Roger Fenton & Julia Margaret Cameron : Early British Photographs from the Royal Collection

Photographs from the Royal Collection by two of Britain’s most accomplished photographers of the nineteenth century: Roger Fenton (1819-69) and Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-79). Some were commissioned by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, some were purchased through a dealer, others purchased directly from the photographer. Together they demonstrate the royal couple’s involvement in the early photographic world.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were enthusiastic patrons of photography. Between March 1842, when the first photograph was taken of a member of the royal family, and December 1861, when Prince Albert died, the royal couple amassed a collection of works by most of the leading photographers of the day. After Prince Albert’s death, Queen Victoria continued collecting and at the time of her death in January 1901, the collection was an estimated 20,000 photographs.

The Queen and Prince Albert’s patronage helped foster this new art form. They attended exhibitions, became patrons of the newly established Photographic Society of London, commissioned portraits and purchased the work of British photographers. Queen Victoria preferred portraits, while Prince Albert acquired topographical views and ‘fine art’ photographs.