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Princess Louise, [186-] H-03608 |
Royal Visits to the province began in the 1880’s with visits by Princess Louise and Prince Leopold, both children of Queen Victoria. Louise was also married to the Marquess of Lorne, the Governor General of Canada between 1879 and 1883. Visits by these two members of the Royal Family were designed to foster loyalty to the Crown and to Canada, something which had been threatened by secessionists who argued that the province should separate from Canada because of the delay in building the transcontinental railway.
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Welcoming arch for the Marquess of Lorne, Point Ellice Bridge, Victoria, 1882 A-05976 |
In a broad sense, all subsequent Royal Visits have served a similar purpose: strengthening the bonds between the Crown, Canada and the rest of the Commonwealth.
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Children and adults at curb awaiting the royal visit of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip in Victoria I-02132 |
People from a wide range of national and cultural backgrounds enthusiastically embraced their chance to celebrate and welcome royals. Elaborate arches bearing banners proclaimed slogans such as "God Save the Queen", "Loyal Hearts, English Homes", and "Dominion Forever", and were constructed in the towns and cities along the tour routes.
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Chinese arch, Store Street, Victoria, 1882 A-05978 |
This tradition continued well into the 20th century, and there are many photographs in the Archives documenting these sometimes fanciful creations.
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Firemen’s Arch, Nanaimo, 1882 B-02514 |
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Decorative arch modelled on Fort Victoria, Victoria, 1882 I-51980 |
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Illuminated arch on Government Street, erected for the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Connaught to Victoria in 1912. This arch was contentious because of its expense - $1,100 Detail of G-07082 |
To view a further selection of these photographs, search on Visual Records index, with the keywords arch AND visit.
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