National Portrait Gallery, London

... in fact, not somebody but everybody! The National Portrait Gallery is full of portraits of more or less famous people, ranging from Princess Diana to Roald Dahl, from Dame Judy Dench (my favourite actress) to some almost forgotten King. While I'm normally not so much into museums, this one was a very interesting experience. I particularly liked the photography exhibition in which renowned photographers have portrayed people. When I was there, there was a temporary exhibition called "An Englishman in New York" which featured portraits of English men and women living in New York.
You could easily spend a whole afternoon in the National Portrait Gallery, but it might be more enjoyable to pick one section at a time.

The Gallery was founded in 1856 to collect portraits of famous British men and women. Explore over 160,000 portraits from the 16th Century to the present day.
Something for everyone here whether you are old or young or from England or overseas.
Admission is free although there is a charge for special exhibitions.

A much unheralded national gallery established in 1856 and the home of the biggest collection of portraits in the world – some 160,000 (although needless to say not all are on display at one given time).

Featuring significant Brits, the collection spans time from Henry VIII to today. From oils, sketches, watercolours to photographs, artists from Holbein to Hockney, Cartier-Bresson to Avedon are all featured in a superb series of themed galleries (actors, politicans, industrialists, musicians etc). With free entry, if you're not interested in 19th century industrialists or politicians, miss them out - no pressure to see it all. And as you can see by the photo, it ain't all stuffy either...

Also hosts some great international exhibitions (although a charge applies).

Opening times: Sunday- Wednesday, 10am-6pm, Thursday & Friday, 10am-9pm
closed 24-26 December
Admission is free except for special exhibitions

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I looked at the portraits in the following sections:

1714-1790 Rebellion To Reform: Late 18th Century

The portraits of those who were responsible in making Britain a world power in the fields of science and industry. As well as James Cook for his three worldwide voyages and Sir Han Sloane whose library formed The British Museum.

1790-1837 Rebellion to Reform: Late 18th to early 19th Century
The Regency in the Weldon Galleries

I saw portraits by various artists of those whom I studied my last humanities course including King George IV (known as Prince Regent); William Wordsworth; George Gordon Byron; Sir Humphrey Davy; John Soane; Wiliam Wilberforce and many more! They were part of the Rebellion to Reform era including Romanticism.

What I liked about the galleries is thare are computer points wheen you can look up more about the characters of the portraits and learn more of the contexts and history. I looked through the Regency Timeline - fascinating!

The National Portrait Gallery is free to visit apart from special exhibitions although donations are always appreciated.

The gallery displays over 1000 portraits of British men and women who have shaped world history to some degree - stretching from the middle ages through to the modern day.

The Collection dates from 1505 through until the present day; in addition to the permanent colelction, there are regular special exhibitions held in the gallery.

The gallery opens between 10am to 6pm, with late opening until 9pm taking place on Thursday and Friday.

There are two eateries - The Portrait Restaurant located on the top floor serving a modern British menu and The Portrait Cafe in the basement serving sandwiches and refreshments.

I'm very fond indeed of the National Portrait Gallery. As you'd expect, the criterion for hanging is who is depicted rather than the quality of the painting qua painting, and there are some very dodgy canvases on display. I am rather fond of bad paintings: they often tell you more about the aethetic of the time in which they were painted than masterpieces.

But for me it's primary attraction are the galleries devoted to contemporary portraiture, which will lay to rest any doubt that figurative painting is alive and well and that a good painted portrait will generally whup the ass of any photograph. Not that all the contemporary efforts are particularly good considered as paintings: Lucien Freud aside, wha is about the Royal family that results in such stunningly mediocre canvases?

The hang is constantly being rejigged, so there's usually something new to look at, and there are generally small temporary exhibitions which are almost invariably of note.

The National Portrait Gallery is 'hidden' slightly round the corner from the rather more imposing National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. It would be a shame to miss it though, as it's very interesting and there is a very brief biography of each subject, so you know whom you are looking at.

Admission is free, except for special exhibitions, which are to be found on the ground floor, along with the contemporary (post 1990) collections.

The first floor covers the period from Victorians up to the late 20th century (subjects from the latter period include Paul McCartney and Margaret Thatcher).

The second floor has Tudor, 17th century, 18th century and early 19th century portraits.

Opening hours are 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. daily, with late opening until 9.00 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays.

The cafe in the basement offers a nice range of sandwiches, salads and cakes.

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Founded in 1856, the National Portrait Gallery was the world's first portrait museum. In 1896, the museum moved to its current location, adjacent to the National Gallery building, off Trafalgar Square. The building itself, with Neoclassical touches, was designed by Ewan Christian who decorated its entrance with the busts of the three founders of the National Portrait Gallery. The museum contains an impressive collection of portraits, photographs and caricatures of historical British figures.