# @gettyimages on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CHA8h5dA71t
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/16445806-gettyimages-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/a8ed2d64bc.jpg
- **Posted:** 2020-10-31T16:34:09.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Getty Images (@GettyImages) — https://gondola.cc/GettyImages

## Caption

2020 marks 25 years of Getty Images, although the archives in our care trace a far longer history. Today, gettyarchive explores royal photography. ⁠⠀
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When photography was first introduced to the public in 1839, British monarch Queen Victoria had been on the throne for just two years. By the end of her reign in 1901, the medium had helped usher in the modern age.⁠⠀
Image has always been integral to the monarchy, with photography however, came unparalleled distribution & the suggestion of authenticity, even intimacy. The grand portraits of Victoria as Empress of India can be likened to the Armada portrait of Elizabeth I as an emblem of power, yet Victoria’s presence could hang in any parlour around the world.⁠⠀
The candid portraits released by today’s younger royals are of a tradition established in the 1800s, with Victoria & Prince Albert using the camera to emphasise their strength and values as a family. Available as collectible carte-de-visites, a 19th century phenomenon, portraits of the royal family outlined an aspirational domestic idyll for Victorian society. ⁠⠀
The precedent set for both domestic & ceremonial royal photography, social changes & technical advances of the 20th century saw a more complex relationship evolve between monarchy, access & image. Today, carefully-managed photo opportunities are complemented by official Instagram accounts, the royals once again utilising a popular visual currency to shape public perception.⁠⠀
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The collections of gettyarchive royal contain rare albums of royal photography and original negatives across glass & film, with memorabilia and imagery dating back to the 1600s. For details on our gallery, see the first comment.⁠⠀
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📷: Tim Graham/Tim Graham Photo Library l Frances Sally Day l W. & D. Downey l John Jabez Edwin Mayall l Studio Lisa l Bert Hardy/Picture Post l Hulton Archive l Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images Entertainment l Getty Images l #GettyImages25 #PreservingThePast #GettyArchive⁠⠀
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#royalphotography #thecrown #thewindsors #queenelizabethii #queenvictoria #royalfamily #princealbert #princessdiana #princecharles #duchessofcambridge #princewilliam #royalhistory #gettyimages

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## Tags

princewilliam, royalphotography, preservingthepast, gettyimages, duchessofcambridge, queenelizabethii, princecharles, thewindsors, princessdiana, royalhistory, princealbert, thecrown, royalfamily, queenvictoria, gettyarchive, gettyimages25

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