We are pleased to be able to offer what is probably the most comprehensive collection of original views for sale in the world covering the events from 1897 to 1911. A momentous time of change between the solid and unchanging period of Victoria's reign, when Britain ruled two-thirds of the known world, up to the eve of WWI, after which the old values and prejudices were swept away, never to return.
A brief chronology of the events covered by these views might be useful. Victoria came to the throne in 1837. Her husband, Albert, died in 1861 leaving Victoria consumed by grief. She all-but retired from public life and had to be cajoled back to represent Britain at the height of the greatest empire the world had known (keep the tanks rolling Dubbya you might beat us yet!). Her jubilee in 1887 was a massive event with representatives from all the Empire and the known world. By the jubilee of 1897 she was failing in health but was still paraded for all to see and the event was, if anything, even more lavish than that of ten years before. She just saw in the new century, dying in January 1901. Her son Edward (Bertie) had long been waiting in the wings and, having nothing better to do, had earned himself an unsavoury reputation as a womanizer and gambler. He was due to be crowned on 26 June 1902 but fell ill from peritonitis three days before and was finally crowned on 9 August 1902. There was a great coronation procession in London on 25 October 1902 and many of the views here are from that date. Bertie ruled for only eight years and died on 6 May 1910. His son, George (grandfather of the present queen), was an aimable well-meaning man, displaying the usual in-bred stutter of the British Royal family. He was crowned on 22 June 1911 and a great coronation parade was held the following day. It was his destiny to preside over the carnarge of WWI, the Russian Revolution which saw his cousin the Czar executed, the General Strike of 1926, and the Great Depression. He died in 1936.
Some
of these views are by the eccentric publisher M.E. Wright of Burnley, England.
He published under the 'Excelsior' imprint and was obviously very mean
with his chemicals as most of his views have some degree of fading. Some
of his 'Far East' views are known to be family members dressed in towls
etc. Quirky photography and views that the main publishers didn't get,
so he has to be included. I won't mention the fading again as it is obvious
where it occurs.
Please
note: There are TWO pages to this section - link to second at the bottom
of this one. This page is mainly procession views up to 1902. More unusual,
palace, and 1911 views on the next page.
Size
variation is due to different scanner settings
The
1897 Diamond Jubilee Celebrations
'22. The Scots Greys and Inniskilling
Dragoons'.
Condition 7.
Order #11902.
Price $12.
'24. Battery. Royal Horse Artillery'.
Condition 8.
Order #11903.
Price $15.
'25. Bands of the 12th and
17th Lancers'.
Condition 6.
Order #11904.
Price $8.
Kilburn/Davis 'Canadian Mounted
Troops, Diamond Jubilee, London'.
Condition 7.
Order #11905.
Price $8.
Underwood 'Gun detachment of
the Royal Navy, passing round St Paul's Cathedral, Jubilee Procession,
London'.
Condition 8.
Order #11906.
Price $12.
Underwood 'Waiting for the
Queen, Edgware Road, Diamond Jubilee, London'.
Condition 8.
Order #11907.
Price $12.
Underwood 'Escorts and Equerrys
accompanying the State Carriage, Diamond Jubilee Procession, London'.
Condition 8.
Order #11908.
Price $10.
Underwood 'The Queen leaving
Buckingham Palace in the Diamond Jubilee Pageant, June 22nd 1897'.
Condition 9.
Order #11909.
Price $12.
Underwood 'Duchess of York,
Princess Victoria of Wales, Princess Henry of Prussia and Grand Duke of
Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Diamond Jubilee Procession, London'.
Condition 8/9.
Order #11910.
Price $12.
Underwood 'The Queen, Prince
of Wales and Duke of Cambridge leaving Buckingham Palace in the Diamond
Jubilee Pageant, June 22nd 1897'.
Condition 8.
Order #11911.
Price $12.
Underwood 'Duchesses of Albany,
Connaught, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Princess Henry of Battenburg, Royal
Jubilee Procession, London'.
