William Ewart Gladstone

© National Portrait Gallery, London

 Like voting
is closed

Thanks for Liking

Please Like other favourites!
If they inspire you please support our work.

Buy a print Buy a greetings card Make a donation Close

William Ewart Gladstone

by Rupert Potter
albumen print, 28 July 1884
7 3/4 in. x 5 5/8 in. (197 mm x 142 mm) image size
Given by Mrs W.O. (Elfrida) Manning (née Thornycroft), 1958
Photographs Collection
NPG x5885

Sitterback to top

  • William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898), Prime Minister and writer; Trustee of the National Portrait Gallery. Sitter associated with 324 portraits.

Artistback to top

  • Rupert Potter (1832-1914), Barrister and photographer; father of Beatrix Potter. Artist or producer associated with 29 portraits, Sitter in 2 portraits.

This portraitback to top

Beatrix Potter recounted the occasion of this sitting: 'Papa has been photographing old Gladstone this morning at Mr. Millais'. [...] They kept off politics of course, and talked about photography. Mr. Gladstone talked of it on a large scale, but not technically. What would it come to, how far would the art be carried, did papa think people would ever be able to photograph in colours?' Taken in John Everett Millais's studio during the third sitting for the 'Rosebery' portrait, the second of Millais's four paintings of Gladstone.

Placesback to top

Linked displays and exhibitionsback to top

Events of 1884back to top

Current affairs

The Third Reform Act further reduces the financial threshold for voters, extending the franchise to all householders in the counties, achieving uniformity with those in the boroughs, and effectively doubling the electorate from 2.5 million to just under 5 million.
Foundation of the socialist group, the Fabian Society. The group quickly grows in size, including members Eleanor Marx, George Bernard Shaw and Beatrice Webb.

Art and science

Under the editorship of James Murray, the Oxford English Dictionary begins publication, with the tenth and final volume appearing 1928. The idea for a historical dictionary of the English language had been conceived by members of the Philological Society in 1857, including Frederick Furnivall, and some 800 voluntary readers contributed to the immense project.

International

Germany annexes Southwest Africa, Togoland, the Cameroons, and Tanganyike, and launches the scramble for Africa as it becomes the third largest colonial power in the continent. Bismarck also invites the European powers to a West Africa conference in Berlin, which, carving up the map of Africa between them, regulates colonial practice, frees trade and prohibits slavery, formally marking the start of the New Imperialism which would flourish until World War I.

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.