69 OF 143 
Arthur W.W. Smith
69 of 143 portraits matching these criteria:
- set matching 'The Watkins album'
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Share this
Arthur W.W. Smith
by Herbert Watkins
albumen print, late 1850s
3/4 in. x 5/8 in. (19 mm x 16 mm) oval
Purchased, 1985
Primary Collection
NPG P301(115g)
Artistback to top
- (George) Herbert Watkins (1828-1916), Photographer. Artist or producer associated with 261 portraits, Sitter in 1 portrait.
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
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.
Nicolas Bellord
14 September 2021, 11:25
I have a framed oval card with numerous signatures. It is headed "Members of the Fielding Club" and at the foot is written "Arthur W.W. Smith 1852". Amongst the signatures (I have added minimal information in brackets):
Arthur Pratt Barker
Shirley Brooks (1816-1874 Editor of Punch)
Guernsey
E Cutler
Edward Smyth Pigott (friend of Wilkie Collins)
John Leech (1817-1864 Illustrator.
Tom Taylor (Playwright and editor of Punch)
Walter Lacy (1809-1898 Actor)
J. Palgrave Simpson (Playwright)
Richard Arabin
H.K.Browne (Phiz 1815-1882)
W.M.Thackeray (Novelist 1811-183)
Daniel O'Connell (Not the liberator but perhaps MP for Tralee)
Albert Smith.
Others but very difficult to decipher!
I have found no trace of the Fielding Club elsewhere. I do not know how this was acquired in my family. There was a Smith married to my Grandfather but I have found no connection. Was there not a Smith who published the Bronte novels?