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Cheese! You can get a photo of your family in the National Portrait Gallery

A new exhibition called ‘The Nation’s Family Album’ will show-off the UK’s broods in all their diverse glory

Alice Saville
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Alice Saville
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Are you an aspiring photographer? Do you have an interest in social history? Or do you just think your family is especially beautiful? Answer ‘yes’ to any of these questions and you’re likely to be excited by the news that the National Portrait Gallery is planning to display ordinary Londoners’ family snaps on its illustrious walls. 

The idea is to create a new exhibition called ‘The Nation’s Family Album’, which represents the UK’s broods in all their diverse glory, when the gallery reopens its doors post-redevelopment in 2023. And getting involved is super simple.

All you have to do is rifle through your photo albums for a picture that demonstrates what family means to you. Or take a new snap for the occasion. Then, write a short paragraph explaining the picture and its significance to you. Yes, it might be challenging to find a photo where not a single person has their eyes closed, but luckily you’ve got plenty of time to make your deliberations: the deadline is Thursday June 30.

The project is run by the National Portrait Gallery in collaboration with Ancestry, the UK family history site, to celebrate the fact that more than 125,000 portraits from the gallery’s collection are to be made available on Ancestry’s website, with the opportunity to buy prints.

After the deadline, a panel, including a to-be-announced famous photographer, will sort through the images and pick a shortlist for display at the National Portrait Gallery and online. What are you waiting for? It’s time to pick out your most stylish, quirkiest or most memorable photos. And if you submit one with your sister in her full greasy-fringed adolescent glory or Uncle Kev sporting his mostly forgotten perm, remember that neither Time Out nor the gallery can be held responsible for any family rows that ensue. 

To enter, submit your photo at www.ancestry.co.uk/familyalbum by Thu Jun 30.

The Imperial War Museum is getting EVEN better with new galleries.

Mark your calendar: Dino Kingdom is coming to London.

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