Source: The Illustrated London News, May 5, 1855
As souvenirs of the visit of their Imperial Majesties the Emperor and Empress of the French, we engrave the accompanying Views of two of the principal apartments prepared for the reception of the Imperial guests, at Buckingham Palace. Hereafter we shall also illustrate "the Imperial Apartments" in Windsor Castle.
is an apartment in the new front of the Palace, facing the Mall, and situated immediately over the centre archway, leading to the quadrangle. This room is nearly square in its proportions, the ceiling is coved and treated in the polychromatic style. The walls opposite the windows are hung with tapestry about a century old; the ends of the room, on each side the fireplace, are panelled with a neat tint; the looking-glasses are richly framed, and extend from the mantelpiece to the cornice. In each corner of the room is placed a lofty porcelain pagoda, brought from the Pavilion at Brighton, as were also many of the other ornaments in the room, and the chandelier. The furniture is of white and gold, with crimson damask covers.
is at the Pimlico angle of the new range of buildings forming the front of Buckingham Palace. It is an elegant apartment, though somewhat incongruous in its style—partly arranged in its decoration to suit the furniture and ornaments which in most instances had once decorated the Pavilion at Brighton. It derives its name of "Yellow Drawing-room" from the wails being hung with amber-coloured satin damask. The curtains are also of the same colour. The chairs, couches, &c., arc white and gold, covered in the same way. The carpet is a deep blue ground, with a yellow and white floral pattern. Two large pagodas fill up the piers between the windows, and two large candelabra occupy the corners. The chimney-piece is of white marble, ornamented with or-moulu and bronze. The niches in the jambs have each a figure of a Mandarin within them, giving the chimneypiece a very quaint appearance. Some exquisite buhl and other tables complete the fittings of this apartment