We celebrate the 150th anniversary of the National
Portrait Gallery.
Copyright © 2006 Bruce Tober - All Rights Reserved
|
|
The National Portrait
Gallery was founded 150 years ago. Founded by the biographers
and historians Philip Henry Stanhope, 5th Earl Stanhope (1805-1875); whose efforts resulted in the Gallery's foundation
in 1856; Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-1859) and Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881). |
Stanhope was one who believed in the old saying, if at first you don't
succeed, try, try again. He first introduced the idea for the NPG to the House of Commons in 1846. Failing in the
effort, he tried again in 1852. Failing again, but winning a seat in the House of Lords, he tried for a third
time in 1856.
On 4 March he told the Lords his proposed NPG would be "...a gallery of original portraits, such portraits
to consist as far as possible of those persons who are most honourably commemorated in British history as warriors
or as statesmen, or in arts, in literature or in science". He once again urged the immediate foundation of
the Gallery and with Queen
Victoria's approval, three months after the debate, the House of Commons agreed a sum of £2000 towards its
establishment.
The NPG was formally established on 2 December 1856 with Stanhope as Chairman and Macaulay, Benjamin Disraeli and
Lord Ellesmere as founder Trustees. It was the latter who offered to the nation the so-called Chandos portrait
of Shakespeare, which became the first picture to enter the Gallery's collection. On Ellesmere's death in 1857
Carlyle became a
Trustee.
The NPG's primary criteria was until 1969 that it was to be "about history, not about art, and about the status
of the sitter, rather than the quality or character of a particular image considered as a work of art." It
is also prohibited for a "portrait of any person still living, or deceased less that 10 years, [to] be admitted
by purchase, donation, or bequest, except only in
the case of the reigning Sovereign, and of his or her Consort". The rule was changed to encourage a policy
of admitting living sitters.
National
Portrait Gallery Complete Illustrated Catalogue 1856-1979
was published by
the NPG in 1981 (ISBN: 0 85249 516 1). The catalogue was published according to the blurb, "as a comprehensive
checklist of every painting, drawing, miniature, photograph and work of sculpture in the main collection. All are
illustrated, and the catalogue, with some 5,500 entries,
now forms the largest and most extensive survey of British portraiture extant...."
Books at Star Dot Star offers this book for £34.00 and there's
a full description of this volume here.
 Back to Features Index
|
