King William IV
1 portrait of King William IV
© National Portrait Gallery, London
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King William IV
by Sir David Wilkie
oil on canvas, 1837
29 7/8 in. x 24 3/4 in. (759 mm x 629 mm)
Purchased, 1987
Primary Collection
NPG 5917
On display at Kensington Palace, London
Sitterback to top
- King William IV (1765-1837), Reigned 1830-37. Sitter associated with 175 portraits.
Artistback to top
- Sir David Wilkie (1785-1841), Painter. Artist or producer associated with 17 portraits, Sitter in 21 portraits.
Linked publicationsback to top
- Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 664
Events of 1837back to top
Current affairs
The controversial monarch William IV dies of pneumonia in June leaving no legitimate heirs, and is succeeded to the throne by his niece Victoria, one month after her eighteenth birthday.The Registration Act of Births, Marriages and Deaths makes it compulsory for all births, marriages and deaths to be registered at a Registry Office.
Art and science
Dickens's second novel Oliver Twist is serialised in Bentley's Magazine. The story of the orphan Oliver is an attack on the Poor Law Amendment Acts (1834), a highly contentious piece of legislation which abolished outdoor relief, effectively increasing entry in the workhouse. The novel, famously made into a musical in 1968, marks Dickens as an outspoken social critic as well as a highly popular and commercial writer.International
The Russian poet Aleksandr Pushkin is killed in a duel with Baron Georges d'Anthès. Considered the founder of modern Russian literature, Pushkin blended Old Slavonic with vernacular Russian and was the first Russian writer to use everyday speech in his poetry. His works include Eugene Onegin.Tell us more back to top
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