Circulation photo of Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna

A very colorful and rare picture in excellent condition. A portrait visit. Albumin print. The photo is pasted on the branded passepartout of the photo studio K.I. Bergamasco. On the back of the passepartout is a blind stamping stamp of an English dealer. The picture shows the Grand Duchess, daughter of Emperor Alexander II, wife of Prince Alfred Duke of Edinburgh (Queen Victoria's second son) Maria Alexandrovna (1853-1920). On July 22, 1871, she was appointed Chief of the 14th Yamburg Uhlan Regiment, which from that time was called the 14th Yamburg Uhlan of Her Imperial Highness the Grand Duchess (since 1874 – Grand Duchess) Maria Alexandrovna's regiment. Guarantee of authenticity.

Karl Ivanovich Bergamasco (1830, Sardinia[2] - May 1896, St. Petersburg) was a famous Russian photographer of the XIX century, an Italian citizen. Carl Bergamasco arrived from Italy to St. Petersburg in 1848. Upon arrival, he entered the Mikhailovsky Theater, as a chorister in a French troupe, but worked for only about a year.  While still working as a chorister, Bergamasco became seriously interested in photography, which was just becoming fashionable in Russia. Having mastered the basics of this unusual craft, Karl quite consciously made plans to make photography his life's work and a means to a comfortable existence. In 1850, while still serving at the Bergamasco Theater, he opened one of the first "daguerreotype establishments" in St. Petersburg, not far from the Bolshoi Theater. Soon, with his establishment, he moves to Bolshaya Italianskaya. Since 1863, Karl received the right to be called the "photographer of the Imperial Theaters" on the condition that "Bergamasco undertook to make an archive and reference album for the directorate free of charge from portraits of artists in all costumes from new ballets and operas staged on the local stage."  In 1865, the magazine "Photographer" informed its readers that "Bergamasco was appointed photographer of His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich" (the elder). This fact was immediately reflected on the letterheads of Carl Bergamasco. Since that moment, his fame has been constantly growing, Karl Ivanovich has become one of the leading portrait photographers of the capital, a fashionable and expensive master. His works invariably take prizes at European exhibitions: Berlin - 1865, Paris - 1867, Hamburg -1868, Groening - 1869, St. Petersburg - 1870, Vienna - 1873, London - 1874, Philadelphia - 1876.

At this time, his studio Bergamasco is located in the most prestigious area of the city, on Nevsky Prospekt, 12. Bergamasco shows great ingenuity, is not afraid to experiment with light, scenery, and is one of the first to put mise en scene in the frame. The photographer develops his own recognizable style - soft contours, full-length shots. He often undertakes the production of large-format photographs, which implied the use of equally large negatives and complex equipment. The only competitor of Bergamasco in the field of portrait photography of that time can be considered Sergei Levitsky, who, on occasion, always complimented the works of Karl Ivanovich. On July 1, 1891, Karl Bergamasco ceased his activities, which he notified his clients in advance in the newspaper Novoye Vremya.  The scope of his case is indicated by the fact that the advertisement for "photographs of Bergamasco" was paid for several years in advance and continued to be published until 1896. Karl Bergamasco died in May 1896, not having lived a few days before the coronation of Nicholas II, which he was invited to shoot among the few photographers. He was buried in St. Petersburg at the Evangelical Smolensk Cemetery.