Sir Rowland Hill
- Overview
- Extended Catalogue Entry
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Sir Rowland Hill
by John Alfred Vinter, after Maull & Polyblank
oil on canvas, circa 1879, based on a work published in April 1857
49 3/4 in. x 40 in. (1264 mm x 1016 mm)
Given by the sitter's son, Pearson Hill, 1890
Primary Collection
NPG 838
Sitterback to top
- Sir Rowland Hill (1795-1879), Postal reformer and civil servant; initiator of the Penny Post. Sitter in 7 portraits.
Artistsback to top
- Maull & Polyblank (active 1854-1865), Photographers. Artist or producer associated with 337 portraits.
- John Alfred Vinter (1828?-1905), Portrait painter and printmaker. Artist or producer associated with 21 portraits, Sitter in 1 portrait.
Related worksback to top
- NPG Ax7310: Sir Rowland Hill (after)
- NPG D35837: Sir Rowland Hill (based on same portrait)
Linked publicationsback to top
- Ormond, Richard, Early Victorian Portraits, 1973, p. 225
- Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 303
Events of 1857back to top
Current affairs
Palmerston passes the Matrimonial Causes Act in the face of parliamentary opposition. The act establishes divorce courts, although women, unlike men, are not allowed to sue for divorce on the grounds of adultery.The Manchester Art Treasures Exhibition is held, a follow-up to the Great Exhibition of 1851, although highlighting Britain's private art collections rather than industry and technology. More than 1.3 million people visit the event.
Art and science
Elizabeth Gaskell publishes The Life of Charlotte Brontë, a year after the author's death. The controversial biography consolidates the myth of the Brontë sisters as isolated geniuses living in remote Yorkshire.Illustrator George Scharf becomes the first Secretary of the National Portrait Gallery, overseeing the collection's growth and its several moves around London before a permanent home is established in 1896, the year after Scharf's death.
International
The Indian Revolt was a significant rebellion against the rule of the East Indian Company and a culmination of decades of discontent about British rule. After a year of horrific violence on both sides, the revolt was suppressed. It led to a more involved role by the British government in India, taking over responsibility from the East India Company.Comments back to top
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