An etching showing Victoria, Princess Royal and Albert Edward, Prince of Wales as young children playing around a table in a nursery. The Prince of Wales is shown standing to the right, facing left in profile and holding out a mirror. The Princess Royal is shown seated at the table, facing right in profile. This is a later state of RCIN 816188 and another impression of RCIN 816196. Inscribed below: Albert & Victoria. Inscribed lower left: VR. Invt. Inscribed lower right: Albert Jan. 10. 1843.

Prince Albert's first etching was made on 28 August 1840, under the guidance of Sir George Hayter who was working on his oil painting of the marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert (RCIN 407165) at the time. Hayter was responsible for the acid-biting of all of the early plates but was soon replaced in this task by Queen Victoria's dresser, Marianne Skerrett. The London dealers and publishers Colnaghi & Co. were also used for some of the more complicated plates. A printing press was set up at Buckingham Palace in 1840 by the firm of Holdgate, but some of the royal couple's plates were also printed by a Mr Brown of Castle Street, Windsor, in the autumn of that year.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's first child Victoria, Princess Royal, was born on 21 November 1840. The nursery life of the growing brood of royal children offered the young couple a wealth of inspiration for their own painting, drawing and etching. For the newlywed Queen Victoria and Prince Albert much of the pleasure of etching was derived from working together and a number of their plates were collaborative efforts.

The drawing executed by Prince Albert and used for this etching (RCIN 980024.k) was inspired by an original design by Queen Victoria (RCIN 980024.i).

Scott-Elliott no. 84