William Ernest Henley
2 of 7 portraits of William Ernest Henley
© National Portrait Gallery, London
William Ernest Henley
by Auguste Rodin
bronze head, 1884-1886
15 1/2 in. (394 mm) high
Given by the sitter's widow, Mrs Anna Henley, 1913
Primary Collection
NPG 1697
On display in Room 24 on Floor 2 at the National Portrait Gallery
Artistback to top
- Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), Sculptor. Artist or producer of 1 portrait, Sitter in 11 portraits.
Linked publicationsback to top
- Edited by Rab MacGibbon and Tanya Bentley, Icons and Identities, 2021, p. 104
- Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 294
- Various contributors, National Portrait Gallery: A Portrait of Britain, 2014, p. 122
Events of 1884back to top
Current affairs
The Third Reform Act further reduces the financial threshold for voters, extending the franchise to all householders in the counties, achieving uniformity with those in the boroughs, and effectively doubling the electorate from 2.5 million to just under 5 million.Foundation of the socialist group, the Fabian Society. The group quickly grows in size, including members Eleanor Marx, George Bernard Shaw and Beatrice Webb.
Art and science
Under the editorship of James Murray, the Oxford English Dictionary begins publication, with the tenth and final volume appearing 1928. The idea for a historical dictionary of the English language had been conceived by members of the Philological Society in 1857, including Frederick Furnivall, and some 800 voluntary readers contributed to the immense project.International
Germany annexes Southwest Africa, Togoland, the Cameroons, and Tanganyike, and launches the scramble for Africa as it becomes the third largest colonial power in the continent. Bismarck also invites the European powers to a West Africa conference in Berlin, which, carving up the map of Africa between them, regulates colonial practice, frees trade and prohibits slavery, formally marking the start of the New Imperialism which would flourish until World War I.Comments back to top
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