K M Bruce, Osborne, Isle of Wight, to [John] Gibson

RA Collection: Archive

Archive context

Showing item 37 of 391 in this group

Reference code

GI/1/36

Title

K M Bruce, Osborne, Isle of Wight, to [John] Gibson

Date

29 Apr [1864]

Level

Item

Extent & medium

1 piece

Historical Background

'In 1864, Gibson journeyed to Osborne at the invitation of the Queen, who consulted him over the design of the national memorial to her husband. However, Gibson declined to contribute to the project, as it would have meant remaining in England during the winter to undertake the work; his offer to make in Rome the model of Europe, one of the four allegorical groups, came too late' [DNB.]

Content Description

Notifying Gibson that he was to be offered a commission to undertake the group representing Asia on the memorial to Prince Albert, while informing him privately that Queen Victoria wished to know if he would prefer any of the other quarters of the globe.

Associated Material

GI/1/36-41