Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-08-08
A Picture of Queen Victoria and the X oyal
Family-Homeliness and Awkwardness

A Picture of Queen Victoria and the X oyaI
Family-Homeliness and Awkwardness
of Victoria. ''t
Rev. H. Baylies, who is writing series of
letters from England to the Zion's Herald,
draws the following picture of Queen Vic
toria and the Royal Family, which differs
materially from the rose colored portraits
that are generally presented Of her Majesty.
The picture was taken at the Ascot Races.
He says:
Having been disappointed by slow train
in reaching the place in season to see the
Queen and her husband and children enter
determined to get as near her Majesty as pos
sible, and succeeded in getting into a small
inclosure just in front of her stand, which
inclosure, | have reason to think, from a
notice, was designed only for members of
the Jockey Club" 1t was a very good place,
however, and for an hour or two had the
most favorable opportunity of looking at and
quizzing the Queen, Prince Albert, Prince of
Wales, Princesses Alice, and Helen, and
Louise, together with her royal highness the
Duchess of Cambridge, the Count of Flanders,
Prince Louis of Hesse, in all eleven carriage
loads of royalty and nobility.
Prince Albert is good, wide awake, SEN
sibe-looking man, familiar and easy, and fit
for a husband to a queen, which he is, and
only is. Prince of Wales is about eighteen,
of light complexion, and rather spare looks
like fair, sensible senior in college, and will
graduate at Oxford some time in June. The
Princesses resemble very strongly the Prince
of Wales and are not especially noticeable
for beauty; indeed | should not have looked
single minute were they not daughters of
the throne. Asto the other personages, | saw
nothing that would attract attention. There
were 1000 on the field better looking; and to
all appearances equally sensible. / suppose
it does not require much sense to patronize
horse racing does it2 Well, what of the
Queen | am not an Englishman, and so |
may speak. Understand was within from
twenty to sixty feet of her more than an
hour, looking with my own natural eyes, and
with the same eyes assisted by powerful race
glasses which | borrowed. Let me saw
then, as think. .Hl
Before express my thinkings, however,
let me remind you that very recently the
Queen refused TO sit for a likeness to an
American artist because she said her time is
fully employed. That is not the reason, as
you will guess Queen Victoria is doubtless a
mother of several children, and is said to be
an excellent wife, mother and woman, which
is likewise doubtless; but she is not hand
some, as some of her portraits represent her;
she is not good looking even, according to
my taste. That kissable little mouth you
have seen in her portraits was borrowed, for
it is not in her face. Her mouth is rather
drawn at the corners, and arched in the mid
die. Her complexion is that have named
for her children, but her skin looks blotched
and unhealthy. l especially watched her
manners in her conversation, and her move
ments among the family and visiting royalty,
and must say she was entirely wanting in
what is termed grace, and was very far from
appearing Queenly, according to the conven-
tional meaning of that word. , ....r
.a When she bowed in response to the hearty
cheers of her loyal subjects, there was look
of the disdainful attached to stiff and cheer
less motion of the head. was for moment
within ten feet of her, and noticed the same
expression. 80 ,.'ts.-.. .f'.t b.
Speaking with an Englishman in Paris,
about her, the other day, he remarked "Oh,
she does very well for Queen to fill the
throne; she makes good mother and wife,
that is about all" More than once | heard
this sentiment expressed The portraits you
see are portraits Of the Conventional Queen,
and not the real. o.