Sir Benjamin Hawes
(1797-1862), Advocate for the arts and politician; MP for Lambeth and KinsaleEarly Victorian Portraits Catalogue Entry
Sitter in 2 portraits
Benjamin Hawes was Liberal MP for Lambeth from 1832 to 1847. A soap manufacturer and active parliamentary campaigner for medical reform, he introduced an unsuccessful bill in 1841 to establish collective regulation and qualification for the medical profession. He found favour with the Whigs when they came into office, and was appointed Under Secretary of the Colonies in 1846. In 1851, he was transferred to the War Department where he served as Under Secretary of State. In 1820, he married Sophia Macnamara, daughter of Marc Isambard Brunel, and supported the various engineering projects of his brother-in-law Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
The Fine Arts Commissioners, 1846
by John Partridge
oil on canvas, circa 1846-1853
NPG 342
Key to 'The Fine Arts Commissioners, 1846'
by Sir George Scharf
pen and ink and wash, 1872
NPG 343c
Comments back to top
We are currently unable to accept new comments, but any past comments are available to read below.
If you need information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service . Please note that we cannot provide valuations. You can buy a print or greeting card of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at around £6 for unframed prints, £16 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Use this image button, or contact our Rights and Images service. We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.