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- Title
Victorian collections and British nationalism: Vernon, Sheepshanks and the National Gallery of British Art.
- Authors
Heleniak, Kathryn Moore
- Abstract
Robert Vernon (1774 1849) and John Sheepshanks (1787-1863) were middle-class English tradesmen who became major patrons of contemporary British art in the middle years of the nineteenth century. They both donated their substantial collections to the nation with the intention of forming a National Gallery of British Art. Yet today the collections are in two different museums; the Vernon collection can be found primarily in the Tate Gallery and the Sheepshanks collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum. In addition to examining the 'nationalistic' commentary that accompanied the Vernon and Sheepshanks gifts, this article will discuss why these rival collections were dispersed to two different sites in London and why, as a result, a true 'National Gallery of British Art' was never formed in the nineteenth century as a result of these generous donations.
- Subjects
UNITED Kingdom; BRITISH art; VERNON, Robert; SHEEPSHANKS, John; ART collecting; ART museums
- Publication
Journal of the History of Collections, 2000, Vol 12, Issue 1, p91
- ISSN
0954-6650
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1093/jhc/12.1.91