Ernst Becker

Ernst Becker – period of service: April 1851–Januar 1860

Ernst Becker (1826-1888) came from Darmstadt and had studied accounting at the university of Gießen. He received his doctorate in this subject in 1847, after which he decided to study physics under Heinrich Buff and chemistry under Justus von Liebig. Prince Albert had asked Liebig for recommendations for a new private secretary, who in turn recommended Ernst Becker.

But before Becker began his service, he spent five months (from December 1850 to April 1851) in Edinburgh to improve his command of the English language. There he was also introduced to the subject of phrenology by the local doctors George and Andrew Combe. Phrenology, the theory of character reading, which is today regarded pseudo-science, was important in the first half of the 19th century. George Combe was to become the main promoter of phrenology in the entire English-speaking world, and Becker studied with him. He was to prepare a phrenological expert opinion on the heir to the throne Albert Edward, later King Edward VII, because Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were worried about “Bertie’s” mental abilities.

On 11^th April 1851, shortly before the Great Exhibition opened on 1^st May, the young scientist began his service at Buckingham Palace. His duties were as varied as those of his predecessors. From 1854 Becker also took over the science lessons for Victoria’s and Albert’s children.  As a librarian he suggested English and German books for purchase, maintained contact with booksellers, catalogued and marked the books with Albert’s stamp, sent books to be bound, and between 1851 and 1852 began to reorganise the entire library – to make it more user-friendly.

Becker must have been a capable and competent worker, and he was also a passionate photographer. This led Albert to commission him to photograph and run a photo lab. To do so, Albert sent him to Paris in 1855 to study under Louis Daguerre. Becker introduced darkrooms at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace, photographed many members of Albert’s and Victoria’s family and the Royal Household and became a successful photographer. He also worked for the emerging collection of the works by Raphael.

It was Justus von Liebig again who encouraged Becker to return to his scientific career in Germany. From Becker’s letters to his mother, the reader also gets the impression that she preferred to have her son back in Germany. Becker eventually returned in January 1860. In 1862, however, at Albert’s explicit request before his death, he returned to the service of the Royal family and became advisor and secretary to Albert and Victoria’s second daughter Princess Alice (1843-1878), who married Grand Duke Ludwig IV of Hesse and near Rhine on 1^st July 1862.