— Tyrone Area Historical Society —

Print published by the Wilson Chemical Co.

“Monarch of the Glen” is an oil-on-canvas painting from 1851 by the English painter, Sir Edwin Henry Landseer (1802–1873). The painting was commissioned as part of a series of three panels to hang in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. Copies made from steel engravings were widely distributed.      The roughly five-foot-square oil painting depicts a “royal” stag, with twelve-point antlers, meticulously rendered, standing as though slightly above the viewer. The stag’s body is seen nearly in profile, with its head turned to look out beyond the viewer at an unseen vista. The stag is clearly standing on a mountaintop, and behind it, in the distance, are more mountains, engulfed in mist. The painting presents a romanticized view of the Scottish Highlands, while simultaneously seeming to represent the “glory of Victorian Britain at the height of the Empire.”      Landseer was a member of the Royal Academy, a favorite of Queen Victoria, and would later become famous for his paintings and drawings of animals. (See “Saved” an oil-on-canvas painted in 1856, which was reproduced and published as an 11×9 lithograph by the Wilson Chemical Co. in the 1920s.)      “Monarch of the Glen” went on to become one of Landseer’s most well-known images, and one of the most well-known paintings of the 19th century.      The painting eventually was purchased by the Pear’s soap company and featured in their advertising. It was sold on to John Dewar and Son’s distillery and became their trademark before similarly being used by Glenfiddich. The logo of The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc., a U.S. insurance services company, is taken from this painting, as is that for Exmoor Ales.      The original is now part of the Diageo collection and has been exhibited by the National Galleries of Scotland.

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