Decorative arts — 1855
The Royal Patriotic Fund
This jug commemorates the founding of the Royal Patriotic Fund during the Crimean War. The Fund was established to provide financial assistance to the widows and orphans of British servicemen. It consisted entirely of donations from the general public following an appeal made by Queen Victoria. In this period the state provided no financial support to the dependants of soldiers and sailors killed in action overseas. The Fund was administered by a Royal Commission with Prince Albert as its first president. The Fund paid for the construction of the Royal Victoria Patriotic Asylum for Girls in Wandsworth which opened in 1859.
The Royal Patriotic Fund subsequently became an umbrella for numerous other funds raised by public appeal as Britain's imperial warfare continued throughout Victoria's reign. War widows did not receive state pensions until the twentieth century.
The 'Royal Patriotic Jug' appeared on 1 January 1855. The scene on one side of the jug depicts wounded soldiers on a Crimean battlefield. On the other side a weeping mother is shown with her children and a laundry basket in a bare room. Above the family an angel is flying symbolically with the banner of the Royal Patriotic Fund. The jug was donated to the London Museum by Queen Mary in 1930.
- Category:
- Decorative arts
- Object ID:
- 30.23/1
- Object name:
- The Royal Patriotic Fund
- Object type:
- Artist/Maker:
- S. Alcock and Company
- Related people:
- Related events:
- Related places:
- Production date:
- 1855
- Material:
ceramic, earthenware
- Measurements/duration:
- H 205 mm, W 175 mm, D 155 mm (overall)
- Part of:
- —
- On display:
- —
- Record quality:
- 100%
- Part of this object:
- —
- Owner Status & Credit:
Permanent collection
- Copyright holder:
digital image © London Museum
- Image credit:
- —
- Creative commons usage:
- —
- License this image:
To license this image for commercial use, please contact the London Museum Picture Library.