Princess Louise, later Duchess of Argyll (1848-1939)

Photograph of a half length portrait of Prince Louise, later Duchess of Argyll (1848-1939) seated, facing towards the camera. She turns her head halfway to the right and gazes ahead, away from the camera. She wears a checked dress and plaits in her hair.

Princess Louise was the fourth daughter and sixth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. In 1871 she married John Campbell, the Marquess of Lorne and 9th Duke of Argyll. This photograph is the companion of a similar portrait taken of her older sister, Princess Helena. The two sisters were often together due to their similar ages, although they were very different. While Helena was regarded as plain, Louise was considered a beauty. Despite her good looks, Louise was the Queen's most temperamental daughter. Her sister, Princess Victoria, described her as 'very odd; dreadfully contradictory, very indiscreet and, from that, making mischief very frequently.'