Alfred, Lord Tennyson
19 of 93 portraits by George Frederic Watts
- Overview
- Extended Catalogue Entry
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
by George Frederic Watts
oil on canvas, circa 1863-1864
24 1/8 in. x 20 1/4 in. (613 mm x 514 mm)
Given by George Frederic Watts, 1895
Primary Collection
NPG 1015
On display in Room 22 on Floor 2 at the National Portrait Gallery
Sitterback to top
- Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (1809-1892), Poet Laureate. Sitter in 97 portraits.
Artistback to top
- George Frederic Watts (1817-1904), Painter and sculptor; Trustee of the National Portrait Gallery. Artist or producer associated with 93 portraits, Sitter in 43 portraits.
Linked publicationsback to top
- Smartify image discovery app
- Marsh, Jan, The Pre-Raphaelite Circle, 2013, p. 81 Read entry
'He is very swarthy and scraggy, and strikes one at first as much less handsome than his photos', wrote Henry James. 'But gradually you see that it's a face of genius.'
- Marsh, Jan, Insights: The Pre-Raphaelite Circle, 2005, p. 76
- Piper, David, The English Face, 1992, p. 211
- Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 608
- Truss, Lynne, Character Sketches: Tennyson and His Circle, 1999, p. 4
Events of 1863back to top
Current affairs
The opening of the world's first underground railway, with the Metropolitan Railway running trains between Bishop's Street, Padington and Farringdon. Work had begun in 1860, using the 'cut-and-cover' method of construction. The Metropolitan line inspired the construction of other underground railways - the Parisian 'Metro' took its name from the line.The Football Association is founded.
Art and science
Julia Margaret Cameron takes up photography, taking portraits of some of the most celebrated figures of the day, with her romantic style capturing the sense of nostalgia and longing that characterised the age.Kingsley's Water Babies; A Fairy Tale for Children is published, the hugely popular tale of drowned chimney sweep Tom's moral education in the river world of the water babies. It inspired the 1978 film starring James Mason.
International
At an international conference, the Geneva Public Welfare Society calls on the sixteen nations present to form voluntary units to help the wartime wounded. The society, comprised of five Swiss citizens and led by Henri Dunant, who had been deeply affected by the casualties he had witnessed at the Battle of Solferino, became the National Red Cross Societies, adopting the emblem of a red cross on white background.Comments back to top
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