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William Holman Hunt

1 of 29 portraits of William Holman Hunt

© National Portrait Gallery, London

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William Holman Hunt

by Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Bt
pencil with some wash, 1853
9 1/4 in. x 7 1/2 in. (235 mm x 189 mm)
Purchased, 1985
Primary Collection
NPG 5834

Sitterback to top

  • William Holman Hunt (1827-1910), Pre-Raphaelite painter. Sitter in 29 portraits, Artist or producer of 2 portraits.

Artistback to top

  • Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Bt (1829-1896), Painter and President of the Royal Academy; ex-officio Trustee of the National Portrait Gallery. Artist or producer associated with 43 portraits, Sitter in 76 portraits.

This portraitback to top

Millais' portrait was drawn shortly before Hunt's departure for the Holy Land in January 1854.

Linked publicationsback to top

  • Marsh, Jan, Character Sketches: The Pre-Raphaelites, 1998
  • Marsh, Jan, The Pre-Raphaelite Circle, 2013, p. 30 Read entry

    'Millais has done a pencil drawing of me, which is pronounced very like,' wrote Holman Hunt. 'It is totally different from all other sketches which my friends have done, being unlike a murderer or a beer-drinking pickpocket.' Drawn shortly before he left for Palestine, this portrait was exhibited at Russell Place in 1857 and kept by Millais until 1886, when he gave it to Edith Hunt.

  • Marsh, Jan, Insights: The Pre-Raphaelite Circle, 2005, p. 30
  • Rogers, Malcolm, Master Drawings from the National Portrait Gallery, 1993 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 5 August to 23 October 1994), p. 121
  • Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 321

Events of 1853back to top

Current affairs

Britain and America sign a treaty establishing an International Copyright agreement. Dickens, whose Bleak House is also published this year, was a particularly outspoken critic of these laws, as his works were freely published in America without any protection over copyright or royalties. He had lobbied the American Congress over the issue during his North American reading tour of 1842.

Art and science

David Livingstone makes a six month journey from the Zambezi river to the west coast of Africa.
Harriet Martineau translates The Positive Philosophy of August Comte. A scientific approach to understanding the natural world and human and social relations, positivism has an important influence on the development of the social sciences.
Holman Hunt exhibits his The Light of the World

International

Diplomatic row over Napoleon's call to the Turkish empire to restore Roman Catholic rights in the Holy Land. Russia asserts her role of protecting the rights of all Christians in the Ottoman empire; French and British fleets are dispatched to the Dardanelles. The Turkish sultan, declaring that he will look after the rights of Christians, heightens tension, and the Crimean war begins with Turkey declaring war on Russia.

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