A period albumen Carte-de-Visite (CDV) portrait of Princess Helena (1846–1923), daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The young Princess is shown in an elegant full-length profile portrait, wearing an elaborate full-skirted Victorian dress and standing beside a studio furnishing supporting a potted fern. The composition is an attractive example of Victorian royal portrait photography and contemporary women's fashion. Printed beneath the photograph: “PRINCESS HELENA” together with the photographers' name: “HILLS & SAUNDERS.” The reverse bears an elaborate Hills & Saunders photographer's backmark identifying the firm as Photographers to Her Majesty the Queen and H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, with royal devices and the locations Eton & Oxford. At the foot appears the additional publisher's imprint: “Published (wholesale only) by Messrs. A. Marion, Son & Co., 23, Soho Square.” Princess Helena was a daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. In 1866 she married Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein and throughout her life was particularly active in charitable, nursing and social organisations. An attractive original piece of Victorian royal photography combining an albumen portrait of Queen Victoria's daughter, the classic CDV format, a full-length royal portrait, Victorian costume and an elaborate royal Hills & Saunders photographer's backmark.
Auction 01: Auction 01 – Historical Letters, Documents & Autographs — Melis Antiques & Art