King Henry VIII

1 portrait of King Henry VIII

© National Portrait Gallery, London

 Like voting
is closed

Thanks for Liking

Please Like other favourites!
If they inspire you please support our work.

Buy a print Buy a greetings card Make a donation Close

King Henry VIII

by Robert Jacob Hamerton, published by Metzler & Co
chromolithograph, 1870
13 3/4 in. x 9 5/8 in. (349 mm x 246 mm) paper size
Given by John Hall, 1972
Reference Collection
NPG D42827

Sitterback to top

  • King Henry VIII (1491-1547), Reigned 1509-47. Sitter associated with 99 portraits.

Artistsback to top

  • Robert Jacob Hamerton (active 1831-1858), Painter and lithographer. Artist or producer associated with 4 portraits.
  • Metzler & Co (active 1833-1866), Musical instrument manufacturer and seller and music publisher. Artist or producer associated with 2 portraits.

This portraitback to top

Sheet music cover for 'Bluff King Hal' by Henry Walker.

Placesback to top

Events of 1870back to top

Current affairs

William Edward Forster's Education Act is passed, making provisions for education for all under-13s. It demonstrated the balance in Gladstone's first ministry between progressive reform and conservativism by spreading literacy, whilst maintaining the status of Church schools.
The Married Women's Property Act gives wives rights over their own earnings.

Art and science

The Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's fantasy-overture Romeo and Juliet, based on Shakespeare's play and written with the aid of composer Mily Balakirev, debuts in Moscow, conducted by Nikolai Rubenstein.
W. G. Grace becomes cricket captain of Gloucestershire, marking the start of a successful decade for the club in which they won three 'Champion County' titles.

International

Isaac Butt, an Irish MP at Westminster, forms the Home Rule Association.
The Franco-Prussian war breaks out between France and a coalition of German states led by Prussia. Provoked by the candidacy of German Prince Leopold Hohenzollen-Sigmaringen for the Spanish throne, France declared war in July after Bismark published the deliberately provocative Ems telegraph, in which the French were represented in an offensive light on the issue.

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.

John Culme

04 February 2020, 07:25

This music sheet for Henry Walker's 'Bluff King Hal,' published by Metzler & Co. dates from early 1870.
'THE COMIC SONG OF 1870. There has been a good deal of rubbish talked about the Comic Songs of to-day, which are supposed not to be as comic as the whack-row-de-dow and fol-de-dol comicalities of a former period. . . . Mr. Alfred Lee's music is always so bright and sparking, we must not complain if the words of ''The Grecian Band'' ([published by] SHEARD), and ''Down in a Diving-Bell'' (HOPWOOD & CREW), are not quite as funny as they might be. ''Bluff King Hal'' (METZLER), we must confess we do not see any point in. . . .' (Judy, or the London Serio-Comic Journal, London, 2 March 1870, p. 179b)