HESSE. A high ranking, possibly Royal, German officer photographed in Darmstadt.

A good carte de visite, last quarter of the 19th century, showing a seated high ranking officer photorgraphed in Darmstadt by H. BACKOFEN, HOFMALER & PHOTOGRAPH. The, seated by his wife, could well be a member of the Grand Ducal family of Hesse-Darmstadt, especially as the card is from the Court Painter. The Hesse family had very close links with the British Royal Family, two princesses living with their granmother Queen Victoria after the Prussian invasion in the 1866 war. The late Prince Philip had very strong links to the family too. The officer wears an order which could well be the Order of the Golden Lion. jun7/2