Bidspirit 拍卖 | German Empress Auguste Viktoria with

German Empress Auguste Viktoria with Her Five Eldest Sons – Original Family Cabinet Card from the Beginning of Kaiser Wilhelm II’s Reign – “Year of the Three Emperors, ” Selle & Kuntze, Potsdam, 1888 - An original large-format Cabinet Card portrait dated 1888, depicting Empress Auguste Viktoria (1858–1921), wife of Kaiser Wilhelm II and the last German Empress and Queen of Prussia, surrounded by her five eldest sons. The contemporary printed caption identifies the sitters: “Ihre Majestät Kaiserin Augusta Victoria mit Kronprinz Friedrich Wilhelm und den Prinzen Eitel-Friedrich, Adalbert, August-Wilhelm und Oscar.” At the centre, Empress Auguste Viktoria is seated holding her infant son Prince Oskar (1888–1958). Surrounding her are his four elder brothers: Crown Prince Wilhelm (1882–1951), the last heir to the German Imperial throne; Prince Eitel Friedrich (1883–1942); Prince Adalbert (1884–1948); and Prince August Wilhelm (1887–1949). Photographed by Selle & Kuntze, Hof-Photographen, Court Photographers in Potsdam, with the date 1888 printed on the original mount. The year gives the portrait particular historical significance. 1888 became known in Germany as the “Year of the Three Emperors” (Dreikaiserjahr): Wilhelm I died in March; his son Frederick III succeeded him but reigned for only 99 days; following Frederick’s death in June, Wilhelm II ascended the Imperial and Prussian thrones. Auguste Viktoria consequently became German Empress and Queen of Prussia, while their eldest son Friedrich Wilhelm became German Crown Prince. The presence of the infant Prince Oskar, born on 27 July 1888, permits the photograph to be dated more precisely to the second half of 1888, during the first months of Kaiser Wilhelm II’s reign. The reverse bears the elaborate original Selle & Kuntze studio backmark with Royal arms and the designation: “Hof-Photographen Sr. Maj. des Kaisers und Königs” – Court Photographers to His Majesty the Emperor and King – together with their studio address at Schwertfegerstr. No. 14, Potsdam, and branches at Brandenburg and Spandau. Notably, this Imperial designation reflects the change of reign in 1888: earlier Selle & Kuntze photographs identify the firm in connection with the Crown Prince, whereas the present backmark already refers to “the Emperor and King.” A finely documented Imperial family portrait of the last German Empress and her five eldest sons, produced during the historically significant first months of Wilhelm II’s reign.