BEATRICE (Mary Victoria Feodore, 1857-1944, Princess, Daughter & Companion of Queen Victoria, Princess Henry of Battenberg)

Remarkable Album of  PHOTOGRAPHS and AUTOGRAPH JOURNAL  of her visit to Egypt and the Sudan with her children VICTORIA EUGENIA ('Ena', 1887-1969, Queen of Alfonso XIII, 1909) and LEOPOLD (1889-1922, Captain in WWI in spite of haemophilia), her niece BEATRICE (of Saxe Coburg, 'Bee', 1884-1966, Duchess of Galliera), her Comptroller Lord William CECIL (1854-1943, son of the Marquess of Exeter) and Lady William CECIL (1857-1919, Baroness Amherst in her own right, 1909), Amy PARRATT (d. 1917, daughter of Windsor organist Sir Walter) and Mr Stenhouse, joined in Egypt by her son ALEXANDER ('Drino', 1886-1960, Marquess of Carisbrooke, 1917). The Journal, (sides 42-64, in her clear hand), is rich in observations of people, natural history, architecture, archaeology, recent events and the incidents of travel, informed by the eye of a talented artist. Her Photographs (about 150, sides 1-41) tell in particular the story of the expedition across the desert from Luxor to the Red Sea at Kosêr and back, followed by snapshots in Cairo and of the voyage home, supplemented by 17 full-page studies of scenes she mentions in the journal, by J.P. Sebah and P. Dittrich of Cairo. Attractive cloth binding of repeated rose sprays, label of Theodor Zech of Coburg, 64 sides 13¼" x 10¾", from Osborne Cottage via London, Marseille, Port Said, Cairo, Luxor and Aswân to Khartoum, returning to Marseille and Château Fabron in Nice (belonging to Bee's mother Marie, Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Coburg & Edinburgh), 11th December 1903 - 23rd April spine somewhat worn in places but covers in good condition, short edge tears in the leaves from time to time without loss

