A new mural of Queen Victoria, unveiled Tuesday, is the first of six planned to celebrate the city's 150th anniversary.

"It's an endeavour to blend art with history and to celebrate our community," said Ken Kelly, general manager of the Downtown Victoria Business Association.

The first mural pictures a stern-looking Queen Victoria, facing a scroll that tells how the city was named.

"She was known as a tough monarch," said artist Steve Milroy, who looked at official portraits of the queen before painting his own. "I've never seen [a portrait] where she didn't look a little bit cranky, but I'd hate to vilify her if I don't know that for sure."

The Victoria mural is located on Gordon Street, between Broughton and Courtney streets.

Milroy has painted several murals in schools and public spaces around Victoria, including a Hyack Air floatplane in the Inner Harbour and a cartoon dog on the Target Self-Storage building on Blanshard Street.

The five other planned murals explore themes of First Nations history, early maps, Chinatown, justice and cinema, Kelly said.

"The genesis of our community was here in downtown Victoria; the history and events happened here," he said. "What we want to do is capture the major themes."

The DVBA is open to additional proposals.

asmart@timescolonist.com