Antique Image of the Day: Queen Alexandra with Her Camera, 1889

People have always been fascinated by new technology. Just as we all scramble to get the latest cell phones and other gadgets, our ancestors also enjoyed trying their hand at the newest in inventions. Photography grew to become a popular hobby as technology allowed cameras to be small enough to be hand-held. Even the Royal Family wasn’t immune to these trends.


Here, we have a photograph of Queen Alexandra, wife of King Edward VII before she was the Queen Consort, but rather still the Princess of Wales. This image taken in 1889 shows Alexandra very enthusiastically clutching her very own camera. The Queen enjoyed photography and often took pictures which chronicled the goings on in the Royal household. In fact, many of her photographs remain as part of the Royal Collection.

This is such a charming picture. The look of excitement in her face matches that of any of ours when we get a new “toy” thus proving the old adage, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”