The Sun.
London, England, 1863-06-22 00:00:00

PHOTOGRAPHIC DISLOYALTY.

Passing along any of our fashionable West.end
streets one is surprised to find how intimate our
photographers seem to be with royalty. There is
scarcely an attitude in which the Prince and
Princess of Wales can stand or sit, that these gen-
tlemen have not caught and " registered" for their
own pecuniary profit. In the popular sense at least,
" A divinity cloth hedge a king," which the Court
portrait-painters take care not to violate. A royal
personage, of old, was either represented clad in
steel, " with truncheon based on hip," or clothed in
the imperial purple, with crown and sceptre, or
other insignia of his rank. Let us look into the
first booksellers' windows at the cartes de visite, and
see the modern manner of treating royalty. There
is the " true Prince" in what the police ignobly
term a " billycock hat" and greatcoat, smoking a
cigar to its very flabby last inch. Really, this is a
free and easy style, which proves on what intimate
terms the photographer must have been with his
Royal Highness in order to have taken him in
such an unguarded moment. Then we have his
Royal Highness in a shooting-jacket, his Royal
Highness at a writing-desk, a back view of his
Royal Highness, a side view of his Royal High-
ness, and a view of the same illustrious person seated
on the ground. Really the heir apparent must have
been about and " posed," his arms arranged and his
legs composed so as to form graceful lines, in a man-
ner whits proves that Royalty is nothing better
than a lay figure in the hand of the photographer.
We perceive that our Royal sailor has fallen into the
same manipulating hands. He has no sooner reco-
vered from his fever than he is put through his
paces to suit the purpose of the photographer. He
smiles grimly at us with the bcb of his cocked hat
to the left of his nose—he smiles pleasantly with
the bob to the right of his nose—he grasps his
sword fiercely—he leans upon it elegantly—he comes
before us playing with his hat—he stands at ease
crowned with the same brightly brushed chimney
put. In short, the poor young prince, in his present
weak state,must have been tired out by the wretched
posture-master, who saw in every fresh attitude of
the Royal limbs the making of a good round sum.
As for the poor Princess of Wales,
of
her
s o f
when, we ask,
will she be at rest ? Why not publicly announce
that thejltustrious lady
will
ground
to have still more tender ro
wearing the different iaffpepreenrt ina a series
ere
articles
to touch—the unwarrantable liberties taken with
the affianced pair. Did the Prince clasp the fair
Dane's hand of his own accord, or was this position
on
for w
only a
delicate
arrangementreg
lad tosay
of the
noEnglishman
grapher,uiid has
yet dared so to offend good taste ? Or that jewelled
white hand resting on the shoulder of her fiance
Sorely princesses, of the most gushing nature, do
not do such things in public; and yet no photo-
grapher, one would think, would venture upon such
an arrant impertinence of his own accord. But
whether it be joy or grief affecting• •
the Royal family,
in some way the lens of the camera appears to spy
into it in the most offe • nsive manner. We protest,
on the public behalf, against
the unwarrantable
manner in which those sacred feelings turned
areto
commercial account.