Expand All | Collapse All

Hall of Fame, National Portrait Gallery, London

Watts believed passionately in the historical importance of his age and nation and in the necessity of recording the likenesses of its most eminent figures. He conceived his idea of a contemporary 'Hall of Fame' around 1850, continued to add to his collection throughout his long life and gave, or bequeathed, the paintings to the National Portrait Gallery.
Watts selected subjects noted for their achievements, and for their intellectual power and vision, drawn from a great variety of vocations. Thus there are statesmen and military heroes like Lord Salisbury and Lord Roberts, poets such as Tennyson and Browning, philanthropists and reformers like John Passmore Edwards and Samuel Augustus Barnett, and also Watts's fellow artists - John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti andWalter Crane. The portraits are consistent in focusing on the head and face of the sitters, rather than dress or accessories, fulfilling Watts's desire to convey a profundity of characterization. (Taken from the National Portrait Gallery website www.npg.org.uk or follow the links opposite).

Choosing by G F Watts at the National Portrait Gallery

This delicate yet sensuous portrait shows the seventeen-year-old Ellen Terry choosing between the camellias, which despite their luscious appearance have little scent, and the violets in her hand which are far humbler in appearance but smell sweeter. The choice, which is symbolic of that between worldly vanities and higher virtues, had a personal significance for the artist and the sitter. 1864 was the year in which Terry gave up the stage to marry Watts, thirty years her senior, and to be educated by him. The marriage lasted barely a year, and despite Watts's disapproval, Terry eventually returned to the stage. The portrait is framed in an enriched version of what became known as a Watts frame.

(Taken from the National Portrait Gallery website www.npg.org.uk or follow the links opposite).