Princess Ena said of this trip that her grandmother, Queen Victoria, would never have let her go, and the same may be said of Princess Beatrice herself. The Sudan had only recently been pacified, but the results were showing in many ways, such as the schools and hospitals Beatrice visited. Her brother Arthur had opened the great Nile Dam at Aswân in 1899 (see under 25th January). Hers was not an official or state visit, though the Khedive (Abbas II Hilmi) lent his railway saloon and took her to the opera, and crowds turned out in many places to welcome her with wild horsemanship or local music.
The most 'official' occasions are a review in Khartoum (6th February), and the visit to Omdurman that followed: "Landed some little way beyond, mounting donkeys and camels. We were quite a cavalcade, with 2 splendidly dressed camel men ... holding the one an Egyptian, the other an English flag, preceding us, a mounted guard bringing up the rear with the Royal standard".
The Princess has an amazing appetite for sightseeing. As she journeys along the Nile there are stops for excursions, on donkey or camel, to all the most famous sites, Moslem as well as ancient Egyptian, and many less famous but no less interesting to her. Her guides include Howard CARTER (of Tutankhamun fame, the first Inspector of Antiquities in Upper Egypt) and Georges LEGRAIN (excavator at Karnak), but she seems to have a special rapport with Percy E. NEWBERRY (1869-1949), botanist turned archaeologist, famous for the accuracy of his copying, who was working freelance at this time. (As a youth, Newberry frequently conversed with Sophia Poole, who had lived many years in Egypt). "Mr Newberry explained everything, also Sobkhi Effendi, Inspector of Antiquities in the province ... Drino, Leo, Bee & Ena, were let down by ropes" (Minieh, 7th January). "Dr. Newberry helped me with an Egyptian design for my photograph album" (Assiout, 10th January). See her watercolour decorations on sides 5, 8, and especially 10, with its three drawings, divine, human and a bird in flight. "Mr Newberry left ... to our great regret, he can write and draw hieroglyphics with the greatest ease" (11th January). Newberry joins her expedition across the desert to the Red Sea (29th February - 14th March), and dines "with us" on the party's last evening in Egypt (Cairo, 17th April).
More than once Beatrice joins in the excavations. "Went over to the diggings ... where we sifted a lot of the ground inside the tombs, & got quantities of light blue beads & blue scarabs with wings" (Aswân, 26th March). On another occasion she describes not only the excitement as 5 statuettes are unearthed, "one probably unique", but records their precise identification (Karnak, 21st January).
The Princess is unfussy but meticulous, detailed but never dull. In this journal of well over 20,000 words there are several extended accounts which are accordingly most valuable. She notes all whom she meets, sheiks, soldiers, scholars, one feels she would enjoy meeting them again. Thus "Four native Indian officers ... going to London as Bertie's orderly officers for the season ... all Sikhs", are named in full with their regiments (20th April).
The Princess records architectural details, dynasties, traditions about the Flight into Egypt, dress, landscape, the noise of the crowd, and much more, all with an artist's eye."The pavements ... are quite unlike any other Egyptian designs, resembling more the naturalistic art of Western Asia. [Akhenaten's] mother is believed to have been a Mesopotamian Princess, & it was her influence that brought about the overthrow of the national religion, & the breaking through of the traditional forms of Egyptian art" (Tell el-Amarna, 9th January). "One chamber ... shows the work in various stages of progression, from the red outlined drawings ... to the finished sculpture. Mr Carter & Mr Newberry went with us and explained everything" (Tomb of Seti I, 18th January).
But perhaps the most touching of her accounts are in the Sudan. At Omdurman she hears on the spot first hand accounts of the battle (1898) from the Sirdar (Sir Reginald Wingate) and his officers, including Slatin Pasha and Lord Edward Cecil (son of Prime Minister Lord Salisbury). "The following is more or less what he told me ...", put in her own simple but vivid words (6th February). Earlier she had been told of an engagement in 1897, and of a British officer later challenged by a non-existent sentry, explained by the local people as a frequent occurrence, "... the spirits of the Soudanese soldiers, who fell in action around Captain Sidney, mounted guard over his grave ...". (Abu Hamed, 4th February).
The Princess's own Photographs are chiefly of the old Desert route from Luxor to the Red Sea, used by pilgrims to Mecca, prisoners going to work the mines, ancient Egyptians trading to Punt (Somaliland), and regiments in support from India (sides 1-11). Leopold, Amy Parratt and Mr Stenhouse stay behind in Aswân, but Mr Newberry joins at Luxor. 10 Camel Police and their native officer escort them (side 9). The photos give a lively picture of the journey and of the oases and wells on the way, the jagged mountain passes and narrow gorges, and finally the beach at Kosêr. One photo shows rock drawings at Wady Hammamât (side 4). Lady William's father, Lord Amherst, had repaired and restored the important wells there a few years before. Another shows Lady William feeding a baby camel and another, one just born on reaching Kosêr (side 6). As they return towards Karnak, the desert gradually gives way to more and more fertile land (side 10, this page has fine coloured drawings by Beatrice in formalized Egyptian style). See too the flashlight photo of dinner on their last night, in a tent with patterned hangings (side 11).
Among the fine full-page photographs of Cairo (sides 15-30, 33), all of which relate to the journal, see in particular the entrance to the Khan el-Khalili Souk (the largest in Egypt, side 24), the fretwork balconies and overhanging houses (side 25), the Sinan Pasha Mosque at Boulaq, sides 26 and 27) and the Citadel (side 30).
At the end are Beatrice's further snapshots of Cairo and of the voyage from Port Said past Stromboli back to Marseille, and of Château Fabron, including Duchess Marie, Marie's daughters Bee, Sandra (Alexandra) and Ducky (Victoria Melita), and Beatrice's Ena and Leopold (sides 39 and 41).
ITINERARY
1903
10th December. Leave Osborne Cottage, Isle of Wight for London.
11th December. Board P&O 'MOLDAVIA' at Tilbury.
15th December. Call at Gibraltar.
17th December. Night at Marseille.
22nd December. Night at Port Said. Leave 'MOLDAVIA'.
23rd December 1903 - 2nd January 1904. CAIRO, Ghezireh Palace Hotel.
1904 (Cont.)
3rd - 15th January. Upstream in 'FEROUS'. Nights at Bedreschein (1), Wasta (3), Kolossoneh (1), Beni Hassan (1), Dêr el-Bershêh (1), Tell el-Amarna (1), Assiout (2), Baliana (2), and Keneh (1), with expeditions at each stop.
16th - 21st January. LUXOR.
22nd January. Edfon.
23rd - 26th January. ASWAN.
27th January. Edfon.
28th - 31st January. ASWAN.
1st February. Exchanged 'FEROUS' for 'IBIS', continuing upstream.
2nd February. Abu Simbel.
3rd February. At Wady Halfa exchanged 'IBIS' for train.
4th February. In the train.
5th - 9th February. KHARTOUM.
10th February. In the train, going downstream.
11th February. At Wady Halfa exchanged train for 'IBIS'.
12th February. On board Ibis.
13th -28th February. ASWAN, Cataract Hotel.
29th February - 13th March. Train to Luxor, then camping in the DESERT to Red Sea and back.
14th March - 6th April. ASWAN, Cataract Hotel.
7th April. In the train.
8th - 17th April. CAIRO, Ghezireh Palace Hotel.
18th -22nd April. On board P&O 'Oceana'.
23rd April (- 5th May). Château Fabron, NICE.

Item Date:  1904

Stock No:  55149      £29500

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