National Portrait Gallery, London

• 1. Founding And Early History

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  In 1856, Queen Victoria approved a sum of £2000 to establish the National Portrait Gallery. Philip Stanhope, 5th Earl Stanhope, had proposed the idea three times before his third attempt succeeded in the House of Lords. The gallery opened its doors at 29 Great George Street in Westminster that same year. Thomas Babington Macaulay and Thomas Carlyle stood as supporters alongside Stanhope during these early legislative battles. Benjamin Disraeli and Lord Ellesmere joined the group of founder trustees who guided the institution's first years. Lord Ellesmere donated the Chandos portrait of William Shakespeare as the very first painting to enter the collection. During its initial thirteen years, visitor numbers grew from 5,300 to 34,500 while the collection expanded from 57 items to 208.

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• 2. Collection Philosophy And Scope

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  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. Curators often find curiosity value outweighs artistic worth in pieces such as the anamorphic portrait of Edward VI by William Scrots. Photographs and caricatures sit alongside traditional paintings, drawings and sculpture within the permanent galleries. Self-portraits by William Hogarth and Sir Joshua Reynolds demonstrate exceptional skill but are not the sole focus. A group portrait of participants in the Somerset House Conference of 1604 serves as a vital historical document. Portraits of living figures became permissible starting in 1969, expanding the scope beyond deceased subjects.

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• 3. Architectural Evolution And Relocations

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  For forty years after opening, the gallery occupied various locations across London before settling at St Martin's Place. The move to Exhibition Road occurred in 1869 under management by the Royal Horticultural Society. A fire forced another relocation to the Bethnal Green Museum in 1885, though distance from the West End proved problematic. Philanthropist William Henry Alexander donated £60,000 plus another £20,000 to fund a new building designed by Ewan Christian. The government provided the site on St Martin's Place adjacent to the National Gallery along with £16,000 for construction. Shillitoe & Son built the Portland stone facade while both architect Ewan Christian and first director George Scharf died shortly before completion. The gallery officially opened at its current location on the 4th of April 1896. Lord Duveen funded the first extension in 1933 which added a wing running along Orange Street.

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• 4. Notable Incidents And Controversies

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  February 1909 saw a murder-suicide occur inside a room known as the Arctic Room. John Tempest Dawson shot his wife Nannie Caskie from behind with a revolver before shooting himself instantly. His wife died hours later in hospital despite being American nationals who had lived in Hove for about ten years. Evidence suggested Dawson suffered from persecutory delusions during this apparently planned attack. The incident gained public attention in 2010 when the gallery archive went online revealing James Donald Milner's personal account of the event. Modern controversies emerged in October 2019 when environmental campaigners drenched themselves in fake oil within the Ondaatje Wing main hall. Their protest entitled Crude Truth targeted BP sponsorship of a collection displayed in the gallery. Three activists covered in black liquid lay down for five minutes before cleaning up after themselves.

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• 5. Modern Refurbishment And Reopening

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  The Inspiring People project led to full closure of the gallery from July 2020 until June 2023. Building works began in 2020 following an announcement in June 2017 that secured £9.4 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Architect Jamie Fobert and Purcell designed the refurbishment while Gilbert-Ash served as main contractor. The total cost reached £41 million adding new galleries, learning spaces restaurants and a public forecourt. Tracey Emin created three bronze doors featuring 45 portraits of un-named women for the new main entrance. The Blavatnik Family Foundation donated £10 million in 2022 creating the Blavatnik Wing on the first floor. Princess of Wales reopened the building on the 20th of June 2023 meeting Sir Paul McCartney whose photography exhibition was the first major show. The gallery accepted a joint acquisition with the Getty Museum in Los Angeles for £50 million shortly before reopening.

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• 6. Digital Rights And Copyright Disputes

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  On the 14th of July 2009 the National Portrait Gallery 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. The gallery claimed it held copyright in digital images due to significant financial investment in creating these digital reproductions. Single-file low resolution images were already available on its website but the uploaded files bypassed software restrictions. In 2012 the gallery licensed 53,000 low-resolution images under Creative Commons licence for non-commercial use free of charge. A further 87,000 high-resolution images became available for academic use under the gallery's own license inviting donations. Around 100,000 images representing one third of the collection had been digitised by this time.

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