On 21 July 1897 the National Gallery of British Art, as Tate Britain was then called, was opened by the Prince of Wales. The gallery opened to the public on 16 August 1897 and many of its visitors were from the local area.
On 23 October 1889, Sir Henry Tate wrote to the National Gallery to donate his collection of modern British art which was valued at £75,000 which is the equivalent of approximately £6.1 million today.
In 1892 a decision was made to build a new gallery for British art on the site of the former Millbank prison. Henry Tate made an anonymous donation towards the new building. The gallery’s architect was Sidney Smith who was also the architect for several of the libraries in London that Henry Tate founded.
Sir Hubert Von Herkomer Sir Henry Tate (1897)
(Source Tate Gallery)
On 23 October 1889, Sir Henry Tate wrote to the National Gallery to donate his collection of modern British art which was valued at £75,000 which is the equivalent of approximately £6.1 million today.
In 1892 a decision was made to build a new gallery for British art on the site of the former Millbank prison. Henry Tate made an anonymous donation towards the new building. The gallery’s architect was Sidney Smith who was also the architect for several of the libraries in London that Henry Tate founded.
Sir Hubert Von Herkomer Sir Henry Tate (1897)
(Source Tate Gallery)
