Royal Portraiture
The Royal Collection holds royal portraits from visual works to decorative arts
FRANZ XAVER WINTERHALTER (1805-73)
Queen Victoria (1819-1901)
Signed and dated 1843RCIN 406010
Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805–73) painted many formal portraits of Queen Victoria (r.1837–1901) and her family.
However, the Queen also commissioned Winterhalter to paint this intimate portrait for her husband, in which her hair is shown falling over her left shoulder. Queen Victoria kept the portrait a secret from Prince Albert (1819–61), and surprised him with her gift on his 24th birthday.
