An exciting commission from 2021 - Pelham Puppets redressed as Henry VIII's six wives!

 

The Six Wives of Henry VIII Set - 2021

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This was a highly exciting commission from one of my most beloved clients. I was asked to complete a set of the six royal wives with a focus on the personality of each and was completed with a Henry VIII puppet - pic to follow! I had recreated various of the wives individually before, but this was the first time I had received a request to create all of them together as a coherent collection.
Each design was created using various female Pelham Puppets (Ballet Girl, Cinderella, Fairy etc.) and had their hair completely restyled, or an elaborate headdress built - mainly variations of French or English/gable hoods - depending on my research of their 15th/16th Century portraits. All puppets used a cotton lined velvet for the base gown and then most over-gowns were contrasted with a brocade underskirt and undersleeves - then metallic/jewelled/pearl trim applied with metallic threads. Their bodices are stiffened with buckram and laced at the back. 
I found The National Portrait Gallery in London invaluable for my research! A wonderful place. To learn more please visit- 
The National Portrait Gallery

Catherine of Aragon

Catherine was a Spanish Princess who was initially married to Henry Tudor's (the future Henry VIII) elder brother Prince Arthur. After Arthur died young his widow was left in limbo at the English court while it was decided what was to be done with her. Henry came to insist on marrying Catherine - she always swore that her marriage to Arthur was unconsummated - and the pair came together in what was often a presumed love match. Sadly Catherine failed to provide Henry with a living male heir, their only child who survived being the princess Mary. Henry began to doubt the validity of their marriage and after he fell for the charms of the younger Anne Boleyn he began to seek a divorce from Catherine. After a fight of seven years - and Henry making himself head of the Church of England - their marriage was annulled. Catherine died, in dignified and rebellious sorrow, of cancer at the age of 50.

Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn was born a commoner, the daughter of Sir Thomas Boleyn, a courtier and diplomat and Elizabeth Howard. She had a brother, George, and a sister, Mary - who was to become the mistress of Henry VIII before he fell in love with Anne. She was sent to Europe to advance her education and only returned to England and the English court in her very late teens/early twenties. She immediately caused a splash - being renowned for her wit, intelligence and style - and it appears that she had a secret affair with Henry Percy (son of the Duke of Northumberland) but when discovered the pair were forcibly separated. She then came to the attention of King Henry, who attempted to seduce her but she was having non of it and it seems that this led the King to consider marriage as a means to get what he wished for - a disdainful love and fertile wife. Anne agreed to become Queen or nothing. After years of very little progress being made in Henry's annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon he created himself Head of the Church of England and so guaranteed a divorce. Anne and Henry were swiftly married in secret, after which she had an extravagant coronation. She soon gave birth to her only living child the Princess Elizabeth (future Elizabeth I) which proved a disappointment to Henry, that she was not a male heir. Anne suffered several miscarriages and she was famously quick tempered and argued with Henry in public so it was not long before he came to resent her and look about himself for comfort from others. Finally, after only three years as Queen, Anne was arrested and accused - on almost certainly trumped up charges - of adultery, treason and incest. She was unsurprisingly found guilty and beheaded by the sword, in the Tower of London, at the estimated age of 35 or 36.
A beautiful place to visit is one of Anne's family homes, Hever Castle in Kent 
 - Hever Castle website link -

Jane Seymour

Jane Seymour was born of a large family of minor nobility who's family home was Wulfhall in Wiltshire. She was rather uneducated and was known to be of a quiet, demure - although some argue steely - nature. She had served as Lady in Waiting to both Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Henry gave her his attentions sometime in the last two years of Anne Boleyn's reign - but she followed Anne Boleyn's road-map and refused to become his mistress. Leading up to Anne's execution though she returned his affections and Henry swiftly married Jane after Anne's death. She was never crowned. She did though rapidly become pregnant and to, Henry's great joy, gave birth to his much longed for son, Edward Tudor. It is likely that Jane developed sepsis though after her labour and she rapidly declined and died - having succeeded where her two predecessors had failed. She was buried at Winsor Castle.

Anne of Cleves

Anne of Cleves was the forth wife of King Henry VIII. After the death of Jane Seymour Henry was pressurised to take a protestant princess as his next wife for political reasons. Anne, as a Protestant Princess of western Germany, was selected and Holbein sent over to Cleves in order to paint her. Apparently Henry saw the portrait and approved as the marriage negotiations proceeded at pace.  

Anne arrived in Dover and was greeted by Henry in disguise. Henry kissed her and she pushed the fat elderly man away from her in horror. Henry never forgave her and christened Anne as the ugly 'Flander's Mare' to discredit her. Henry went through with the marriage but after six months the marriage was declared unconsummated and annulled. Henceforth Anne became "The King's Beloved Sister' and achieved a very hefty and generous divorce settlement.

Katherine Howard

Katherine Howard may well be arguably the most tragic of Henry VIII's wives.
She was born of an impoverished branch of the politically influential Howard Family and was actually a first cousin to Anne Boleyn. She was brought up in the household of her grandmother, the dowager Duchess of Norfolk, where she was vaguely educated - but it seems also suffered sexual abuse at the hands of two men, roughly from the age of thirteen. At around 17, being very petite and pretty - especially after the Anne of Cleves scandal - it was decided, by the Howard clan, to use her for their own ends and threw her in the path of the aging, obese King Henry VIII. He was very soon smitten and proposed marriage, which of course she was pushed to accept. Loving gifts, fashion and dancing she was known as the 'Girl-Queen' and went with Henry on his extravagant progress to the north of England. Unfortunately though she had taken a lover near to her own age and - being rather indiscreet - it was soon being brought to the attention of the King, along with scandalous tales of her teenage life. Henry abandoned her, after less than two years of marriage, at Hampton Court Palace and never saw her again. She was finally taken to the Tower of London and beheaded for high treason. She is unlikely to have been over twenty years old.
- Tower of London website link -

Catherine Parr

Catherine Parr was Henry VIIIs' last Queen and the one who famously outlived him - although only by a year and a half.
Catherine was the daughter of the wealthy courtier Sir Thomas Parr and was well educated as a child. She proved to be a highly intelligent woman and a love of study was to continue with her for the rest of her life - she was, indeed, the first Queen of England to publish a book in English under her own name. Catherine had already been widowed twice by the time that she came to the elderly Henry's attention and it is often stated that she had been more of a companion/nurse maid than a wife; even so the pair were married in 1543. Catherine held some progressive religious ideals and was a confirmed protestant, following the ideals of Martin Luther which nearly became her undoing. Councillors complained to Henry of Catherine's heretical beliefs and she was nearly arrested - only saving herself by rushing to Henry, falling to her knees and begging his forgiveness.  
After Henry's death Catherine married an earlier love Thomas Seymour, brother to Jane Seymour and uncle to the new King Edward. Their short marriage was not an overly happy one - not in small part because Thomas was often openly inappropriate with Catherine's young step-daughter the Princess Elizabeth - and Catherine died due to complications during child-birth. 

Created by Alexander Sanderson Designs