Queen of the palm trees

Amalia was very fond of palm trees. Dozens of trees weighing many tons arrived in Piraeus by boat and travelled to Athens by cart, which often broke apart under the weight. The sailors and gardeners who transported them were indignant and cursed, but Amalia was proud of creating a beautiful landscape. She wished to become known as the queen of palm trees and exalted at the thought of the pleasure people would derive when walking in their shade in three hundred years.

Creator: The Illustrated London News (1877)
Source: Wikipedia Commons