A period albumen Carte-de-Visite (CDV) portrait of Princess Helena (1846–1923), daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, photographed by the royal photographic studio Hills & Saunders. Princess Helena, aged seventeen at the time, is shown in an elegant full-length profile portrait, seated in an upholstered studio chair and reading a document or letter placed before her. She wears an elaborate full-skirted Victorian dress. Of particular interest, the lower left corner of the photograph bears the contemporary date: “APRIL 2 1864” allowing the portrait to be precisely dated to 2 April 1864. Printed beneath the photograph: “PRINCESS HELENA” and: “HILLS & SAUNDERS – REGISTERED.” The reverse bears the elaborate royal 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 is the distributor's imprint: “Published (wholesale only) by Messrs. A. Marion, Son & Co., 23 Soho Square.” Princess Helena married Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein in 1866 and subsequently became particularly active in charitable, nursing and social organisations. An attractive original example of Victorian royal photography combining a youthful portrait of Queen Victoria's daughter, a precise contemporary date, an albumen photograph in CDV format, a recognised royal photographic studio and an elaborate Hills & Saunders backmark.
Auction 01: Auction 01 – Historical Letters, Documents & Autographs — Melis Antiques & Art