Dulwich Picture Gallery is an art gallery in Dulwich, south London. It opened to the public in 1817 and was designed by the Regency architect Sir John Soane. His design was recognized for its innovative and influential method of illumination for viewing the art. It is the oldest public art gallery in England and was made an independent charitable trust in 1994
 
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The gallery’s collection originated from a failed royal commission: two art dealers, Sir Francis Bourgeois and Noël Desenfans, were tasked in 1790 to build a royal collection for the King of Poland. After Poland was partitioned and ceased to exist in 1795, the collection was left without a buyer. Bourgeois bequeathed it to Dulwich College with the condition it be publicly displayed, leading to the gallery’s founding