A watercolour showing Emperor Napoleon III and Prince Albert, on horseback in the centre, at the military camp in Boulogne, watching manoeuvres taking place on the right. Staff and military figures are behind them on horseback, plus Life Guardsmen and Blues who accompanied Albert to Boulogne. Signed and dated: George Thomas 1854.

In September 1854 Prince Albert visited Boulogne at the invitation of Napoleon III, who the British had allied with - along with Turkey and Sardinia - in the Crimean War against Russia. It was suggested that Albert's visit to the military camp on the French coast would boost morale and provide a visible demonstration of the solidarity between France and Britain. It was also the first time Albert and the Emperor met, and he dictated a long memo after the visit regarding his host. The following year, the Emperor and his wife made a State Visit to England (see, for example, RCIN 919799) and Victoria and Albert then travelled to Paris (RCIN 920059).

This watercolour was given by Albert, along with two others (see RCINs 920049 and 920050), to Victoria as a present for Christmas 1854. This work was hung at Osborne House.