William Stubbs (1825–1901)

Hubert von Herkomer's portrait of 'William Stubbs (1825-1901)' (1885) depicts the great English constitutional historian — Stubbs's 'Constitutional History of England' was among the most important works of Victorian historical scholarship, and his appointment as Bishop of Chester and then Oxford gave him both ecclesiastical authority and continued scholarly influence. Herkomer's portrait of Stubbs placed the historian within the gallery of Victorian intellectual achievement that his portraits documented, the scholar depicted with the dignity appropriate to his scholarly and ecclesiastical standing.

Herkomer renders Stubbs with his characteristic combination of psychological penetration and technical authority — the historian-bishop's scholarly intelligence and ecclesiastical bearing conveyed through the direct, observational approach that distinguished his best portrait work from the more formulaic conventions of Victorian official portraiture. His handling of Stubbs's face and the portrait's formal elements reflects his ability to combine the requirements of the official portrait with genuine individual characterization.