Why is Elizabeth I, England’s Virgin Queen, shown here as a pelican? The inspiration comes from the Pelican Portrait, painted by Nicholas Hilliard in 1575. In that portrait, Elizabeth wears a jewel shaped like a pelican—a bird then believed to nourish its young with blood from its own breast. The image, with the bird pecking at its chest and wings outstretched, symbolised self-sacrifice and maternal devotion. Elizabeth embraced this symbolism, presenting herself as the mother of the English nation.

The wallpaper in the background is an Arts and Crafts design by Charles Francis Annesley Voysey and includes the Tudor rose, further anchoring the image in Elizabethan iconography.

Elizabeth I reigned as Queen of England and Ireland from 1558 until her death in 1603. The last and longest-ruling monarch of the Tudor dynasty, she inherited a country weakened by war and helped lead it into a period of peace, economic growth, and cultural achievement. Her reign is often referred to as England’s Golden Age.