Queen Elizabeth
by Nicholas Hilliard (1572)
National Portrait Gallery

Elizabeth I (1533-1603), queen of England and Ireland (1558-1603), daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn.

Elizabeth was the longest reigning English monarch in nearly two centuries and the first woman to successfully occupy the English throne. Called Glorianna, The Virgin Queen and Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth enjoyed enormous popularity during her life and became an even greater legend after her death.

Educated as a potential heir to the throne rather than as an insignificant daughter of the monarch, Elizabeth underwent rigorous training in Greek, Latin, rhetoric, and philosophy and was an intellectually gifted pupil. When Mary I died, Elizabeth inherited a country in financial and religious shambles. Though she had a horrendous temper, Elizabeth was a master of political science. She shared her father's supremacist view of the monarchy, but showed great wisdom by refusing to directly antagonize Parliament, rather she employed capable and distinguished men to carry out her royal prerogative. She acquired undying devotion from her advisement council, who were constantly perplexed by her habit of waiting to the last minute to make decisions. She used the varying factions, playing one off another until the exhausted combatants came to her for resolution of their grievances. Few English monarchs enjoyed such political power, while still maintaining the devotion of the whole of English society.

As a young woman without husband or heir, her position was perceived as untenable and so every leading European royal house sent suitors to woo her. She was already deeply involved with Sir Robert Dudley, an English nobleman who was politically unsuitable and later tainted by the suspicious death of his wife. She deliberately created the myth of a Virgin Queen who must always put her nation first and who required no foreign prince.

She firmly established Protestantism in England, encouraged English enterprise and commerce, and defended the nation against the powerful Spanish naval force known as the Spanish Armada. Her reign was noted for the English Renaissance, an outpouring of poetry and drama led by William Shakespeare. Fashion and education came to the fore because of Elizabeth's penchant for knowledge, courtly behavior and extravagant dress. She maintained a regal air until the day she died. A quote, from a letter by Paul Hentzen, reveals the aging queen's regal nature: "Next came the Queen in the sixty-fifth year of her age, as we were told, very majestic; her face oblong, fair, but wrinkled; her eyes small yet pleasant; her nose a little hooked; her lips narrow... she had in her ear two pearls, with very rich drops... her air was stately; her manner of speaking mild and obliging." This regal figure surely had her faults, but she excelled at rising to challenges and emerging victorious.

Though she entertained many marriage proposals and flirted incessantly, she never married or had children. Elizabeth, the last of the Tudors, died at seventy years of age after a very successful forty-four year reign. She was succeeded by her cousin, James VI of Scotland.

The Costume - A rich golden satin underskirt has been lavishly embroidered with tiny glass pearls and lined with palest peach. The lined bodice is of the same satin and has been embellished with tiny lace and a golden filigree broach with cabochon "emerald", tiny round "pearls", "pearl" drop and ropes of glass pearls. The over skirt and slashed sleeves are of rose embossed caramel brown, lined with copper satin and piped with ivory and gold cording and golden glass beads. tiny lace edges her wrists and dainty ivory lawn "favor". Delicate pleated ivory chiffon under sleeves peek from the sleeve slashings. Her double strand "pearl" necklette has "emerald" stations and "pearl" drops. She wears a longer "pearl" necklace with "emerald" and incredibly tiny half round "pearl" enhancer and matching earrings. A "pearl" entwined hair band of the caramel brown fabric graces her hair. A "pearl" and gold framed mirror hangs on a copper silk ribbon from her waist. Lace trimmed, ivory petticoat, tights and embellished copper and black fabric shoes complete her costume.

Elizabeth's costume was completely hand sewn from original, artist designed patterns and is not removable.

Tyler as Elizabeth - has been completely repainted. She has green eyes shadowed in soft charcoal, feathered russet brows, beautifully shaded natural lips, a French manicure and pedicure, a braided and curled new red wig and carefully trimmed applied lashes.

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