Come and party with some of the fabulous hosts, guests and gossips in the Collection of the National Portrait Gallery.
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester by Unknown Anglo-Netherlandish artist oil on panel, circa 1575 NPG 447
As a favourite of Elizabeth I, Leicester was expected to entertain the queen lavishly. The revels that he staged when she visited him at Kenilworth Castle in July 1575 were of a scale and splendour that had never been seen before.
Samuel Pepys by John Hayls oil on canvas, 1666 NPG 211
Samuel Pepys' love of good food and drink is evident throughout his famous diary, from his detailed descriptions of meals to dire warnings about the consequences of wine in the morning
Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne; Henry Clinton, 7th Earl of Lincoln by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt oil on canvas, circa 1721 NPG 3215
Thomas Pelham-Holies, 1st Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne and Henry Clinton. 7th Earl of Lincoln were members of the Kit-cot Club, a political club known for its members' love of drunken revelry.
Elizabeth Carter by John Fayram oil on canvas, circa 1735-1741 NPG L242
A star of the London literary scene in the 1 730s, Elizabeth Carter was on excellent conversationalist, linguist and wit who lived an unconventional, independent life for a woman at the time.
Mary Anne Clarke by Lawrence Gahagan marble bust, 1811 NPG 4436
Mary Anne Clarke was the notorious mistress of Frederick, Duke of York, son of the king and commander-in-chief of the military. During a political scandal in 1809, the public pored over details of her opulent lifestyle.
King George IV after Sir Thomas Lawrence oil on canvas, (1815) NPG 2503
George IV is remembered as one of the most debouched and gluttonous of British royals. Prior to his accession to the throne, his overweight appearance led to him being commonly mocked as the 'prince of wholes'.
Benjamin Disraeli by Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Bt oil on canvas, 1881 NPG 3241
Today, Disraeli is remembered as one of the great Victorian statesmen. But his contemporaries also knew him as a flamboyant dandy, scandalous novelist and master of the sarcastic put-down.
Lady Ottoline Morrell by Augustus Edwin John oil on canvas, 1919 NPG 6095
An unmistakable figure with red hair, turquoise eyes and flamboyant Elizabethan-style dress. hostess and artistic patron Lady Ottoline Morrell appears again and again in the books and visual arts of the early twentieth century.
Natalie Bevan by Mark Gertler oil on canvas, 1928 NPG 6877
Glamorous and charismatic. Natalie Bevan was one of the 1960s' most renowned hostesses, especially in the artistic circles which frequented Boxted House.
Paul McCartney by Sam Walsh oil on masonite, 1964 NPG 6172
Paul McCartney rose to fame with the Beatles in the 1960s. The band were well known for their love of partying and Sir Paul continues to make headlines over four decades later for attending and hosting glamorous events.