Queen Elizabeth I - Messages in a Dress

On Wednesday 18 November our 4s students took part in their second art and history collaboration lecture. This week’s lecture, led by Head of Art Ms Beales, explored how Queen Elizabeth I was portrayed through paintings and other forms of art.

Beginning with some background information on the famous female monarch, Ms Beales explained that Queen Elizabeth I was “a queen in a man’s world.” Her father Henry VIII ,who our 4s have been learning about in their history lessons, had desperately wanted a son as an heir to the throne. However, his only legitimate son died at the age of 15, and daughter Elizabeth took the throne in 1558.

Queen Elizabeth I understood how important her image was and how to manipulate it to connect to people. Ms Beales showed the students how, in her portraits, Queen Elizabeth I’s dresses often looked like a body of armour, representing her strength and ability to lead. “I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too” is a famous quote by Queen Elizabeth I that holds true to her artistic representation.

Queen Elizabeth I wanted everyone in the country to know what she looked like. She sent images of herself to people in poor villages, and her face was on the back of every coin. Her portrait was also engraved into medals and rings, as another symbol of her strength and leadership.

Ms Beales further explored the symbolism within paintings of Queen Elizabeth I with the students. From portraits painted her in her 20s to in her 60s, Queen Elizabeth I was often painted in masculine styled outfits, wearing a ruff around her neck. She wanted to be presented as equal to a man, yet still highlighting the “warmth, beauty and goodness” of being a woman. In each painting she appears confident and strong: “She’s selling her strength through her pose” explained Ms Beales.

Queen Elizabeth I never married nor had any children, which was unheard of for women at the time. However, she ensured that she was taken seriously by her subjects as the ruler of England, using her strong image as a means to do so.

Our students were fascinated by how Queen Elizabeth I used her image to convey such powerful messages, and inspired by her reign as Queen in such a male-dominated time. Ms Beales encouraged them to visit the British Museum one day, to see Queen Elizabeth I’s portraits on coins, medals and jewels for themselves.