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)

Napoléon III, Emperor of the French, and the Empress Eugénie

1859

Albumen print | 8.6 x 5.3 cm (image) | RCIN 2907671

Photograph of a full length double portrait of Napoleon III (1808-73) and Empress Eugénie (1826-1920). Napoleon stands facing towards the camera. He wears a top hat and holds a cane in his right hand. Empress Eugénie stands arm in arm with Napoleon and faces three-quarters to the right.

  • Creator(s)

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

    Subject(s)

    Napoléon III, Emperor of the French (1808-73)
    Eugénie, Empress of the French (1826-1920)

  • annotation: The Emperor Napoleon II/ The Empress Eugenie. 1859. [beneath work]

  • 8.6 x 5.3 cm (image)

    9.8 x 5.8 cm (mount)

    23.1 x 18.2 cm (page dimensions)

    24.3 x 19.8 x 5.5 cm (album)

  • The Emperor Napoleon III, The Empress Eugenie, 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.