The National Portrait Gallery is home to more than a quarter of a million photographs that provide a fascinating commentary on British history and culture and on the development of photographic practice from its beginnings in the 1840s all the way up to th e present day. With an introduction from the Gallery's Head of Photographs , this bo ok reveals the stories and techniques behind some of the most popular images in the Gallery's Collection. 100 P hotograph s presents a selection of images of significant individuals who have shaped the last two and a half centuries of British life, from Charles Darwin to David Attenborough , from Virginia Woolf to Kate Moss, captured by artists as diverse as Oscar Rejlander , Ju lia Margaret Cameron and Mario Testino . Each image is accompanied by an extended caption with key information on the sitter and the artist