The National Portrait Gallery’s Schools hub is designed to support the study of Art & Design and History through the world’s largest collection of portraits. All resources are free.
The National Portrait Gallery’s Schools hub is designed to support the study of Art & Design and History through the world’s largest collection of portraits. All resources are free.
How and why did campaigners win voting rights for women?
The ‘votes for women’ campaign was one of the most important in the long fight for equal rights between men and women – a fight that is still going on today. This video introduces some of the different people involved in the campaign for women’s suffrage (the right to vote in national elections), the methods they used in their campaigning, and why their struggle was so important.
Explore further at: www.npg.org.uk/schools-hub/history-explainer-the-votes-for-women-campaign
Watch and discuss:
What challenges did British women face in the 1800s, when the ‘votes for women’ campaign began?
How did the suffragists campaign for votes for women?
What campaign methods did the suffragettes use?
Which campaign methods do you think might have been most effective? Why?
Explore portraits of 6 different musicians and discover what they can tell us about music, migration and its impact on British culture: https://www.npg.org.uk/schools-hub/migration-to-britain-inspirational-musicians-and-their-anthems
Description
From classical music to rock, pop and hip-hop, migration has enriched British musical culture over the centuries.
Explore six musicians who migrated to Britain, or whose families migrated to Britain. Some have left us with memorable anthems, others have influenced new musical styles and genres. Explore their portraits, listen to their music and consider their impact on British culture.
https://www.npg.org.uk/schools-hub/migration-to-britain-inspirational-musicians-and-their-anthems
Develop your historical skills as you follow our step-by-step guide to portrait analysis. Discover how to look closely at portraits, read clues and unlock fascinating stories of the past: https://www.npg.org.uk/schools-hub/how-to-use-a-portrait-as-a-historical-source
Description
Portraits are important and useful historical sources. At first glance, they can appear to be a simple picture of a person or people. But by looking closely, and asking analytical questions about what you can see, what can be inferred and the wider context of the portrait, they can provide important evidence to help us understand the past.
Follow our guide to help you learn how to use portraits as a historical source and see what more you can discover.
https://www.npg.org.uk/schools-hub/how-to-use-a-portrait-as-a-historical-source
What can Mary Seacole’s portrait tell us about why she was so special? Uncover Mary’s extraordinary story and compare with other amazing nurses and doctors from the past: https://www.npg.org.uk/schools-hub/significant-people-mary-seacoles-memories
Description
Would you risk your life to help others?
Mary Seacole was a business person, writer, adventurer and nurse who lived over 150 years ago.
She is best remembered for her bravery and kindness. She used her own money to set up a special place she called ‘The British Hotel’ in the middle of a war in Crimea (which is now in Ukraine). Here she put her own life in danger to help wounded soldiers. The people she helped called her ‘Mother Seacole’.
Look closely at Mary Seacole’s portrait and find out why she was so special.
https://www.npg.org.uk/schools-hub/significant-people-mary-seacoles-memories
Discover what portraits can reveal about Tudor Britain’s growing connections to the wider world, and some of the important stories hidden behind the Tudors’ ambitions for global power: https://www.npg.org.uk/schools-hub/tudor-portraits-global-connections
Description
At the start of the Tudor period, in 1485, Tudor Britain had very little wealth or power beyond its borders. By the end of the period, in 1603, the Tudors had greatly increased their wealth and were beginning to compete with powerful European states around the world.
This marked the beginning of what would become one of the most powerful empires in the world, with ongoing and difficult legacies that still affect us today.
Investigate how Tudor portraits projected an image of wealth and global ambition and what they can reveal about Tudor Britain’s growing global connections.
https://www.npg.org.uk/schools-hub/tudor-portraits-global-connections
What stories and characters can you find hidden in a portrait of Judith Kerr? Explore Judith Kerr’s portrait to find out why she is significant: https://www.npg.org.uk/schools-hub/significant-people-going-for-tea-with-judith-kerr
Description
Judith Kerr was an author and illustrator who is famous for writing children’s books, like The Tiger Who Came to Tea or Mog the Forgetful Cat.
She made up these stories to tell her own children when they were young. As they grew older, Judith wrote the stories down and created illustrations to go with them so they could be turned into books for other children to enjoy.
Look closely at Judith Kerr’s portrait and find out why she was so special.
https://www.npg.org.uk/schools-hub/significant-people-going-for-tea-with-judith-kerr
Follow our key stage 2, step-by-step guide to reading portraits. Develop visual literacy skills looking for hidden clues in portraits to discover what they might tell us: https://www.npg.org.uk/schools-hub/how-to-read-a-portrait
Description
The National Portrait Gallery is full of portraits of famous people. Some of them are paintings, some are drawings. Others are photographs or sculptures. Some were made hundreds of years ago. Others are brand new. But all of them are artworks of people.
