Art for the rabble

January 11, 2025 by Jessica In England, London 1 Comment

Trafalgar Square

Currently named after the Battle of Trafalgar, fought between England, France, and Spain during the Napoleonic Wars, the site of the square has been significant for centuries. It once held the Royal Mews (equestrian stables), and remained so until George IV moved them to Buckingham Palace.

The present square was commissioned in the 19th century, and was originally meant to be named after William IV to commemorate his ascent to the throne, which took place in 1830. It was later decided that it instead be named Trafalgar Square, to commemorate the British victory which had taken place 30 years prior.

The fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square was originally meant to hold a statue of William IV, which was never completed due to lack of funds. In 1998, the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce commissioned three contemporary sculptures for temporary display upon the plinth. Ever since, the plinth is used to show sculptures for a limited amount of time. The work on show when I visited was Antelope by Samson Kambalu, which restages a 1914 photograph of John Chilembwe, a Baptist preacher and pan-Africanist, and John Chorley, a European missionary. The photograph is significant because Chilembwe wears his hat in front of a white man, which was an illegal offense at the time.

National Gallery

During the 18th century many royal (or the equivalent) art collections were nationalized, including those that became the Uffizi in Florence and the Louvre in Paris, but Great Britain did not follow suit.

Instead, it sought to acquire a new collection to share with the general public, though many attempts were made (including purchasing the collection formerly belonging to Sir Robert Walpole, father of Horace of Strawberry Hill House fame) and most failed.

The government finally purchased the collection of John Julius Angerstein, a Russian-born banker from London, whose collection numbered 38 paintings, including work by Raphael and Hogarth’s Marriage A-la-Mode series. And thus the National Gallery opened in 1824 to display Angerstein’s collection, at his former townhouse, though the home was not well suited for this purpose.

In 1832, after the collection had grown a bit, construction began on a new location to host it, attached to the newly built Trafalgar Square and designed by William Wilkins. The building opened in 1838, though it was not well received as it did not match the original vision for the gallery due to issues during its construction.

Further halls have been added since. Its old interiors were altered to fit a more modern aesthetic in the 20th century, a process which was reverted in the 1980s and 90s (once the Victorian style was no longer considered so horrid), granting the gallery the timeless and refined aesthetic it holds today.