Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

1 portrait of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

© National Portrait Gallery, London

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Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

by William Bromley, after Sir Thomas Lawrence
line engraving, published 1818 (1814)
30 3/4 in. x 25 1/2 in. (781 mm x 647 mm) plate size; 38 3/4 in. x 26 3/4 in. (984 mm x 679 mm) paper size
Reference Collection
NPG D13778

Sitterback to top

Artistsback to top

  • William Bromley (1769-1842), Engraver. Artist or producer associated with 42 portraits.
  • Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830), Portrait painter, collector and President of the Royal Academy. Artist or producer associated with 698 portraits, Sitter in 25 portraits.

This portraitback to top

This fine engraving was published in 1818 after Thomas Lawrence's portrait of 1814, commissioned by the Prince Regent. It shows Wellington at the height of his military powers: in full uniform decorated with his many medals, holding the Sword of State aloft. He was by this time Commander-in-Chief of the army fighting the Peninsular War and had enjoyed a much celebrated victory at Vittoria the previous year. His final defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo (1815) was however yet to come. Behind him can be seen St Paul's Cathedral, confirming his identification with this ultimate icon of Britishness and the state-church-army triumvirate on which Britain's glory rested.

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Subjects & Themesback to top

Events of 1818back to top

Current affairs

Death of Charlotte Sophia of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, George III's Queen since 1761.
Official enquiry initiated into Queen Caroline's conduct abroad.

Art and science

Mary Shelley anonymously publishes her masterpiece Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus which reflects growing concern about the role of morality in science.
Lord Byron completes his romance Childe Harolde's Pilgrimage, whose gloomy, dissolute hero was probably based on the writer himself.

International

Stamford Raffles acquires authorisation to construct a fort at Singapore marking the beginning of its development as a centre of East-West trade.
Congress of European Alliance at Aix-La-Chapelle. Lord Castlereagh plays a central role in establishing a pan-Europe peace settlement to bring a chastened France back into the world of political respectability.

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