If we look at portraits really closely, they can tell us all sorts of things about the person (or people) in the picture.
A portrait can tell us about:
how they’re feeling
their job or their hobby
their family background or religion
whether they are young or old
whether they are rich or poor
and so much more.
Portraits can also tell us about the different ways artists make portraits or what life was like in the past.
Follow our step-by-step guide to help you look for clues in portraits and discover what they might tell us.
https://www.npg.org.uk/schools-hub/how-to-read-a-portrait
Follow our step-by-step guide to reading portraits, aimed at key stages 3-5. Learn to analyse how artists use different portrait elements, techniques and media to communicate mood, feelings and ideas by looking closely, and asking questions: https://www.npg.org.uk/schools-hub/how-to-analyse-a-portrait
Description
At first glance, a portrait can appear to simply be a picture of a person or people. But by looking closely, and asking analytical questions, portraits can tell us so much more.
Portraits can tell us about:
the artist’s practice
the artist’s intention – why they chose to make the portrait in a particular way and what they are trying to say about the sitter
the sitter – their identity and personality, how they are feeling or what they are known for.
Follow our step-by-step guide to analysing portraits and see what more you can discover.
https://www.npg.org.uk/schools-hub/how-to-analyse-a-portrait
Discover the stories of some of the people whose portraits are in the National Portrait Gallery who migrated to Britain from all over the world.
Migration is when people move from one place to live in another. This video uses portraits to tell the stories of some of the people who have migrated to Britain throughout history. We discover their stories and the impact they have made. We consider some of the reasons why people migrate, and how migration shapes our everyday lives.
Explore further: https://www.npg.org.uk/schools-hub/history-explainer-migration-stories
Watch and discuss:
Think about the different stories you have heard. What impact do you think migration had on their lives?
Can you think of any other well-known people who have migrated to Britain? Choose someone, research their story and create a portrait of them.
How can a pizza box improve your photography? Find out how to create wonderful photographic portraits using everyday items.
Photographer Gisela Torres uses portraits to examine some of the decisions photographers make before they press the shutter button, and asks how their choices affect their portraits. She shares her top tips on lighting, composition and perspective, offering practical ideas for you to use in your own portrait photography.
https://www.npg.org.uk/schools-hub/artist-demonstration-how-to-create-a-photographic-portrait
You will need:
Camera or camera phone
Source of light
Reflector
Tripod or stack of books
A sitter to photograph
Take inspiration from Pop artists who stuck all sorts of pictures and objects onto their artwork. Artist Venessa Scott takes you on a special treasure hunt and shows you how to make a collage portrait that tells your story.
https://www.npg.org.uk/schools-hub/artist-demonstration-how-to-create-a-storytelling-portrait-using-collage
You will need:
Paper
A photograph of yourself
Glue
Scissors
Printed or drawn images of objects that help to tell your story
What is a portrait, and why is every portrait different?
There are lots of different portraits of all sorts of different people in the National Portrait Gallery’s Collection. They were made by artists in all sorts of ways. In this video we look at lots of portraits, small and large, old and new, to explore what a portrait can be.
https://www.npg.org.uk/schools-hub/art-explainer-what-is-a-portrait
Watch and discuss:
Can you find any portraits in the room or building you are in?
Have you ever made a portrait? Who was it a portrait of, and how did you make it?
Has anyone ever made your portrait? Who made it and why?
Realistic eyes can bring a portrait to life but can be tricky to draw. Follow artist Robin-Lee Hall as she gives step-by-step instructions and top tips on how to draw an eye. She uses her knowledge of anatomy and artists’ techniques to take the mystery out of making a realistic drawing that is full of life.
https://www.npg.org.uk/schools-hub/artist-demonstration-how-to-draw-an-eye
You will need:
Paper
Soft pencil or charcoal
Reference portrait or mirror
Putty rubber
Pencil sharpener
Pop art is a style of art based on simple, bold and bright colours. Follow artist Venessa Scott as she shows you how to use simple materials to make your own artwork that really pops!
https://www.npg.org.uk/schools-hub/artist-demonstration-how-to-make-a-simple-pop-art-portrait
You will need:
Paper
Pencils
A portrait to trace
Light box or window and tape
Crayons
Do you find mouths difficult to draw? Artist Robin-Lee Hall takes the frustration out of drawing a realistic mouth, step by step.
She talks about observation skills, and demonstrates how she structures a drawing of a mouth, then adds detail and shading. She explains how to make the drawing realistic through an understanding of anatomy and perspective, and with the help of some reference images.
https://www.npg.org.uk/schools-hub/artist-demonstration-how-to-draw-a-mouth
You will need:
Paper
Soft pencil or charcoal
Reference portrait or mirror
Putty rubber
Pencil sharpener