excursions throughout central Switzerland. The monarch would sit down to sketch with pencil and charcoal or reach for her watercolours. Views captured by the royal gaze include the Titlis and Spannörter mountains as seen from Engelberg, the slopes of Pilatus and Rigi, and vistas of numerous lakes. But she did not always take panoramic views as the subject of her drawings and paintings. She also depicted the mountain hut at Seebodenalp, a fishing boat on Lake Lucerne, a farmhouse in Schwarzenberg and the Devil’s Bridge in canton Uri. The images she created during her trip to Switzerland show her keen powers of observation, deft handling of colour, patient style and steady hand.

**Looking almost like a Norwegian fjord: Lake Lucerne at Alpnach, as painted by the royal lady.** Royal Collection Trust

**Victoria was taken by the sudden change in the weather: her painting of the Furka area.** Royal Collection Trust

However, the increasingly hot temperatures during the overweight monarch’s sojourn in Switzerland sapped her energy and, as before in the United Kingdom, she grew tired and weak. 1868 was in fact the hottest summer in living memory. The Queen wrote about the heatwave: “The climate is dreadful ... so damp & sticky, when not exactly oppressively hot & I grow terribly tired & have constant headaches & very little appetite.”

To cool down somewhat, the royal party travelled across Lake Lucerne to Flüelen, then on through Uri and up the Furka Pass, where they stayed at a “small, miserable inn, with tiny, squalid & sparsely furnished rooms”, as the Queen disapprovingly noted. Victoria got more than she bargained for on the Furka Pass, including fog and cooler temperatures than anticipated. She was freezing! There was even some sleet and snow. Then suddenly the sun came out again, revealing an overwhelming spectacle of nature to the English visitors, once again inspiring the Queen to reach for her watercolours. She was also full of enthusiasm for the Rhône Glacier: “One can hardly believe it is real, as it appears almost otherworldly!” She sat down to paint an extra-wide picture of the jagged crevasses in the ice. Naturally, without forgetting to enjoy her usual cup of afternoon tea.

**A double-page sketch: the monarch was impressed by the Rhône Glacier.** Royal Collection Trust

Victoria’s long reign has left behind political legacies like colonial expansion and the diplomatic practice of ‘splendid isolation’. But it has also given us her art. Thanks to her fondness for artistic expression, views of Swiss mountains came to be known around the world.

More of: Royals Modern Age Tourism Women in history Culture Art

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