Prince Friedrich Wilhelm (Frittie) and Princess Marie (May) of Hesse-Darmstadt

[princessalice]

ella, i,too, that that was Frittie!!! oh, i envy you having that wonderful picuture!  i hope to find one someday for my own collection!!!

[grandduchessella]

I am tickled about it. It never even occurred to me to study in--I just took it at face value. I hadn't looked at it in a long time--it was in storage because our base housing is so small but was out because I need to go through all my stuff before we move again and get rid of stuff--not royalty stuff though!    Then it's up to my Mom's and the lockbox. So at the time (a few years ago) I hadn't seen enough photos of them as children to have said differently. I had bought it in Germany at one of the few places I ventured out to (and I could KICK myself for not going out more now that I'm here in Mississippi) at the dealer there had it marked as Prinz Ernst von Hessen, I think. Anyway, I saw it (or one very similar) on ebay 6-10 mos ago and it was marked as Ernie then too. I wonder if there was a similar picture of Ernie taken? Kind of like how Victoria/Ella wore those cute Hessian outfits and years later Elizabeth of Hesse did as well? So many pictures have children of the same family in the same outfits it can get so confusing! Especially if they're close in age. Sort of the Dagmar vs Thyra thing on another thread.

[Angie_H]

In Charlotte Zeepvat's "QV Family's A Century in Photographs" under the chapter "Illness & Death" there is a picture of Frittie but it is obviously cropped from a larger photo with other people in it. Does anyone have a copy of the complete picture?
Angie

[Angie_H]

Here is the pic of Frittie from Charlotte Zeepvat's "QV Family's A Century in Photographs". Does anyone have a copy of the complete picture?
I would love to see it
Angie

[Angie_H]

Elisa is the best!!!!!
Here's the pic she sent!

I think that is Ella on the left isn't it?
Angie

[grandduchess_ella]

No, Victoria's on the left and Ella on the right. That's one of the few photos of her I think I've seen face on (esp as a girl). Usually her face is slightly turned to one side.

[Angie_H]

GrandDuchessElla I've noticed that too! Many of her photos show her in profile

[Angie_H]

Oh you're most welcome Angie for the photo!!!

It is definitely Ella on the right. The photo was taken by Backofen, and had the inscription beneath it "Victoria, Fritz, Ella,  April 1873". Perhaps someone else who has the book can confirm/disprove it is Princess Alice's handwriting on the photo?

Best wishes Angie!

Elisa
Was Backofen a photographer like Mayall or Disderi?
Angie

[Angie_H]

Elisa I tried to do a Google on Backofen and I didn't get any hits. Even on the German Google

[Angie_H]

Franz Backofen (26.6.1806, Gotha - 27.3. 1881, Darmstadt).
Having been court painter as well as the harpist of the court theatre he founded one of the first photo studios in Darmstadt (1852) and was the most successful there (he got the title "Photographer to HRH the Grand Duke of Hesse" in 1860).
His son Carl (16.2. 1853 - 22.8. 1909) followed him in 1873 after finishing his photographical development in Frankfurt/Main.
After retiring he moved to Bavaria but the Backofen studio was still existing named "Backofen successor" by several photographers (Schicketanz, Brandseph, Schröder).

Thomas like I told Elisa it is very hard to find Backofen on the web which is weird because you can do a search and find Mayall, Disderi
Angie

[Alicky1872]

I think we all can't help but wonder what this sweet little girl would have grown up to have been... May she rest in peace.

[grandduchessella]

(double-checked the original photo to make sure this wasn't Alix--they sure resembled each other)



So sweet that Ernie named his daughter Elizabeth Marie Alice Victoria after all his sisters and his late mother and baby sister.

[Angie_H]

(double-checked the original photo to make sure this wasn't Alix--they sure resembled each other)



So sweet that Ernie named his daughter Elizabeth Marie Alice Victoria after all his sisters and his late mother and baby sister.

GrandDuchess Ella what does the full pic look like?
Angie

[Karentje]

What a lovely picture of darling May!!
I don't think I've seen that one before, where did you find it, GDElla?

[grandduchessella]

Thanks for saving me having to dig through the archives for them! I should've posted the whole thing in the first place. Photos of May and Frittie are so hard to find that when I have a photo I like to blow it up and isolate them so that I have a print for my albums. (I did that with Henry of Prussia jr on another thread). I got the idea from the one of Frittie sitting on the chair and Elisa sent in the complete photo of Ella & Victoria on the other side of him (earlier on this thread).