Queen Victoria's Monogrammed Underwear

Photograph of Queen Victoria and a pair of her drawers. Photograph of Queen Victoria and a pair of her drawers.

A number of museums and private collections own examples of Queen Victoria’s monogrammed underwear. This is because the monarch was in the habit of saving her undergarments and then giving them to members of her staff. Items given away in this manner include chemises, drawers, nightdresses, as well as stockings.

It was normal for these and other garments, to be marked with the royal monogram VR (Victoria Regina) surmounted with a crown, making identification of the original owner of such items simpler. On 21st May 2015, a full set of the Queen’s initialled underwear was auctioned by the London based auction house, Bloomsbury. The estimated price was £3,000 – 4,000; they eventually were sold for £2,800. The outfit included a white linen chemise, drawers, lace handkerchief and nightgown, as well as a pair of black silk stockings. The outfit was a gift presented to a member of the Queen’s household in about 1900. They had been passed down from one generation to another, until being put in a box in the 1960's and left in a cupboard.

Shortly afterwards, at the beginning of June 2015, a selection of Queen Victoria’s monogrammed underwear from the Yesterday’s Museum (East Sussex), was put up for sale by the Chippenham auction rooms (auctioneer Richard Edmonds). These items included monogrammed drawers, several nightdresses, stockings and hats worn by Victoria and her third child, Princess Alice. These items were sold individually and a total of £12,090 was raised.

Digital sources:

Digital source of illustration (retrieved 9th July 2016).

GVE

Last modified on Saturday, 20 May 2017 13:13