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GEORGE HOUSMAN THOMAS (1824-68)
The reception of the Emperor and Empress of the French at Windsor Castle, 16 April 1855
1855Pencil, watercolour and bodycolour with gum arabic | 32.4 x 47.5 cm (whole object) | RCIN 919799
According to Victoria, all was ʻin a state of bustle, excitement & expectationʼ when the dashing Emperor Napoleon III and his glamorous wife Eugénie arrived for a State Visit in April 1855. This scene shows the couples followed by Victoria and Albert’s two eldest children about to ascend the Grand Staircase, with Yeomen of the Guard standing to attention. The young Prince of Wales appears to look outwards, as if at us, with curiosity.
