| Abstract: | Abstract Given the Victorian origins of the idea of a national portrait gallery, how relevant are such institutions today? The rebirth of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. has involved a reinvestigation of notions of greatness, national identity, and the ongoing vitality of portraiture as an artistic form. Who should be deemed crucial to the telling of our national history? The evolution of thinking in our own day about the nature of national identity has undergone a dramatic shift. We have made decisions that might curl a Victorian's toes. |
