Portrait of a nation

THE National Portrait Gallery (NGP) and genealogy service Ancestry are inviting people to submit their family portraits for a chance to be part of their Nation’s Family Album, which promises to record the faces of Britain old and new. Published on Ancestry, the album—the first-ever photographic representation of the nation—will build on an existing collection of 125,000 NPG images, including portraits of Shakespeare, Emmeline Pankhurst (above left), Sir David Attenborough (above right) and the Royal Family. The public’s entries, which should fit the themes of legacy, belonging, connection or identity, will be shortlisted by a panel of experts that includes royal photographer Millie Pilkington.

‘Photos are such an important tool for family history and can help people discover more about their relatives and ancestors,’ says Mrs Pilkington, who has a first-hand appreciation for this kind of project, having photographed, as part of COUNTRY LIFE’S 125th-anniversary celebrations, 12 girls whose ancestors had all appeared as the magazine’s Frontispiece. ‘My daughter Daisy was one of these girls, following in the footsteps of her two grandmothers. There was something so special about bringing together three generations of women in our family—which is why taking part in this project is so exciting. I urge people across the country, from all different backgrounds, cultures and ages, to scour their attic, albums and smartphones to find their own family photos and submit them to Ancestry.’

Winning photographs will not only appear on Ancestry’s website, but also in a dedicated exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery when it re-opens next year. The deadline for entries is June 30 (www.ancestry.co.uk/familyalbum).