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Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh

4.6

#6 of 60 in Museums in Edinburgh

Art Museum Museum

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Gaze upon the faces of the aristocracy at Scottish National Portrait Gallery, where visages from Scotland's nobility are preserved in paint. In fact, all the paintings in the gallery depict Scots. Two portraits of Mary Queen of Scots were painted after her death. The Gothic revival building also houses the Scottish National Photography Collection, which stands in stark contrast to the royal portraiture. Seek out photographs of the slums of Glasgow in the 19th century, which depict the deplorable living conditions of the poor. Add Scottish National Portrait Gallery to your Edinburgh travel itinerary, and discover new vacation ideas by using our Edinburgh road trip planning tool .

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Scottish National Portrait Gallery Reviews

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TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

2,553 reviews

Google

4.6

facebook

4.3

2,833 likes

• By ashleyelpern

  I loved the variety of work at this museum! The more modern portraits of prominent Scottish people were fun to see, and I loved the historical collection of portraits going back to the 1400s. I liked ...  more »

• By haylingseagoon

  Travelled up from the South Coast to catch Arbus, Mapplethorpe and Walker. An exhibition I had missed in London. Must admit Francesca Walker was a new name to me but I enjoyed her work. Two suicides, ...  more »

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Google

• By María Calvo

  The building is beautiful in itself, plus the portraits are amazing. The different expositions are really interesting, specially the one about Queen Mary of Scots. Really recommend visiting even if it's just to walk around for a while !

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• By Grace Lyon

  I really like this place, it's so Victorian, so completely over the top. It also holds some great art if you go and look for it. The occasional exhibitions are usually worth a trip. Great cafe.

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