An English Heirloom for Victoria Day

Canadians celebrate Victoria Day today - a national holiday designated to honour the British monarch's birthday. Currently, that monarch is Queen Elizabeth, but it was Queen Victoria who reigned during Canada's confederation in 1867 and it was her birthday that the holiday was initially created for. It is not a particularly eventful holiday, aside from the occasional round of fireworks, but it is nice to have a weekday (especially a Monday!) to enjoy at home or outdoors with friends and family in the merry month of May. I decided to show you one of my Wedgwood treasures today, inspired by the jasperware image of the monarch and that deep royal blue it stands against. It is so classically Wedgwood and so perfectly English. This 'trinket box' is actually a cigarette holder that was given to my grandmother by her sister, who attended the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, which is when this piece was made. It was given to me several years ago when my grandmother sold her large house and moved into an apartment. One side features an image of Queen Elizabeth II and the other depicts her husband, Prince Phillip. Although I don't smoke, I love this ceramic container and it could be used to hold any small objects. It is a little piece of commemorative royal history, right here on my mantel shelf. It is also a very nice reminder of my grandmother.