3-090-431 - Ware in the World/Heritage Images

Coronation robes, St James's Palace, London, c1953. Royal School of Needlework exhibition at St James's Palace, held to celebrate the Coronation of Elizabeth II. On the left is the Supertunica, and on the right the Imperial Mantle. The Supertunica, made in 1911 for the Coronation of King George V, takes the form of a full-length, sleeved gold coat and is worn under the Imperial Mantle, which was made by the tailor John Meyer for the Coronation of George IV in 1821. The Mantle is made of cloth of gold, gold, silver and silk thread, silk, with gold bullion fringe and a gold clasp. The cloth of gold is woven with roses, thistles, shamrocks, crowns, eagles and fleurs-de-lis. Above is King George VI's Coronation Canopy, embroidered with eagles. It was designed by Sebastian Henry Garrard and made with cloth of gold woven by Warner & Sons. Elizabeth II's coronation was the first British coronation to be shown on television. However at her request, the anointing ceremony under the Coronation Canopy was not televised. On the wall behind is a portrait of Queen Victoria by Franz Xaver Winterhalter.