Early in the pandemic we started seeing into other homes as never before via Zoom and other platforms, and the background bookcase became an overnight sensation.


'Bookcase credibility' ('What you say is not as important as the bookcase behind you') was launched on Twitter. The Guardian published 'Our new lockdown game: judging people by their bookshelves'. Town and Country awarded celebrities' shelves marks out of 10. The New York Times went further, identifying individual books on the shelves of Tom Hanks and Yo-Yo Ma.


Enjoy browsing these shelves! If you can tell us who painted Mr Armitage, or identify the sitter in the portrait by Lintott, please go to the artwork page and send a message to Art Detective.

Artists featured in this Curation: Robert Brown (b.1927), Henry John Lintott (1877–1965), Eccy de Jonge, Juliet Kathleen Pannett (1911–2005), Joseph Severn (1793–1879), unknown artist, William D. Moore, Peter L. Folkes (1923–2019), Jakob Ferdinand Voet (1639–c.1700), Herbert James Gunn (1893–1964), and 2 more
12 artworks
Storyline Album Showcase

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A Collector (Self Portrait)
© the artist. Image credit: Royal Watercolour Society
A Collector (Self Portrait)
Robert Brown (b.1927)
Gouache on paper
H 32.8 x W 20 cm
Royal Watercolour Society

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Portrait of a Woman before a Bookcase
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Royal Scottish Academy of Art & Architecture
Portrait of a Woman before a Bookcase
Henry John Lintott (1877–1965)
Oil on canvas
H 91.3 x W 70.8 cm
Royal Scottish Academy of Art & Architecture

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David Wiggins, Professor of Philosophy (1989–1994)
© the artist. Image credit: Birkbeck, University of London
David Wiggins, Professor of Philosophy (1989–1994) 1994
Eccy de Jonge
Oil on canvas
H 75 x W 59.5 cm
Birkbeck, University of London

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Professor and Doctor Ford
© the artist's estate. Image credit: University of Southampton
Professor and Doctor Ford 1974
Juliet Kathleen Pannett (1911–2005)
Oil on canvas
H 60 x W 75 cm
University of Southampton

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John Keats
Image credit: National Portrait Gallery, London

John Keats

John Keats 1821–1823, dated 1821
Joseph Severn (1793–1879)
Oil on canvas
H 56.5 x W 41.9 cm
National Portrait Gallery, London

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Edward Ernest Armitage (1872–1948), Town Clerk of Falmouth
Image credit: Falmouth Town Council
Edward Ernest Armitage (1872–1948), Town Clerk of Falmouth 1908
unknown artist
Oil on canvas
H 99 x W 72 cm
Falmouth Town Council

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Mother
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Erewash Borough Council
Mother 1932
William D. Moore (active 1930s)
Oil on board
H 125 x W 86.3 cm
Erewash Borough Council

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Sir James Mathews, MA, LLD, JP
© the artist's estate. Image credit: Southampton Solent University
Sir James Mathews, MA, LLD, JP 1994
Peter L. Folkes (1923–2019)
Oil on canvas
H 124.3 x W 99.5 cm
Southampton Solent University

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Cardinal Carlo Cerri
Image credit: The National Gallery, London
Cardinal Carlo Cerri 1669-79
Jakob Ferdinand Voet (1639–c.1700)
Oil on canvas
H 121.3 x W 97.8 cm
The National Gallery, London

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Professor Robert Douglas Lockhart (1894–1987)
© estate of the artist. Image credit: University of Aberdeen
Professor Robert Douglas Lockhart (1894–1987) 1964
Herbert James Gunn (1893–1964)
Oil on canvas
H 90 x W 70 cm
University of Aberdeen

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Mrs Alington
© the artist. Image credit: Great Bardfield Historical Society
Mrs Alington c.1973
Philippa Mary Thomas (b.1919)
Oil on canvas
H 50.6 x W 40.9 cm
Great Bardfield Historical Society

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George Davis Hornblower (1864–1951)
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Royal Institution of Cornwall
George Davis Hornblower (1864–1951) exhibited 1934
Gerald Festus Kelly (1879–1972)
Oil on canvas
H 109 x W 119 cm
Royal Institution of Cornwall

Explore artists in this Curation

View all 12
  • King's Cross
    Robert Brown (b.1927)
  • Henry Bond (1853–1938), LLD, Master (1919–1929)
    Gerald Festus Kelly (1879–1972)
  • Pickford Narrow Boat 'Hope' at a Lock
    unknown artist
  • Mother
    William D. Moore
  • George Weldon (1908–1963)
    Juliet Kathleen Pannett (1911–2005)
  • Portrait of an Officer
    Jakob Ferdinand Voet (1639–c.1700)
  • Mrs Alington
    Philippa Mary Thomas (b.1919)
  • Scene from Alexander Pope's 'Eloisa to Abelard'
    Joseph Severn (1793–1879)
  • Sir James Mathews, MA, LLD, JP
    Peter L. Folkes (1923–2019)
  • Sussex Downs
    Henry John Lintott (1877–1965)
  • View all 12
View all