The National Portrait Gallery in London was founded in 1856 and became the first portrait gallery in the world.
It was established to collect portraits of famous British men and women. With Queen Victoria's approval, the House of Commons set a sum of £2000 to found the gallery. Amongst its founder Trustees were Stanhope as Chairman, Macaulay, Benjamin Disraeli and Lord Ellesmere. Portrait of Shakespeare was the first picture to enter the Gallery's collection. It was offered by Lord Ellesmere.
To the present day, The National Portrait Gallery is about history and about the status of the sitter, not the character of a particular image considered as a work of art. The collection includes photographs, caricatures, paintings, drawings and sculpture.