Maria feodorovna, dowager empress of russia (1847–1928)
william and daniel downey were photographers based in newcastle upon tyne and london. Queen victoria was first photographed ‘by a very good photographer downey, from newcastle’ on 22 september 1866 (ra qvj). W. & d. Downey established studios in london at 6 ebury street (1872 – 8), and subsequently at 51 ebury street (1879) and 57 ebury street (1880 – 90), although much of their printing and finishing was still completed in newcastle. They became known for their photography of members of the royal family and other society figures. The firm continued to operate after the death of its founder, daniel downey, in july 1881, and in 1896 queen victoria and her family ‘were all photographed by downey by the new cinematograph process, which makes moving pictures by winding off a reel of films’ (ra qvj: 3 october 1896). This image is after a photograph, probably by w. & d. Downey, of c. 1910 showing the dowager empress wearing a black evening dress with a sapphire and pearl brooch, a floral corsage and a four-strand pearl choker, her hair dressed with pearls and feathers. Princess marie sophie frederica dagmar, second daughter of christian ix of denmark, and sister of queen alexandra, was betrothed first to grand duke nicholas alexandrovitch, czarevitch (d. 1863), and married, in 1866, grand duke alexander of russia, later (1881) alexander iii (1845 – 94), emperor of russia. She was the mother of the last emperor, nicholas ii, and after the bolshevik revolution she returned to live in denmark, where she died at villa hvidøre near copenhagen in 1928. Signed along the lower right-hand edge in black paint: downey. Date: circa 1910.
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