Memorialising Albert
Prince Albert's lasting influence can be seen in many mediums
Queen Victoria (1819-1901)
Signed and dated 1864Oil on canvas | 132.7 x 91.8 cm (support, canvas/panel/str external) | RCIN 403884
Born in Freiburg im Breisgau, Albert Graefle studied in Munich with two artists of the ‘Nazarene movement’, Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1794–1872) and Peter von Cornelius (1784–1867). He was a close associate of Franz Xaver Winterhalter, a painter especially favoured by the royal family.
In this painting, Queen Victoria is dressed in mourning. On the table next to her is a box of Foreign Office papers and a bust of Prince Albert by William Theed, several versions of which are in the Royal Collection. When the Queen was sitting for her portrait she wrote in her Journal that Graefle was
such a clever painter & paints so fresh and cleanly. His likenesses are also very good.
Queen Victoria's Journal, RA VIC/MAIN/QVJ (W) 15 February 1864 Princess Beatrice's copies
This painting was clearly admired by Victoria, as a negative in the Royal Collection shows the painting prominently on display in her private apartments.
