The family who lived in the National Gallery for 16 years | National Gallery

If the National Gallery walls could talk, what stories do you think they would tell? One story you might not expect is that a family lived inside the building for 16 years. This was the family of Ralph Nicholson Wornum who worked as the Keeper at the National Gallery. Alongside his wife and children, they settled into family life in living quarters below the galleries. But what was it like living in the National Gallery?

A life full of exciting stories, paintings, meeting artists, living abroad, two marriages, 14 children, diaries, the Turner Bequest, Queen Victoria, and living at the National Gallery.

In the video, curator Susanna Avery-Quash, researcher Nick Smith, and Head of Learning and Programmes Karen Eslea discuss the life of Ralph Wornum, who served as the Keeper of the National Gallery between 1855-1877. He passed away while in this position.

🖌️ Find out more about Ralph Wornum: www.nationalgallery.org.uk/exhibitions/ng-stories/…

#NationalGallery #ArtHistory #RalphWornum #History

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The National Gallery houses the national collection of paintings in the Western European tradition from the 13th to the 19th centuries. The museum is free of charge and open 361 days per year, daily between 10am - 6pm and on Fridays between 10am - 9pm.

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00:00 - 01:39 | 1824: A pistol duel and the National Gallery
01:40 - 03:18 | Meet the Wornum family
03:19 - 09:11 | Who was Ralph Nicholson Wornum?
09:12 - 11:28 | Wornum becomes the Keeper of the National Gallery
11:29 - 15:56 | A large and growing family at the National Gallery
15:57- 19:48 | Ralph’s diaries
19:49 - 23:48 | Children at the National Gallery
23:49 - 26:20 | Ralph’s career and lega