Right, first photo, taken in 1842 of Prince Albert:
Pretty good photo, non? At this point, Victoria and Albert had only been married for two years and had two children (Vicky and Bertie - the future Empress Frederick of Germany and Edward VII respectively) just to fill you in on the goss. It's quite strange to think that this photo was taken 168 years ago isn't it? Well it is to me anyway. Remember this photo, as the next time you see Albert he'll be looking a lot older (well English cooking can do that to a man...I'm English by the way, so I'm ALLOWED to say that.)
Fast forward two years and now it's Victoria and Vicky's turn to be photographed. This is the earliest photo ever taken of Queen Victoria and she's only 25. Vicky looks a bit creepy I'll admit and she's been confused with her brother a lot in this picture, but I think it's a rather nice one, don't you? I will say though that the fashion of the times ages people ridiculously, but I rather like Victoria's hair in this one, not to mention the dress. You'll notice the lack of crowns, orders of the whatever or anything royal at all. This is because V&A (yay!) wanted to portray themselves as normal folk (albeit very rich ones with palaces and stuff, but normalish anyway) and this appealed to the new middle class and everyone was happy.
Next photo, taken in 1854 (apparently) and this one reveals an ongoing royal hobby: pretending to be Scottish. Personally I think they've done it rather well in this photo - if I hadn't said that the lady in the tartan shawl was Queen Victoria you probably wouldn't have realised. Well these are the oldest children (four of nine, yes NINE, yet Victoria's gone down in history as a prude) from left to right: Bertie, Vicky, Alice (future wife of Louis IV of Hesse), Victoria and Affie (Alfred really, but the future Duke of Edinburgh and Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.)
Ah now, I really, really, really do like this photo for a number of reasons. Another 1854 one (there are tons from that year for some reason) in case you're interested. Well, firstly isn't that dress just AMAZING? If you don't think it is then just look closer at the flower...things... and all the flowery...things...yeah... well it's terribly pretty anyway so there. Also, this photo is also interesting, as it's one in the 1850s without Albert in it, but (unless I'm very much mistaken, in which case feel free to throw chives at my head) on her wrist is the bracelet that Albert gave her on their engagement and which she wore for the rest of her life, which has a miniature of Albert on it, so technically he's there in spirit.
This one's caused me a lot of anguish (not to mention sore throats) as it usually makes me scream very loudly at the computer/book I'm perusing and bellow irately: "You're wrong! WRONG I TELL YOU! WROOONNNNNGGGG!!" Well you get the picture. This is because this photo has been labeled too many times as Queen Victoria and Albert's wedding photo. As there was no opportunity to photograph the wedding (it was a pretty new-fangled invention back then and wasn't common with royalty) and this photo was taken by John Edwin Mayall (or Roger Fenton - I'll check) in 1854, but they were married in 1840, this is certainly not their wedding photograph. Anyway, please note the dress - it's the same one as the last photo and this one gives a better view of the veil. One handy caption said that this was taken before a court function, which would explain the breechy-things and formalness. I know they both look a bit fed up, but photography took longer then, so no grinning allowed.
Ok, we're STILL in 1854, but probably a different bit of it. Back to non-royalness you'll note and this time including the thrills and spills of an enormous book and what looks like a leopard-print chair, but can't be (it's probably chintz.) Both are in their mid-thirties, but by now poor Albert's looking older (and it's only partly thanks to beef stew and toad in the hole), as he completely wore himself out with work, work and yet more work and died very young. Mind you, he did leave behind a rather incredible legacy, including keeping Britain out of the American Civil War, the Great Exhibition of 1851 (which I HAVE TO write about, as it's just so amazing) and pretty much saving the British royal family from going the same way as almost all the others at that time (for example....France) so you could say that it was worth it.
Still in 1854 I'm afraid and again a different pose from the same series as before. It looks like Victoria didn't exactly love the contents of the aforementioned Massive Book, as she looks pretty grumpy here. Either that or she's got a spider in her hair and Albert's recoiling in horror. Well it would explain why he's rolled up the paper to swat it. Or a frog. Both of them were scared of frogs as a matter of fact (especially Albert) and a cousin of his once got revenge on him for filling her pockets with cream cheese (which is pretty funny actually) by hiding one in his bed. I would scream too and I like frogs. Ahem, sorry for getting sidetracked, back to the photo. Well I think that wraps it up actually - on to the next one Bob the Meerkat.
I promise we'll be out of 1854 soon, really. First, however, there is this photo. It shows a delighted (!) engagement party, as Vicky (on the far right) has just become engaged to Crown Prince Fritz of Prussia (second from left) at the age of 14 at Balomoral. They wouldn't be married for another four years, but this is the beginning and also shows just how short everyone was back then (except Albert, but he was still normal at 5ft 10) oh yes, and Victoria's sitting down by the way in case you were confused. She was short, but not that tiny. From left to right: Affie, Fritz, Alice, Bertie (looking rather camp I must say), Victoria, Albert, Vicky.
Well, there ends the first little expedition into photos and V&A (yay!), but I'll be back soon(ish) with more from the following few years up to 1861 and then some more after that. See you then. : )
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