Both the Queen and the Prince were enthusiastic printmakers. They received lessons in lithography from Sir William Ross and in etching from George Hayter and Edwin Landseer. Etching, which required a set of different needle points (such as those which belonged to Prince Albert), was a popular pastime and one at which both the royal couple excelled. Family members and pets (among them the Skye terrier, Islay) were frequent subjects, and the etchings were intended for private enjoyment rather than publication; they were printed in small editions for the royal family, and as personal gifts. The royal taste for printmaking, and other artistic pursuits, won praise in the press, with the Art Journal commending ‘the result of royal working together with skilful and willing hands’.