Robert Banks (1770–1828), 2nd Earl of Liverpool

Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, whose portrait in the Parliamentary Art Collection is another version of Lawrence's frequently replicated portrait of the longest-serving Prime Minister in British history, presided over Britain from 1812 to 1827 — through the final defeat of Napoleon, the post-war economic depression, the radical agitation that culminated in Peterloo, and the gradual economic recovery of the early 1820s. Liverpool's political management — flexible on economic policy, firm on political order, capable of holding together a diverse cabinet — kept Britain stable through a period of revolutionary threat across Europe. His government's contradictions — supporting liberal commercial reform through free trade while suppressing popular political agitation — defined the ambiguous character of post-war British conservatism. The Parliamentary Art Collection's institutional context is particularly appropriate for the Prime Minister's portrait; the Palace of Westminster where the collection is displayed was the building in which Liverpool's policies were debated and approved. Lawrence's multiple versions of the Liverpool portrait reflect the institutional demand for images of the dominant political figure of the era.

Lawrence renders the long-serving Prime Minister with the quiet authority appropriate to a man who held power through steady competence rather than personal charisma. The composed expression and formal arrangement convey political gravitas, while the warm flesh tones humanize what might otherwise be a merely official likeness.