ARTWORKS

Sir Rowland Hill (copy after a photograph by Maull & Polyblank, 1857)

John Alfred Vinter (c.1828–1905)

National Portrait Gallery, London

Sir Rowland Hill

Image credit: National Portrait Gallery, London

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Sir Rowland Hill came from a family of progressive educationalists, and in 1819 he helped his family to establish a school in Edgbaston based on the ideals of representative democracy and competitive capitalism. In 1837 Hill formulated a set of proposals for postal reform, published as Post Office Reform: its Importance and Practicability. He argued that the existing system was too complicated and hindered the expansion of trade and ideas. Hill suggested a uniform postage rate irrespective of distance that was paid in advance by the sender, not the recipient, and proposed a device that became known as the postage stamp. Hill's ideas were implemented in 1840, propelling him from relative obscurity to being a nationally known figure.

National Portrait Gallery, London

London

Read more on National Portrait Gallery, London
Title

Sir Rowland Hill

Date

c.1879

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 126.4 x W 101.6 cm

Accession number

838

Acquisition method

Given by the sitter's son, Pearson Hill, 1890

Work type

Painting

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National Portrait Gallery, London

St Martin’s Place, London, Greater London WC2H 0HE England

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Artist or maker

John Alfred Vinter

c.1828–1905

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