How did an affair kill the sculptor Joseph Boehm?
Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm was one of Queen Victoria’s favourite artists, known as much for his celebrated sculptures as for the mystery that surrounded his death. While his artistic legacy still holds weight, it’s the scandal tied to his final days that continues to cast a long shadow. His story blends reputation, romance, and downfall—an unexpected cautionary tale that unfolded far from the public eye.
The name Joseph Boehm doesn’t often perk up many ears, especially if you compare him to the likes of John Everett Millais or Dante Gabriel Rossetti, two of the most famous British artists of that time. But let’s give credit where credit’s due; Boehm was well-known in his own right as one of Queen Victoria’s most trusted artists.
Boehm was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and perhaps, if it hadn’t been for his father’s successful career, he wouldn’t have gotten as far as he did. In Vienna, his father was a court medal maker, so Joseph was surrounded by coins, medals, and sculptures from the time he started to walk. He was sent to art school in London and, having been passed those artistic genes by his father, found success very quickly, becoming a medal-making ‘nepo baby’, so to speak.
Initially, he started making busts of the famous Victorian artists who came before him, notably John Everett Millais, Stratford Canning, Charles Thomas Newton and Franz Liszt. Some of these are still in museums across London; 123 of them were on show at the Royal Academy until his death at the end of the 19th century.
Networking with these artists quickly brought him to the attention of the Royal Family and old ‘Queen Vic’ herself, who commissioned him to make some sculptures for her Golden Jubilee. Overall, he completed 40 royal commissions during his career. Part of the Jubilee commission was to make new silver and gold coins featuring a portrait of the queen. Imagine these as the iconic, side-profile ones we know of the late Queen Elizabeth, except with the plump face of Queen Victoria. However, these were heavily ridiculed for their proportions, as the head of the queen was made too large, meaning the crown was much smaller. As a result, the coin was replaced in 1893.
Regardless, this didn’t stop Boehm from continuing on his trajectory of fame. In fact, he was known to be a mentor to several young budding artists, like Édouard Lantéri, Alfred Gilbert and Alfred Drury. Now, here comes the juicy scoop. One of Boehm’s favourite pupils was none other than Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, the sixth child of Queen Victoria. The beautiful princess was unlike her mother in many ways; they both were strong proponents of the arts, but unlike her mother, Louise was a staunch feminist who believed in equal higher education for women. Her rebellious, free nature is thought to have led her to have an affair with her teacher, you guessed it, Boehm.
This was never proven to be fully true by either of them, but there’s a lot of scholarly literature that argues that they did have an affair, even though Boehm was married and much older. At this point, what was said at the beginning might now make sense.
In December 1890, Boehm unexpectedly died of an aneurysm in his home in West London, and Princess Louise was the only one there with him. This fatal incident is what sparked the rumours. So, there you go! Boehm was successful, the Queen’s favourite artist—so much so that she trusted him with her young daughter. But that wasn’t enough to protect him from his tragic ending. So, here’s your lesson about how dabbling with other women outside of your marriage can wind you up underground.
