Collection of the Week has been commandeered by royal request today in honour of the bicentenary of the birth of Queen Victoria, looking ahead to 24th May 2019 which marks two hundred years since this epoch-defining event. Our fantastic range of material on Victoria's life spans many collections, so we hope you'll forgive the break from form as we go cross country to throw a spotlight on Her Majesty through various collections.

The archive is positively groaning with material from right across the life of Queen Victoria, spanning her coronation, marriage, royal tours, her growing family, assassination attempts, the death of her beloved Albert and her own death aged 81 in 1901, with some surprisingly biting satire from the press along the way. With a year to the day to go until this significant anniversary, to inspire you we've curated a selection of perhaps lesser seen pictures of the young princess up until her accession to throne aged 18 in 1837.

Though the scope of Mary Evans Picture Library is wide ranging across all areas of history, the beating heart of the archive remains the unparalleled collection of Victorian illustrated periodicals that we hold on site here, giving fantastic insight into Victoria's 63 year reign. The jewel in the crown is The Illustrated London News and her associated sister titles, a valuable resource not just on Victoria herself but on the cultural flowering that came with her reign.

Victoria's birth in 1819 was only just the beginning, with her love-match to Prince Albert and the nine children they had together marking the start of a dynasty that was to shape European politics and create a network of allegiances that laste long after her reign had drawn to a close. As ever, our team of researchers are here to field any regal research requests you might have, and upon your command delve into the wealth of material that the archive holds on this inspirational monarch.