Lap Desk – Royal Portrait Busts
Patent/design registration not found
Needle Case
NOTE: The royal couple whose busts are displayed on his needle case appear to be Prince George and Princess Mary. This needle case
design is identical to the Lap Desk - Diamond Jubilee only the portrait busts on the top are different. Because Queen Victoria's Diamond
Jubilee occured in 1897, we believe this needle case design was created for that event. In 1897 Prince George was second in line to the throne
and he and his wife would have been popular subjects to include on a diamond jubilee souvenir. Today one finds many British souvenirs
that contain the portarits of Queen Elizabeth II's grandson, Prince William, also second in line to the throne and his wife, Catherine.
Design Details
Needle Case Type: |
Figural |
Patent/Registered to: |
Unknown |
Patent/Design Representation #: |
Unknown |
Patent/Design Registration Date: |
Unknown |
Location of Patent/Design Registration: |
Unknown |
Reference #: |
Unknown |
Dimensions: |
5.6 x 5.8 x 3.6 |
Material: |
Brass |
Name Variations: |
W. Avery & Son – Redditch |
Other Variations: |
a) Lap Desk – Diamond Jubilee
b) Lap Desk - Oval Cartouche |
Additional Photographs
Detail of the Royal Busts.
Side views.
Interior and bottom signature detail (photographs from eBay).
Back (photograph from eBay).
Facts
George was born in 1865, the second son of Prince Edward and Princess Alexandra, and was third in line to the British Throne. From
1879 until 1892 he served in the Royal Navy and as a result visited many foreign countries and British colonies including: Australia, Egypt,
Japan, the Mediterranean, South American, Southeast Asia and the USA. In 1891, his elder brother became engaged to Mary of Teck, however,
he died unexpectedly of pneumonia six weeks later. This meant George was now second in line to the thrown making it more likely that he
would succeed his father and become king someday. A year later in 1893 he proposed to and married Mary of Teck as they had grown close
during the mourning period.
History
Mary of Teck was born in 1867 at Kensington Palace in London. After her marriage to George in 1893 the couple had six children:
Edward, Albert, Mary, Henry, George, and John. When her husband became King George V she was known as the Queen Consort. After George
died in 1936 her eldest son Edward ascended the throne only to abdicate a year later in order to marry the love of his life the twice-divorced
American mistress, Wallis Simpson. As a result her second son, Albert became King George VI and Mary served as the Queen Mother until
his death in 1952 when her eldest granddaughter Elizabeth became Queen. An ocean liner was named the RMS Queen Mary in her honor when
its construction was completed in 1936. Mary died in 1953.
Miscellaneous
In 1901 George and Mary toured the British Empire and traveled to Australia where he opened the first session of the Australian Parliament
after the creation of the Commonwealth of Australia. Also that year his grandmother, Queen Victoria, died and George’s father became King
Edward VII and George became the Prince of Wales. When Edward died in 1911, George became King George V. During the First World War which
lasted from 1914-1918, George changed the British royal surname from the German-sounding Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the English-sounding
Windsor. After the war ended most of the ruling monarchy in Europe had lost power due to the war and revolution. George V suffered
a serious illness in 1928 of which he never fully recovered and died in 1936.
