The Royal Photographs Collection HM The King's Reference Library

Overview

The Royal Photographs Collection is a publicly accessible database of photographs held within HM The King's Reference Library (H.M. Kongens Haandbibliotek), the private library of the Danish monarchy. The collection comprises more than 50,000 photographs spanning from approximately 1845 to the present day, with the majority dating from the twentieth century.

History and Founding

HM The King's Reference Library was established as an institution in 1746 by King Frederik V, who placed the first volume on its shelves during his reign (1746–1766). The library was originally housed at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen. Over subsequent centuries it survived fires and relocated multiple times between Christiansborg and Amalienborg, ultimately settling in its present arrangement across both palaces. The photographic holdings accumulated over the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as members of the royal family acquired, commissioned, and personally created photographs.

Collections and Holdings

The Royal Photographs Collection contains images from the earliest era of photography, with the oldest piece dating to circa 1845. Subjects include palace interiors and furnishings, landscapes, townscapes, horses, uniforms, and exhibitions. Among the royal photographers represented are Queen Alexandrine, Frederik IX, and Queen Ingrid. Prominent nineteenth-century Danish and international photographic pioneers are also represented. Private photographs and personal albums in which royal family members served as photographers form a distinctive part of the holdings.

The broader Reference Library holds approximately 100,000 volumes (from the late 1400s to the present), around 12,000 geographical maps (circa 1650–1900), a collection of drawings and prints, a film collection, a sheet music collection, and several archival collections of private letters and ephemera. The archival holdings also include the substantial collection of polar explorer, writer, and artist Eigil Knuth.

Access and Usage

A searchable online database provides public access to a portion of the photograph collection. Users may download and reproduce images free of charge, provided they credit "The Royal Photographs Collection, The Royal Danish Collection." Some photographs are restricted due to copyright and privacy considerations; access to those items must be requested directly from the library. The library is open to the public with certain restrictions, and the majority of its catalogues are available for online search.

Journalism and Media Relevance

The collection includes extensive newspaper-cutting scrapbooks and press materials documenting the Danish royal family's public life. Access to these holdings requires a substantiated request to the archivist owing to preservation concerns.