You all know how much I love vintage imagery! You have seen over and over that I share project where I have collected images related somehow, either by a theme, or in fact created as actual sets. And if they are not related initially, I somehow make up ways to combine them and MAKE them related…lol
Some of you also know that I work with research in my full time job. Collecting data, organizing and analyzing is part of what I do to get bread on the table. And I’m proud to say I do it pretty well, well enough to get credit and trust from long time researchers, on the account of my work being precise and reliable.
Well, I have come to think that part of the reason why I love both vintage images and data, is that they can in fact be combined! Several things happening lately have led me onto a path which I choose to call “pretty data”!
I am not sure what direction I will share with you first but a couple of you have access to my genealogy site and you might have noticed that there is some s-t-r-a-n-g-e behaviour going on in there…lol Also a couple of you are trusted pin-friends, and you might have picked up on something cooking too 😉
‘Nuff said: I’m researching European Royalty! I am registering, tracing and recording any genealogical information I can find, originating with Queen Victoria and looking into both her ascendants and descendants up until today!
It did indeed not surprise me that the European Royals are related. Like the Hanovers, the d’Orleans, the Romanovs, the Saxe-Coburg-Gothas, the Mountbattens and the Windsors. But I AM surprised to see how the genealogical links spread out like a fine web entangling Europe for centuries. And the best thing of it all:
There is pictures! Hundreds and hundreds of pictures! Every time I think I’m exhausting a source, I keep coming upon new ones! And to me it does not seem like someone ever tried mapping European Royalty from the picture-perspective!
The first picture I share with you is a painting by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, Queen Victoria with her family in 1846. From left: Prince Alfred, Prince Edward, Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, Princess Alice, Princess Helena and Princess Victoria.
I have been spending the last week gathering my pretty data, but I’ve come to realize I will need help with this project! So if you are interested in The Victorian Era, Belle Epoque and European Royals, AND you know a little bit about genealogy and/or high quality pictures, please let me know, as I’m looking for someone as crazy as me to help out with this project!
I promise you will learn bunches, have fun, and get access to a unique collection of European Royal Imagery!!! And I’m confident there will be many unforgettable images and a couple of fabulous projects to share here on WoW as a result of this, but please forgive me for being a little absentminded while I work on the research 😛
The files I’m sharing have been altered by me! As such, the files are free for your personal use and enjoyment. Go to the folder below to download high quality copies.
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My dear Gunnvor Karita,
What a wonderful idea!
I’m a fan of genealogy,and I colected informations about my ancestors for many years. There is always something that we don’t know about!!
Your project is really a job for many and many hours.
I don’t know if I may help, but I’m gonna try.
For instance, with this ebook about Queen Victoria:
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16965/16965-h/16965-h.htm
Kisses
Alexandra Roldão
YAY!!! I should have thought to ask you about this project before!! Check your email inbox in a bit 😉 xoxoxo
Such a beautiful painting Gunnvor! Your new project certainly sounds like a BIG one and it would be fun, interesting and wonderful to do. I’m certainly nowhere near enough informed or experienced to do anything like it, but I hope it’s a great success and you find your right hand woman/man to assist you! ♥
Thank you Dear 🙂 Yes it is surely big. I’m hoping to find several people to join the project, maybe they can take charge of the individual countries, at least for starters? Please let me know if you are interested 🙂 xoxoxo
I have no idea how to download this picture as it is in a different place than you normally have it. My computer blocks it as everything is in a language I don’t know.
I love this picture. The art work on it is gorgeous.
Good luck on your research. That will take a long time to do. I wish I knew about genealogy, I would love to know about my ancestors. All I know is that that on my Mom’s side of the family we come from the Armstrong clan in Scotland and then they went to Ireland and finally America. My Dad’s family is a mystery to us all. Edwina Brown
Hello Edwina! Thank you for letting me know about the picture! It is in a new folder, and I had managed to paste a wrong link… :-O Please try now, and let me know if it’s working now?
So far I have registered 312 European Royals into my genealogy site, and that covers most of the main lines. But some are still missing, and for others I need more family members. I have focused so far on the sovereigns and their close families. But like I said: I am quite surprised by the extensive pedigree collapse when looking more properly into this… 😛 If you are interested in my project, I sure could need some help with the British Royals, they are one of the biggest families…! Please let me know if you think you could help, I think I can guarantee that you will learn quickly about doing genealogy research…lol xoxoxo
Gunnvor – I truly enjoy you emails and especially this one with Queen Victoria. I visited Kensington Palace (home of Queen Victoria) a few years ago and was just thrilled to see several family portraits there. Although, I live in the United States, my ancestors came from England & Wales and I hold a special place in my heart for royalty.
Thank you so much for sharing your pictures!
Shirley May
Thank you Shirley! Like I just wrote to Edwina, the British part of this research is huge, so I’d love to have more help with that. Although I intend for my project to cover all of Europe, I will be dividing it into countries, to help organize the data, and so my helpers could choose to focus on one country at the time 😛
It is guaranteed that there is always something fascinating going on in your life! As you know, your own family genealogy inspired me to work on my family history. It has been a wonderful, fun, and informative ongoing project. I discovered that my parents are both direct descendants of the same man, a pioneer who came to New France in 1634 to help build settlements. I doubt they knew. This summer we plan to do several grave marker searches in the oldest Quebec settlements, looking for the ancestors. So you have been a very inspiring person in my life, both in artisana and now in this endeavor. Thank you so much!
Dear Dianne! Your help with my family genealogy project proved invaluable for mapping so much! I have made contact with our American relatives and learned so much about them, I will remain always thankful to you for that! And I’m thrilled to hear that you have continued your own research too, you have such an amazing talent for this type of work! (Speaking from someone who makes a living off-of research, although in other fields). If you find yourself short of interesting work, please let me know and I’d be delighted to include you in my pretty data project… 😉 xoxoxo
I wish you every good luck with this project Guvnor. I love to see how everyone is connected. I’m a true royal fan and especially around the times of Victoria and even going back as far as Hery VIII. I also love European royalty. I am not good enough to help you though I’m sorry.
All the very best, you do a fantastic job and are wonderful with all you share
Thank you Roslyn 🙂 You Australians probably have a bit of royal fever of your own, after last years vist of the Cambridge’s and the current vist of Prince Harry…? lol I doubt that I will go back further than Victoria here on WoW, but I have collected some of that data for my genealogy project, to tie her in with even more European Royalty 😉 But my main interest is the imagery, genealogy is such a great way of categorizing and connecting the images 😀 xoxoxo
Meant to say I live in Australia 😀