A tale of two statues: memorializing Queen Victoria in London and Calcutta

Abstract

The Victoria Memorial in London and the Victoria Memorial Hall, Calcutta are the two most substantial and enduring commemorative schemes built following the death of Queen Victoria on 23 January 1901. Both memorials remain heritage icons, immediately recognizable parts of the urban fabric of London and Calcutta. The original schemes are nonetheless notable for the imperial myth-making and the way they place Victoria as the focal point of British rule. Moreover, both schemes foreground the question of the nature of Victoria’s agency and fashioning in relation to commemoration and hero worship. The statues of Victoria by Thomas Brock at the heart of both memorials are part of much grander and elaborate reshapings of the political and urban landscape, but the commemoration of Victoria in Britain and India reveals some of the frictions and instability around her legacy.