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

ANDRÉ ADOLFE EUGÈNE DISDÉRI (1819-89)

Napoleon III, Emperor of the French (1808-73)

1859

Albumen print | 8.5 x 5.3 cm (image) | RCIN 2907670

Photograph of a full length portrait of Napoleon III (1808-73) seated in an armchair, leaning forward. He looks towards the camera.

  • Creator(s)

    André Adolfe Eugène Disdéri (1819-89) (photographer)

    Subject(s)

    Napoléon III, Emperor of the French (1808-73)

  • 8.5 x 5.3 cm (image)

    9.4 x 5.9 cm (mount)

    23.1 x 18.2 cm (page dimensions)

    24.3 x 19.8 x 5.5 cm (album)

  • The Emperor Napoleon III, 1859. [Album: Photographs. Royal Portraits, vol.47]

  • Acquired by Prince Albert, the Prince Consort

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