Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford

Early Georgian Portraits Catalogue Entry

Sitter in 27 portraits
In all but name, Robert Walpole was Britain’s first Prime Minister between 1721 and 1742. A Whig statesman, he came to power in the wake of the ‘South Sea Bubble’. This was a financial crash based on speculation in the South Sea Company, which traded enslaved Africans with the Spanish Americas. He built up British prosperity in the long period of peace that followed. Walpole lost money during the crisis yet these losses were balanced by his investment in another slaving company, the Royal African Company. He obtained more power than any previous minister and remained in office for over twenty years, resorting to bribery to overcome his lack of popularity. His power came to an end when he was drawn into an unsuccessful conflict with Spain, which became known as the War of Jenkins' Ear. He was made Earl of Orford in 1742 after his defeat in the House of Commons.