Recording Raphael
Prince Albert's visionary project
Map & directions
By car
There is no visitor car parking at the Castle, so we recommend you use public car parks in the town centre. Details about parking can be found on www.windsor.gov.uk
By train
The nearest stations are 'Windsor & Eton Central' or 'Windsor & Eton Riverside'. Visit National Rail Enquiries for times and fares.
By coach / bus
Green Line 702 service operates daily services from Greenline Coach Station which is near Victoria station, London.
Surbiton Coaches runs a shuttle bus service between Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Palace from spring to autumn.
Tour companies operate excursions to Windsor Castle from many London hotels. For details, please ask your hotel concierge.
Explore and discuss with our curators as they display examples from the Raphael Collection.
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were early enthusiasts of photography and closely followed the development of the medium. They not only used photography to capture and record personal and pubic moments but they also used the medium to develop the Raphael Collection, a great art-historical resource of 5,000 photographs and prints that survives in its entirety in the Print Room at Windsor Castle today.
While on his Grand Tour in 1839, Albert travelled to Florence and to Rome. From this moment onwards, Prince Albert nurtured a love and admiration of the Renaissance artist throughout his life. He shared this passion with Queen Victoria during their marriage resulting with the two exchanging Raphael-inspired gifts to one another on special occasions such as birthdays and wedding anniversaries.
Prince Albert's mission was to record every known work of art by or after Raphael, from the smallest drawing to the largest fresco, using the new invention of photography as well as reproductive prints to aid both art students and connoisseurs.
This event is part of our bicentenary celebrations for the births of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
