This website presents our knowledge and research on this important aspect of the Royal Collection. As of April 2026 it will not be regularly updated and new research on this topic will sit within the main website.

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Portraiture

Prince Albert was an early adopter of portrait photography

    UNKNOWN PERSON

    Italo Gardoni (1821-82)

    c.1880 copy of an original of 1860

    Carbon print | 23.1 x 17.5 cm (page dimensions) | RCIN 2913551

    Photograph of a full length portrait of the opera singer Italo Gardoni (1821-82) seated on a chair, facing three-quarters to the left. He gazes down at a sheet of music that he holds with both hands in front of his body.

    • Creator(s)

      Unknown Person (photographer)

      Subject(s)

      Italo Gardoni (1821-1882)

    • annotation: Sigr Gardoni./ Reprodu[ced] [beneath work]

    • 23.1 x 17.5 cm (page dimensions)

      9.5 x 5.9 cm (mount)

      8.9 x 5.4 cm (image)

    • Acquired by Prince Albert

    • Subject(s)
      • People
        • Musicians
      Object type(s)
        • visual works
          • albums
            • photograph albums
          • photographs
            • cartes-de-visite
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    Royal Collection Trust is a charity caring for the Royal Collection and welcoming visitors to the royal palaces. We bring our shared history to life through world-class experiences that involve and inspire people, wherever they are. Income from tickets and retail sales helps us to conserve the Collection so that it can be enjoyed by everyone for generations to come.