Grace Darling
- Artist: David Dunbar
- Date: 1838
- Medium: marble
- Dimensions: 25 in. x 16 1/2 in. (635 mm x 420 mm) overall
- Portrays: Grace Darling
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
Before you stands a marble bust titled “Grace Darling” by David Dunbar, created in 1838. The sculpture is about 25 inches tall; the face is captured with a calm but determined expression. In the relief of her cheekbones you can see how the artist carved light and shadow to give her features depth.
The sitter was Grace Darling (1815‑1842), daughter of a lighthouse keeper who rescued nine survivors from a shipwreck off Northumberland’s coast that same year. Her bravery earned medals and even Queen Victoria sent her £50. After the rescue, artists such as Dunbar visited her hometown of Bamburgh to create busts that captured her dignity.
The marble medium gives the piece solidity and timelessness, echoing how Grace was remembered as a national heroine.
See it in person
Grace Darling is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
