‘A Historic Farewell’: Art capturing the Lying-in-State of Queen Elizabeth II

A new exhibition at Westminster Hall is bringing together six artists’ responses to one of the most significant moments in recent British history: the Lying-in-State of Queen Elizabeth II.

‘A Historic Farewell: Art as Witness to the Lying-in-State of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’ is open to the public at the Houses of Parliament from 14 July to 2 October 2026.

The exhibition features paintings, drawings, embroidery, film and sculpture created by artists who were invited to observe the Lying-in-State and the events surrounding it in 2022. Together, the works offer very different perspectives on the occasion — from the people who took part in the formal ceremonies to the hundreds of thousands of members of the public who queued to pay their respects.

Lying-in- State of Queen Elizabeth, Tina Crawford’s work

Among the featured artists is Tina Crawford, whose work A Million Footsteps uses free-thread embroidery to represent the public journeying through Westminster to say farewell to the Queen.

“The piece the fabric is on is made from seven segments of the purple velvet that covered the catafalque – each representing a decade of Her Majesty’s reign. It all came together once I had the material itself meant everything.

I had an open mind about what work I was considering making for the Lying-in- State of Queen Elizabeth; it wasn’t necessarily going to be textile based but during my time in the residency it became clear that it needed to be textile. The shape that the line of the queue made […] was something I wanted to convey – it was almost like a music stave when I started drawing it and it was this core feeling I wanted to retain. I wanted to show the flow as a pattern, the piece is textured, slightly sculpted, because of the stitching, and with the main colours purple, red, yellow and white to mimic those of the Royal Standard and that breathtaking shaft of light that shone on the top of the coffin. The space where the coffin was is blank, with no detail. The lines going either side sweeping almost like bird murmuration. The ends of the threads are left hanging and will be of impact – as if the country was left with a thread untied.”

Tina Crawford

Tina Crawford was one of six artists invited by Parliament to observe and record the Lying-in-State of Queen Elizabeth II.

Other featured artists include Caroline Walker, Julia Midgley, Lachlan Goudie, Dryden Goodwin and Eleanor Crook. Dryden Goodwin’s work includes hundreds of drawings of people in the queue, while Eleanor Crook’s bronze sculpture May Flights of Angels Sing Thee to Thy Rest offers a striking interpretation of remembrance and protection.

Visitors can also see artists’ preparatory materials, some of which are being displayed publicly for the first time.

The Lying-in- State of Queen Elizabeth exhibition is free to visit, although tickets must be booked online. The completed artworks are also available to view online through the Parliamentary Art Collection.

For anyone interested in art, history or the ways artists document important moments, this exhibition offers a fascinating opportunity to see the Lying-in-State through the eyes of those invited to witness it first hand.

To find out more about Tina’s work, follow on instagram, and visit website here.