DSS November 2025 - Dustin Neighbors

18 November 2025

Seminar: The Material Culture of Queens and Queenship: Employing Digital Research Methods

Dustin Neighbors (University of Helsinki)

Overview

In the premodern world, queens and royal women were agents, producers, and users of material objects – from artwork, literature, music, architecture cultivated through the patronage of artists, artisans, and architects, to dress, textiles, and artefacts crafted for their use, and so much more. As such, material culture not only defined aspects of queenship and power of royal women, but was also crucial to the practice of queenship and contributed to the reputation and identity of queens, princesses, dowagers, and more. Yet all too often, we find that the material objects of queens have not survived or is not accessible to researchers for study. This leaves a gap in our understanding of the everyday social practices of royal women and queens, as well as the conditions, position and enterprise of queenship. 

This presentation will discuss the ongoing research that employs various digital research tools to examine and reconstruct the material culture of queenship and royal women. Particular focus will be on the material culture of specific female figures including the clothing and objects of Queen Christina of Sweden (1626–1689) and Queen Elizabeth I of England (1533–1603), and the buildings and physical environments of Electress Anna of Saxony (1532–1585) and Queen Sophie Amalie of Denmark (1628–1685). 

The aim of this presentation is to illustrate the benefits of utilising digital methods for historical research in the field of royal studies provides unique vantage points from which to access and assess the lived experiences of queens and royal women, and their role over time and place by restoring and/or visualising the material objects of queens and royal women that were destroyed or that have been lost to time.