Facsimile album

Many of the watercolours included in this exhibition were originally pasted into albums. These were dismantled and reorganised in the 1930s – probably because they had become dilapidated, in large part because Victoria frequently looked through the volumes after Albert’s death.

This recreation of one of Victoria and Albert’s original albums was made in the Royal Bindery at Windsor Castle. Its appearance is based on a surviving album of theatrical watercolours compiled by the Queen and Prince and the watercolours included are taken from a list of the contents of one of the albums made c.1910. It aims to show how Victoria and Albert themselves arranged much of their watercolour collection. The accompanying film gives more information about the recreation project.