“This silver medal offers a miniature glimpse into a significant historical event: Queen Victoria's first visit to the City of London as monarch. Its detailed engraving captures both her youthful likeness and the pomp of the occasion.”
This small silver medal commemorates Queen Victoria's first official visit to the Corporation of London in 1837, the year she ascended to the throne. On one side, a youthful Victoria is depicted in profile, her hair elegantly styled, gazing to the left. The reverse side features a detailed scene of the Queen seated on a throne, surrounded by allegorical figures and dignitaries, symbolizing the city's welcome and the new monarch's reign. The intricate detail on such a small scale highlights the engraver's skill in capturing both the likeness of the Queen and a complex narrative scene. This piece serves as a tangible link to a pivotal moment in British history, marking the beginning of Victoria's long and transformative rule.
- Artist
- William Wyon
- Date
- 1837
- Medium
- Silver
- Location
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Dimensions
- Diameter: 7/8 in. (23 mm)
What to Notice
Four details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.

The delicate rendering of Queen Victoria's profile on the obverse.
The allegorical figures surrounding Victoria on the reverse.
The intricate details of the throne and royal regalia.
The tiny scale of the medal, just under an inch in diameter.
Stand in front of it and listen
The full narration walks you through Queen Victoria's Visit to the Corporation of London — the story behind it, the details most visitors miss, and why it matters. Free in the Art Whisper app.
William Wyon
1795–1851 · British EmpireWilliam Wyon, Chief Engraver at the Royal Mint, left an indelible mark on British coinage and even the world's first adhesive postage stamp, the Penny Black.
Further Works by Wyon
George III "Incorrupta" crown
1817 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
"Three Graces" crown
1817 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Study for "Flying Victory"
1825 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
George IV crown
1826 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Coronation of William IV
1831 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
William IV proof crown
1831 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Victoria proof sovereign
1837 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Victoria sovereign
1838 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
More works to explore
Beyond Wyon: works from the same years.
Same era · 1820s–1850s
The Estuary Farm
Léon-Victor Dupré · 1831 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1820s–1850s
Hamlet and Horatio in the Graveyard
Eugène Delacroix · 1839 · Department of Paintings of the Louvre
Same era · 1820s–1850s
Landscape with a river and a bay in the background
J. M. W. Turner · 1835 · Department of Paintings of the Louvre
Same era · 1820s–1850s
The Virgin Adoring the Host
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres · 1841 · Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts
Same era · 1820s–1850s
Young Woman
Jean-François Millet · 1844 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1820s–1850s
Wooded Landscape
Gustave Courbet · 1848 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1820s–1850s
Mount Chocorua and Moat Mountain from North Conway
William Hart · 1850
Same era · 1820s–1850s
The Fortune Teller (La Bonne Aventure)
Jacques-Louis David · 1824 · Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Same era · 1820s–1850s
Woman in a Blue Dress
School of William Matthew Prior · 1840 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1820s–1850s
Mr. James Mackie
Samuel Alcock & Company · 1830 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1820s–1850s
Designs for a Decorated Dish, or Platter, and a Biscuit Barrel
Alfred Henry Forrester [Alfred Crowquill] · 1845 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1820s–1850s
The Captive Slave (Ira Aldridge)
John Philip Simpson · 1827 · Art Institute of Chicago
