Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria was born at Kensington Palace, London, the only daughter of Edward, Duke of Kent, fourth son of George III. Her father died shortly after her birth and she became heir to the throne because her three uncles ahead of her in succession had no legitimate children who survived.
Her marriage to Prince Albert brought nine children between 1840 and 1857. Queen Victoria was deeply attached to her husband and she sank into depression after he died, aged 42, in 1861. For the rest of her reign, she wore black. She died at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, in 1901 after a reign of almost 64 years.
Born in Wales, Gibson moved to Liverpool with his mother and father as a young boy. He soon began copying drawings and plaster casts belonging to John Turmeau (1777-1846). Gibson later became chief carver at the marble masons ‘Samuel and Thomas Francey’s’ where he met the renowned Liverpool art collector, banker and abolitionist William Roscoe (1753-1831).
Early patronage from Roscoe gave Gibson access to his study and collections, which influenced his lifelong interest and admiration for the works of ancient Greece. He moved to Rome in 1819, where he studied under the renowned neoclassical sculptors Antonio Canova (1757-1822) and Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770-1844).
He excelled chiefly in bas-relief, notably the two life-size works The Hours Leading the Horses of the Sun and Phaethon driving the Chariot of the Sun but was also proficient in monumental and portrait statuary. He is famous for his statues of Sir Robert Peel (Westminster Abbey), William Huskisson (St George’s Square) and Queen Victoria (Houses of Parliament).
