Sir Elkanah Armitage

1 portrait by Thomas Agnew & Sons Ltd

© National Portrait Gallery, London

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Sir Elkanah Armitage

by Samuel Bellin, published by Philip Westcott, after Thomas Agnew & Sons Ltd
mezzotint, published 1 January 1855
23 1/2 in. x 15 3/4 in. (598 mm x 400 mm) plate size; 28 1/8 in. x 21 1/2 in. (714 mm x 547 mm) paper size
Given by Messrs Thomas Agnew, 1932
Reference Collection
NPG D7356

Sitterback to top

Artistsback to top

  • Samuel Bellin (1799-1893), Printmaker and draughtsman. Artist or producer associated with 49 portraits.
  • Thomas Agnew & Sons Ltd, Publisher. Artist or producer associated with 32 portraits.
  • Philip Westcott (1815-1878), Painter. Artist or producer associated with 11 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.

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