Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were introduced to Fenton in early 1854 at the exhibition of the Photographic Society in London. This led to a number of commissions for Fenton to photograph the royal couple and their children in London and Windsor. Although the resulting portraits were private, royal patronage undoubtedly helped raise Fenton’s professional standing, as well as the status of photography. During the Crimean War, however, Fenton had no royal patronage and no official status; his commission was entirely commercial.

Commissioned and acquired by Queen Victoria