Denmark Princess Thyra Signed Royal Photo CDV to Author Hans Christian Andersen

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Denmark Princess Thyra Signed Royal Photo CDV to Author Hans Christian Andersen:
$4750.00

For your consideration is an exceedingly rare and historically important original 1867 royal presentation carte-de-visite of Princess Thyra of Denmark (18531933), personally signed by the young princess and presented to the celebrated Danish author Hans Christian Andersen (18051875). Thyra inscribed the mount Thyra af Danmark beneath her portrait and wrote on the verso, For Andersen, 1867. Created when the princess was approximately thirteen or fourteen years old, this exceptional photograph establishes a direct personal association between a daughter of King Christian IX and Denmarks most internationally renowned literary figure.

Measuring approximately 2.5 by 3.75 inches, the albumen photograph is mounted upon its original J. Petersen carte-de-visite card. The photographers elaborate verso imprint identifies J. Petersen, Kgl. Hof-Photograph, or Royal Court Photographer, at Kongens Nytorv 3 beside Charlottenborg in Copenhagen. The portrait shows the young princess standing behind an ornamental balustrade, wearing a light-colored bodice and boldly striped skirt. The recto bears her full presentation signature, Thyra af Danmark, meaning Thyra of Denmark, while the verso carries the personally significant dedication For Andersen, 1867. This is properly described as a carte-de-visite, or CDV, rather than a cabinet card.

Princess Thyra was the youngest daughter of King Christian IX and Queen Louise of Denmark. Her siblings included Frederik VIII of Denmark, Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, King George I of Greece, and Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia. Through the remarkable marriages of Christian IXs children, Thyra stood at the center of the interconnected royal families of Denmark, Britain, Russia, Greece, and Hanover. In 1878, she married Ernst August, former Crown Prince of Hanover and 3rd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, and thereafter resided principally with the exiled Hanoverian royal family at Gmunden, Austria. The present photograph predates that marriage by approximately eleven years and preserves Thyra during the early reign of her father.

The recipient, Hans Christian Andersen, was already one of Europes most celebrated authors when this photograph was presented to him in 1867. Andersen maintained a personal association with the Danish royal court and was known to the family of King Christian IX. His storiesincluding The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, The Emperors New Clothes, The Snow Queen, and The Princess and the Peabecame foundational works of international childrens literature. The intimate wording For Andersen demonstrates that this was not merely a commercially circulated royal portrait but a photograph selected, signed, and presented to Andersen by the young princess herself.

The combination of Thyras youthful portrait, her autograph on the recto, her dated presentation inscription to Hans Christian Andersen on the verso, and the original mount of a Danish royal court photographer makes this an extraordinary dual-association artifact. It provides a tangible link between the Danish monarchy and the author whose stories became one of Denmarks most enduring contributions to world culture. Although other impressions of portraits depicting Princess Thyra survive, a personally signed and dated presentation example inscribed to Hans Christian Andersen is of exceptional rarity and historical importance.

The photograph remains well defined, with good overall contrast and a strong, clearly legible royal signature. Scattered small surface marks and spotting are present within the photographic field, accompanied by light age-related wear to the mount. The verso retains the original J. Petersen photographers imprint, Thyras presentation inscription and date, a large period ink flourish, and later light pencil inventory notations along the right and lower margins, all as pictured. An exceptionally important acquisition for collections devoted to Hans Christian Andersen, Danish royalty, European royal photography, literary history, or nineteenth-century presentation photographs. Guaranteed authentic.