The portrait as the record of a generation
This room brings together portraits painted between the late 1600s and the mid-eighteenth century: scientists, writers, musicians and artists who together form the collective portrait of an English generation convinced that reason could explain everything — from universal gravitation to human nature.
1. Newton, gravitation made visible
The portrait of Sir Isaac Newton by Sir Godfrey Kneller, painted in 1702 within a feigned oval, shows the scientist shortly after the publication of his great discoveries on universal gravitation and optics. Kneller, official portraitist to several successive monarchs, paints Newton with the same composed dignity as his royal portraits — a choice that speaks volumes about the social prestige already attained by scientists of this generation.
2. Hogarth paints himself, between his dog and his books
William Hogarth paints his own self-portrait around 1757-1758, late in his career — the very year he is named official painter to King George II. He shows himself painting Thalia, the muse of comedy, surrounded by a dog and bound volumes, a way of claiming a place within the learned tradition rather than the less prestigious one, at the time, of the mere artisan-painter. X-ray analysis has revealed that the original composition included a detail Hogarth ultimately removed: his dog urinating on a stack of old-master paintings — a private joke about his own ambivalent relationship to academic painting.
3. Locke and Swift, philosophy and satire
The portrait of John Locke by Michael Dahl, painted around 1693, shows the philosopher whose theories on knowledge and civil government would directly influence the American and French revolutions a century later. Nearby, the portrait of Jonathan Swift, from the studio of Charles Jervas after an original of 1709-1710, shows the author of Gulliver's Travels in the same oval format as Newton — a presentational convention that visually unifies figures from very different fields: science, philosophy, literary satire.
Taken together, these portraits sketch a generation that believed, almost simultaneously, in the power of scientific reason, political reason, and laughter as a critical weapon.
How much time
A room dense with famous names, but often modest-sized paintings — allow about twenty minutes for the whole room.
- Sir Isaac Newton (Kneller) — 5 minutes.
- Hogarth's self-portrait — 5 minutes.
- John Locke and Jonathan Swift — 8 minutes.
Sources and verification
Checked against the official notices of the National Portrait Gallery (npg.org.uk) and cross-checked with Wikipedia EN/FR.
- National Portrait Gallery — Sir Isaac Newton (Sir Godfrey Kneller), NPG 2881
- National Portrait Gallery — William Hogarth (self-portrait), NPG 289
- National Portrait Gallery — John Locke (Michael Dahl), NPG 114
- National Portrait Gallery — Jonathan Swift (studio of Charles Jervas), NPG 4407
Displays and room openings can change. Check the National Portrait Gallery website on the day of your visit before following a route.
Listen to the commentary in the gallery
This route gives you a thread to follow. In front of an artwork, CulturAll adds the audio commentary: photograph the work or its label, listen, then ask your questions.
