Sir Waldron Smithers; Herbert Stanley Morrison, Baron Morrison of Lambeth

1 portrait of Herbert Stanley Morrison, Baron Morrison of Lambeth

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Sir Waldron Smithers; Herbert Stanley Morrison, Baron Morrison of Lambeth

by Ronald Searle
pen and ink and blue crayon, 1951
9 3/4 in. x 10 3/8 in. (247 mm x 262 mm)
Purchased with funding from the Elizabeth Weisz Fund, 2010
Primary Collection
NPG 6894

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Famous for his zany delineations of British life, and a contributor to the creative programme of the Festival of Britain in 1951, Searle recorded the challenges Morrison faced during its development. Sir Waldron Smithers, the Tory MP for Orpington, seen here grudgingly acknowledging the event's success, grilled Morrison on its likely cost. Nicknamed 'Lord Festival', Morrison relished his supervisory task, seeing the spectacle as a symbolic re-affirmation of national identity and the chance to provide some restorative fun. He stamped his own character on the event, which similarly blended cockney sensibility with an agenda for social reform.

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Current affairs

The Conservative Party wins the general election and Winston Churchill returns for a second term as prime minister.

Art and science

On the centenary of the Great Exhibition of 1851, the Festival of Britain is held as a nationwide celebration of British culture, and as an impetus for post-war regeneration. As well as various art, science and industrial exhibitions and events, a major regeneration project was initiated for the South Bank area of London under the directorship of the architect, Hugh Casson.

International

Libya declares its sovereignty from Italian rule, becoming the first independent state to be created by the UN.
At the Treaty of San Francisco, 48 nations sign a peace treaty with Japan, officially ending the Pacific War - the last battleground of the Second World War.

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