This website presents our knowledge and research on this important aspect of the Royal Collection. As of April 2026 it will not be regularly updated and new research on this topic will sit within the main website.

Visit the Royal Collection

Portraiture

Prince Albert was an early adopter of portrait photography

    UNKNOWN PERSON

    Ernest I, Duke of Saxe Coburg and Gotha (1784-1844)

    c. 1860 after an original of 1844

    Albumen print | 11.1 x 9.1 cm (image) (image) | RCIN 2932494

    Albumen print copy of a daguerreotype of Ernest I, Duke of Saxe Coburg and Gotha. Ernest I stands facing slightly right wearing a coat and top hat and holding a fishing rod. Behind him there is a building with tall windows and a bench to the right. The photograph is mounted in a wooden frame which is painted black.

    Ernest I was the father of Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria. The original daguerreotype was taken in 1844 at Schloss Reinhardsbrunn, the residence of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha family.

    • Creator(s)

      Unknown Person (photographer)

    • 11.1 x 9.1 cm (image) (image)

      14.9 x 18.0 cm (frame, external)

    • Ernest I, Duke of Saxe Coburg Gotha, Reinhardsbrunn, 1844

    • Acquired by Prince Albert

    • Subject(s)
      • Places
        • Europe
          • Germany
            • Thuringia [Germany]
              • Gotha [Germany]
                • Friedrichroda [Germany]
                  • Schloss Reinhardsbrunn [Germany]
    PreviousNext
    PreviousNext
    Policy links
    Royal Collection TrustIn Partnership with

    Royal Collection Trust is a charity caring for the Royal Collection and welcoming visitors to the royal palaces. We bring our shared history to life through world-class experiences that involve and inspire people, wherever they are. Income from tickets and retail sales helps us to conserve the Collection so that it can be enjoyed by everyone for generations to come.