American Toby Jug Museum 

Queen Victoria toby jug produced by Staffordshire Fine Ceramics of Tunstall, England, circa 1975. Alexandrina Victoria (1819-1901) was the only child of Edward, Duke of Kent, and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg. Her father died when she was only eight months old, leaving her mother the difficult task of securing the crown for her amidst hostile relations. When she finally acceded to the throne in 1838, succeeding her uncle, William IV, Victoria accepted the challenge with dignity and strength. The influence of her beloved husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, helped shape her into a great monarch, and her strict moral code came to symbolize the ethos of nineteenth century Britain. Following the death of Albert in 1861, the shattered Queen went into seclusion, but in the years that followed she became the ruler of the world's most powerful empire. Her death in 1901 marked the passing not only of a great and influential British sovereign, but also of an era. The ribbons from Victoria's head piece form the handle of the jug.