A fine royal Carte-de-Visite (CDV) portrait of Victoria, Princess Royal (1840–1901), eldest daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, wife of Emperor Frederick III and mother of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Photographed in Berlin by the royal studio F. Jamrath & Sohn, whose name is printed beneath the portrait: “F. JAMRATH & SOHN BERLIN.” Victoria is shown in an exceptionally well-defined formal half-length portrait, elegantly dressed and wearing elaborate jewellery, including multiple strands of pearls, a choker and a jewelled hair ornament. The quality of the photograph preserves considerable detail in her facial features, costume and jewellery. The reverse bears the elaborate decorative backmark of F. Jamrath & Sohn – Hof-Photographen, incorporating several royal and imperial coats of arms, reflecting the studio's prestigious court appointments. Old manuscript inscriptions are also present across the reverse. Victoria was the eldest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and held the British title Princess Royal. In 1858 she married Prince Frederick William of Prussia. In 1888 her husband succeeded to the throne as Emperor Frederick III, making Victoria German Empress and Queen of Prussia. Frederick III's reign lasted only 99 days, ending with his death from throat cancer in June 1888. Thereafter Victoria became widely known as Empress Frederick – Kaiserin Friedrich. She was also the mother of Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor, placing her at the centre of the dynastic relationship between the British Royal Family and the German House of Hohenzollern. A particularly attractive and finely preserved royal photograph combining a sharply detailed portrait of Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, the work of an important Berlin court photographic studio, an elaborate royal backmark, and direct dynastic associations with Queen Victoria, Emperor Frederick III and Kaiser Wilhelm II.
Auction 01: Auction 01 – Historical Letters, Documents & Autographs — Melis Antiques & Art