See First Official Portraits of Queen Elizabeth From 1952

On February 26, 1952, a mere 20 days after Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the British throne, she granted a photographic sitting with photographer Dorothy Wilding. The 59 photos Wilding took that day of Queen Elizabeth became an essential part of the new monarch's public image, as they were used as on postage stamps, and were sent to British embassies worldwide.

In some photos, the Queen wears single pearl earrings and the South Africa Necklace, a 21st birthday gift from the South African government in 1947.

In other portraits, she wears the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara, which Princess Victoria Mary of Teck (later Queen Mary) received as a wedding gift when she married the future King George V in 1893. Queen Mary then gave the tiara to Princess Elizabeth as a present on her own wedding day in 1947. It remains one of Queen Elizabeth's favorite diadems to this day.

This series was not Wilding's first time photographing royalty; she photographed various members of the royal family—and a young Princess Elizabeth with her family.

24 of the 59 portraits will be on display this summer in celebration of Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee in an exhibit titled "Platinum Jubilee: The Queen’s Accession" in the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace from Friday, July 22, to Sunday, October 2, 2022. The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara will also be on display. Find more information, in cluding how to get tickets, here.

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