1903 German Princess Anne of Lowenstein Photo Cabinet Card CDV Royalty Germany For Sale

For your consideration is an exceptionally rare original Imperial German cabinet photograph depicting Princess Anne of Lwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, photographed by the renowned court photographer Arthur Marx of Frankfurt am Main, executed circa 19031908 during the final decade of the German Empire. Printed as a finely executed silver gelatin studio portrait and preserved on the photographer\'s original deluxe presentation mount, this distinguished photograph captures the princess in elegant Edwardian attire and represents an important, fully identified royal portrait from one of Germany\'s foremost aristocratic families. The identification of the sitter has been conclusively established, making this an authentic and historically significant artifact of Imperial German court society.

The mount bears the prestigious designation \"A. Marx, Hofphotograph\", together with the inscription \"Sr. M. d. Knigs v. England, Kgl. bayr. Hofphotograph etc.\", identifying Arthur Marx as Court Photographer to His Majesty the King of England, the Royal Bavarian Court, and numerous additional European sovereigns and princely houses. The elaborate reverse advertisement further records appointments to Duke Ernst Gnther of Schleswig-Holstein, Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria, the Count of Flanders, and other members of Europe\'s ruling dynasties. Such honorary court appointments represented the highest professional distinction available to photographers of the period and reflected Marx\'s extraordinary reputation among the royal and aristocratic elite. The reverse additionally bears the studio\'s transitional handstamp announcing its relocation to Bockenheimer Landstrae 17, documenting an important period in the history of the Marx studio.

Princess Anne was a member of the illustrious House of Lwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, one of Germany\'s oldest and most distinguished Catholic mediatized princely dynasties. Descended from a lineage extending to the Holy Roman Empire, the family retained the hereditary style of Serene Highness and maintained close dynastic relationships with the royal houses of Bavaria, Great Britain, Austria, Liechtenstein, and numerous other European princely families. In this striking portrait, the princess is depicted wearing an elaborate Edwardian hat and richly detailed fashionable attire representative of aristocratic society during the years immediately preceding the First World War. Although the present print was produced during Arthur Marx\'s later Frankfurt period, the princess\'s youthful appearance suggests the original negative may have been made several years earlier, a practice well documented among leading portrait studios that routinely retained negatives to produce additional prints for distinguished clientele.

Original identified photographs of Princess Anne of Lwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg are encountered only rarely on the public market. This portrait is especially significant when considered alongside the earlier circa 1902 Arthur Marx portrait of the princess, together providing an uncommon visual record of her during the Edwardian period. Whether viewed as an original period sitting or an early studio print from a retained negative, the photograph remains an exceptional example of Imperial German court photography and a tangible connection to the ceremonial world of Europe\'s ruling aristocracy at the twilight of the German Empire.

Condition: Original mounted silver gelatin photograph on the photographer\'s deluxe presentation card. Minor age toning, light foxing to the mount, and expected handling wear consistent with age. The image remains exceptionally sharp with rich tonal quality and outstanding display appeal. Overall, an exceptionally well-preserved, museum-quality royal portrait of Princess Anne of Lwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg by one of Europe\'s most celebrated court photographers.