Scientific portraits and portraits for science
A conference exploring scientific portraiture, bringing together historians of art and historians of science.
This one-day event looks at portraits of scientists, portraits created for scientific study, and portrait collections in academic and learned organisations. What was the significance to scientists in having their images recorded and displayed for posterity? How have portraits been created, used and collected by scientists in the course of their work? How are issues of diversity and Empire reflected in portrait collections?
A series of talks and discussion sessions will feature an interdisciplinary gathering of historians of art and historians of science. The conference will explore themes of representation in scientific portraiture, and will feature detailed studies of individual portraits, from formal works to caricatures. One focus will be on depictions of underrepresented individuals or groups, and on how Empire and race have impacted the way portraits have been made and seen. Invited speakers from all career stages will present their new research.
Attending in person
- To attend the conference in person, registration is essential. Please register for in-person attendance
- Lunch, tea and coffee will be provided
- Find travel and accessibility information on our website
Attending online
- The event will also be livestreamed on the Royal Society YouTube channel. Please do not register if you're planning to watch online - just join us on the day
- You can take part in the live Q&A via Slido #SP2003
For all enquiries, please contact library@royalsociety.org.