2623 - Romanov Dynasty—Tsar Alexander II of Russia, in a Cossack uniform (carte de visite, full-length standing portrait). Saint Petersburg, G. (that is, Heinrich) Denière, (mid-1860s). Vintage. Albumen print, mounted on cardboard. Dimensions: approx. 9.5 x 6 cm.

Romanov Dynasty—Tsar Alexander II of Russia, in a Cossack uniform (carte de visite, full-length standing portrait). Saint Petersburg, G. (that is, Heinrich) Denière, (mid-1860s). Vintage. Albumen print, mounted on cardboard. Dimensions: approx. 9.5 x 6 cm. The reverse of the cardboard bears a gold-embossed, graphically designed mark from the studio of the court photographer “Artist G. Den’er” (Cyrillic). A photograph by this prominent photographer, who made his mark on the history of early Russian photography through his experiments with glass negatives as well as his portrait albums of Russian artists. As a freelance “artist”—a title by which he identified and promoted himself—he was also the personal photographer of Tsar Alexander II and his wife, Maria Alexandrovna. - The cardboard is slightly irregularly trimmed along the length; the photograph has a few spots and a small pressure mark in the upper center of the image; it is minimally rubbed but otherwise in good condition. - Provenance: Formerly owned by Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna (1853–1920), the younger daughter of Alexander II of Russia from his first marriage, Duchess of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; private collection in Switzerland; private collection in southern Germany.