Monogrammed Queen Victoria bloomers to be auctioned
A pair of slipper shoes and another undergarment – being sold by a family based in Somerset – are also up for grabs at the Hansons sale.
A pair of baggy bloomers which belonged to Queen Victoria are going under the hammer at an auction in Derbyshire.
Etwall-based Hansons Auctioneers hopes the undergarment, being offered alongside a chemise and a pair of leather shoes also linked to the monarch, will sell for hundreds of pounds on Thursday.
The clothing was passed down through the generations to a vendor based in Ilminster, Somerset, whose great-grandmother was gifted the items by one of Victoria’s maids, Hansons said.
Notty Hornblower, period clothing consultant at Hansons, said: “It’s so exciting to uncover historical items relating to Queen Victoria. Clothing connected to her is sought after.
“This fabulous pair of cream cotton open-drawers, the chemise and leather slipper shoes will fascinate collectors of royal memorabilia.
“The undergarments likely date to the latter part of her years, since their size reflects a lady who was larger than life in more ways than one in the 1880s and 1890s.
“The baggy bloomers, which were designed for comfort, indicate a waist size of around 40 inches.”
The bloomers bear a crown stamp and laundry or inventory number 23, and are guided at £500-£700, while the chemise, an undergarment to protect the skin, has a crown, the number 32 and initials embroidered onto it, and has the same guide price.
The slipper shoes, made by royal shoe maker Gundry & Sons, are also guided at £500-£700.
Other examples of Queen Victoria’s clothing have fetched thousands of pounds, with Hansons selling a pair of bloomers for £4,500 in 2008 and a similar lot achieving more than £12,000 in 2015 in Wiltshire.
