Charles Dickens
1 portrait by The London Joint Stock Newspaper Company
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Charles Dickens
by Daniel John Pound, published by Illustrated News of the World, after John Jabez Edwin Mayall
stipple and line engraving, circa 1855
15 1/4 in. x 10 1/2 in. (386 mm x 266 mm) paper size
Purchased with help from the Friends of the National Libraries and the Pilgrim Trust, 1966
Reference Collection
NPG D42232
Artistsback to top
- Illustrated News of the World (active 1861), Publishers. Artist or producer associated with 18 portraits.
- John Jabez Edwin Mayall (1813-1901), Photographer. Artist or producer associated with 509 portraits.
- Daniel John Pound (1820-1894), Engraver. Artist or producer associated with 92 portraits.
Events of 1855back to top
Current affairs
Palmerston becomes Prime Minister, leading a coalition government after Lord Aberdeen loses a vote of confidence over his handling of the Crimean war. Known by the nickname 'Lord Pumicestone' for his abrasive style, Palmerston is the oldest prime minister in history to take up the post for the first time at the age of 71.Stamp duty on newspapers is abolished, creating the mass media market in the UK as newspapers became more widely and cheaply available.
Art and science
Following a trip through the Holy Land to the Dead Sea, William Holman Hunt begins his symbolically-laden painting The Scapegoat.John Millais marries Effie Gray, previously John Ruskin's wife, after their marriage was annulled that year.
The social theorist and sociologist Herbert Spencer and philosopher G. H. Lewes, publishes Principles of Pyschology, exploring a physiological basis to psychology.
International
The Fall of Sebastopol in the Crimean war, as Russia retreats, and the exhaustion of the Turkish alliance means the war nears its end. Despite being rebuffed by Florence Nightingale's team of nurses, Jamaican-born nurse Mary Seacole travels to the Crimea, opening a 'British Hotel' for sick and injured soldiers. She gains significant attention and praise for her nursing work.Comments back to top
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