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Samuel Butler

(1835-1902), Artist, writer and traveller

Sitter in 3 portraits
The late nineteenth-century saw the emergence of autobiographical forms that challenged conventions. One of the most significant being Samuel Butler's fictionalised autobiography The Way of All Flesh(1902), an incredibly potent satire of nineteenth-century family values. Butler turned to Darwin's evolutionary theory to interpret his fictional younger self, Ernest Pontifex, and the conflict between father and son. Described as 'one of the great time-bombs of literature', the book remained unpublished for twenty years for fear it would outrage Bulter's family and the Victorian reading public.

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Samuel Butler

by Charles Gogin
oil on canvas, 1896
NPG 1599

Samuel Butler

by Alfred Emery Cathie
quarter-plate glass negative, circa 1888
NPG x19698

Samuel Butler

by Alfred Emery Cathie
glass negative, circa 1888
NPG x19664

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Samuel Butler

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