The Express.
London, England, 1861-08-20 00:00:00

LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, AUGUST 20, 1861.

FINE ARTS.

OF THE QUEEN AND THE ROYAL

FAMILY,
bat year a series of photographic portraits of the
miss now so well known ea earte.de•visite, of the
geese, the Prism Consort, and the various members of the
Royal Family, were published by Mr. Mayall. For their
Publication the Quess of course gave her sanction, and the
gracious madesiseelea has been, as might be expected,
tacitly recopied by an enormous number of
purchasers amass her loviag subjects. Either from
this series having bees wriatidactary or the nega-
tives being no longer available, Mr. Mayall has had per-
mission to take a new and extended series, which is co the
point of publication. We, have had the pleasure to see the
first "impressions" of these, and we are happy to say they
an a great improvement on the first. We cannot be mis-
understood; indeed, our very sentiment of loyalty compels
• I. say candidly that the first series waa Anything but
satifsetari as an specimens of photographic art. Some
allowance may he made for unfavourable conditions of locality
or atasouplisre which may, have bees beyond the photo-
graphic's control ; and the sun, like Old Time, is no
respecter of parsons. But certain it is, the first series were
heavy, black, and cloudy. They had the inevitable defects
of photography eseggeratsd, and ',pickily tilose which
tell most cruelly upon the face. That some of these were
chargeable to the phonographer we must, however, ouspeet,
boo the palpably disproportionate eating of background,
relatively to the figure, io some instances. Mr.
Mayan was one of the first of our photo-
',sphere, and this circumstance, together with
his very obvious show-cases is Regent-street, hays
given him a certain notoriety; but is justice we mesh
say that he has not stood very high as an artistic manipu-
lator, and we were rather surprised at the good fortune
which procured his employment at Buckingham Palace.
We must in fairness add that some of his recent portraits
of public characters have been great advance, and, as we
have already, intimated the new mines of Royal
portraits may rank favourably among the ,in-
numerable cartes -de - risite Dow publishing. The
only objective we have to make to the present photo-
graphs is rather artistic than technical. The very conven-
tional and obtrusive pillar and curtain introduced into
nearly every portrait are sot always well disposed, and in
a few cases, from being evidently arrested contrary to prin-
ciples of art, diminish the effectiveness of the principal
figure. The great charm of these photograph
is that the Royal personages are represented
'without the slightest ostentation, and in' the ordi-
nary employments and attire of domestic life.
The value of the series is also increased by the
variety of pose and peeping of the Queen And Prince
Cos:wort. There are no Use then five separate portraits of her
Majesty. The series also embraces portraits of the Prince
of Wales, the Princes Alfred, Arthur, and Leopold, the
Primseress Alice, Rakes, Leeks, sad Beatrice, the Crown
Prince and Princess of Prussia, wed the Milan ed husband of
the Prince. Alice, the Prism Louis of Reese.