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

    RIVIERE

    Blue Velvet Album of Hand Coloured Photographs

    1848-63

    Blue velvet bound album | 28.7 x 22.7 cm (page dimensions) | RCIN 2914253

    Blue velvet bound album with gold coloured metal corners and a central clasp. Album contains 67 hand coloured photographs (RCINs 2914254-2914321) of members of European and British Royal families.

    • Creator(s)

      Riviere (binder)

      Roger Fenton (1819-69) (photographer)

      William Bambridge (1819-79) (photographer)

      L Haase & Co (active c. 1860-1890s) (photographer)

      William Edward Kilburn (1818-91) (photographer)

      Thomas Richard Williams (1825-71) (photographer)

      Antoine François Jean Claudet (1797-1867) (photographer)

      Dickinson (photographer)

      Bryan Edward Duppa (1804-66) (photographer)

      Carl Haag (1820-1915) (colourist)

    • 28.7 x 22.7 cm (page dimensions)

      30.1 x 24.7 x 2.6 cm (album)

    • Album compiled jointly by Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, and completed by Queen Victoria following Prince Albert's death in 1861

    • Subject(s)
      • Places
        • Europe
          • Great Britain
            • England
              • Isle of Wight [England]
                • Osborne Estate [Isle of Wight]
                  • Osborne House
      Object type(s)
        • visual works
          • albums
            • photograph albums
          • photographs
    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.