UK, Portraits and Photographs, 1547-2018

General collection information

Once you’ve found your ancestor’s portrait, you can buy a copy here: https://www.npg.org.uk/shop/npgprints/

This collection contains portraits in a variety of mediums, including paintings, photographs, sculptures, drawings and prints. The National Portrait Gallery showcases the work of many acclaimed artists and photographers but portraits in the Collection are selected primarily for their subject matter and the sitter’s importance to British culture and history. As well as many iconic portraits of famous figures, the Collection includes images of individuals from all walks of life and other artworks and reference materials which help to tell the story of British history through people’s stories.

Using the collection

This collection may include the following information:

• Portrait title
• Name of subject (informally known as “sitter”)
• Birth and death dates of subject
• Name of artist
• Date the portrait was created
• Brief biography of the subject
• Portrait medium
• Reference number

While most portraits in the collection are well documented, not all of the portrait sitters are known. If you think your family member is the subject of an anonymous portrait, check the date and location of the portrait to see if it matches your ancestor’s history.

Collection in context

The National Portrait Gallery was founded in 1856 as a portrait collection of ‘the most eminent persons in British history’, over time it has broadened the categories of achievement acknowledged and now aims to represents all fields of contemporary activity. Today the Gallery encourages the appreciation and understanding of the people who have made and are making British history and culture and promotes engagement with portraiture to a wide-ranging public by sharing the world’s largest collection of portraits.

The Gallery was originally located at 29 Great George Street in Westminster and moved to Exhibition Road and then to Bethnal Green before settling in its current location at St. Martin’s Place in 1896. The Gallery was expanded in 1933 and again in 2000. In 2020 the Gallery closed and reopened in June 2023 following its Inspiring People redevelopment project, which transformed the building, including a complete refurbishment and a new learning centre.

Bibliography

Art UK. “National Portrait Gallery.” Last Modified 1 September 2019. https://artuk.org/visit/venues/national-portrait-gallery-london-6228

National Portrait Gallery. “Gallery History.” Last Modified June 2021. https://www.npg.org.uk/about/organisation/history#:~:text=The%20National%20Portrait%20Gallery%20was,to%20enter%20the%20Gallery's%20collection

National Portrait Gallery. “People & Portraits.” Last Modified 15 June 2021. https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/