Condition 9.
Order #11912.
Price $12.
Underwood 'Duchess of York,
Princess Victoria of Wales, Princess Henry of Prussia and Grand Duke of
Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Diamond Jubilee Procession, London'.
Condition 7.
Order #11913.
Price $8.
Underwood 'Their Royal Highnesses
the Prince of Wales and Prince Albert of Prussia, Military Review, Diamond
Jubilee Week, London'.
Condition 7 (slightly light).
Order #11914.
Price $8.
Underwood/Jarvis. 'The Clergy
waiting for the Queen in front of St. Paul's. Diamond Jubilee Ceremonies,
London'.
Condition. Several surface
scratches on left image. Not trimmed at top (bad scan).
Order #11915.
Price $8.
The passing of Queen Victoria in 1901
Underwood 'Life Guards heading
the mournful and historic Pageant through London's hushed but crowded streets,
Victoria's funeral'.
Condition 9.
Order #11917.
Price $12.
Underwood 'Victoria's greatest
conquest, the World's love - Kings, princes and ambassadors honoring the
dead Queen, Funeral Cortege, London'.
Condition 8.
Order #11918.
Price $10.
Underwood 'Queen Alexandra's
carriage following in the mournful Cortege - Queen Victoria's funeral,
London'.
Condition 7 (slightly lighter
section on left image which views out).
Order #11919.
Price $12.
Underwood 'Bearing to rest
the beloved Empress - Queen Victoria, through Britain's sorrowing millions,
London'.
Condition 7.
Order #11920.
Price $12.
Excelsior. 'Gun Carriage, Coffin
and Royal Mourners'.
Condition 8.
Order #11921.
Price $12.
Excelsior. 'The Royal Princesses'.
I almost put this in the 1897 celebrations; then I noticed they were all
in deep mourning.
Condition 4 due to fading.
Order #11923.
Price $4.
Excelsior. 'Gun Carriage bearers.
Officers of the Guards'.
Condition. Around average
Excelsior.
Order #11924.
Price $8.
Underwood 'Royal Yacht "Albert"
carrying Queen Victoria's body to Gosport - H.M.S. "Noble" in background'.
Condition 8.
Order #11925.
Price $12.
Underwood 'The unveiling ceremony
of Queen Victoria's Memorial'. This was on May 16 1911 so this and the
next view are not really in sequential order. There are a couple of other
views of this event on the next page.
Condition. Images have become
unglued and will need refixing.
Order #11926.
Price $8.
Underwood 'The Queen Victoria
Memorial - the veil falling'.
Condition 7.
Order #11927.
Price $10.
Celebrations at the end of the Boer War
Underwood 'Lancers passing
in review - Lord Roberts mounted ahead, June 16th 1902. Aldershot, England'.
Condition 7/8.
Order #11928.
Price $10.
Excelsior. 'Presentation of
medals by H.M. the Queen to Members of the Staffs of Imperial Yeomanry
Hospital'. Presumably dates from this period.
Condition 8.
Order #11929.
Price $12.
Erdmann & Schanz. 'Royal
Reviesw of the Guards returned from South Africa'.
Condition 8.
Order #11930.
Price $12.
Excelsior. 'Monarchs. Rulers
from Nine Kingdoms of Europe'. Not sure when this is dated but is around
1902.
Condition 8.
Order #11931.
Price $12.
Coronation of King Edward VII, August
1902
Underwood 'Edward VII, Scotland's
King, in the kilt of his loyal highlanders, Balmoral Castle, Scotland'.
Bad scan - not trimmed.
Condition 6.
Order #11932.
Price $6.
Underwood 'Edward VII, King
of Great Britain - succeeded to throne January 22 1901'. Bad scan - not
trimmed.
Condition 9.
Order #11933.
Price $12.
Excelsior. 'Westminster Bridge.
Deserted for the Coronation'.
