Stevengraph silk portrait - so504

by Austin Sprake:

by Geoffrey Godden:
Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, the Dominions, etc., she was born on the 24 May 1819, succeeded to the throne in 1837 and ruled until her death on the 22 January 1901.
Several Stevengraphs depict Queen Victoria under separate titles.

A portrait-size picture of the Queen, facing left, with the woven title above: VICTORIA. QUEEN OF AN EMPIRE ON WHICH THE SUN NEVER SETS.

This portrait silk would appear to be of the same period as the 1887 Golden Jubilee one (see so 500) but it is not listed on labels of the period, which include only 'Jubilee Portrait coloured'.
It would appear likely, however, that the version bearing the woven inscription '1837 Jubilee 1887' was issued only in 1887 or for a brief period after this, and that from about 1888 this new undated version (above) was found to be more saleable.
The portrait is the same on both this version and the Jubilee issue except that here it is reversed -the official Jubilee one facing right. This accounts for the continuation of the wording 'Jubilee Portrait coloured' on labels well after the date of the Jubilee.

Found mounted on card-mount D or, very rarely, on D1. Late examples of c. 1900 on card-mount D3 with the leather texturing do not have a title or the initials 'V.R.' printed above the portrait.

Other comments:
It has been noted that quite a few Stevens pictures and portraits were sold through a company called "SILK PICTURE WEAVING CO.", based in South Farnborough, Hants.
This company tended to stick their own label on the rear of the card matt. As there is usually no evidence that a Stevens rear label was ever present, we are left to assume that Stevens approved of this:-

rear label stuck on the card mount of the silk on the left above

Reference Number:-	Sprake Number:-	Godden Number:-
so 504	STG2	147

HER MAJESTY QUEEN VICTORIA