Stephen Fry: The Portraits That Shape Us

Why It Matters

The piece highlights how portraits and public memory can rehabilitate reputations and influence identity, underscoring the role of cultural icons in LGBTQ visibility and social change. It’s a reminder that art and commemoration can reshape historical narratives and public attitudes over time.

Summary

Stephen Fry selects a portrait of Oscar Wilde for Celebration Day and recounts how the playwright’s image shaped his own coming-of-age as a gay man. He describes being captivated by Wilde’s language in The Importance of Being Earnest and later shocked by the playwright’s downfall, which crystallized fears about the fate of gay men. Fry contrasts Wilde’s tragic end and ruined reputation with his later veneration—citing the thousands of lipstick kisses that eroded Wilde’s Père Lachaise tomb—as evidence of how public perception can be transformed. He ends by urging visitors to the National Portrait Gallery to reflect on which portrait inspires them.

Original Description

This Celebration Day we remember the people who made us who we are today 🙌

Join Stephen Fry as he visits a portrait in our Collection that shaped his life. Whose portrait inspires you?

📸Oscar Wilde by Napoleon Sarony, 1882 © National Portrait Gallery, London

#MarkTheirMemory

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A special thanks to all of our contributors @prueleith, @anyahindmarch, @robbryden, @amyfmatthews and the team @celebrationdayuk 🎥@rancefilm and @brightstreamproductions