Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Painting |
Title |
Queen Elizabeth II |
Description |
Oil on board painting showing head and shoulder portrait of Princess Elizabeth/Queen Elizabeth. Painted by Selwyn White for the Waimate County Council to be displayed on the outside of the County Council building. This artwork is shown in coloured photograph #3005 |
Date |
1953 |
Artist |
White, Selwyn |
Provenance |
Princess Elizabeth was crowned Queen of the Commonwealth at Westminster Abbey on 2nd June 1953. Communities throughout New Zealand celebrated this royal occasion with their own brand of pomp and ceremony. The people of Waimate were not to be outdone. Street decorations and shop window displays adorned Queen Street as the community played host to a variety of events including street parades, special sports events, tree plantings, pageants, church services and a civic ball, all in honour of the crowning of the young new Queen. A local resident recalls: "To commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II local Waimate artist, Selwyn White, was commissioned by Waimate County Council to paint a large portrait of Her Majesty. This was to be positioned over the entrance of the County Council building. Needing a photograph of the Queen he approached my grandparents, Mr and Mrs William Watts, who lived across the road from him, to see if they had such a photograph. They were happy to lend him their current calendar which had a suitable photograph on which to base his artwork. As a small girl I remember the occasion and how pleased our family was to have played a small part in this enterprise." - Mrs Shirley Carter (nee Mills) |
People |
Queen Elizabeth II White, Selwyn |
Catalogue Number |
2016-001-010 |