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

UNKNOWN PERSON

Napoleon, Prince Imperial (1856-79)

1859

Albumen print | 8.7 x 5.2 cm (image) | RCIN 2907675

Photograph of Napoléon, Prince Imperial (1856-79), aged approximately four years, standing and facing the viewer. He is dressed in a soldier's uniform with a bear skin hat. He beats a drum with two drumsticks. A small rifle is propped against a chair in the background.

  • Creator(s)

    Unknown Person (photographer)

    Subject(s)

    Napoléon, Prince Imperial of the French (1856-79)

  • annotation: Napoleon Prince Impériale/ 1859. [beneath work]

  • 8.7 x 5.2 cm (image)

    9.6 x 5.7 cm (mount)

    23.1 x 18.2 cm (page dimensions)

    24.3 x 19.8 x 5.5 cm (album)

  • Napoleon, Prince Imperiale, 1859. [Album: Photographs. Royal Portraits, vol.47]

  • Acquired by Prince Albert, the Prince Consort

  • Subject(s)
    • Arts, Recreation, Entertainment & Sport
      • Music
        • Musical instruments
          • Percussion instruments
            • Drums
              • Drums-Sticks
    • Science, Medicine and Technology
      • Industries, Crafts and Trades
        • Clothing
          • Headgear
            • Hats
              • Bearskins (hats)
    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.