Sir Francis Burdett, 5th Bt

Sir Francis Burdett was one of the most prominent radical MPs of the Regency era, repeatedly imprisoned for his outspoken criticism of government corruption and his advocacy of parliamentary reform. Shee's 1843 portrait depicts him in old age, long after his radical heyday when he had been elected for Westminster on a platform of popular rights and civil liberties. Burdett's career traced a remarkable arc from fiery radicalism to respectable conservatism as Reform Act Britain made his earlier positions seem mainstream. The portrait captures a veteran parliamentarian whose combativeness had shaped a generation of British political culture.

Shee's portrait presents the aging politician with dignified formality in the manner appropriate to a senior public figure. The academic technique and conventional composition reflect Shee's reliable but uninspired approach to official portraiture.