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

Record of historical events

Victoria and Albert collected photographs that documented the political and military events that defined a period of global expansion

THOMAS RICHARD WILLIAMS (1825-71)

Gunner Samuel Smith and Bombardier William Hewlett of the Royal Marine Artillery 

1883 copy after Jun 1855 original

Carbon print | 9.1 x 10.3 cm (image) | RCIN 2500148

Photograph of Gunner Samuel Smith and Bombadier William Hewlett of the Royal Marine Artillery. Smith is sitting on a pile of cannonballs with Hewlett standing beside him to the right. Both are wearing military uniform and the Crimean medal. This photograph, printed by Jabez Hughes in 1883, is a carbon print pasted over the original photograph.

These soldiers were awarded the Crimean Medal by Queen Victoria on 18th May 1855 and were later photographed by T R Williams in Portsmouth.

  • Creator(s)

    Thomas Richard Williams (1825-71) (photographer)

    Jabez Hughes (1819-84) (printer)

    Subject(s)

    Samuel Smith (fl.1855)
    William Hewlett, Bomadier (fl.1855)
    Army-GB-Artillery-Royal Marine Artillery

  • 9.1 x 10.3 cm (image)

    29.5 x 23.1 cm (page dimensions)

  • 2 men of the Royal Marine Artillery who received the Crimean Medal from Queen Victoria, 18 May 1855 [in Crimean Portraits, 1854 - 1856]

  • Acquired by Queen Victoria

  • Subject(s)
    • Arts, Recreation, Entertainment & Sport
      • Plastic arts
        • Numismatics
          • Medals
            • Campaign medals
              • Crimea Medal (1854-56)
    • Science, Medicine and Technology
      • Industries, Crafts and Trades
        • Clothing
          • Costume
            • Uniforms
              • Military uniforms
      • Engineering & Technology
        • Military engineering
          • Arms (weapons)
            • Ammunition
              • Cannon-balls
    • Social sciences
      • Military affairs
        • Wars, Campaigns & Battles
          • Wars
            • Wars of the nineteenth century
              • Crimean War (1853-1856)
    • Places
      • Europe
        • Great Britain
          • England
            • Hampshire [England]
              • Portsmouth [Hampshire]
                • Portsmouth Dockyards [Portsmouth]
    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.