Portrait of Sir George Gilbert Scott, R.A., 1877

George Richmond RA (1809 - 1896)

RA Collection: Art

Sir George Scott RA (1811–1878), a leading light of the Gothic Revival, was one of the most successful architects of the mid-Victorian era. He designed or restored many ecclesiastical buildings throughout the country in the approved medieval style of the day. His best-known buildings in London include the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Albert Memorial in Hyde Park, and the magnificent Euston Road front of the St Pancras Station Hotel.

In his youth George Richmond was much influenced by the visionary poet and artist William Blake, whom he first met in 1825 whilst still a teenager. Later in life however he settled down to become a leading portrait painter of establishment figures. Although originating in a portrait commission marking Scott’s presidency of the Royal Institute of British Architects, this version was painted by Richmond on his own account.