John Elliott Burns
54 of 137 portraits by Sir Francis Carruthers Gould ('F.C.G.')
© National Portrait Gallery, London
John Elliott Burns
by Sir Francis Carruthers Gould ('F.C.G.')
pen and ink, 1908
6 3/8 in. x 5 1/4 in. (164 mm x 134 mm) uneven
Purchased, 1936
Primary Collection
NPG 2826
Sitterback to top
- John Elliott Burns (1858-1943), Trade unionist and Liberal politician; MP for Battersea. Sitter in 30 portraits.
Artistback to top
- Sir Francis Carruthers Gould ('F.C.G.') (1844-1925), Cartoonist and journalist. Artist or producer associated with 137 portraits, Sitter in 8 portraits.
This portraitback to top
Inscribed, 'His activity is phenomenal', Gould's caricature shows Burns in 1908 when he was President of the Local Government Board, a post he held in successive Liberal administrations from 1905 to 1914. In this office, Burns succeeded in passing the Town Planning Act of 1909 but was bitterly unpopular with his former Socialist allies for resisting reforms in the Poor Law.
Events of 1908back to top
Current affairs
Henry Asquith replaces Henry Campbell-Bannerman as Liberal leader and Prime Minister, with David Lloyd George taking control of the Exchequer. Asquith and Lloyd George embark on a bold programme of social reform, laying the foundations of the Welfare State, introducing government pensions this year and later a system of National Insurance.The first aeroplane for the British army is built by the American, Samuel Cody.
Art and science
E.M. Forster's novel A Room with a View is published, following the experiences of a young woman, Lucy Honeychurch, in the repressed culture of Edwardian England.The French art critic Louis Vauxcelles first uses the term 'cubism' to refer to a landscape painting by Georges Braque.
International
King Carlos of Portugal and his heir, Prince Luis Filipe, are killed by assassins from the Republican trying to provoke a revolution. Carlos I, unpopular because of his extravagant lifestyle and extramarital affairs, was succeeded by his younger son, Manuel, the last monarch of the Braganza dynasty.Following the death of the Guangxu Emperor in China, his two year old nephew replaces him, becoming the the last Manchu emperor of China.
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