The Funeral of Queen Victoria by Ernest Crofts

Ernest Crofts
1847-1911 | British

The Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Victoria

Signed and dated "E. Crofts 1901" (lower left)
Oil on canvas

This monumental masterpiece by renowned British painter Ernest Crofts captures the grand procession of Queen Victoria's funeral in 1901. Solemn yet majestic, Crofts conveys both the scale of the event and the impressive imperial ritual marking the end of one of the country's most defining eras. Exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1903, this painting is one of the finest in Crofts' oeuvre.

At the heart of the scene, the Queen’s coffin rests upon a gun carriage draped in white, fulfilling Victoria’s explicit wish to be buried “as a soldier’s daughter" and setting a precedent for all subsequent monarchs. The procession advances up St. James’s Street past the Devonshire Club, its façade draped in black, as London bears witness to the passing of one of its most influential rulers. Crofts reveals his masterful command of movement, perspective and detail, guiding the viewer’s eye through the densely populated scene.

The painting is also rich in historical specificity. Immediately behind the gun carriage rides King Edward VII, joined on his left by his brother, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and the German Emperor Wilhelm II, Queen Victoria’s grandson, on the right. The vast assembly of mourners echoes contemporary accounts, including Henry James’s description of an “incredibly and immensurably vast” crowd, underscoring the emotional magnitude of the moment.

Ernest Crofts was among the foremost historical and military painters of his generation. Born in Leeds, he trained in England and Germany, studying under Alfred Borron Clay and later in Düsseldorf with Emil Hünten, military painter to the Prussian royal family. His early exposure to continental military art and firsthand observation of the Franco-Prussian War informed a career devoted to scenes of conflict, ceremony and national history.

Crofts exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy from 1874 to 1904, becoming an Associate in 1878 and a full Royal Academician in 1896, later serving as Keeper and Trustee of the Academy. Renowned for his scholarly approach, he maintained an extensive collection of uniforms to ensure accuracy in his compositions. His works are represented in major public collections, including the Royal Collection, and remain valued for their precision, narrative clarity and authoritative treatment of Britain’s military and ceremonial past.

Dated 1901

Canvas: 55 1/4" high x 40 1/4" wide (140.34 x 102.11 cm)
Frame: 64 3/4" high x 50" wide x 2" deep (164.47 x 127 x 5.08 cm)

Provenance:
Private collection, Europe, acquired circa 1950
Private collection, Europe
M.S. Rau, New Orleans

Exhibited:
London, Royal Academy, 1903, no.167
Christchurch, New Zealand International Exhibition 1906-7: Fine Art Section, no.42