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This photo was found in the same envelope as a photo of the Prince Imperial, Louis Napoleon, (recently identified on this site by Evargalo) and various other European royals. The photos (seven in all) were recently handed down on the English side of my family.

enter image description here

What I've established so far:

  • The card measures approximately 4 inches (10.16cm) by 2.5 inches (6.35cm) The design on the back (boxes in the corners, the use of a simple crown) means it was printed no earlier than 1873.
  • When this card was printed, the photographers A & G. Taylor only had branches in London, Liverpool and Leeds, so the printing is definitely before 1878.
  • This comment says the Leeds branch opened c.1875; this date seems most likely for the printing of this card given that the font for ‘Leeds’ is different (as if it was added to an existing template). At least three of the other cards in the collection also date from around 1875.

Other than the above, the best clue would seem to be the costume which (I’ve been told by an elderly relative) is probably either North European or Orthodox and was possibly take for a confirmation or some similar event.

As requested/suggested by AlllnOne in his comment, this close up might help:

enter image description here

As before, I'm looking for any information or additional clues which might lead to an identification of the teenager. A definite answer to the main question would be great, but I don't know if there is enough information here for that to be possible.

Failing an ID, I am prepared to accept an answer which gives information on the costume / other details in the photo. Can anyone provide evidence that it is North European or Orthodox (or indeed from somewhere else)?

EDIT

As suggested by Evargalo in his comment, this may be Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia. The dates seem to match quite well (date of photo, date of his birth + possible age in the photo). Can anyone offer any further evidence which might confirm (or refute) this?

Not sure if this will be of any use but (for context), of the seven cards in the envelope, the following five have been positively identified:

The remaining picture is possibly Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll. Although there are no clues at all on dress (damaged photo, only the head is clear), and the date is very approximate (1860-80, no text on front or back), I found a photo which bears a striking resemblance (facial features).

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  • 2
    Fun! Any chance of a sharper photo... would love to see detail on that broach(?). Appears that you took a low resolution photo and then enlarged it.
    – AllInOne
    Sep 6, 2018 at 13:18
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    @AllInOne The original is with my family in France (I'm in the Philippines) and this copy was sent to me. I've just asked for a higher resolution copy. The original photo only measures about 3 inches by 2 inches so I don't know how much detail we'll be able to get.
    – Lars Bosteen
    Sep 6, 2018 at 14:08
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    (btw, no Maharadjah anymore in the mysterious enveloppe ?)
    – Evargalo
    Sep 6, 2018 at 14:45
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    @Evargalo The Maharajah was not in the envelope after all but stuck on the outside. He's still a mystery so I might get back to that one later..
    – Lars Bosteen
    Sep 6, 2018 at 15:08
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    Crucifix is the key, it looks more like Orthodox then Catholic or Protestant, with oversized cross and barely visible body of Jesus. So I'm guessing this is someone from Russian nobility .
    – rs.29
    Sep 9, 2018 at 18:13

1 Answer 1

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It seems unlikely that this is Paul Alexandrovich. The picture here is a verified likeness and there are many differences, given that the age is approximately the same.enter image description here

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    I put the two pictures side-by-side; and they look remarkably similar except for the different hairstyle. Chin, ears, eyebrows, eyesockets, nose, cheekbones all look he same to me.
    – Pieter Geerkens
    Apr 23, 2019 at 19:34
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    @PieterGeerkens In another life I was trained to do facial comparisons. Although they look similar, I can find a few differences. The boy in this photo's mouth appears smaller, and he has attached earlobes while the boy in the question appears to have detached earlobes. Of course, we don't know how accurate the artist was so it's impossible to do truly accurate matching.
    – Carey Gregory
    Apr 23, 2019 at 23:29
  • @CareyGregory: There appears to be a scar, in both pictures, on the (boy's) left cheek extending from the mouth. It is less visible in your picture than on the other, as the aspect is reversed. I believe this is just making the mouth look bigger in the original picture. Likewise the earlobe difference may because the aspect is reversed. Your argument from authority (even when yourself) carries no weight whatsoever - it remains a logical fallacy. In particular, it speaks nothing to how good or accurate you became after your "training".
    – Pieter Geerkens
    Apr 23, 2019 at 23:39
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    @PieterGeerkens I wasn't sure if the anomaly in the drawing was an actual feature or simply a flaw in the drawing due to aging or damage. And in the photo I can't say for sure if that's a scar or simply a shadow. This is not my answer or my photo. Not sure why the aggressive comments you closed with. Unnecessary. I wasn't putting my training out there as some sort of definitive expertise.
    – Carey Gregory
    Apr 23, 2019 at 23:52
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    @DannyMartin : can you please the source of this photo ?
    – Evargalo
    Apr 24, 2019 at 7:03

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