Stephens on Gladstone
Written by Frederic George Stephens (1828–1907) around 1884, the text on William Ewart Gladstone (1809–1898) in Artists at Home chronicles the life of the prominent Liverpudlian. Stephens tells us that Gladstone, after gaining an impressive education at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford, entered Parliament as a Conservative in 1832, beginning his lengthy political journey. Aside from his previous roles as a member of Parliament for Oxford, a member of the transitional cabinet under Lord Aberdeen, and Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gladstone was also Prime Minister of the United Kingdom when Stephens wrote his profile for Artists at Home. Gladstone’s impactful political endeavors included passing the Irish Land Acts of 1870 and 1881, paying the claims of the United States Government for the captures made by the Alabama, and carrying out the Army Regulation Act, the Judicature Act, and the Ballot Act. A controversial figure, Gladstone sought to aid the Irish, disestablishing the Irish Church and attempting to pass Irish Home Rule Bills allowing Ireland to obtain a self-government.
Also an established author on politics and a renowned public speaker, Stephens writes, Gladstone’s eclectic span of interests included collecting ancient art and bric-à-brac. Aside from his political undertakings, Gladstone's oratorical skills are praised by Stephens, who also mentions a number of his literary works, including Studies on Homer and the Homeric Age (1858) and other scholarly writings related to one of his many fields of expertise: ancient history. He was elected Professor of Ancient History at the Royal Academy in 1875 after the death of Bishop Thirlwall of St. David’s, and inducted as an Honorary Member as part of that position. The post did not require much work since the Royal Academy was a school of art, but Stephens attempts to paint a flattering view of the position, rather than scoffing at it like Oliver Goldsmith, the first man to hold the post. Even though the position was not viewed to be of great importance—it lacked an office and a salary—the Professor of Ancient History was awarded a place at the Annual Festival inside the Academy—a great privilege for any academic with an appreciation for art.
Although Stephens writes briefly about Gladstone’s early years and praises his impactful political achievements, he makes the perplexing decision to spend almost the entirety of the last two pages of his text discussing Gladstone’s predecessors and the other Honorary Members of the Royal Academy. After implying that the position of Professor of Ancient History was hardly of much importance ("If the present Prime Minister has done nothing in this capacity, it is certain that he was not expected to do anything”), Stephens writes at length about Oliver Goldsmith, then proceeds to list all the men who held the position between the terms of Goldsmith and Gladstone. After he concludes that list, he digresses again and names every Honorary Member of the Royal Academy, ranging from bishops to Secretaries for Foreign Correspondence. This diversion from Gladstone’s biography leaves the reader desiring to know more about the life of W. E. Gladstone, since he was evidently a highly intriguing man whose demeanor and lifetime accomplishments commanded the utmost respect.
Vanessa Pike
Note
A review ("Some Fine Art Books") of the final installment of Artists at Home published in The Graphic (London) on January 3, 1885, notes that Stephens's sketch "explains that besides being a considerable collector of bric-a-brac, Mr. Gladstone has for some nine years been Professor of Ancient History in the Royal Academy, and that it is as such that his portrait is here introduced." Indeed, the history of Gladstone's position at the Royal Academy that seems gratuitous to modern minds impressed at least this one contemporary, who concluded: "The notes in connection with the office from then to now are as interesting as anything in the volume."
LM