Thomas Erskine May, 1st Baron Farnborough
15 of 269 portraits matching these criteria:
- set matching 'Vanity Fair cartoons: drawings, 1869-1910'
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Thomas Erskine May, 1st Baron Farnborough
by Carlo Pellegrini
watercolour, published in Vanity Fair 6 May 1871
11 3/4 in. x 7 1/8 in. (298 mm x 181 mm)
Purchased, 1934
Primary Collection
NPG 2712
Sitterback to top
- Thomas Erskine May, 1st Baron Farnborough (1815-1886), Jurist and clerk of the House of Commons. Sitter in 6 portraits.
Artistback to top
- Carlo Pellegrini (1839-1889), 'Ape'; caricaturist. Artist or producer associated with 490 portraits, Sitter in 5 portraits.
Related worksback to top
- NPG D43482: Thomas Erskine May, 1st Baron Farnborough ('Men of the Day, No. 22.') (after)
Linked publicationsback to top
- Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 214
Events of 1871back to top
Current affairs
Gladstone's first ministry continues with its programme of reform, with an overhaul of the civil service which is opened to public examination. The University Test Acts allow non-members of the Church of England to hold posts at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. The Trade Union Act granted full legal status to trade union organisations, although the Criminal Law Amendment Act banned picketing.The first FA Cup competition is held.
Art and science
The Penny Farthing, the first efficient bicycle, is invented by British engineer, James Starley.The artist James Whistler paints a portrait of his mother, calling the nearly monochromatic portrait Arrangement in Grey and Black. Although now one of Whistler's most recognisable paintings, it was nearly rejected by the Royal Academy at first.
International
France's shock defeat against Prussia radically alters Europe's status quo, leading to the deposition of Napoleon III and the creation of France's Third Republic, as well as Germany's unification and rise in military power and imperialist ambitions, as the Prussian King William I is pronounced Emperor of Germany. Further, Germany's annexing of the French regions Alsace and Lorraine provoked bitter land disputes which contributed to the outbreak of the First World War.Comments back to top
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