Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother (1900–2002) was born the Honourable Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon. A descendant of the royal house of Scotland, she was the fourth daughter of Lord Glamis. After her father inherited his Earldom of Strathmore and Kinghorne in 1904, she became Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. She married Albert, Duke of York in 1923 and they had two children, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. After King George V died in 1936, and King Edward VIII abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson, Albert became King George VI and she, Queen Elizabeth. The couple went on many royal tours overseas together and she supported him and braced the spirits of British citizens by staying in England during the Second World War. When the King died in 1952, their eldest daughter became Queen Elizabeth II. One of the most popular members of the royal family, The Queen Mother was patron of many organisations and continued her official public duties until a few months before her death at the age of 101.
Charles Wheeler drew this portrait of Queen Elizabeth in the early 1940s. Although she wears the signifiers of royalty – a crown and royal jewels – she is depicted against a neutral background rather than a palatial interior. The simple lines emphasise her graceful face in profile in a harmonious palette of white, pink and peach.
Purchased 2019
© Estate of Charles Wheeler
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