National Portrait Gallery

National Portrait Gallery may refer to:

National Portrait Gallery (United States)

The National Portrait Gallery is a historic art museum located at 8th and F Streets NW in Washington, D.C., in the United States. Founded in 1962 and opened to the public in 1968, it is part of the Smithsonian Institution. Its collections focus on images of famous Americans. The museum is housed in the historic Old Patent Office Building.

The National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum (with which it shares the building) are the eponym for the Gallery Place Washington Metro station, located across the intersection of F and 7th Streets NW.

History

Founding of the museum

The first portrait gallery in the United States was Charles Willson Peale's "American Pantheon" (also known as "Peale's Collection of Portraits of American Patriots"), established in 1796. It closed after two years. In 1859, the National Portrait Gallery in London opened, but few Americans took notice. The idea of a federally owned national portrait gallery can be traced back to 1886, when Robert C. Winthrope, president of the Massachusetts Historical Society, visited the National Portrait Gallery in London. Upon his return to the United States, Winthrope began pressing for the establishment of a similar museum in America.

National Portrait Gallery, London

The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was the first portrait gallery in the world when it opened in 1856. The gallery moved in 1896 to its current site at St Martin's Place, off Trafalgar Square, and adjoining the National Gallery. It has been expanded twice since then. The National Portrait Gallery also has three regional outposts at Beningbrough Hall, Bodelwyddan Castle and Montacute House. It is unconnected to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh, with which its remit overlaps. The gallery is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Collection

The gallery houses portraits of historically important and famous British people, selected on the basis of the significance of the sitter, not that of the artist. The collection includes photographs and caricatures as well as paintings, drawings and sculpture. One of its best-known images is the Chandos portrait, the most famous portrait of William Shakespeare although there is some uncertainty about whether the painting actually is of the playwright.

Portrait Gallery

A Portrait Gallery is a gallery or museum in which portraits are shown.

This can be a private gallery, however the most prominent portrait galleries are National Portrait Galleries such as

Portrait Gallery may also refer to:

Portrait Gallery (album)

Portrait Gallery is the fifth studio album by the American singer/songwriter Harry Chapin, released in 1975.

Track listing

All songs written by Chapin unless otherwise noted.

Trivia

An early version of "Someone Keeps Calling My Name", done in a folk-rock vein reminiscent of The Byrds, appeared on the obscure 1966 album Chapin recorded with his brothers, Chapin Music!. The main guitar riff (and entire arrangement) in this version is strikingly similar to The Blue Things' equally obscure 1966 track "Doll House."

The album artwork was designed and illustrated by Milton Glaser.

Personnel