Portrait of Spanish born Empress Eugénie de Montijo, Empress of France and wife of Napoleon III (1826 – 1920) circa 1890. Photograph by W & D Downey (William Downey 1829 - 1915 and Daniel Downey 1831 - 1881).
Medium: woodburytype Notes: Doña María Eugenia Ignacia Augustina de Palafox y Kirkpatrick, 16th Countess of Teba, 15th Marchioness of Ardales (5 May 1826 – 11 July 1920), known as Eugénie de Montijo), was the last Empress of the French (1853–70) as the wife of Emperor Napoleon III. William Downey set up the company with his brother Daniel. They opened their first studio in 1863 on Eldon Square, Newcastle. In 1872 William moved to London to open a studio on Ebury Street, while his brother continued to look after the Newcastle branch. Among Queen Victoria's favourite photographers, the firm photographed at Balmoral and Frogmore throughout the late 1860s, particularly for the Prince of Wales. Their carte-de-visite portrait of the Princess of Wales with Princess Louise was one of the most popular ever issued, with sales of 300,000. William Downey's son, William Edward Downey, acted as operator for most royal sittings of the Edwardian era. (source: NPG)
Size: 2700px × 3822px
Location: London, England
Photo credit: © Archive Farms. Inc / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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