This "royal group" was reproduced by J.E. Vincent in his 1902 book about Edward VII, From Cradle to Crown, 1902 (facing p. 186) and then again in the updated edition of c. 1910, retitled The Life of Edward VII (facing p. 213; the source of the present illustration). It records a family gathering on 11 August 1881, when the Queen noted in her journal that Jabez Hughes came from his photographic studio on Union Street in Ryde to photograph them in the grounds of their Isle of Wight retreat, Osborne House.
On a "fair morning" twenty of them assembled here: "Louise, Beatrice, & I, Bertie, Alix ,& their girls, who had come over on purpose, Fritz, Vicky, Henry & the 3 girls, Affie, Marie, & their children. I held the dear little baby, & Ducky sat at my feet." Five of Victoria's nine children are present, then. Of the daughters, in the order mentioned, there are her fourth daughter Louise; her youngest daughter, Beatrice, on the far right; and her eldest daughter Victoria (Vicky) with her heavily bearded husband Fredrick III, Emperor of Germany (Fritz) on the far left. Two of the Queen's sons are also present: the Prince of Wales and future Edward VII (Bertie) sitting next to his mother, with his wife Alexandra (Alix) just behind the Queen; and Alfred (Duke of Edinburgh), later to become Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, looking very smart beside her in his naval uniform, with his wife Marie. Among the children are Vicky's second son Henry, arm in arm with one of his three similarly dressed sisters on the left. Ducky, sitting on the grass in the middle, was Alfred and Maria's daughter Victoria, born in 1876.
Nothing could better show the ideal of domestic harmony in family life than this multi-generational group in their own grounds — but the Queen's primary purpose in summoning the photographer would probably have been to record the gathering for her own pleasure in looking back on it, when her family was more widely dispersed. Hughes would have needed all his skill to have arranged such a large group, including many children, successfully: notice how neatly the girls in the front are seated, Ducky's cushion clearly visible. Few are looking directly at the camera and none are smiling (least of all the widowed Queen herself, who, as usual, is dressed all in black). There are many other points of fashion interest in the photograph, for instance, in the display of hats, mostly wide-brimmed straw hats for the children, even boys — this being August, and by the sea. Buttoned bodices and flounced skirts and are much in evidence for the girls. Of interest too are the matching clothes for the different sets of young cousins.
Related Material
Image scan by the author. [You may use the image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you credit the source, linking your document to this URL or citing the Victorian Web in a print document.]
Bibliography
Queen Victoria's Journals - Princess Beatrice's Copies (Thursday 11th August 1881). Access provided by UK National Access Account. Web. 29 January 2026. https://www.proquest.com/qvj/
Vincent, J.E. From Cradle to Crown: His Most Gracious Majesty King Edward VII. London: George Newnes, 1902. Internet Archive, from the Digital Library of India. Web. 28 January 2026.
Vincent, J.E. The Life of Edward VII. London: George Newnes, n.d. (1911?). Internet Archive, from the Pratt Collection — University of Toronto. Web. 28 January 2026. Facing p. 213.
Created 29 January 2026