Sir John Freeman-Mitford, Speaker (1801–1802)

Sir John Freeman-Mitford, who served as Speaker of the House of Commons from 1801 to 1802 before being elevated to the peerage as Baron Redesdale, appears in this portrait from around 1810 in the Parliamentary Art Collection. Freeman-Mitford"s brief speakership came during the crucial period of the Act of Union with Ireland, and he later served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland. His descendant, the 2nd Baron Redesdale, fathered the famous Mitford sisters of the twentieth century.

The Speaker"s portrait follows institutional conventions, with formal robes and ceremonial setting establishing the sitter"s constitutional authority. Shee renders the rich textures of the Speaker"s robes with professional skill, while the face receives individualized treatment. The dark palette is relieved by the gold and black of parliamentary dress.