by Simon Schama
First published 2015
Simon Schama examines British identity through the lens of portraiture, spanning from Tudor times to the modern era. His visual journey begins with sacred depictions of Elizabeth I and moves through centuries of artistic representation to reach the famous photograph of Churchill as the determined bulldog. Schama analyzes how portraits reveal dual narratives: the subject's desired self-image and the artist's interpretation. He explores Victorian death portraits of children, David Hockney's intimate paintings of his aging parents, images of nameless laborers, and artists' self-representations. Through this diverse collection of visual evidence, Schama constructs a narrative of British society that challenges conventional historical perspectives. The book demonstrates how portraiture serves as both personal documentation and social commentary, revealing the complex relationship between individual identity and national character across five centuries of British history.
Genres: biography, history, british-literature, non-fiction, art-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: personal-documentation, social-commentary
Setting: Britain, United Kingdom
Period: Modern Era, Tudor Period, Victorian Era
632 pages · Hardcover · Viking