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Bertie in the Middle East: online showing for first royal tour photographs Bertie in the Middle East: online showing for first royal tour photographs
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Disgraced future Edward VII was sent abroad with Victorian photographer Francis BedfordDisgraced future Edward VII was sent abroad with Victorian photographer Francis Bedford
It was a royal tour designed to prepare a young prince for his future role as king – but also a way getting him out of the way after his calamitous fling with a showgirl. It was a royal tour designed to prepare a young prince for his future role as king – but also a means of getting him out of the way after his calamitous fling with a showgirl.
Remarkable photographs from the 1862 royal tour of the Middle East by the future Edward VII are to go on display in what will be the first online-only show organised by the Barber Institute of Fine Arts in Birmingham.Remarkable photographs from the 1862 royal tour of the Middle East by the future Edward VII are to go on display in what will be the first online-only show organised by the Barber Institute of Fine Arts in Birmingham.
The images, taken by Francis Bedford, are from what was the first British royal tour to be documented through photography.The images, taken by Francis Bedford, are from what was the first British royal tour to be documented through photography.
They show the Prince of Wales taking in jaw-dropping historical sites, including the pyramids of Egypt and the ruined temples of Karnak in Thebes. But they also shine light on the royal family’s private affairs in that the tour followed a liaison that the prince, known as Bertie, had with an Irish music hall actress, Nellie Clifden.They show the Prince of Wales taking in jaw-dropping historical sites, including the pyramids of Egypt and the ruined temples of Karnak in Thebes. But they also shine light on the royal family’s private affairs in that the tour followed a liaison that the prince, known as Bertie, had with an Irish music hall actress, Nellie Clifden.
“How could you,” his despairing father, Prince Albert, wrote to him. “To thrust yourself into the hands of one of the most abject of the human species, to be by her initiated into the sacred mysteries of creation, which ought to be shrouded in holy awe until touched by pure & undefiled hands!”“How could you,” his despairing father, Prince Albert, wrote to him. “To thrust yourself into the hands of one of the most abject of the human species, to be by her initiated into the sacred mysteries of creation, which ought to be shrouded in holy awe until touched by pure & undefiled hands!”
The fling was in 1861, also the year of Albert’s death. By 1863, Bertie was married to the Danish princess Alexandra. In between, his mother Victoria, anxious for him to be out of her sight, insisted on the five-month “improving” of the Ottoman dominions.The fling was in 1861, also the year of Albert’s death. By 1863, Bertie was married to the Danish princess Alexandra. In between, his mother Victoria, anxious for him to be out of her sight, insisted on the five-month “improving” of the Ottoman dominions.
It was decided that Bertie should be accompanied by Bedford, one of Victorian Britain’s most accomplished and respected photographers.It was decided that Bertie should be accompanied by Bedford, one of Victorian Britain’s most accomplished and respected photographers.
“He was the first embedded photographer on a royal tour,” said Robert Wenley, the deputy director of the Barber. “The medium itself was only a generation old so the whole combination is fascinating.”“He was the first embedded photographer on a royal tour,” said Robert Wenley, the deputy director of the Barber. “The medium itself was only a generation old so the whole combination is fascinating.”
Wenley said the tour was about the prince learning the ways of the world in terms of his political and constitutional role.Wenley said the tour was about the prince learning the ways of the world in terms of his political and constitutional role.
The exhibition is the third annual collaboration between the Barber, the Royal Collection and the University of Birmingham, a partnership that aims to train up early career curators in a professional setting.The exhibition is the third annual collaboration between the Barber, the Royal Collection and the University of Birmingham, a partnership that aims to train up early career curators in a professional setting.
It was due to be a physical exhibition at the Barber, but will now, organised by the students, be open to a far wider audience as the gallery’s first online-only show.It was due to be a physical exhibition at the Barber, but will now, organised by the students, be open to a far wider audience as the gallery’s first online-only show.
The photographs are magnificent and often strikingly beautiful, said Wenley. “Because of the process you get an immense amount of detail in them and one of the great benefits of us going online is that people will be able to zoom in to the images and see that close up.The photographs are magnificent and often strikingly beautiful, said Wenley. “Because of the process you get an immense amount of detail in them and one of the great benefits of us going online is that people will be able to zoom in to the images and see that close up.
“It will be a fabulous opportunity to really appreciate the beauty and technical skill of the images.”“It will be a fabulous opportunity to really appreciate the beauty and technical skill of the images.”
Sights of Wonder: Photographs from the 1862 Royal Tour will be online from 12 June.Sights of Wonder: Photographs from the 1862 Royal Tour will be online from 12 June.