Hunting Party of Dom Luís Filipe, Prince Royal of Portugal. Southern Africa 1907 (11)

This remarkable collection of photographs captures Dom Luís Filipe, Prince Royal of Portugal (1887–1908), during his official tour across Southern Africa in 1907.

The annotations on the reverse confirm the identity of the prince and record the tragic historical footnote that ended the Portuguese royal house: "Assassinated Feb 1908 in Lisbon."

The 1907 Royal Tour of Southern Africa

Royal Goodwill Mission: In July–August 1907, the 20-year-old Prince Royal Dom Luís Filipe (Duke of Braganza) conducted an extensive tour of Portugal's African territories (Mozambique and Angola) as well as neighboring South African territories (including the Transvaal and Orange River Colony).

Springbok Hunting & Motorized Safaris: The photographs record the prince hunting springbok on the open highveld plains. The images feature an early open-top touring car (identified in the handwriting as a "Motor car"), highlighting a transitional era where traditional field shooting began integrating early automotive technology for tracking game across flat landscapes.

Tragic Historical Context: The Lisbon Regicide (1887–1908)

The Shortest-Reigning Monarch: Less than six months after these photographs were taken, on February 1, 1908, King Carlos I and Prince Luís Filipe were assassinated in Lisbon’s Terreiro do Paço by republican gunmen.

Technically King for 20 Minutes: King Carlos was killed instantly. Luís Filipe sustained fatal injuries attempting to defend his family and survived for approximately 20 minutes. Because automatic ascension applied upon the king's death, some historians consider him technically King Luís II during those final 20 minutes before his younger brother, Manuel II, acceded to the throne as Portugal’s last monarch.

Photographic & Material Significance

Ovals & Vernacular Annotations: Formatted as gelatin silver oval-cut prints, these photographs were likely preserved as private souvenirs or given to local hosts/attendants who accompanied the royal party during their South African expedition.

Historical Ephemera: The combination of early motoring history, highveld big game hunting, and the immediate precursor to a major European regicide makes this set an extraordinary historical document of the late Edwardian era in Southern Africa.

Various sizes.

11 photographs, some faded, torn and buckled at the edges, some stains.

R4,500