Object of the Day, Museum Edition: A Miniature of the Eye of Princess Victoria, 1857

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

We’ve looked at a variety of miniature eyes. This beautiful example is attributed to Sir William Charles Ross (1794-1860) and depicts the eye of Victoria, Princess Royal (1840-1901), the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The Princess Royal would later become Empress Frederick III of Germany.

This watercolor on ivory miniature is laid on card and mounted in a gold pendant set with a ruby. The Royal Collection lists the creation of the piece as 1857 and notes that it was commissioned by Queen Victoria.

Typically these miniature eyes were given as tokens to a male suitor. The date of creation puts this piece smack dab in the middle of the engagement of Victoria and Albert’s daughter to the Prince Frederick of Prussia (The German Emperor and King of Prussia) who were engaged in 1856 and married in 1858. It’s a safe bet that this miniature was intended for the future Kaiser Frederick III. Whether or not he received it, I don’t know, but it’s back in the Royal Collection.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
via The Royal Collection Trust
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Click Image to Enlarge

Friday Fun: Kaiser Frederick III and Princess Victoria

Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Frederick William
Franz Xaver Winterhaler, 1862
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Courtesy of Her Majesty,
Queen Elizabeth II

This beautifully made little video is a wonderful slideshow of Victoria, the Princess Royal and her husband, Emperor Frederick William, King of Prussia. You’ve seen most of the images of Princess Victoria on this web site. They’re not credited in the video. And, even though I didn’t make the video, my friendly relationship with the Royal Collection and Historic Royal Palaces compels me to note that they are, in fact, all “Crown Copyright.” As for the images of Frederick III, I don’t know where they came from.


Nevertheless, it’s a great video and rather soothing, too. Enjoy!

Unfolding Pictures: The Empress Frederick William Iron Fan, 1862

This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This unusual fan is made of cast iron filigree with floral and architectural motifs. The individual blades of thin iron are held together with ribbon at the top and a pin at the bottom. This was one of a pair designed by Edward Schott at Ilsenburg-am-Harz as an example of the fineness which could be achieved with iron castings.


This other of the two fans was shown at the International Exhibition of 1862. This example was presented to Princess Frederick William (later the Empress Frederick William) of Prussia (1840-1901), formerly Victoria, the Princess Royal, Queen Victoria's eldest daughter.

The identical fan is now in MAK: Austria’s Museum of Applied Art in Vienna.

The reverse of the fan, which looks a lot like the front.

Obscure Book of the Day: Princess Victoria and Kaiser Frederick

Traditionally, British princesses were married to “foreign” princes. It was considered a good way to expand the bloodline and form favorable ties with other empires. Germany, it seems, was thick with princes. So, by the time Queen Victoria ascended the throne, let’s be honest, her bloodline was more German than it was British, and then, she married a German Prince.

So, when it came time for the eldest daughter of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria to marry, the natural inclination was to match her up with a German Prince (also a Prince of Prussia) who would eventually ascend as Emperor of Germany and King of Prussia. Enter Prince Frederick. Queen Victoria liked the idea. Prince Albert definitely liked the idea. And, no one was happier than Uncle Leopold who had arranged the marriage of Victoria and Albert and who had long been a champion of getting a German stronghold on the British throne.

Princess Victoria and Prince Frederick greatly admired the relationship of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and decided that when Frederick ascended the throne of Germany they would rule in a similar Monarch/Consort arrangement as Princess Victoria’s parents. They waited 30 years for their chance. In 1888, Frederick and Victoria ascended as Emperor and Empress of Germany and King and Queen of Prussia. But, then, after 99 days on the throne, Frederick died a painful, horrible death from cancer of the larynx at the age of 57. And, that was that.

Princess Victoria remained in Germany throughout her widowhood. She kept constant communication via post with her mother and her younger brother, the future King Edward VII. Victoria would die in 1901 after suffering for two years from breast cancer.

The twenty-fifth in the series “Royal Romances: The Love Affairs that Shaped History” chronicles the relationship of Princess Victoria and Kaiser Frederick.

Let’s take a look inside:

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: A Miniature of the Eye of Princess Victoria, 1857

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

We’ve looked at a variety of miniature eyes. This beautiful example is attributed to Sir William Charles Ross (1794-1860) and depicts the eye of Victoria, Princess Royal (1840-1901), the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The Princess Royal would later become Empress Frederick III of Germany.


This watercolor on ivory miniature is laid on card and mounted in a gold pendant set with a ruby. The Royal Collection lists the creation of the piece as 1857 and notes that it was commissioned by Queen Victoria.

Typically these miniature eyes were given as tokens to a male suitor. The date of creation puts this piece smack dab in the middle of the engagement of Victoria and Albert’s daughter to the Prince Frederick of Prussia (The German Emperor and King of Prussia) who were engaged in 1856 and married in 1858. It’s a safe bet that this miniature was intended for the future Kaiser Frederick III. Whether or not he received it, I don’t know, but it’s back in the Royal Collection.