...the Millais portrait of John Henry Newman that is listed as being in the National Portrait Gallery? We went there on Sunday with the plan of seeing Newman in the context of other great men and women of the Victorian era. There they all were - Gladstone and Disraeli and Dickens and Baden-Powell and Florence Nightingale ("The Mission of Mercy", one of my favourite pictures)and Manning with his skull-like features...and no Newman!
"He's not here - just when we need him!" commented by young colleague. Just so. Has the portrait been taken for special display in connection with the forthcoming beatification? Where is it at present?
We need Newman's prayers from Heaven for Benedict XVI's visit. Misunderstood and misrepresented so often in life, Newman will surely understand the wretchedness of a Papal visit announcement mired in a fog of horror over scandals from previous decades. John Henry Newman, ora pro nobis...
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The Millais portrait is on display at Arundel Castle, found in seconds on the NPG website: http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person.php?search=ss&firstRun=true&sText=john+henry+newman&LinkID=mp03281
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