This image of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their family was published in the Illustrated London News on 22 December 1848. It features the family gathered around a Christmas tree and is surrounded by images of Christmas (sleigh rides, bountiful amounts of food for a Christmas feast) and images of giving to charity. It is accompanied by an article explaining what a Christmas Trees is and what is used to decorate it:
The tree employed for this festive purpose is a young fir about eight feet high, and has six tiers of branches. On each tier, or branch, are arranged a dozen wax tapers. Pendent from the branches are elegant trays, baskets, bonbonnières, and other receptacles for sweetmeats, of the most varied and expensive kind; and of all forms, colours, and degrees of beauty.
The article also points to the Christmas tree being a German tradition brought to the royal family through their German heritage. Their use of a Christmas tree began to influence upper class families to have a Christmas tree in the early 1840s. This article in the Illustrated London News marks a wider, middle class audience being influenced to include a Christmas tree for their family’s Christmas celebrations.
Image from Illustrated London News, “The Christmas Tree at Windsor Castle”,22 December 1848