Florence Nightingale

© National Portrait Gallery, London

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Florence Nightingale

by Sir George Scharf
pencil, 28 December 1857
5 7/8 in. x 3 5/8 in. (149 mm x 93 mm) overall
Bequeathed by Sir George Scharf, 1895
Primary Collection
NPG 1784

Sitterback to top

  • Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), Reformer of hospital nursing and of the Army Medical Services. Sitter associated with 37 portraits.

Artistback to top

  • Sir George Scharf (1820-1895), Artist and art historian; first Director and later trustee of the National Portrait Gallery. Artist or producer associated with 588 portraits, Sitter in 79 portraits.

Linked publicationsback to top

  • Rogers, Malcolm, Camera Portraits, 1989 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 20 October 1989 - 21 January 1990), p. 13
  • Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 460

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.

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