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Notes
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The chemist and inventor Davy is recognised for his groundbreaking work with gases and electrolysis. In 1807 he demonstrated the existence of potassium, sodium and chlorine with a galvanic battery. He also experimented with diamond combustion and invented the miner's safety lamp in 1815. He was rewarded for his contribution to science with a baronetcy (1818) and the presidency of the Royal Society (1820). Davy was a close friend of Wordsworth, Coleridge and Southey and from them he absorbed the concept of 'Romantic genius' to which he aspired. With good looks and entrepreneurial flair, he was one of a new breed of celebrity scientists whose experiments, at the newly established Royal Institution, were so charismatic that they became social events.
Title
Sir Humphry Davy, Bt
Date
1803
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 128.3 x W 102.9 cm
Accession number
4591
Acquisition method
Purchased, 1967
Work type
Painting
National Portrait Gallery, London
St Martin’s Place, London, Greater London WC2H 0HE England
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