William Ewart Gladstone
(1809-1898), Prime Minister and writer; Trustee of the National Portrait GalleryEarly Victorian Portraits Catalogue Entry
Sitter associated with 324 portraits
Famous as the ‘grand old man’ of British politics; Gladstone was leader of the Liberal Party and prime minister in four governments from 1868 to 1894. Gladstone was responsible for major reforms in every sphere of national life, and for the development of imperial foreign policy. He divided the party on the issue of Irish Home Rule and stamped his moral authority on the politics of his time. Gladstone’s father, John Gladstone was one of the largest owners of enslaved Africans in the Caribbean and this wealth supported Gladstone’s early career in politics. As a politician, Gladstone supported the proposal to compensate slave-owners for the loss of their ‘property’ after slavery was abolished and the introduction of the apprenticeship system that required newly freed Africans to continue working for their masters for four to six years.
by Harry Furniss
pen and ink, 1893
NPG 3379
by Harry Furniss
pen and ink, 1893
NPG 3380
Li Hongzhang (Li Hung Chang); William Ewart Gladstone
by George Watmough Webster
albumen print, 15 August 1896
NPG P1700(22c)
by Sir William Blake Richmond
pencil, 1898
NPG 3319
by Harry Furniss
pen and ink, 1899
NPG 3367
William Ewart Gladstone; Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
by Harry Furniss
pen and ink
NPG 6251(21)
by Maull & Polyblank
albumen print, arched top, 3 August 1857
NPG Ax7273
by Maull & Polyblank
albumen print, 3 August 1857
NPG x134783
published by T. Fisher Unwin, after George Frederic Watts
photogravure, published 1893 (1859)
NPG Ax199212
by London Stereoscopic & Photographic Company
albumen carte-de-visite, 1860s
NPG x45468
by Lombardi & Co
albumen cabinet card, mid 1890s (early 1860s)
NPG x4182
by John Jabez Edwin Mayall
carbon print, 1860s
NPG x87317
by Unknown photographer
albumen carte-de-visite, early 1860s
NPG x5973
Sculptural bust of William Ewart Gladstone
by Elliott & Fry, after Unknown sculptor
albumen carte-de-visite, 1860s
NPG Ax8536
by Alfred William Bennett
albumen carte-de-visite, 1860s
NPG Ax8535
Carte-de-visite photomontage featuring John Russell, John Bright and others..
by Unknown photographer
albumen carte-de-visite photomontage, 1860s
NPG x4330
by Unknown photographer
hand-coloured albumen stereoscopic card, early 1860s
NPG x197227
by John Jabez Edwin Mayall
albumen carte-de-visite, 23 July 1861
NPG Ax16391
by John Jabez Edwin Mayall
albumen carte-de-visite, 23 July 1861
NPG Ax18250
by John Jabez Edwin Mayall, published by A. Marion & Co
albumen print on publisher's card mount, 23 July 1861
NPG x5888
Related People
- Mary Drew (née Gladstone) (daughter)
- Herbert John Gladstone, 1st Viscount Gladstone (son)
- Henry Neville Gladstone, 1st Baron Gladstone of Hawarden (son)
- Catherine Gladstone (née Glynne) (wife)
- Constance Gertrude Gladstone (granddaughter)
- Evelyn Catherine Gladstone (granddaughter)
- Helen Gladstone (daughter)
- Sir John Gladstone (father)
- Robertson Gladstone (brother)
- Stephen Deiniol Gladstone (grandson)
- Stephen Edward Gladstone (son)
- Sir Thomas Gladstone, 2nd Bt (brother)
- William Glynne Charles Gladstone (grandson)
- William Henry Gladstone (son)
- Dorothy Mary Catherine ('Dossie') Parish (née Drew) (granddaughter)
- Agnes Wickham (née Gladstone) (daughter)
- Lucy C. Wickham (granddaughter)
- Margaret Wickham (granddaughter)
- William G. Wickham (grandson)
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