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Gilbert's military ambitions were frustrated by the end of the Crimean War in 1856 and, having qualified for the Bar in 1863, he experienced little success and abandoned it for literature. His mastery of witty humour and satire was honed during the 1860s by his contributions to Fun magazine. He wrote numerous plays, sketches and stories. His name is irrevocably linked with Sir Arthur Sullivan, for whose music he wrote the libretti of the 'Savoy' operas, among them HMS Pinafore (1878), Iolanthe (1882), The Mikado (1885), and The Yeoman of the Guard (1888). He built the Garrick Theatre with the profits from his plays. The rather gloomy appearance of this gentleman, with his military moustache, high-necked collar and hunting crop belies the fact that he was one half of the immortal partnership of Gilbert and Sullivan, responsible for some of Britain's greatest comic operas.
Title
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert
Date
1886
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 100.3 x W 125.7 cm
Accession number
2911
Acquisition method
Bequeathed by Sir William Schwenck Gilbert, 1937
Work type
Painting
National Portrait Gallery, London
St Martin’s Place, London, Greater London WC2H 0HE England
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