Discover some of the dramatic and life changing events in Westminster history through a series of National Portrait Gallery portraits ranging from Hans’s Holbein’s portrait of Henry VIII for Whitehall Palace to a more recent addition to the collection, a controversial portrait of suffragette Christabel Pankhurst by Ethel Wrigth. Many of the artists were Westminster based and if the sitters were not, their influence helped
to c...
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This course looks at thirteen paintings (the two portraits of George VI and Queen Caroline will be discussed together), that give a potted history of events, activities and inventions that affected
Westminster or the lives of people in Westminster and Britain as a whole. It reveals the lives of some of our royals with works by early foreign Royal artists such as Hans Holbein, Daniel Mittens and Peter Lely and continue with artists who either painted themselves such as William Hogarth or were painted by others such as the only known portrait of J.W.M Turner not by Turner painted by John Linnel. Significant people in society such as John Opie’s Mary Woolstonecraft who promoted rights for women and Jame’s Northcote’s Edward Jenner famous for creating the smallpox vaccine will also ne discussed.
The course aims to enable students to look at portraits in detail often revealing aspects of the sitter’s lives and to be inspired to study the Portrait Gallery collections further.
What will we cover?
Selected historical events affecting Westminster and Britain
A brief history of the sitters
A brief introduction to the artists who painted the portraits
What will I achieve? By the end of this course you should be able to...
Name three members of the Royal family depicted in the National Portrait Gallery and know a little about their lives
Explain why to artists depicted were important for art history
Name two people who fought for the rights of Women
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This course is suitable for all levels.
You should be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions, demonstrations, and basic Zoom software, including camera, microphone and chat.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
The course will be taught with a mixture lecture, slides and discussion. A list of paintings covered will be available for download during the session; it will be attached as a document in the Zoom chat - it cannot be emailed to you.
Please note, this is a live lecture and will not be recorded for reasons of copyright, data protection and digital infrastructure.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
You might wish to bring a notebook. You might wish to sign up to the dictionary of National Biography through your library to further your knowledge on the sitters.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Covent Garden: A Magnet for Artists and Art Practice (walking tour)
Visit the National Portrait Gallery to see the works for yourself
Marilyn Greene is a museum professional and London tour guide with an academic background in art history. Qualified as a City of London Guide, she leads Mud-larking tours, Hidden London Tours for London Transport Museum, school tours at the Charles Dickens Museum, as well as developing her walks in the City and north London. Having worked as a Curator at Hampstead Museum and a qualified City of London guide many of her walks specialise in various aspects of these areas. Marilyn worked for 15 years at the Victoria and Albert Museum in adult and community learning and specialised in working with faith communities and organising intercultural tours of the collections. As well as walking tours, Marilyn leads tours and training at both the Victorian and Albert Museum and British Museum.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
product
https://www.citylit.ac.uk/a-history-of-westminster-in-12-portraits2748173A history of Westminster in 12 ½ portraitshttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/a/-/a-history-of-westminster-in-12-portraits-1000.jpg1919GBPInStock/Courses/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Art history/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Art history/Introductory & general art history courses/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Courses/Online courses228511361137117717311228511771136<p>Discover some of the dramatic and life changing events in Westminster history through a series of National Portrait Gallery portraits ranging from Hans’s Holbein’s portrait of Henry VIII for Whitehall Palace to a more recent addition to the collection, a controversial portrait of suffragette Christabel Pankhurst by Ethel Wrigth. Many of the artists were Westminster based and if the sitters were not, their influence helped to change government policies.</p>002748134A history of Westminster in 12 ½ portraits1919https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/a/-/a-history-of-westminster-in-12-portraits-1000_1.jpgInStockDaytimeMonOnlineAvailable coursesOne-off onlyWeekday2026-03-23T00:00:00+00:00Beginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allMar 2026Culture, history & humanitiesVB2271919A history of Westminster in 12 ½ portraits151219Marilyn Greenea-history-of-westminster-in-12-portraits/vb227-2526<p>Discover some of the dramatic and life changing events in Westminster history through a series of National Portrait Gallery portraits ranging from Hans’s Holbein’s portrait of Henry VIII for Whitehall Palace to a more recent addition to the collection, a controversial portrait of suffragette Christabel Pankhurst by Ethel Wrigth. Many of the artists were Westminster based and if the sitters were not, their influence helped to change government policies.</p>0000-Available|2026-03-23 00:00:00<p>This course looks at thirteen paintings (the two portraits of George VI and Queen Caroline will be discussed together), that give a potted history of events, activities and inventions that affected</p><p>Westminster or the lives of people in Westminster and Britain as a whole. It reveals the lives of some of our royals with works by early foreign Royal artists such as Hans Holbein, Daniel Mittens and Peter Lely and continue with artists who either painted themselves such as William Hogarth or were painted by others such as the only known portrait of J.W.M Turner not by Turner painted by John Linnel. Significant people in society such as John Opie’s Mary Woolstonecraft who promoted rights for women and Jame’s Northcote’s Edward Jenner famous for creating the smallpox vaccine will also ne discussed.