The Chandos Portrait of Shakespeare
The National Portrait Gallery was founded in 1856 and its very first acquisition was the Chandos portrait of William Shakespeare. Painted around 1600-1610, it is the only portrait of Shakespeare with any real claim to have been painted from life. The sitter gazes directly at the viewer with a gold earring in his left ear and an open collar, a far more human and immediate image than the stiff engravings most people associate with Shakespeare. It remains the gallery's most symbolically important work.
The Ditchley Portrait of Elizabeth I
One of the most visually striking paintings in the entire collection, the Ditchley portrait shows Elizabeth I standing on a map of England with a stormy sky behind her and clear sky ahead. Painted by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger around 1592, the portrait is enormous and was designed to project power and authority. The queen's white dress is covered in jewels and her feet rest on Oxfordshire, near the home of the courtier who commissioned the painting. It has become one of the defining images of the Tudor age.
Self-Portraits and Old Masters
The gallery holds important self-portraits by some of Britain's greatest painters. Anthony van Dyck's self-portrait shows the Flemish master who transformed English portraiture during the reign of Charles I. Joshua Reynolds, the first president of the Royal Academy, painted himself in his academic robes. Thomas Gainsborough and William Hogarth are also represented with self-portraits that reveal how these artists saw themselves.
The Bronte Sisters
One of the gallery's most poignant works is a group portrait of Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte, painted by their brother Branwell around 1834. The painting is damaged and Branwell painted himself out of the centre, leaving a ghostly pillar between his sisters. It is the only known group portrait of the three novelists and draws crowds of literary visitors.
Victorian and Modern Highlights
The Victorian galleries contain powerful portraits of figures who shaped the modern world. Charles Darwin, Florence Nightingale and the Suffragettes are all represented. Moving into the 20th century, the collection includes works by some of the finest portrait painters of the modern era. Graham Sutherland's portrait of Winston Churchill, which Churchill famously hated, is part of the collection, along with Lucian Freud's penetrating studies and David Hockney's vibrant canvases.
Contemporary Commissions
The gallery continues to commission new portraits of significant contemporary Britons. These modern works sit alongside historical pieces, creating conversations between past and present that highlight how the National Portrait Gallery differs from the National Gallery next door. Recent commissions have included portraits of scientists, athletes, musicians and activists, reflecting the breadth of British achievement today. The annual portrait competition also brings fresh artistic perspectives to the collection each year.
