A gold stanhope containing eight microphotographs of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their children. The photographs include a portrait of Princess Beatrice (RCIN 2907757), a portrait of Princess Alice with her brother the Prince of Wales (possibly RCIN 2900332), portraits of Prince Arthur and Prince Leopold in Highland dress (possibly RCIN 2900363), a portrait of Princess Helena and Princess Louise (possibly RCIN 2143804), among others of the family. It appears all the photographs are by J J Mayall.
Stanhopes developed out of the nineteenth-century fascination for microphotographs. Stanhopes consisted of a small object, similar to a trinket, embedded with a lens to view a microphotograph. The most popular manufacturer of stanhopes was René Dagron, who presented a set of stanhopes to Queen Victoria in 1862.
