Letter from Ernst von Stockmar to Dr. Ernst Becker sending three glass-plate negatives of Raphael drawings in the Berlin Museum as a Christmas present from Prince Frederick William to the Prince Consort, and explaining why there are no prints with them.

Stockmar writes that he is sending Becker a packet containing three glass-plate negatives of three Raphael drawings in the Berlin Museum, which are a Christmas present to the Prince Consort from Prince Frederick William. He comments that there is little to see on one of them because the original is very dark. He goes on to explain that Prince Frederick William had sent him to see Herr Olfers (Director of the Museum) about having the Museum's Raphael drawings photographed, but he had found that Olfers already had photographic prints of most of them ready to send to the Prince Consort. Gustav Waagen pointed out, however, that three drawings accepted by Passavant as genuine works by Raphael were not included, and so Stockmar was instructed to have these photographed. Unfortunately there had been only two days of bright enough light since then, and the photographer had failed to appear on either, so that it had not been possible to produce photographic prints. This was why he was sending the negative plates on their own. Stockmar asks Becker to explain this to the Prince Consort.