16 July 2010

HRH, Prince Arthur, Duke of... WTF???

He was the Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, and he died in 1942 as the last living son of Queen Victoria -- but why is he wearing a leopard on his head and shoulders?  A quick web search turns up no related stories, or any history of his having tertiary lues.

Image: For the Love of Queen Vic!, via Fuck Yeah, Victorians!

6 comments:

  1. NitahoyoJuly 17, 2010 at 6:51 AM

    The leopard I can actually understand. It might be a gift from some African head-man in one of the British colonies in Africa that he was modeling for the photo as a gift to be sent back to them. It is the rest of the outfit that baffles me!

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  2. Sue DunhamJuly 17, 2010 at 7:15 AM

    With the tights and tunic, I'm guessing he appeared in some kind of amateur stage revue.

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  3. MinnesotastanJuly 17, 2010 at 7:47 AM

    My gut response was the same as Sue's, but I'm waiting to see if anyone knows or can find anything...

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  4. AnonymousJuly 18, 2010 at 12:09 AM

    It was for just this picture that the adjective "Pythonesque" was coined.

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  5. AnonymousJuly 18, 2010 at 1:52 PM

    It looks like he's wearing the Victorian interpretation of a 14th century cotehardie.

    IIRC, some Roman legion wore animal skins,and medieval Polish Hussars wore leopard hides.

    Or perhaps it's just a reference to the leopard's ferocity and nobility matching His Highness's?
    ~E.

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  6. TravelerDiogenesOctober 13, 2011 at 9:35 PM

    Doesn't the British Coat of Arms have two leopards on it? Perhaps the explanation for that would help here...

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