Victorian Photographer William Constable Gets Blue Plaque for First Royal Portrait

A blue plaque has been installed in Brighton to honor William Constable, the Victorian photographer renowned for taking the first known portrait of a British royal, Prince Albert. This plaque was revealed on May 29 at his former studio located at 57 Marine Parade, where he established The Photographic Institution in 1841, shortly after Daguerre's announcement. This recognition stems from a collaborative effort between the University of Brighton and the Smithsonian Institution, which unearthed 130 daguerreotypes captured by Constable from 1841 to 1861. Annebella Pollen, a Professor at the University of Brighton, spearheaded the research with the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. The blue plaque initiative, managed by English Heritage, originated in 1866 and is the world's oldest of its type. In May, another Victorian photographer, Julia Margaret Cameron, was also honored with a blue plaque in London.