Sir John Freeman-Mitford, Baron Redesdale
Thomas Lawrence·c. 1800
Historical Context
Lawrence painted Sir John Freeman-Mitford, Baron Redesdale, around 1800, depicting the Speaker of the House of Commons (1801-02) and later Lord Chancellor of Ireland. Freeman-Mitford was an ancestor of the famous Mitford sisters. Now in the Parliamentary Art Collection, the portrait documents the Georgian political establishment. Lawrence's portraits of parliamentary figures form a comprehensive visual record of Britain's governing class during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic era.
Technical Analysis
Lawrence presents the Speaker with appropriate parliamentary gravitas, the composed expression and formal bearing communicating public authority. The dark, restrained treatment is enlivened by the warm highlights on the face that give life to what might otherwise be a merely official likeness.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the parliamentary gravitas Lawrence gives the Speaker: the composed expression and formal bearing communicate public authority.
- ◆Look at the dark, restrained treatment enlivened by warm highlights on the face: Lawrence's efficient formula for official portraiture.
- ◆Observe the Parliamentary Art Collection location: Freeman-Mitford's portrait belongs to the gallery of British parliamentary leadership.
- ◆Find the dignity without idealization: Lawrence gives the Speaker the authority of his office without falsifying his individual character.
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