After several visits to Scotland in the 1840s, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert decided to establish a permanent residence there. The lease of the Balmoral estate was acquired in 1848 and Prince Albert finally took possession of the property in 1852. However, the existing castle soon proved too small for the Royal Family and it was decided to build a larger one nearer the River Dee. The new Balmoral castle was completed in 1856 and is the subject of this photograph. Originally the photograph was intended as one half of a pair of stereoscopic photographs. When seen through a viewer, the well-defined foreground, middle distance and background would give a convincing impression of three-dimensional depth.