A rare and highly personal ALS (Autograph Letter Signed) by Queen Victoria (1819–1901), addressed to Alice Eden (1836–1894), widow of George Ward Hunt (1825–1877), the prominent Conservative statesman who was serving as First Lord of the Admiralty at the time of his death. Written from Osborne on 30 July 1877, the letter is particularly poignant as it was composed only one day after the death of George Ward Hunt on 29 July 1877. The letter is written on royal Osborne stationery bearing Queen Victoria's crowned monogram and extends to four autograph pages. It opens: “Dear Mrs W. Hunt, ” and is unusually personal in character, being written in the first person, rather than in the formal third-person style frequently employed by Queen Victoria in official correspondence. Although Victoria explains that she had not had the pleasure of personally knowing Mrs Hunt, she felt compelled to write at this moment of bereavement and to express her: “deep & heartfelt” sympathy for the loss of her husband. The Queen goes on to speak warmly of Ward Hunt and his public service, referring to his devotion to his “Sovereign & Country.” The letter thus represents not merely a conventional expression of condolence, but a personal tribute by the Queen to a senior minister who had served both the Crown and the nation. George Ward Hunt (1825–1877) was a leading Conservative politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1868 and as First Lord of the Admiralty from 1874 until his death in 1877, under Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. The letter concludes with Queen Victoria's distinctive and desirable full royal autograph signature: “Victoria R” the “R” standing for Regina, Latin for Queen. The correspondence has an important documented provenance: this specific letter dated 30 July 1877 was recorded by Christie's, together with an earlier letter from Queen Victoria to Ward Hunt himself dated 23 June 1877, written during his final illness. The Christie's description records the present letter as Victoria's message of condolence to his widow following his death. An especially desirable example of Queen Victoria's private correspondence, combining four full autograph pages, an intimate first-person text, a letter of condolence written the day after the death of a serving First Lord of the Admiralty, an identifiable recipient, historically significant content, the full royal signature “Victoria R, ” and documented Christie's provenance. Dimensions of each page: 11.5 × 17.8 cm. The letter is written on a folded double sheet forming four pages, all four of which are fully written in Queen Victoria’s hand.
Auction 01: Auction 01 – Historical Letters, Documents & Autographs — Melis Antiques & Art