A Memento of the Great Public Question of Reform

1 portrait of Edward Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby

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© National Portrait Gallery, London

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A Memento of the Great Public Question of Reform

by Unknown artist
aquatint, published 1832
12 in. x 9 5/8 in. (304 mm x 243 mm) paper size
Reference Collection
NPG D10854

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  • Unknown artist, Artist. Artist or producer associated with 6578 portraits.

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A typical piece of reform propaganda. The King, William IV, and the leading Whig and Radical politicians float above on clouds of glory while below the British lion, supported by Britannia, send the Tories flying.

Events of 1832back to top

Current affairs

William IV agrees to the creation of new peers in order to obtain the passage of the Reform Act, although this proved unnecessary when the Tories withdrew opposition. Male franchise is extended by fifty percent; fifty-six 'rotten boroughs' lose representation and forty-one new constituencies are created. Irish and Scottish Reform Acts are also passed.

Art and science

Mathematician Charles Babbage publishes his best selling Economy of Machinery and Manufactures. In response to recent outbreaks of machine-breaking and riots, he aimed to reveal the sources of Britain's industrial strength to the urban elite and promote institutional change.
Parliament votes funds for National Gallery buildings in Trafalgar Square.

International

Free land grants end for English settlers in Australia on recommendation of the leading colonisation theorist Edward Wakefield in his Letter from Sydney.
Greek independence recognised by the Treaty of London.

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