Portrait of Lord Melbourne | |
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Artist | Thomas Lawrence |
Year | 1805 |
Type | Oil on canvas, portrait |
Dimensions | (29 7/8 in× 24 7/8 in) |
Location | National Portrait Gallery, London |
Portrait of Lord Melbourne is a portrait painting by the English artist Thomas Lawrence portraying the British Whig politician and future Prime Minister Lord Melbourne. It is also known as the Portrait of William Lamb as he had not yet inherited the title from his father when it was painted. It is today in the National Portrait Gallery in London. [1]
A fashionable portraitist and President of the Royal Academy, Lawrence depicted a number of British Prime Ministers during his career as well as numerous foreign dignitaries. After spending much of his early life in opposition, Melbourne served twice as Prime Minister during the 1830s. [2]
It was painted around the time of his marriage to Lady Caroline Lamb, who Lawrence also depicted. Lawrence captures an image of Melbourne as a rising young, politician in fashionable Regency style. A later portrait by John Partridge shows Melbourne as a statesman during the early years of Queen Victoria's reign. [3]
Henry William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne was a British Whig politician who served as the Home Secretary and twice as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Sir Thomas Lawrence was an English portrait painter and the fourth president of the Royal Academy. A child prodigy, he was born in Bristol and began drawing in Devizes, where his father was an innkeeper at the Bear Hotel in the Market Square. At age ten, having moved to Bath, he was supporting his family with his pastel portraits. At 18, he went to London and soon established his reputation as a portrait painter in oils, receiving his first royal commission, a portrait of Queen Charlotte, in 1789. He stayed at the top of his profession until his death, aged 60, in 1830.
Sir George Hayter was an English painter, specialising in portraits and large works involving sometimes several hundred individual portraits. Queen Victoria appreciated his merits and appointed Hayter her Principal Painter in Ordinary and also awarded him a Knighthood in 1841.
John Partridge was a British artist and portrait painter. Named 'portrait painter-extraordinary' to Queen Victoria, his pictures depict many of the notable figures of his time.
Glenarvon was Lady Caroline Lamb's first novel. It created a sensation when published on 9 May 1816. Set in the Irish Rebellion of 1798, the book satirized the Whig Holland House circle, while casting a sceptical eye on left-wing politics. Its rakish title character, Lord Glenarvon, is an unflattering depiction of her ex-lover, Lord Byron.In 1866, it was reprinted under the title, The Fatal Passion.
Elizabeth Lamb, Viscountess Melbourne was one of the most influential of the political hostesses of the extended Regency period, and the wife of Whig politician Peniston Lamb, 1st Viscount Melbourne. She was the mother of William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, who became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and several other influential children. Lady Melbourne was known for her political influence and her friendships and romantic relationships with other members of the English aristocracy, including Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford, and George, Prince of Wales. Because of her numerous love affairs, the paternity of several of her children is a matter of dispute.
Conversation Piece at the Royal Lodge, Windsor is an oil-on-canvas painting by Herbert James Gunn. It is part of the collection of the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in London. The painting depicts King George VI and Queen Elizabeth and their daughters, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, taking tea in the Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park. It was commissioned by the NPG in 1950.
The Trial of Queen Caroline is an 1823 history painting by the British artist George Hayter. It depicts the events of 1820, in which George IV, who had recently succeeded to the throne, attempted to divorce his long-estranged wife, Caroline of Brunswick. In order to secure his divorce, George had a special bill moved in the House of Lords. The Lords heard evidence of the Queen's adultery, but with public opinion strongly in Caroline's favour, the measure was ultimately withdrawn by the government. Caroline remained married to George until her death the following year.
The House of Commons, 1833 is a large history painting by the British artist George Hayter. It depicts the first meeting of the House of Commons following the 1832 Great Reform Act and the subsequent general election that produced a landslide majority for the ruling Whig Government. In the Victorian era the painting was often known as The First Reformed Parliament.
