National Portrait Gallery Highlights Tour

I was in time for a highlights tour at the National Portrait Gallery. Harry, the tour guide, focused on six pieces:

"Portrait of Mai" is said to be the finest work by Sir Joshua Reynolds. The NPG and the Getty worked together to bring it into public view. It will be shared between the two museums. The price tag was a staggering £50 million.

The Ditchley Portrait, by Sir Henry Lee, is the largest known portrait of Queen Elizabeth I. It was painted to help him win back the queen’s forgiveness after he chose a partner she did not approve of. 

He placed her on a globe to show her power. The sky is shown turning from dark and stormy to brighter skies. This could indicate how Elizabeth had brought the country from difficult times to a more stable, calmer period.

Sir Henry Lee made some adjustments to reality:

• She's shown towards the end of her reign, aged about 60 years old.
• Her skin is clear and without the smallpox scars she tried to cover up with white make-up.
• Her mouth is closed, hiding her decayed teeth.
• She still has her famous red hair – there is no grey or white in it. (She wore wigs as she became older.)
• She is wearing the sort of dress a younger unmarried woman may have worn.  

This portrait of Shakespeare, attributed to the painter, John Taylor, is the only one that can be claimed to have been painted from real life. The white collar is typical of what men of those times would have worn. The painter apparently extended Shakespeare's hair and mustache to be fuller. 

Known as the "Chandos portrait," after a previous owner, it was the first portrait to be acquired by the National Portrait Gallery, when it was founded in 1856. At the bottom above, you can see NPG 1, which indicates this.

This painting of Dame Christabel Pankhurst was first shown at the Women’s Exhibition, organized by the Women's Social and Political Union, in London in 1909. A leading Suffragette, Christabel Pankhurst was the central force behind the Women's Social and Political Union, which was founded by her mother, Emmeline, in 1903 in order to lobby for female suffrage.
 

 

This tapestry is by Michael Armitage and is based on a painting celebrating key workers during the Covid pandemic. It is meant as a tribute to community workers who are largely ignored.

This portrait, showing the wrinkles where it had been folded, was discovered in 1914 by Clement Shorter, lying on top of a cupboard at the home of Rev Nicholls in Banagher, Ireland. It had remained there since Nicholls first moved to Ireland in 1861.

 

 

 

 

A Morning Walk to the Science Museum

 I set off in a drizzle and walked past Kensington Garden. I spied their bike share line-up, which I'm hoping to try while I'm here. I packed my helmet, just in case.

Flower kiosk for cheer on a rainy day.

Gated area around the gardens.

The Albert Memorial was commissioned by Queen Victoria after the death of her husband, Prince Albert at aged 42. It was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott in the Gothic Revival style.

Directly across the street is Royal Albert Hall, a massive concert space, which seats 5272 people. The BBC Promenade concerts, also known as Proms, have been held there every summer since 1941. I attended a concert in the 1980's and will return 40 years later on Monday for another concert.

Down the road was the Science Museum - three floors of history.

Above and below is the actual Russian made Soyuz TMA-19M descent module spacecraft that in 2015 took astronauts Yuri Malenchenko, Tim Kopra and Britain’s Tim Peake up to the ISS and then returned to Earth the following year.

Here's "Puffing Billy," the world's oldest remaining steam locomotive. Built in 1813, it was used to transport coal.

I didn't know a "lathe" was named after an actual person.

Budding's Lawn mower, built to replace the scythe.

Lighthouse with a Fresell lens.

Apollo 10 module and display console. In May 1969, it launched astronauts Thomas Stafford, John Young, and Eugene Cernan, on a lunar orbital mission as a dress rehearsal for the Apollo 11 landing in July 1969.

 

Vickers Vimy, 1919

Gypsy Moth, 1928

Dog racing tote machine.

George Daniels, whose interest in clocks derived, in part, from his early life of poverty and neglect. The clock seemed to symbolize moving forward without outside assistance.

Two spectacular watches by George Daniels.

Breakfast

The selection of AirBnBs in London were astronomically expensive and most had 24 hours cancellations, so as much as I like an "authentic" experience, I decided on a Residence Inn as they feature kitchens and breakfast. I was not disappointed:

 

The day is London-foggy and chilly, which is great weather for exploring.

Arrived!

The flight was smooth, dinner was tasty, and I dozed a bit. Just as we landed, my seatmate, Thalia, and I started talking, and she was fascinating - adventurous and curious - on her way home to Bath after visiting Columbia, South America. She was fine company as we navigated Heathrow baggage claim and found the Uber pick-up spot. 

Next stop was the hotel where my room was not ready, so I checked my luggage and took off for the nearby grocery store, Tesco, where there was a cafe. I had a much-needed health salad and a cappuccino.

 

 

Back at the hotel, the kindly receptionist upgrade my room as my stay is longer than most, and I got settled. Groceries, dinner, and an early bedtime are on the docket for the rest of the day. I'll leave my exploring for tomorrow where I'll be ready for traffic coming from an unexpected direction...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leaving soon for London

I'm flying to London this week. I haven't been back in forty years, so I'm super excited about exploring. I'm bringing along the predictable Top Ten London, since the Top Ten guides have been great.

But I'm also bringing the trusty first edition of the Michelin Guide I used for my very first visit. It's amazing how much information is packed into it. It will be interesting to see if the museum maps are still current after all this time.