10 OF 46

Engraving after 'The Coalition Ministry, 1854'

10 of 46 portraits of George Hamilton Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen

by William Walker, after Sir John Gilbert
engraving, 1857
20 3/4 in. x 28 3/8 in. (527 mm x 721 mm)
Purchased, 1898
Primary Collection
NPG 1125a

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Artistsback to top

Sir John Gilbert (1817-1897), Painter and illustrator. Artist associated with 9 portraits, Sitter associated with 16 portraits.
William Walker (1791-1867), Photographer, engraver and publisher. Artist associated with 119 portraits.

Sittersback to top

George Hamilton Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen (1784-1860), Prime Minister. Sitter associated with 46 portraits.
George Douglas Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll (1823-1900), Politician and scientist. Sitter in 29 portraits.
George William Frederick Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon (1800-1870), Politician and diplomat. Sitter associated with 15 portraits.
Robert Monsey Rolfe, Baron Cranworth (1790-1868), Judge. Sitter in 11 portraits.
William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898), Prime Minister and writer. Sitter associated with 266 portraits.
Sir James Robert George Graham, 2nd Bt (1792-1861), Statesman; First Lord of the Admiralty. Sitter associated with 52 portraits.
Granville George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville (1815-1891), Politician. Sitter associated with 43 portraits.
Sir George Grey, 2nd Bt (1799-1882), Home Secretary. Sitter in 13 portraits.
Charles Wood, 1st Viscount Halifax (1800-1885), Politician and Chancellor of the Exchequer. Sitter in 26 portraits.
Sidney Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Lea (1810-1861), War Secretary. Sitter in 9 portraits.
Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne (1780-1863), Politician. Sitter associated with 73 portraits.
Sir William Molesworth, 8th Bt (1810-1855), Radical politician. Sitter associated with 17 portraits.
Henry Pelham Fiennes Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne (1811-1864), Politician. Sitter in 15 portraits.
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston (1784-1865), Prime Minister. Sitter associated with 136 portraits.
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell (1792-1878), Prime Minister and writer. Sitter associated with 222 portraits.

This portraitback to top

The coalition ministry, under the leadership of the Earl of Aberdeen, came to power in 1852 following the short-lived Tory administration under the Earl of Derby. It included the leading Whig and Peelite statesmen of the period. This engraving of Gilbert's portrait shows Aberdeen's cabinet deciding upon the expedition to the Crimea in the early months of 1854. Palmsterston, on the right, is seen pointing at the town of Balaclava on a map of the region held open by the Duke of Newcastle. The early set-backs and the controversies over the conduct of operations during the war would further undermine what was an already weak and divided cabinet. In January 1855 Aberdeen resigned and was succeeded by Palmerston, who brought the war to a successful conclusion in 1856.