Sir Rowland Hill

1 portrait by Abraham Wivell Jr

© National Portrait Gallery, London

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Sir Rowland Hill

by William Overend Geller, printed by S.H. Hawkins, published by and after Abraham Wivell Jr
mezzotint, published 1 May 1848
19 in. x 14 in. (484 mm x 355 mm) plate size; 19 3/4 in. x 16 1/4 in. (502 mm x 412 mm) paper size
Acquired, 1908
Reference Collection
NPG D35835

Sitterback to top

  • Sir Rowland Hill (1795-1879), Postal reformer and civil servant; initiator of the Penny Post. Sitter in 7 portraits.

Artistsback to top

  • William Overend Geller (1804-1881), Printmaker and painter. Artist or producer associated with 23 portraits.
  • S.H. Hawkins (active 1841-1848), Printer. Artist or producer associated with 10 portraits.
  • Abraham Wivell Jr (active 1848-1865), Painter and draughtsman; son of Abraham Wivell. Artist or producer associated with 1 portrait.

Placesback to top

Events of 1848back to top

Current affairs

Led by Feargus O'Connor, up to 50,000 Chartist members meet on Kennington Common, to form a procession and present another petition to Parliament. Although there was a large military and police presence, the rally was peaceful.

Art and science

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood a group of English painters, poets and critics, is founded by John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Holman Hunt, intent on reforming art by rejecting the artists who imitated Raphael and Michelangelo. Instead, they advocated a return to a close observation of nature, invested with the intense detail, colours, and compositions of Quattrocento Italian and Flemish art, producing works layered with symbolism.

International

Following the fall of the French monarchy, revolutions take place in France, Germany and Italy, provoked by a widespread desire for political independence from repressive regimes, and a range of economic problems which had caused unemployment, food shortages and poverty. Louis Napoleon becomes the first President of France's Second Republic.
The first gold rush takes place in America, after gold is found on the Sacramento river, California.

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