"Empire Makers and Breakers."
1 portrait of Sir William Vernon Harcourt
"Empire Makers and Breakers."
by Harold Wright ('Stuff')
chromolithograph, published in Vanity Fair 25 November 1897
14 1/8 in. x 9 1/2 in. (359 mm x 242 mm) paper size
Reference Collection
NPG D44883
Sittersback to top
- Richard Everard Webster, Viscount Alverstone (1842-1915), Lord Chief Justice. Sitter in 17 portraits. Identify
- Joseph ('Joe') Chamberlain (1836-1914), Industrialist and politician; MP for Birmingham. Sitter in 106 portraits. Identify
- Sir William Vernon Harcourt (1827-1904), Lawyer, journalist and Liberal politician; MP for Oxford and Derby, Chancellor of the Exchequer and leader of the British Liberal Party. Sitter in 54 portraits. Identify
- Henry du Pré Labouchère (1831-1912), Writer, publisher, theatre owner and Liberal politician; MP for Windsor, Middlesex and Northampton. Sitter in 18 portraits. Identify
- Cecil John Rhodes (1853-1902), Imperialist, statesman in South Africa and mining entrepreneur. Sitter in 26 portraits. Identify
Artistback to top
- Harold Wright ('Stuff') (1858-1908), Stipendiary magistrate for the Potteries and cartoonist in Vanity Fair. Artist or producer associated with 33 portraits.
Subjects & Themesback to top
Events of 1897back to top
Current affairs
Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee is marked by a series of celebratory events, and attended by eleven colonial prime ministers following the Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain's proposal that the Jubilee be made a festival of the British Empire.The Workmen's Compensation Act gives workmen a right to a limited compensation in every case of injury by accident arising from the course of employment; it is a landmark piece of legislation in employment law.
Art and science
Bram Stoker's Dracula is first published.Henry Tate of the Tate and Lyle sugar company donates his art collection to the nation, buying land and building a gallery space for it (now Tate Britain).
Physician and psychologist Havelock Ellis publishes the first volume of his Studies in the Psychology of Sex, and the English physicist John Thompson discovers the existence of the electron.
International
The burning of Benin city by Britain takes place, known also as the Punitive Exhibition of 1897. The excursion, led by Admiral Sir Harry Rawson, was a response to an attack by Benin warriors on a British delegation sent to settle a dispute over customs duties collected by British traders. During the expedition the British Admiralty destroyed much of the city's treasured art, including the Benin Bronzes, auctioning off the rest as war booty to recoup costs.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.