Short answers, pulled from the story.
The National Portrait Gallery London opened in 1856 after Queen Victoria approved a sum of £2000 to establish it. Philip Stanhope, 5th Earl Stanhope proposed the idea three times before his third attempt succeeded in the House of Lords.
The gallery selects sitters based on historical significance rather than artistic merit alone. This approach allows works like Patrick Branwell Brontë's painting of his sisters Charlotte, Emily and Anne to hold value despite their modest execution.
The gallery officially opened at its current location on St Martin's Place on the 4th of April 1896. It moved from Exhibition Road where it had been managed by the Royal Horticultural Society since 1869.
John Tempest Dawson shot his wife Nannie Caskie from behind with a revolver before shooting himself instantly in February 1909. His wife died hours later in hospital despite being American nationals who had lived in Hove for about ten years.
The Inspiring People project led to full closure of the gallery from July 2020 until June 2023. Princess of Wales reopened the building on the 20th of June 2023 meeting Sir Paul McCartney whose photography exhibition was the first major show.
On the 14th of July 2009 the National Portrait Gallery London sent a demand letter alleging copyright breach against a Wikipedia editor. The user had downloaded thousands of high-resolution reproductions of public domain paintings and placed them on Wikimedia Commons.