This exhibition follows the journey taken by the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) in 1862, as he undertook a four month tour around the Middle East.
Seen through the photographs of Francis Bedford (1815-94), the first photographer to travel on a royal tour, it explores the cultural and political significance Victorian Britain attached to the region, which was then as complex and contested as it remains today.
The tour took the Prince to Egypt, Palestine and the Holy Land, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey and Greece where he met rulers, politicians and other notable figures, and travelled in a manner not associated with royalty – by horse and camping out in tents.
On the royal party's return to England, Francis Bedford's work was displayed in what was described as ‘the most important photographic exhibition that has hitherto been placed before the public'.
Address:
The Queen's Gallery
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace Road
London SW1A 1AA
For more details, visit The Queen's Gallery website.
Cairo to Constantinople: Early Photographs of the Middle East
Exhibition
from 07/11/2014 to 22/02/2015
