Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, like his father, the Prince Consort, was keenly aware of the advantages of modern technology. In the early 1880s the Prince was eager to investigate the possibilities of electricity. The Prince and Princess of Wales spent a week in Paris in October 1881 to visit the 'Electric Exhibition'. While in Paris they also went to see Monsieur Liébert, a photographer who made use of electricity to light his studio, and this photograph is the result of the visit.