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Thomas Carlyle

(1795-1881), Historian and essayist; Trustee of the National Portrait Gallery

Early Victorian Portraits Catalogue Entry

Sitter associated with 94 portraits
In his 1841 book, 'On Heroes, Hero-Worship and the Heroic in Society', Carlyle claimed 'the history of the world is but the biography of great men.' He believed history was made by great individuals and advocated for the foundation of the National Portrait Gallery. Born in Scotland, Carlyle was influenced by German Romanticism and enjoyed lecturing and writing on German literature, promoting Schiller and Goethe to a British public. In 1834 he moved to London and began writing a history of the French Revolution. A respected historian, his ideas were influential at the time, however during the revolutionary decade of the 1840s he expressed controversial views that were met with widespread disapproval. In 1849 he published a racist essay called 'Occasional Discourse on the Negro Question' voicing his opposition to human rights. When he supported the repressive measures used in Jamaica to suppress the Morant Bay Rebellion, his liberal friends deserted him.

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Thomas Carlyle, by Fay, after  Elliott & Fry - NPG x197261

Thomas Carlyle

by Fay, after Elliott & Fry
albumen cabinet card, circa 1880s (circa 1865)
NPG x197261

Thomas Carlyle, by Julia Margaret Cameron - NPG x18037

Thomas Carlyle

by Julia Margaret Cameron
albumen print on gold-edged cabinet, 1867
NPG x18037

Thomas Carlyle, by Julia Margaret Cameron - NPG x18069

Thomas Carlyle

by Julia Margaret Cameron
albumen carte-de-visite on gold-edged mount, 1867
NPG x18069

Thomas Carlyle, by Julia Margaret Cameron, published by  T. Fisher Unwin - NPG Ax29133

Thomas Carlyle

by Julia Margaret Cameron, published by T. Fisher Unwin
photogravure, published 1893 (1867)
NPG Ax29133

Thomas Carlyle; Ralph Emerson Forbes, by Unknown photographer - NPG x45941

Thomas Carlyle; Ralph Emerson Forbes

by Unknown photographer
bromide copy print, 24 April 1872
NPG x45941

Thomas Carlyle, by London Stereoscopic & Photographic Company - NPG x27576

Thomas Carlyle

by London Stereoscopic & Photographic Company
albumen carte-de-visite, after 1873
NPG x27576

Thomas Carlyle, by (Octavius) Charles Watkins - NPG Ax7643

Thomas Carlyle

by (Octavius) Charles Watkins
woodburytype, 1875
NPG Ax7643

Thomas Carlyle, by (Octavius) Charles Watkins - NPG x5652

Thomas Carlyle

by (Octavius) Charles Watkins
woodburytype, 1875
NPG x5652

Thomas Carlyle, by (Octavius) Charles Watkins - NPG Ax5087

Thomas Carlyle

by (Octavius) Charles Watkins
woodburytype, 1875
NPG Ax5087

Thomas Carlyle, by Charles B. Praetorius - NPG Ax5568

Thomas Carlyle

by Charles B. Praetorius
carbon cabinet card, circa 1876
NPG Ax5568

Authors and Novelists, published by Hughes & Edmonds - NPG Ax132899

Authors and Novelists

published by Hughes & Edmonds
albumen print, published 1876
NPG Ax132899

Thomas Carlyle, by Elliott & Fry, published by  Bickers & Son - NPG Ax27810

Thomas Carlyle

by Elliott & Fry, published by Bickers & Son
woodburytype on album page mount, published 1886
NPG Ax27810

Thomas Carlyle, by London Stereoscopic & Photographic Company - NPG Ax27876

Thomas Carlyle

by London Stereoscopic & Photographic Company
albumen print
NPG Ax27876

Thomas Carlyle, published by James Fraser, after  Daniel Maclise - NPG D2019

Thomas Carlyle

published by James Fraser, after Daniel Maclise
lithograph, published 1833
NPG D2019

Thomas Carlyle, by John Carr (or James Charles) Armytage, published by  Smith, Elder & Co, after  Samuel Laurence - NPG D15737

Thomas Carlyle

by John Carr (or James Charles) Armytage, published by Smith, Elder & Co, after Samuel Laurence
stipple engraving, (circa 1838)
NPG D15737

Thomas Carlyle, by Richard James Lane, after  Alfred, Count D'Orsay - NPG D45950

Thomas Carlyle

by Richard James Lane, after Alfred, Count D'Orsay
lithograph, (May 1839)
NPG D45950

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