Richard Graves was an English poet and novelist. Born in Gloucestershire, he was the son of an antiquary of the same name. Graves was a fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, but lost this position ...

This book introduces the reader to the key people who have shaped the history of Britain, its culture and identity, by exploring essential highlights from the National Portrait Gallery’s unrivalled ...

The Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize returns for its 17th year, showcasing the work of talented young photographers, gifted amateurs and established professionals in the very best of contemporary ...

In the 1820s Margaret Gillies was a pupil of Frederick Cruikshank, a Scottish miniature painter. During the first two decades of her career Gillies made large miniature portraits, and some subject ...

The Reference Collection is held in the Heinz Archive and Library and contains more than 70,000 portraits of important and lesser known figures in British history. The majority of these portraits are ...

One of the central figures at the start of the English Revolution. He entered Parliament as an MP in 1621, eight years before Charles I dissolved Parliament. Ship Money was a tax sometimes levied on ...

Italian-born Belzoni moved to England in 1803 where he found work for a time as a strongman, actor and conjuror at fairs and theatres around the country. He travelled to Egypt having persuaded Mehmet ...

Painter and printmaker. Aitchison studied law at Edinburgh and London's Middle Temple before becoming an artist. He started painting in 1950, and in 1952 went on to study at the Slade School of Art, ...

Booking required for school groups only. Please see the School visits page. The Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Award makes a welcome return to the National Portrait Gallery for 2024. The prestigious ...

Antonis Mor began his career as apprentice to Jan van Scorel in Utrecht; by 1540 he was Van Scorel's assistant. After visiting Italy, Mor had joined Antwerp's Guild of Saint Luke by 1547. Two years ...

After his Grand Tour, Robert Adam set up in London as an architect in 1758 with his younger brothers. For the next thirty years his neo-classical designs, his en-suite planning, and his attention to ...