National Portrait Gallery

The National Portrait Gallery in London is in fact an art gallery that happens to house a collection of portraits of historically famous and important people.  When it opened in the late 1850s, it was the only portrait gallery in the world.  The gallery is located at St. Martin’s Place, near Trafalgar Square, and is adjoined with London’s National Gallery at its side.  

Most of the portraits housed in the National Portrait Gallery were selected on the merits of the person portrayed, rather than the artistry of the portrait itself, though some self-portraits rendered by premier artists are considered masterpieces.  Sculptures, drawings, photographs, and even caricatures are considered suitable for display in the National Portrait Gallery, again, dependant on the significance of the subject.  The National Portrait Gallery is home to the Chandos portrait, perhaps the most famous painting of William Shakespeare in existence today.  There are portraits of the Bronte sisters, rendered by a family member, and a sculpture of Queen Victoria.  Since the late 1960s, the National Portrait Gallery allows portraits of the living, so the collection has expanded significantly in the last forty years.