Room 25
The First World War to the Bright Young Things
This room presents two eras: the First World War and the 1920s. The First World War (1914–1918) began as a conflict in southeastern Europe but became a global struggle between European empires. It claimed over 16 million lives, a scale of loss still difficult to comprehend. The war involved and impacted people from all walks of life, as reflected in these portraits. Representing statesmen, soldiers, nurses, munitions workers and artists, they range from grand commemorative scenes to small photographic postcards. After the war, there were dramatic innovations in the arts and technology, and by 1928 women had achieved equal voting rights. A group of socialites known as the Bright Young Things epitomised the decadence of the ‘roaring twenties’, but there was also political instability and mass unemployment, leading to the General Strike of 1926.
Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor (King Edward VIII) as Prince of Wales
by Frank Salisbury
oil on board, 1917
On display in Room 25 on Floor 2 at the National Portrait Gallery
NPG 7006
General Officers of World War I
by John Singer Sargent
oil on canvas, 1922
On display in Room 25 on Floor 2 at the National Portrait Gallery
NPG 1954
Dame Rebecca West (Cicily Isabel Andrews (née Fairfield))
by E.O. Hoppé
chlorobromide print, 30 January 1923
On display in Room 25 on Floor 2 at the National Portrait Gallery
NPG P1696
