Mourning portraits

Following Prince Albert’s (1819-61) death in 1861, Queen Victoria’s (1819-1901) inconsolable grief led her to retreat from public life. Photography, and its dissemination through popular and affordable collectible formats, allowed her likeness to be present despite her physical absence from public life. Photographic family portraits from this period often included William Theed’s (1804-91) posthumous bust of Prince Albert, used as a compositional device to emphasise his continued influence. The most poignant of such photographs include those taken on the occasion of the wedding of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII (1841-1910), and Princess Alexandra of Denmark, later Queen Alexandra (1844-1925). A variety of media were used for portraits commemorating Prince Albert, including a series of transfer-printed enamels by Alexander Lamont Henderson (1838-1907).