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.

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Portraiture

Prince Albert was an early adopter of portrait photography

WILLIAM HENRY SOUTHWELL (1823-70)

King Edward VII (1841-1910) when Albert Edward, Prince of Wales

1860

Albumen print | 8.7 x 5.6 cm (image) | RCIN 2907751

Photograph of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, standing, facing a quarter to the left. He looks ahead, away from the camera. He wears a morning coat and holds a top hat in his left hand. There is a plinth and drapery on the right side of the photograph.

  • Creator(s)

    William Henry Southwell (1823-70) (photographer)

    Previously attributed to Unknown Person (photographer)

    Subject(s)

    King Edward VII, King of the United Kingdom (1841-1910)

  • annotation: The Prince of Wales.- 1860. [beneath work]

  • 8.7 x 5.6 cm (image)

    9.6 x 6.2 cm (mount)

    23.1 x 18.2 cm (page dimensions)

    24.3 x 19.8 x 5.5 cm (album)

  • The Prince of Wales, 1860. [Album: Photographs. Royal Portraits, vol.47]

  • Acquired by Prince Albert, the Prince Consort

  • Object type(s)
      • visual works
        • photographs
          • cartes-de-visite
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