Nasser al-Din, Shah of Persia

1 portrait of Nasser al-Din, Shah of Persia

© National Portrait Gallery, London

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Nasser al-Din, Shah of Persia

by W. & D. Downey
albumen carte-de-visite, 1870s
3 5/8 in. x 2 1/4 in. (92 mm x 57 mm) image size
Given by Algernon Graves, 1916
Photographs Collection
NPG Ax38450

Sitterback to top

Artistback to top

  • W. & D. Downey (active 1855-1940), Photographers. Artist or producer associated with 938 portraits.

Subjects & Themesback to top

Events of 1870back to top

Current affairs

William Edward Forster's Education Act is passed, making provisions for education for all under-13s. It demonstrated the balance in Gladstone's first ministry between progressive reform and conservativism by spreading literacy, whilst maintaining the status of Church schools.
The Married Women's Property Act gives wives rights over their own earnings.

Art and science

The Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's fantasy-overture Romeo and Juliet, based on Shakespeare's play and written with the aid of composer Mily Balakirev, debuts in Moscow, conducted by Nikolai Rubenstein.
W. G. Grace becomes cricket captain of Gloucestershire, marking the start of a successful decade for the club in which they won three 'Champion County' titles.

International

Isaac Butt, an Irish MP at Westminster, forms the Home Rule Association.
The Franco-Prussian war breaks out between France and a coalition of German states led by Prussia. Provoked by the candidacy of German Prince Leopold Hohenzollen-Sigmaringen for the Spanish throne, France declared war in July after Bismark published the deliberately provocative Ems telegraph, in which the French were represented in an offensive light on the issue.

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Kelvin Wilson

03 October 2021, 13:48

This portrait was referred to in an article in the Week´s News of 5 July 1873: ¨On Sunday His Majesty was photographed by Messrs. Downey at Buckingham Palace. The Shah was taken seated in a magnificent chair, wearing the State dress he wore at the Prince of Wales's garden party on the previous day. The front of the coat is covered with diamonds, as are also the scabbard and hilt of the sword. The brilliants are fully and minutely brought out in the negative, and it is said that His Majesty was much pleased with the successful result of the sitting. The Shah went into the dark room and watched with great interest the process of developing the portraits. Another picture was taken of him in a plainer dress, decorated with the Order conferred on His Majesty by the Queen. A great number of the portraits were ordered to be struck off for the Imperial party.¨

Ergo, it was shot on Sunday 29 June, 1873.