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Prince Albert's Two Jägers:
MacDonald and Cowley,
With the Prince's Head Keeper, Turner
and Some of the Other Keepers and Beaters
Daguerrotype by Theodore Brunell, 1852
The Royal Collection |
Though there was a natural distance between the household staff and the Royal Family, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert took a healthy interest in their employees as well as their families. Certainly, they were not considered equals, but the Queen and Prince considered their staff to be valued human beings and showed a genuine concern for their well-being. In fact, they showed a particular affection for several staff members. After her death, a photo album was discovered among Queen Victoria’s possessions which showed that she kept portraits of the staff and their families as mementos. It is well documented that Prince Albert and Queen Victoria often invited cherished household employees to be photographed.
This 1852 daguerreotype by Theodore Brunell shows MacDonald and Cowley, two of the Prince’s games-keepers (also known as jägers), along with the Prince’s Head Keeper, Turner, and an assortment of other keepers and beaters whose names were not recorded. Queen Victoria kept this image with the other photographs of workers at the Royal Residence.
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