This carving of Queen Victoria was made in the late nineteenth century, inspired by photographs of the queen which circulated around the empire including West Africa after her jubilee in 1887. It conforms with traditions of Yoruba sculpture, where the head is enlarged to indicate wisdom. Feet are carved under the dress. Many were collected by the British but no mention was made of their makers. Zachary Kingdon has argued that they were commissioned by the Saro community in Nigeria (Saro = Nigerian name given immigrants from Sierra Leone). Many of these returnees were Aku – formerly captive Yoruba who had been freed to Sierra Leone by British war ships policing after abolition in the Atlantic. Despite some poor treatment by British officials, many Aku revered and were loyal to Queen Victoria and were Christians after missionary education in Sierra Leone.