Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Bt

© National Portrait Gallery, London

1 Like voting
is closed

Thanks for Liking

Please Like other favourites!
If they inspire you please support our work.

Buy a print Buy a greetings card Make a donation Close

Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Bt

by William Holman Hunt
chalk, 1853
13 1/8 in. x 9 3/4 in. (332 mm x 248 mm)
Given by Leopold George Esmond Morse in memory of his father, Sydney Morse, 1937
Primary Collection
NPG 2914

On display in Room 21 on Floor 2 at the National Portrait Gallery

Sitterback to top

  • Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Bt (1829-1896), Painter and President of the Royal Academy; ex-officio Trustee of the National Portrait Gallery. Sitter in 76 portraits, Artist or producer associated with 43 portraits.

Artistback to top

  • William Holman Hunt (1827-1910), Pre-Raphaelite painter. Artist or producer of 2 portraits, Sitter in 29 portraits.

Linked publicationsback to top

  • Funnell, Peter; Warner, Malcolm, Millais: Portraits, 1999 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 19 February to 6 June 1999), p. 80
  • Marsh, Jan, Character Sketches: The Pre-Raphaelites, 1998
  • Marsh, Jan, The Pre-Raphaelite Circle, 2013, p. 33 Read entry

    'He always looked so beautiful,' recalled Arthur Hughes; 'tall, slender, but strong, crowned with an ideal head and (as Rosetti said) "the face of an angel". ' This portrait, drawn in 1853 for Thomas Woolner in Australia, depicts Millais at the height of his youthful renown. His aquiline features made him a popular portrait sitter, though his lively temperament prevented his posing for very long.

  • Marsh, Jan, Insights: The Pre-Raphaelite Circle, 2005, p. 32
  • Rogers, Malcolm, Master Drawings from the National Portrait Gallery, 1993 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 5 August to 23 October 1994), p. 119
  • Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 430

Events of 1853back to top

Current affairs

Britain and America sign a treaty establishing an International Copyright agreement. Dickens, whose Bleak House is also published this year, was a particularly outspoken critic of these laws, as his works were freely published in America without any protection over copyright or royalties. He had lobbied the American Congress over the issue during his North American reading tour of 1842.

Art and science

David Livingstone makes a six month journey from the Zambezi river to the west coast of Africa.
Harriet Martineau translates The Positive Philosophy of August Comte. A scientific approach to understanding the natural world and human and social relations, positivism has an important influence on the development of the social sciences.
Holman Hunt exhibits his The Light of the World

International

Diplomatic row over Napoleon's call to the Turkish empire to restore Roman Catholic rights in the Holy Land. Russia asserts her role of protecting the rights of all Christians in the Ottoman empire; French and British fleets are dispatched to the Dardanelles. The Turkish sultan, declaring that he will look after the rights of Christians, heightens tension, and the Crimean war begins with Turkey declaring war on Russia.

Comments back to top

We are currently unable to accept new comments, but any past comments are available to read below.

If you need information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service . Please note that we cannot provide valuations. You can buy a print or greeting card of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at around £6 for unframed prints, £16 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Use this image button, or contact our Rights and Images service. We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.