Identification,please

[thijs]

You are right Marc. I will scan later on some pictures of prince Henry.

Prince consort of the Netherlands Henry (born Mecklenburg Schwerin)



His father grandduke Friedrich Franz ll of Mecklenburg Schwerin



His mother grandduchess Marie of Mecklenburg Schwerin ( she was born a princess Schwarzburg Rudolstadt)



His grandmother grandduchess Alexandrine of Mecklenburg Schwerin (born princess of Prussia, she was a sister of the Empress Alexandra Feodorowna of Russia, King Friedrich Wilhelm lV of Prussia, Kaiser Wilhelm l of Germany, princess Luoise of the Netherlands and prince Albert who was married with princess Marianne of the Netherlands). After princess Louise of the Netherlands died (with whom she was very close) she visited her relatives in The Hague many times.

[thijs]

I believe at the time Hendrik wasn't even in the picture,that happened much later,his brother was maybe Emma's ideal,Wilhelmina was only 17 when he died.Hendrik came in the picture after the two ladies,Emma and Marie Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt,agreed that Hendrik was a safe choice.It met some opposition from "Berlin"but,allthough seen as rather "insignificant",Hendrik was approved of by Berlin(read,Willy)who would have given an arm and a leg to see one of his own land the match,but was kept at arms length by both Emma and Wilhelmina.A pushy blabbermouth.

Princess Alice spoke quite frankly about the match,leave it on the safe side and just say she wasn't taken by the Prince.She must have been clairvoyant in a way.

Marianne's children were no match,as Marianne was "seen as an outcast"due to her lifestyle and what good could be expected of her offspring?Marietjes children were not fit to marry a Queen in the eyes of Emma,nor the Tecks,"start-ups" at the time.

Whatever it was that made Emma decide that Hendrik,at that time,was the best and safest choice,remains largely a mistery.But she was a rather poor match-maker,a far cry from her mother,Grandma Waldeck as Princess Alice calls her,always busy with yet another illness,a hypochondriac avant la lettre,who would only leave her bed if she knew she could land her daughters into a "fitting marriage".

There,no doubt must have been lots of suitors,or those that wished so,but the British were ruled out,the Boer war was one reason,(Wilhelmina was strongly pro-Boer's),Willy would have disapproved the other.

Wilhelmina wasn't about good looks only,she was a Queen to be reckoned with from very early on,meaning,a suitor/husband had to keep far from State affairs,they were hers and hers alone,marriages,at that time,were seldom love matches,but ment to maintain the Status Quo between the various(often strongly family connected)States.

All that didn't keep young Wilhelmina from loving Hendrik to bits in,at least,the first decade of their marriage.

Lucien, did you mean duke Friedrich of Mecklenburg Schwerin as a "first" choice for Wilhelmina? If I am not mistatken then this is a picture of him.

[thijs]

A watercolour painting of the costumed ball at palace Noordeinde The Hague 14 March 1862 in the "little ballroom".  A the left in blue dress you see princess Marie (the later furstin zu Wied), next to her, the gentleman in yellow,  prince Henry (son of William ll). The king is in the front of the painting (bearded man with hat, talking to his son the prince of Orange (with glass in his hand) at his right. Behind the King you see queen Sophie with the so called Princesse crown (bridal crown of the Orange family in the 19th century). The queen looks at princess Amalia da Gloria (wife of prince Henry) who stands left of William lll. Princess Amalia was one of the few royal family members of whom queen Sophie was fond of (next to prince Frederick for instance).

[Marc]

Thank you so much for the portraits!They are really great!If you find some more of Henry's ancestors please post them  

[Marc]

[Marc]

Meanwhile I posted one more portrait of Henry's father Grand Duke Friedrich Franz von Mecklenburg-Schwerin!

[Marc]

A friend sent me this portrait which hangs in Luxemburg palace but he didn't know the identity of this person-woman...in the background there is a little castle...

[Marc]

[Marc]

Any help,please?

[regensburg]

It's very difficult to make out the details of the castle. I present a compaison with castles and portraits.




The castle I compare it to is Heldburg (seat of the Saxe-Hilburghausen/Saxe-Altenburg family). The portrait is of Grandduke Adolf 's mother
Luise of Saxe-Altenburg, if it bears comparison with the original.

[Marc]

You have a good eye,thank you!Just one more observation...at that age wouldn't it be more logical for her to be painted in front of some Weilburg castle rather then her family's castle?Just thinking loud...

[Marc]

Maybe this is not Louise since she died in 1825 being just 31 years old...Could this be Adolph's stepmother Pauline von Wuerttemberg?

[regensburg]

The portrait certainly looks older than 31.If it is her she must have had a rough life!

[Luc]

Here is a portrait of the wedding of queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands with prince Henry of Mecklenburg Schwerin. I would like to identify the persons on this painting. Please feel free to help with this!

In the row with the bride from left to right:
Queen Emma, grand duke of Mecklenburg, the bride and bridegroom, Princess Marie (mother of the bridegroom) and grand duke Vladimir Alexandrovitch of Russia (brother-in-law of the bridegroom)

The row behind this from left to right:
Mlle von Gerber
Mlle Davidoff
baroness Snouck
baroness Sloet
Mlle von Bulow
baroness van Ittersum
countess van Lynden van Sandenburg
Mme von Stenglin
baroness van Hardenbroek
Mme Arapoff
mrs van de Poll
countess Groeninx van Zoelen
baroness Rengers
count Dumonceau
baron van Grovestins

At the right of grand duke Vladimir:
reigning princess of Waldeck-Pyrmont
grand duke Boris Vladimirovitch (nephew of the bridegroom)
duke Adolf Friedrich, brother of bridegroom
duchess Paul Friedrich of Mecklenburg
reigning prince of Schwarzburg

Row behind this from left to right:
prince of Wied
princess Heinrich XVIII of Reuss
count of Erbach
duchess Sophie Charlotte of Oldenburg
prince Heinrich of Schonberg
princess Louise of Wied
prince Ulrich of Schonberg

The row at the left of Queen Emma from left to right: (with the backs to us)
prince Albrecht of Prussia
princess Adolph of Scwarzburg
duke Paul Friedrich of Mecklenburg
reigning princess of Schwarzburg
reigning prince of Waldeck (brother of Queen Emma)
duke Paul Friedrich of Mecklenburg (son of Paul Friedrich)
princess of Bentheim (sister of Queen Emma)

The row behind:
prince Heinrich XVIII of Reuss
princess Thekla of Schwarzburg
prince of Bentheim
hereditary princess of Wied
hereditary prince of Wied
grand duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia (niece of the bridegroom)
prince Herman of Schonberg
princess Heinrich of Schwarzburg

[Marc]

While browsing e-bay I found a portrait inscribed as Duchess of Luxembourg in 1889 by Charles de Laboulaye...The first Duchess Adelheid would be (maybe) too old for the sitter and the second one Maria Anna of Braganca would be 28 at the time but married the Duke of Luxembourg in 1893,4 years later than the portrait was painted...Any idea who could this be?