John Van Voorst

© National Portrait Gallery, London

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John Van Voorst

by Maull & Polyblank
albumen print, arched top, circa 1855
7 7/8 in. x 5 3/4 in. (200 mm x 146 mm)
Purchased, 1978
Primary Collection
NPG P106(17)

Sitterback to top

  • John Van Voorst (1804-1898), Natural history publisher. Sitter in 1 portrait, Artist or producer associated with 16 portraits.

Artistback to top

  • Maull & Polyblank (active 1854-1865), Photographers. Artist or producer associated with 337 portraits.

Events of 1855back to top

Current affairs

Palmerston becomes Prime Minister, leading a coalition government after Lord Aberdeen loses a vote of confidence over his handling of the Crimean war. Known by the nickname 'Lord Pumicestone' for his abrasive style, Palmerston is the oldest prime minister in history to take up the post for the first time at the age of 71.
Stamp duty on newspapers is abolished, creating the mass media market in the UK as newspapers became more widely and cheaply available.

Art and science

Following a trip through the Holy Land to the Dead Sea, William Holman Hunt begins his symbolically-laden painting The Scapegoat.
John Millais marries Effie Gray, previously John Ruskin's wife, after their marriage was annulled that year.
The social theorist and sociologist Herbert Spencer and philosopher G. H. Lewes, publishes Principles of Pyschology, exploring a physiological basis to psychology.

International

The Fall of Sebastopol in the Crimean war, as Russia retreats, and the exhaustion of the Turkish alliance means the war nears its end. Despite being rebuffed by Florence Nightingale's team of nurses, Jamaican-born nurse Mary Seacole travels to the Crimea, opening a 'British Hotel' for sick and injured soldiers. She gains significant attention and praise for her nursing work.

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