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

DR ERNST BECKER (1826-88)

Princess Helena and Princess Louise

Sep 1854

Salted paper print | 9.8 x 12.2 cm (image) | RCIN 2900043

Photograph of Princess Helena (1846-1923) and Princess Louise, later Duchess of Argyll (1848-1939) seated in pannier baskets on a mule. The groom, Jones, stands to right holding the reins and looking towards the camera.

  • Creator(s)

    Dr Ernst Becker (1826-88) (photographer)

    Subject(s)

    Princess Helena (1846-1923)
    Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll (1848-1939)

  • annotation: Princess Helena and Princess Louise,/ on the Mule./ Sept: 1854./ By Mr Becker. [beneath work]

  • 9.8 x 12.2 cm (image)

  • Acquired by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

  • Object type(s)
      • visual works
        • photographs
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.