Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, was a distinguished army general who became prime minister in 1828.

Despite an inauspicious school life, Wellesley benefited from his family's considerable influence and wealth. He joined a military academy at a relatively young age and distinguished himself during army campaigns in India and the war with Napoleon Bonaparte. Wellesley played a key role in the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815, a battle which the Duke later described as a 'pounding match'.

Wellesley combined his military career with a political one and became prime minster shortly after he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the British Army. His influence in the House of Lords helped to establish the Conservative government, later headed by Sir Robert Peel, and led to the Catholic Emancipation.

This print is after an oil painting by the portrait artist Sir Thomas Lawrence. Lawrence painted the leading society figures of the day and this is one of several paintings by him of the Duke. More informal than other portraits of him, it shows Wellesley at three-quarter length, wearing civilian clothes and a military cloak.

This portrait of Wellesley was painted towards the end of Lawrence's life and depicts Wellesley approaching 60 years old. A flattering portrait, it plays down his characteristically long nose and protruding chin. In contrast, both features were exaggerated in caricatures of Wellesley which featured in magazines such as 'Punch'.