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.

Portraiture

Prince Albert was an early adopter of portrait photography

UNKNOWN PERSON

Friedrich Wilhelm IV, King of Prussia (1795-1861)

1857

Carbon photographic print | 26.6 x 20.5 cm (image) | RCIN 2936897

Photograph of a full length formal portrait of Friedrich Wilhelm IV, standing, facing towards the camera. He turns his head slightly and looks to the left. He wears a Prussian military uniform. His left hand rests on his hip and he holds a spiked helmet in his right hand. 

Re-photographed in carbon at a later date.
  • Creator(s)

    Unknown Person (photographer)

  • 26.6 x 20.5 cm (image)

  • Friedrich Wilhelm IV, King of Prussia, 1857. (Reprinted at a later date). [ERP German Vol.3]

  • Acquired by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert