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The Gallery holds the most extensive collection of portraits in the world. Search over 215,000 works, 150,000 of which are illustrated from the 16th Century to the present day.

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Pioneers


64 People in group

Robert Adamson

Robert Adamson

1821-1848
Pioneer photographer
Sitter in 3 portraits | Artist associated with 382 portraits
Sir John William Alcock

Sir John William Alcock

1892-1919
Aviator and RAF Captain; pilot of the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic
Sitter in 1 portrait
Charles Babbage

Charles Babbage

1791-1871
Mathematician and computer pioneer
Sitter in 5 portraits
John Logie Baird

John Logie Baird

1888-1946
Television pioneer
Sitter in 25 portraits
Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater

Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater

1736-1803
Pioneer of inland waterways
Sitter in 5 portraits
Julia Margaret Cameron

Julia Margaret Cameron

1815-1879
Pioneer photographer
Sitter in 8 portraits | Artist associated with 114 portraits
Sir George Cayley, 6th Bt

Sir George Cayley, 6th Bt

1773-1857
Pioneer of aviation
Sitter in 2 portraits
Sir Alan John Cobham

Sir Alan John Cobham

1894-1973
Pioneer aviator
Sitter in 28 portraits
Maria Louisa Catherine Cecilia Cosway (née Hadfield)

Maria Louisa Catherine Cecilia Cosway (née Hadfield)

1760-1838
Miniature painter; pioneer of girls' education
Sitter associated with 7 portraits | Artist associated with 3 portraits
John Dalton

John Dalton

1766-1844
Chemist and natural philosopher
Sitter in 15 portraits
Jules-Albert de Dion

Jules-Albert de Dion

1856-1946
Pioneer of the French automobile industry
Sitter in 1 portrait
Robert Edwards

Robert Edwards

1925-2013
Medical researcher; pioneer of IVF conception
Sitter in 1 portrait
Dame Katharine Furse

Dame Katharine Furse

1875-1952
Director of the Women's Royal Naval Service; nurse and nursing administrator; Director of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
Sitter in 11 portraits
Sir Daniel Gooch, 1st Bt

Sir Daniel Gooch, 1st Bt

1816-1889
Railway pioneer and inventor
Sitter in 5 portraits
Hilda Beatrice Hewlett (née Herbert)

Hilda Beatrice Hewlett (née Herbert)

1864-1943
First British female aviator to earn a pilot's licence and businesswoman
Sitter in 1 portrait
David Octavius Hill

David Octavius Hill

1802-1870
Landscape and portrait painter; pioneer photographer
Sitter associated with 22 portraits | Artist associated with 382 portraits
Ada Lovelace

Ada Lovelace

1815-1852
Mathematician and computer pioneer
Sitter associated with 5 portraits
Malcolm McLaren

Malcolm McLaren

1946-2010
Pioneer of punk and manager of the Sex Pistols
Sitter in 2 portraits
Sir Patrick Manson

Sir Patrick Manson

1844-1922
Pioneer of tropical medicine
Sitter in 3 portraits
Guglielmo Marconi

Guglielmo Marconi

1874-1937
Physicist and inventor of wireless transmission
Sitter in 29 portraits