Mr Ryder (1814-85) as Bolingbroke

Hand coloured photograph of actor John Ryder as Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Hereford, in a recreation of Act 4 scene 2 of 'King Richard II', as performed at the Princess's Theatre, Oxford Street in London. Ryder wears a green velvet gown with gold passementerie and burgundy velvet headgear.

In February 1857, Richard II was performed by Kean's company in St George's Hall. Kean then opened the production of Shakespeare's play in March 1857 at the Princess's Theatre in Oxford Street. Queen Victoria and her family visited the theatre to watch the production five times where it made a lasting impression on Princess Victoria, the Queen's eldest daughter. This photograph and other hand coloured photographs of the cast of the play were purchased by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria in 1857 as a Christmas present.