George Canning is an 1826 full-length portrait by the British artist Thomas Lawrence of the statesman George Canning, a leading Tory politician. His career had been seriously disrupted by his 1809 duel with his cabinet colleague Lord Castlereagh, until his appointment as Foreign Secretary in 1822 after Castlereagh's suicide led him to a revival. He is shown speaking in the House of Commons. It was painted around the same time as Lawrence was depicting Canning's colleague the Duke of Wellington. Commissioned by Robert Peel, it was one of eight portraits he exhibited at the Royal Academy that year. It received qualified praise from fellow painter John Constable. The following year Canning became Prime Minister in succession to Lord Liverpool, but suffering from poor health died at Chiswick House after just 119 days in office. It is now part of the collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London.
The Portrait of Lord Hawkesbury is a work by the English artist Thomas Lawrence depicting the British politician and future Prime Minister Lord Hawkesbury, then in his mid-twenties. It is also known as the Portrait of Lord Liverpool, referring to the title he inherited in 1808 and by which he is better known. It is in the style of Romanticism.
Portrait of Lord Liverpool is a work by the English artist Thomas Lawrence depicting the British politician and Prime Minister Lord Liverpool.
The House of Commons, 1793–94 is a large history painting by the Austrian artist Anton Hickel. It was first exhibited in 1795 in the Haymarket. It depicts the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain around the time of the country's first involvement in the French Revolutionary Wars. It shows the Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger at the despatch box engaged in debate. A large number of other political figures of the era are also depicted including opposition Whig leader Charles James Fox.
Sir Charles Stewart is an 1812 portrait by the English artist Thomas Lawrence of the Irish soldier and diplomat Charles Stewart. Stewart was a career soldier who had served in the Peninsular War as Adjutant General to Allied commander Lord Wellington. Stewart had returned home from Portugal when he posed for the portrait and was subsequently appointed British Ambassador to Prussia, launching a diplomatic career that saw him play a key role in forming the alliance that defeated Napoleon and attending the Congress of Vienna. He is shown in hussar uniform, a branch of light cavalry that became prominent during the Napoleonic Wars. He wears his Peninsular Medal earned for his service over the past four years.
The Portrait of Frederick Robinson is an 1824 portrait painting by the English artist Sir Thomas Lawrence of the politician and Member of Parliament Frederick Robinson. Robinson was made Lord Goderich in 1827 and succeeded George Canning as Prime Minister. After his short-lived administration he later served as War Secretary and was in 1833 elevated to Earl of Ripon. The painting has therefore also been known as the Portrait of Lord Goderich and the Portrait of the Earl of Ripon. It is now in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London while a print based on the portrait is now in the British Museum.
The Duke of Richelieu is an 1818 portrait painting by the British artist Sir Thomas Lawrence of the French Prime Minister Armand Emmanuel de Vignerot du Plessis, 5th Duke of Richelieu. Richelieu was a leading statesman in Restoration France serving twice as premiere during the reign of Louis XVIII, having previously spent many years in exile. It was painted during the Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle.
The Marquess of Wellesley is a portrait painting by the English artist Thomas Lawrence of the Irish statesman Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley. Wellesley was a senior politician in Britain where he served as Foreign Secretary from 1809 to 1812 and was regarded as a potential future Prime Minister. Lawrence was the leading portraitist of the Regency era, depicting prominent figures from Britain and it's European Allies during the Napoleonic Wars. It is also known as the Portrait of Lord Wellesley.
Portrait of Sir John Moore is a portrait painting by the British artist Thomas Lawrence of the Scottish army officer Sir John Moore, painted between 1800 and 1804.
Portrait of Lord Melbourne is an 1844 portrait painting by the English artist John Partridge portraying the British politician and former Prime Minister William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne.
Portrait of Lord Grenville is an 1800 portrait painting by the English artist John Hoppner. It depicts the British politician William Grenville, First Baron Grenville, later Prime Minister from 1806 to 1807.