An early royal albumen Carte-de-Visite (CDV) portrait depicting Victoria, Princess Royal (1840–1901), eldest daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, together with her husband Prince Frederick William of Prussia (1831–1888), later Emperor Frederick III. The couple are shown in a formal full-length portrait: Victoria wears an elaborate Victorian dress, mantle and headdress, while Frederick William stands beside her in Prussian military uniform, holding his gloves. Photographed in Berlin by L. Haase & Comp., whose imprint appears beneath the portrait: “Phot. L. Haase & Cº Berlin.” The reverse bears the studio's elaborate royal backmark incorporating coats of arms and identifying L. Haase & Comp. as Königl. Hof-Photographen – Royal Court Photographers – with a court appointment to the Crown Princess of Prussia. An old handwritten identification at the top of the reverse reads: “Prince & Princess Fredk William.” Victoria was the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and held the British title Princess Royal. In 1858 she married Prince Frederick William of Prussia, creating a major dynastic link between the British Royal Family and the Prussian House of Hohenzollern. In 1888 Frederick William succeeded as Emperor Frederick III, making Victoria German Empress and Queen of Prussia. His reign lasted only 99 days before his death from throat cancer, after which Victoria became known as Empress Frederick – Kaiserin Friedrich. The couple were the parents of Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor. An appealing early royal double portrait combining Queen Victoria's eldest daughter and the future Emperor Frederick III, a Berlin royal court photographic studio, Prussian military dress and an elaborate royal photographer's backmark.
Auction 01: Auction 01 – Historical Letters, Documents & Autographs — Melis Antiques & Art