A period albumen Carte-de-Visite (CDV) depicting Princess Louise (1848–1939) together with her elder sister Princess Helena (1846–1923), daughters of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The two young Princesses are shown in an intimate studio composition, Louise standing at left and Helena seated at right, both wearing elaborate full-skirted Victorian dresses, with studio furnishings and decorative objects between them. Printed beneath the image is the contemporary identification: “PRINCESS LOUISE & PRINCESS HELENA.” together with the photographers' name: “HILLS & SAUNDERS.” The reverse bears the elaborate backmark of Hills & Saunders, Eton & Oxford, identifying the firm as photographers to Her Majesty the Queen and H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, accompanied by royal devices. At the foot appears the distributor's imprint: “Published (wholesale only) by Messrs. A. Marion, Son & Co., 23 Soho Square.” The portrait can be dated to approximately 1864, when both Princesses were still young and unmarried: Helena was about 18 and Louise about 16. Princess Helena married Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein in 1866 and became particularly active in charitable and nursing organisations. Princess Louise, noted for her artistic talents, married John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne, later Duke of Argyll, in 1871 and became an accomplished sculptor and artist in her own right. An attractive example of Victorian royal photography combining a joint portrait of two daughters of Queen Victoria, an original albumen photograph, the classic CDV format, Victorian costume and an elaborate royal Hills & Saunders photographer's backmark.
Auction 01: Auction 01 – Historical Letters, Documents & Autographs — Melis Antiques & Art