A watercolour showing the Scots Fusilier Guards in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace cheering and waving their bearskins, watched by the Royal Family on the balcony. Lithographed by E.Walker and published by P.&D. Colnaghi 21 June 1854 (see RCIN 751285).

In anticipation of war with Russia, in early 1854 thousands of British troops received orders to embark for the Black Sea. Queen Victoria recorded in her journal that the 1st Battalion of Scots Fusilier Guards arrived at Buckingham Palace on the morning of 28 February 1854 at her command, where they presented arms and 'gave three hearty cheers, which went to my heart... May God protect these fine men, may they be preserved & be victorious!'.

Like much of Britain, Victoria and Albert followed the Crimean war closely. They engaged constructively with the war effort, with their primary concern being for the welfare of the British soldiers. This empathy is reflected in the many watercolours and photographs relating to Crimean subjects that they collected.

This watercolour was originally mounted in View Album VI. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert compiled nine View Albums during their marriage. These albums contained watercolours and drawings documenting their life together and were arranged in chronological order. The albums were dismantled in the early twentieth century and rebound in new volumes both in a different arrangement and with additional items, but a written record of their original contents and arrangement still exists.