Display

Heroes and Heroines | Idealism and Achievement in the Victorian Age

Open daily, 10am–5pm

Admission free

The lift is currently out of order. There is no step-free/wheelchair access to the upper floors. We hope to resolve this issue soon.

About

“One of the best things the show does is bring to life the stories we are unlikely to know”
The Scotsman

The historian Thomas Carlyle, the author of On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History, presented his theory of the importance of individuals in shaping history. He was an active, positive force in the establishment of the National Portrait Gallery in London and in Edinburgh. The ‘Great Man’ view of history has been challenged and is largely abandoned, but the idea of individual hero figures and role models continues to inform society and our ideas of identity and nationhood.

This exhibition re-examines some major Scottish figures, from Thomas Carlyle to Andrew Carnegie, raises questions about the nature of hero-worship and the values that were upheld by our Victorian forebears, and considers the influence exerted by military men, scientists and inventors who helped shape the modern world. Women artists, scientists, writers and suffragists provide a strong female presence, and Queen Victoria’s personal influence on the age over which she presided institutionally is examined.

Event accessibility

Display accessibility

  • Large print labels
  • Wheelchair access

Location

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Accessibility

Gallery facilities

  • Information desk
  • Wifi
  • Wheelchair access
  • Accessible toilets
  • Wheelchairs available
  • Public toilets
  • Lockers (£1/£2)
  • Baby changing facilities
  • Buggy park
  • Seating throughout
  • Bike rack
  • Café
Getting here

Getting here

Located in the city centre on Queen Street, the Portrait is easy to access.

Venue map
  • Open daily, 10am–5pm
1 Queen Street, Edinburgh, EH2 1JD

Friends go free

Friends go free

Become a Friend to enjoy unique access to the nation’s art collection with unlimited free entry to exhibitions, Friends-only exhibition previews and a 10% discount in our gallery shops & cafés.

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