Documenting Queen Victoria’s Christmas Tree

Abstract

In December 1848, the Illustrated London News (ILN) created a sensation by presenting Queen Victoria’s Christmas tree at Windsor Castle. Inspired by Benedict Anderson’s concept of imagined communities and drawing upon his analysis of newspapers along with Michael Buckland’s documentary dimensions, this article presents a conceptual documentary analysis of Queen Victoria’s Christmas tree to illuminate documentation’s central role in materializing and constituting the evergreen coniferous tree as a customary holiday tradition. Specifically, the ILN materialized the Christmas tree for a global audience as they read, viewed, and interacted with this document, thereby bringing the royal family’s festive tradition into the presence of their own homes and holiday celebrations. It was this documentary access to Queen Victoria’s yuletide celebrations that helped popularize the Christmas tree and ultimately established it as a signature feature of Christmas, not only for the British royal family, but also for all Christians and Christmas celebrants worldwide.