Collecting Raphael in reproduction in the nineteenth century

Abstract

Between 1853 and 1876, an unparalleled corpus of prints and photographs after the works of Raphael was assembled at the instigation of Prince Albert. Such an ambitious endeavour necessitated scrupulous bibliographic research, the assistance of art historians and artists, and international collaboration on a novel scale, as well as the harnessing of nascent photographic technologies. The Raphael Collection, recently digitized, remains a significant resource for the study of the artist’s oeuvre. This article sketches the genesis and development of the collection, considering, among other sources, previously uncited evidence in Queen Victoria’s journal. It then charts the collection’s fortunes after Albert’s death in 1861, drawing on unpublished correspondence between the prince’s librarians and royal courtiers, which illuminates the purpose, physical format and intended audience for the collection and its accompanying catalogue. Finally, it offers the first assessment of the early reception of the Raphael Collection among critics and Raphael scholars.