Thomas Carlyle
2 of 71 portraits of Thomas Carlyle
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Thomas Carlyle
by Robert Scott Tait
salt print, 1851
4 5/8 in. x 3 5/8 in. (117 mm x 92 mm)
Purchased, 1981
Primary Collection
NPG P171(6)
Sitterback to top
- Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881), Historian and essayist; Trustee of the National Portrait Gallery. Sitter associated with 94 portraits.
Artistback to top
- Robert Scott Tait (1816-1897), Painter and photographer. Artist or producer associated with 18 portraits.
Linked publicationsback to top
- Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 103
Portrait setback to top
Events of 1851back to top
Current affairs
A population census is taken of all the people living in Britain, recording details about every householder on the night of March 30. This census greatly extends the fields of the 1841 census, being the first to record full details of individuals' birth locations, exact age, marital status, and details of disability, thus making it a valuable tool for demographers and genealogists. The census was made open for public inspection in 1912.Art and science
The Great Exhibition is held in London,at the Crystal Palace, especially designed by Sir Joseph Paxton. The international exhibition was designed to showcase the best in science, art and industry. it attracted millions of visitors.Lizzie Siddal poses for John Millais's painting Ophelia.
Hermann von Helmotz invents the ophthalmoscope, making it possible for doctors to examine within a patient's eye.
International
Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, President of the French Republic, stages a coup d'état, successfully dissolving the French National Assembly without having the constitutional right to do so. Now the sole ruler of France, he re-establishes universal suffrage, previously abolished by the Assembly and becomes 'Napoléon III, Emperor of the French'.Comments back to top
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