Condition. About average for
an Excelsior view.
Order #11934.
Price $12.
The next
run are all taken from the same vantage point identifiable by the man's
distinctive hat in the left bottom corner. They appear on either Underwood
or Excelsior mounts so they either had an arrangement or there were two
photographers elbowing each other in the stomach.
Excelsior. 'Coronation Procession.
Indian Cavalry'.
Condition 7.
Order #11935.
Price $8.
Excelsior. 'Coronation procession.
General Viscount Lord Kitchener'.
Condition 7.
Order #11936.
Price $8.
Excelsior. 'Coronation procession
of H.M. the King'.
Condition 6.
Order #11937.
Price $6.
Underwood 'Their Majesties
Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, Coronation Procession, London'.
Condition 9.
Order #11938.
Price $12.
Underwood 'Colonel Tinley,
centre, and fellow Indian officers entering Horse Guards Parade, Coronation
Procession'.
Condition 7.
Order #11939.
Price $8.
Excelsior 'Coronation Procession.
Colonial Cavalry'.
Condition. Average for Excelsior.
Order #11940.
Price $4.
Excelsior. 'First Troop of
T.R.H. the Prince and Princess of Wales's Escort.
Condition. Fairly good for
Excelsior.
Order #11941.
Price $8.
Underwood 'Household Cavalry
leading Royal Coach, Coronation Procession, Aug. 9th, Horse Guards, London'.
Condition 8.
Order #11942.
Price $12.
Excelsior. 'Trumpeters. Royal
Horse Guards'.
Condition 4/5 (fading).
Order #11943.
Price $5.
Excelsior. 'Countess of Minto,
Duchess of Devonshire'.
Condition 7.
Order #11944.
Price $8.
Excelsior 'Royal Horse Guards'.
Condition 6 (R/h image needs
glueing down).
Order #11945.
Price $5.
Excelsior 'Crown Colony and
Protectorate Troops'.
Condition. Fairly heavily
creased across left image.
Order #11946.
Price $2.
Excelsior '4th Division, Royal
Horse Guards'.
Condition. Average for Excelsior.
Order #11947.
Price $4.
Excelsior. 'Their Majesties
the King and Queen, Royal Procession'.
Condition 8.
Order #11948.
Price $12.
Excelsior. 'Aides-de-Camp to
the King'.
Condition 6.
Order #11949.
Price $6.
Excelsior. 'Band of the Royal
Scots Greys'.
Condition 4.
Order #11950.
Price $4.
Excelsior. 'State Coach and
Their Majesties the King and Queen'.
Condition 8.
Order #11951.
Price $12.
Underwood 'Prince of Wales'
carriage and Royal Escort leading Coronation Procession, Aug. 9th 1902.
Whitehall, London'.
Condition 8.
Order #11952.
Price $12.
Underwood 'Lord Roberts in
rear, and fellow officers, escorting their King to be crowned, Aug. 9th
1902. Whitehall, London'.
Condition 9.
Order #11953.
Price $12.
Underwood 'Lord Kitchener,
left, Admiral Seymour and General Gaselee, with fellow officers, seen from
Canadian Arch, London'.
Condition 8.
Order #11954.
Price $12.
Underwood 'State Coach of King
Edward entering Whitehall from Horse Guards, seen from Canadian Arch, London'.
Condition 8.
Order #11955.
Price $12.
Underwood 'King Edward's Aids-de-Camp
passing Guard of Honour, Coronation Procession, Whitehall, London'.
Condition 8.
Order #11956.
Price $12.
Underwood 'Royal State Coach
returning from Westminster Abbey, Household Cavalry escorting, Coronation
Day, Whitehall, London'.
Condition 7/8 (light marks
in sky).
Order #11957.
Price $10.
Keystone 'Carriage of the Prince
of Wales returning from the Abbey, Coronation Procession, London'.
Condition. Some spotting in
sky.
Order #11959.
Price $10.
