<p>Between 1854 and 1859 Frieda Arnold was dresser to Queen Victoria. Her letters give readers a rare glimpse into palace life from the point of view of the servant. Discreet, well-read, lively, charming, and dazzled but not overwhelmed by the grandeur of her new surroundings, she give a unique account of the interiors of all the royal castles and the royal yacht. She was behind the scenes when Napoleon III came to England, and she went with the Queen on the famous state visit to Paris in 1855. Frieda wrote home to her native Karlsruhe describing the sights of London from the foreigner's perspective, appalled by the gulf between riches and squalor, and taking in all the current places of interest from the Bank of England to Crystal Palace. She sees troops leaving for the Crimea and returning to the new camp at Aldershot. Frieda's viewpoint is curious and unique. Her letters are illustrated by portraits, early photographs from the time and Frieda's own sketches and watercolours. Frieda's letters give us the chance to listen to an intelligent, articulate voice from a vanished and otherwise silent world.</p>

My Mistress the Queen: The Letters of Frieda Arnold Dresser to Queen Victoria 1854-9

History

Stoney, Benita

Arnold, Frieda

Europe

TRAFALGAR SQUARE +

<p>HRH The Duchess of York, Benita Stoney and photographer Robin Matthews set out on a royal adventure story, a journey back into the past, retracing Queen Victoria's travels abroad. With the help of her diaries and sketchbooks and the bound volumes of watercolours of her journeys kept at Windsor Castle they have created their own itinerary, revisting palaces and forgotten castles. The text mingles Queen Victoria's descriptions with the authors' impressions of place and period, while the illustrations juxtapose contemporary photographs and Victorian watercolours. Primarily the record of a modern adventure, the book also provides an insight into the Victorian past.</p>

Travels With Queen Victoria

York, Sarah Mountbatten-Windsor, Duchess of

Biographies & Memoirs

Weidenfeld Nicolson Ltd

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Stoney, Benita. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Stoney, Benita