Princess Beatrice (1857-1944), later Princess Henry of Battenberg

Heinrich von Angeli's 1875 portrait of Princess Beatrice — Queen Victoria's youngest child — was painted during the period when von Angeli had become the favored portraitist of the British royal family. Queen Victoria admired his work enormously and commissioned numerous portraits of herself and her family from him across more than two decades. Beatrice, then 17-18 years old, would eventually become her mother's closest companion and secretary, remaining at court throughout Victoria's widowhood. This portrait at Buckingham Palace joins a substantial group of von Angeli's royal portraits in the Royal Collection.

Von Angeli renders the young Princess with sympathetic attention to her youth and somewhat reserved demeanor. His technique in this royal portrait combines the careful finish demanded by court portraiture with a degree of warmth and individuality in the face.