COVE

Roger Fenton studied at the University College London, initially studying mathematics as well as the classical languages including Greek and Latin, though he later also obtained a law degree (“Fenton, Roger”). Although he practiced law in his career, he also became known for his photography and painting skills, depicting a variety of subjects including notable figures like Queen Victoria and her family (“Fenton, Roger”). As a founding member of the Photographic Society of London, he had royal support from Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in encouraging the use of photography as a new technology and the establishment of various photographic exhibitions (“Fenton, Roger”). At the behest of Prince Albert during the Crimean War, Fenton became widely known for his photographs taken in the army camps and battlegrounds to bring awareness to the Prince of the conditions British soldiers faced during the war (“Fenton, Roger”).  

On May 22, 1854, Fenton was commissioned to photograph the royal family in front of Buckingham Palace, later developed as an albumen print entitled The Queen, The Prince and seven Royal children (Royal Collection Trust). The photograph depicts Queen Victoria and Prince Albert at the center, with her children, Victoria (also called Vicky), Albert Edward, Alice, Alfred, Helena, Louise, and Arthur to either side of them in front of Buckingham Palace. Victoria and her husband are at the center of the image. However, while the children are all placed to either side of their parents, it is likely that Prince Albert Edward and Princess Vicky were specifically placed to the right of their parents while the rest were on the other side of Prince Albert. As the future monarchs-in-training, Albert Edward and his sister mirror their parent’s stance and dress in the photograph. Both Prince Albert and his son Albert Edward are placed to the left of the female royal monarch. Similarly, both hold a walking stick in one of their hands. Albert Edward holds his sister Vicky’s hand in his right hand while holding the walking stick in his left hand, a contrast to Prince Albert in holding hands with his youngest daughter Louisa in his left hand and the walking stick in the right hand. However, both stand tall and straight and look directly into the camera. Their clothing also draws comparison, with both wearing fashionable tall hats, a neat frock coat and vest, and high-waisted trousers.

In contrast, Queen Victoria and her daughter Princess Vicky depict a slightly different image. Although Victoria’s children hold hands, she herself is portrayed with her hands crossed over each other with no physical contact with either her husband or her son to her left. This represented a sign of her status in the family, being the sole Queen of England and standing alone as monarch. Though her husband appears taller than Victoria in the image, his differing status as a prince is highlighted in not holding hands with his wife; instead, he holds his daughter’s hand. Princess Vicky herself is not represented in this way as a future monarch, sharing that physical connection with her brother in holding hands.

Queen Victoria and Princess Vicky, however, do appear in similar dress. The Queen herself wears a fashionable bonnet with long white ribbons at the front, covering her hair and some of her face from the view of the camera. Although it is difficult to discern her exact expression, the Queen appears serine and serious standing straight, depicting her role as a proper Victorian woman and dignified Queen. Wanting to appear in photographs without blinking, despite the long time needed for the photograph to be taken, she sometimes wore this type of bonnet to cover her face (“Getty Explores Queen Victoria's Lifelong Relationship with Photography in Upcoming Exhibition”). She likewise stands in profile, off-center, to the same effect. Her daughter likewise wears a headpiece, though it is in the form of a hat, with the same types of white ribbons tying the hat in front of her neck. Queen Victoria also wore a dark jacket over a dress with a two-layered skirt and long sleeves.

The colors of the fabric worn by the Queen and her daughter are indistinguishable due to the photograph coloration, though it could be said that the dresses were brightly colored in comparison to the dark jackets that were worn and the difference between the intense white color of Queen Victoria’s bonnet and sleeves. A thick horizontal stripe on each of the layers of the skirt can be observed. However, while Queen Victoria’s dress reaches the ground, her daughter’s dress is shorter, reflecting her youth. The outfit was simple and elegant, using double-layered skirt and flounces. This style of dress was still fashionable from the 1840s with an emphasis on the width of the skirt and sleeves, with the photograph taken a few years before crinoline cages were introduced (Shrimpton 12-13). While the other princesses to the left of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert appear to have somewhat similar styles of two-layered dresses and bonnets or hats, their dresses appear more lightly-coloured, possibly white (reserved for special occasions for children) (Shrimpton 50). Princess Vicky, in contrast, is dressed more like an adult, wearing an adult-like dress usually reserved for when girls reached sixteen or seventeen years old at their coming of age (Shrimpton 49). Queen Victoria and her daughters appear realistically shaped despite the illusion of width generated through the use of multiple skirts. Queen Victoria’s skirt, being longer as an adult than those of her younger daughters, may have only slightly increased her shape, emphasizing her lower half and giving the image of a narrower waist.

While the image appears to be black and yellow (from the albumen stain used to develop the print), the differences in the shades of colors could be determined in comparison to the dark fabrics worn by Prince Albert and Albert Edward and the white fabrics worn by Victoria, her youngest children, and the men’s shirts beneath their vests. These types of prints were popular between 1850 and 1900, with the albumen egg-white, salt, and silver nitrate solution (even a gold solution sometimes) preventing the photograph from fading over time and giving it a characteristic brownish color (National Portrait Gallery).

Depicting the entire family in front of the tall columns and glass walls of Buckingham Palace also produces the effect of Queen Victoria’s family perhaps not being complete. Although that was true, with their family number growing up to nine within the next couple of years, this room for growth and the room for others may suggest that Victoria’s family also included her subjects. Although the print itself was collected by Prince Albert and placed in an album, meaning that it likely was not distributed to the public as different photos were, it still shows the extent of Victoria’s family in person as well as the reach of her vast empire (Royal Collection Trust). Thus, the use of the empty space may have represented her far-reaching kingdom, as well as her connection to many royal families in Europe.  

Works Cited: 

Fenton, R. The Queen, The Prince and seven Royal children' 22 May 1854 [Photograph of Queen Victoria (1819-1901) and Prince Albert (1819-61) with seven of their children, posed outside Buckingham Palace]. Retrieved October 22, 2020, from https://www.rct.uk/collection/2906085/the-queen-the-prince-and-seven-royal-children

"Fenton, Roger." Benezit Dictionary of Artists. July 25, 2013. Oxford University Press. Date of access 22 Oct. 2020, https://www-oxfordartonline-com.ezproxy.depaul.edu/benezit/view/10.1093/...

“Getty Explores Queen Victoria's Lifelong Relationship with Photography in Upcoming Exhibition.” Targeted News Service, 19 Nov. 2013. U.S. Newsstream, ezproxy.depaul.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.depaul.edu/docview/1459529843?accountid.... Accessed 22 Oct. 2020.

National Portrait Gallery. “Albumen Print.” National Portrait Gallery, www.npg.org.uk/collections/explore/glossary-of-art-terms/albumen-print.

Royal Collection Trust. “Roger Fenton (1819-69) - The Queen, The Prince and Seven Royal Children.” Royal Collection Trust, www.rct.uk/collection/2906085/the-queen-the-prince-and-seven-royal-children.

Shrimpton, Jayne. Victorian Fashion. Shire Publications, 2016.