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

Photographic Technologies

Learn more about the photographic techniques available in the mid-19th century

    WILLIAM EDWARD KILBURN (1818-91)

    Prince Albert (1819-1861)

    1848

    Hand-coloured daguerreotype | 8.6 x 6.3 cm (image) | RCIN 2932487

    In February 1847 the photographer William Edward Kilburn (1818-91) showed examples of his coloured daguerreotypes, made by adding fine coloured powders to the photographic plate, to the Society of Arts. The following year, Prince Albert (1819-61) commissioned Kilburn to create a portrait of him using the new technique. This is one of two surviving hand coloured daguerreotypes produced from the sitting.

      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.