Bidspirit 拍卖 | King Edward VII with Four

King Edward VII with Four Royal Grandchildren at Balmoral – Including the Future Edward VIII and George VI – James Edward Ellam, 1902 - An original period stereoview / stereograph, dating from 1902, depicting King Edward VII (1841–1910) in an unusually informal family setting at Balmoral Castle, Scotland, surrounded by four of his grandchildren. The original caption reads: “From cares of Empire to the joys of Home – Edward VII and his grandchildren, Balmoral Castle, Scotland.” Published by Underwood & Underwood, the photograph dates from Autumn 1902. A King with Two Future Kings The four children portrayed with Edward VII are the children of George, Prince of Wales – the future King George V – and Mary of Teck: Prince Edward (1894–1972) – the future King Edward VIII, who abdicated in 1936; Prince Albert (1895–1952) – the future King George VI, father of Queen Elizabeth II; Princess Mary (1897–1965) – later Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood; and Prince Henry (1900–1974) – later Duke of Gloucester. The photograph therefore brings together King Edward VII and two of his grandsons who would themselves become British monarchs – Edward VIII and George VI. Unlike formal Court and Coronation photographs, the image presents the King in a distinctly domestic context. Edward VII wears a conventional dark suit with a Scottish cap – not a kilt – and appears simply as a grandfather surrounded by his young grandchildren at the Royal Family's Scottish home. James Edward Ellam – National Portrait Gallery An example of the same stereograph is preserved in the National Portrait Gallery, London, which identifies the photographer as James Edward Ellam (1857–1920) and dates the image to Autumn 1902. Ellam worked for Underwood & Underwood and photographed the British Royal Family during the reign of Edward VII, including important royal imagery associated with the Coronation period of 1902. Smithsonian Documentation The National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution also preserves the original Underwood & Underwood stereoscopic photographic material for this image, catalogued as Caption No. 7496 under the same title. The image thus benefits from strong institutional documentation in both British and American collections. Balmoral and the Royal Family Balmoral Castle had served as the private Scottish residence of the Royal Family since the reign of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The contemporary title – “From cares of Empire to the joys of Home” – deliberately contrasts Edward VII's public responsibilities as ruler of the British Empire with his private role as a grandfather enjoying the company of his grandchildren. An especially attractive royal photographic document combining Edward VII, Edward VIII, George VI, Princess Mary, Prince Henry, Balmoral Castle, James Edward Ellam and Underwood & Underwood, and portraying one reigning and two future British kings in an intimate family setting.