</p><p>The course aims to enable students to look at portraits in detail often revealing aspects of the sitter’s lives and to be inspired to study the Portrait Gallery collections further.</p><p>Discover some of the dramatic and life changing events in Westminster history through a series of National Portrait Gallery portraits ranging from Hans’s Holbein’s portrait of Henry VIII for Whitehall Palace to a more recent addition to the collection, a controversial portrait of suffragette Christabel Pankhurst by Ethel Wrigth. Many of the artists were Westminster based and if the sitters were not, their influence helped to change government policies.</p><ul><li>Selected historical events affecting Westminster and Britain</li><li>A brief history of the sitters</li><li>A brief introduction to the artists who painted the portraits</li></ul><ul><li>Name three members of the Royal family depicted in the National Portrait Gallery and know a little about their lives</li><li>Explain why to artists depicted were important for art history</li><li>Name two people who fought for the rights of Women</li></ul><p>This course is suitable for all levels.</p><p>You should be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions, demonstrations, and basic Zoom software, including camera, microphone and chat.</p><p>The course will be taught with a mixture lecture, slides and discussion. A list of paintings covered will be available for download during the session; it will be attached as a document in the Zoom chat - it cannot be emailed to you.</p><p><strong>Please note</strong>, this is a live lecture and will not be recorded for reasons of copyright, data protection and digital infrastructure.</p><p>You might wish to bring a notebook. You might wish to sign up to the dictionary of National Biography through your library to further your knowledge on the sitters. </p><p>Covent Garden: A Magnet for Artists and Art Practice (walking tour)</p><p>Visit the National Portrait Gallery to see the works for yourself</p>Art historyIntroductory & general art history coursesvirtual151912VB227NONEMon23/03/2616:00 - 17:3016:0017:301 session1One-off onlyDaytimeWeekdayOnlineOnlineMarilyn GreeneBeginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allAvailable courses2026-03-23T00:00:00+00:00Mar 2026Culture, history & humanities1919A history of Westminster in 12 ½ portraitsa-history-of-westminster-in-12-portraits/vb227-2526<p>Discover some of the dramatic and life changing events in Westminster history through a series of National Portrait Gallery portraits ranging from Hans’s Holbein’s portrait of Henry VIII for Whitehall Palace to a more recent addition to the collection, a controversial portrait of suffragette Christabel Pankhurst by Ethel Wrigth. Many of the artists were Westminster based and if the sitters were not, their influence helped to change government policies.</p>0000-Available|2026-03-23 00:00:00<p>This course looks at thirteen paintings (the two portraits of George VI and Queen Caroline will be discussed together), that give a potted history of events, activities and inventions that affected</p><p>Westminster or the lives of people in Westminster and Britain as a whole. It reveals the lives of some of our royals with works by early foreign Royal artists such as Hans Holbein, Daniel Mittens and Peter Lely and continue with artists who either painted themselves such as William Hogarth or were painted by others such as the only known portrait of J.W.M Turner not by Turner painted by John Linnel. Significant people in society such as John Opie’s Mary Woolstonecraft who promoted rights for women and Jame’s Northcote’s Edward Jenner famous for creating the smallpox vaccine will also ne discussed.</p><p>The course aims to enable students to look at portraits in detail often revealing aspects of the sitter’s lives and to be inspired to study the Portrait Gallery collections further.</p><p>Discover some of the dramatic and life changing events in Westminster history through a series of National Portrait Gallery portraits ranging from Hans’s Holbein’s portrait of Henry VIII for Whitehall Palace to a more recent addition to the collection, a controversial portrait of suffragette Christabel Pankhurst by Ethel Wrigth. Many of the artists were Westminster based and if the sitters were not, their influence helped to change government policies.</p><ul><li>Selected historical events affecting Westminster and Britain</li><li>A brief history of the sitters</li><li>A brief introduction to the artists who painted the portraits</li></ul><ul><li>Name three members of the Royal family depicted in the National Portrait Gallery and know a little about their lives</li><li>Explain why to artists depicted were important for art history</li><li>Name two people who fought for the rights of Women</li></ul><p>This course is suitable for all levels.</p><p>You should be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions, demonstrations, and basic Zoom software, including camera, microphone and chat.</p><p>The course will be taught with a mixture lecture, slides and discussion. A list of paintings covered will be available for download during the session; it will be attached as a document in the Zoom chat - it cannot be emailed to you.</p><p><strong>Please note</strong>, this is a live lecture and will not be recorded for reasons of copyright, data protection and digital infrastructure.</p><p>You might wish to bring a notebook. You might wish to sign up to the dictionary of National Biography through your library to further your knowledge on the sitters. </p><p>Covent Garden: A Magnet for Artists and Art Practice (walking tour)</p><p>Visit the National Portrait Gallery to see the works for yourself</p>Art historyIntroductory & general art history coursesconfigurable
11371136Introductory & general art history courseshttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/humanities/art-history/introductory-general-art-history1/2/285/1177/1136/11371/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Art history/Introductory & general art history courses
Gods and heroes from Classical to Renaissance artFull fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00