Of Death and Dominion: Queen Victoria and the cult of colonial loyalty

Abstract

The image of Queen Victoria, painted and sculpted, still dominates public spaces scattered throughout every continent. More than any other historic individual, places, institutions and squares still bear her name. As the overarching symbol that sought to meld together the disparate parts of the British Empire, Victoria is a pioneering modern example of the global creation of a ruler personality cult. My essay seeks to demonstrate the specific discourses and practices through affection and loyalty to her were promoted by the colonial elite, and the consequent way it was remediated and challenged by, indigenous and settler communities. Victoria’s charismatic figure is most evident in the versions exported across the British Empire. The colonial representation of Victoria was an intensification of the existing familial discourse around her. From Kolkata to Cape Town, her motherly concern for all of her subjects, was used to emphasize the existence of an imperial family and to soften the imposition of British rule.