Margaret Thatcher
7 of 54 portraits of Margaret Thatcher
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Margaret Thatcher
by Gerald Scarfe
pen and indian ink, 1983
33 1/2 in. x 23 3/8 in. (851 mm x 594 mm)
Purchased, 1988
Primary Collection
NPG 6010
Sitterback to top
- Margaret Hilda Thatcher (née Roberts), Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven (1925-2013), Prime Minister. Sitter in 54 portraits.
Artistback to top
- Gerald Scarfe (1936-), Cartoonist. Artist or producer of 13 portraits, Sitter in 9 portraits.
This portraitback to top
This caricature, captioned 'Ugh! Looks like more medicine', appeared in The Sunday Times on 5 June 1983, four days before the general election in 1983 which launched her on a second term of office.
Linked publicationsback to top
- Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 611
Events of 1983back to top
Current affairs
Margaret Thatcher wins a landslide majority for the Conservative Party at the general election. Although her premiership had previously been unpopular, the British victory in the Falklands coupled with divisions in Michael Foot's Labour opposition, helped her to gain popularity and win the most decisive election victory since 1945.Art and science
The British sitcom Blackadder is aired for the first time. Each of the four series followed the character of the anti-hero Edmund Blackadder and took place during a different period of British history. The first series, The Black Adder, was a satire of medieval England during the rein of the fictitious Richard IV, and frequently lifted famous lines from Shakespeare.International
The armed struggle between Tamil militants and the Sinhalese-dominated government of Sri Lanka begin with the Black July pogrom. Mobs (allegedly supported by the government) started attacking and murdering Tamils following an attack by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on government soldiers. Civil war between the government and Tamil nationalists has continued sporadically ever since.Comments back to top
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