George Canning (1770–1827)

George Canning, the version at the Walker Art Gallery dated 1838, presents an intriguing attributional problem: Lawrence died in January 1830, eight years before this date. Canning himself had died in August 1827, three years before Lawrence. The 1838 date must therefore indicate either a posthumous copy made from an earlier Lawrence original, a work completed from Lawrence's unfinished studio materials by his assistant or successor, or a version produced to meet the extraordinary posthumous demand for images of Canning following his brief but consequential premiership. Canning served as Prime Minister for only 119 days in 1827 before his death, but his career as Foreign Secretary had made him one of the most influential statesmen of the post-Napoleonic period — his support for Greek independence, Latin American liberation movements, and constitutional liberalism across Europe made him the hero of progressive opinion across the continent. The Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool holds this portrait in the city most directly associated with the Atlantic trade that Canning's liberal international policies facilitated; his reputation as the statesman who supported emerging democracies gave him an enduring progressive legacy that made his image commercially and politically valuable well after his death.

The portrait conveys Canning's reputation for eloquence and intellectual brilliance through an animated expression and direct gaze. The relatively dark palette and simple composition focus attention on the face, where Lawrence's handling — or that of a skilled studio hand — captures the politician's commanding presence.