National Portrait Gallery: The Collection

A concise panorama of Britain’s most influential individuals, from Elizabeth I to David Bowie

Published to celebrate the reopening of London’s National Portrait Gallery after a three-year redevelopment project, this engaging and inviting book takes the reader on a chronological journey through Britain’s history in portraiture from the Tudors to now, featuring the country’s most impactful and famous individuals—from Queen Elizabeth I to Mary Seacole, and Virginia Woolf to David Bowie. The book is richly illustrated with beautiful paintings, photographs, sculptures, drawings and digital works. This selection of the most popular and recognizable portraits from the collection is accompanied by short chapter introductions that introduce key historical periods, their most exciting figures and their most important historical, political, social and cultural moments. This accessible structure allows the reader to dip into any of the beautiful portraits and their stories, and understand their place in British history.