William Graham, Liberal MP for Glasgow
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William Graham Liberal MP for Glasgow
, was a Scottish politician, wine merchant, cotton manufacturer and port shipper. He is remembered as a patron of Pre-Raphaelite
artists like Edward Burne-Jones
and Dante Gabriel Rossetti
and a collector of their works.
Graham's father was the founder of a firm, and in 1810 W & J Graham & Co diversified its business interests when it began importing wines from Portugal. Graham's became one of Britain's most prominent port shippers. Graham was a moderate Liberal, who was elected on 14 July 1865 with Robert Dalglish
(1808-1880) in Glasgow. He was re-elected in 1868 with Dalglish and George Anderson
(1819-1896) in the party's great Glasgow triumph in the general election of 1868 when Glasgow's electoral representation was raised from two to three MPs.
Graham was a friend and patron of Edward Burne-Jones
since 1856. Graham bought several of Burne-Jones's works and the 1886 sale of his collection allowed new Burne-Jones enthusiasts to acquire coveted pieces. Graham also invited artists such as Burne-Jones and Edward Clifford to his country house, Stobhall, in Perthshire. Clifford in turn acquired three paintings from Graham's collection in 1886.
At Rossetti's persuasion, he commissioned Found for 800 pounds in 1869; the painting remained unfinished, and took possession of the work after the painter's death in April 1882. In 1871, Graham commissioned the Blessed Damozel (1871) from Dante Gabriel Rossetti
. He also acquired La Donna Della Finestra (1880) from the artist. Graham began to buy from Rossetti in the mid 1860s. When they came on the market in 1874 and 1885, Graham bought his two Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood oils, Ecce Ancilla Domini (1850) and The Girlhood of Mary Virgin] (1849) both now in the Tate Gallery
. He also commissioned the large Dante's Dream, although this was found to be too big for his London House. Many of the pictures he owned are now in Tate Britain
.
From Edward Burne-Jones, Graham also acquired many pieces. In the 1870s, Graham commissioned the two large oils Laus Veneris (Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne) and Chant d'Amour (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York), which were the most important items in a large collection of Burne-Jones's work, formed from the mid-1860s. The Graham piano was painted by Burne-Jones for Graham's daughter Frances (Mrs. Horner, later Lady Horner); Frances continued her father's role as friend and patron of Burne-Jones. William Morris
and Burne-Jones also prepared a copy, one of four, of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (1859) for Frances.
His importance is not only as a purchaser and a patron, but also as a person whose fine collection of early Italian paintings helped to inspire the artists whom Graham supported such as Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones. After his death, his collection was sold at auction by Christie's
in April 1886.
Glasgow (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow was a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1885. It returned two Member of Parliament until 1868, and then three from 1868 to 1885...
, was a Scottish politician, wine merchant, cotton manufacturer and port shipper. He is remembered as a patron of Pre-Raphaelite
Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was a group of English painters, poets, and critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais and Dante Gabriel Rossetti...
artists like Edward Burne-Jones
Edward Burne-Jones
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet was a British artist and designer closely associated with the later phase of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, who worked closely with William Morris on a wide range of decorative arts as a founding partner in Morris, Marshall, Faulkner, and Company...
and Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Dante Gabriel Rossetti was an English poet, illustrator, painter and translator. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in 1848 with William Holman Hunt and John Everett Millais, and was later to be the main inspiration for a second generation of artists and writers influenced by the movement,...
and a collector of their works.
Art collector
Robert Dalglish
Robert Dalglish was a Scottish Radical politician. He was the Member of Parliament MP for Glasgow from 1857 to 1874....
(1808-1880) in Glasgow. He was re-elected in 1868 with Dalglish and George Anderson
George Anderson (MP)
George Anderson was a British Liberal Party politician.He was elected at the 1868 general election as one of the three Members of Parliament for Glasgow, taking the extra seat created for the city by the Representation of the People Act 1868.Anderson held the seat until he resigned in March 1885...
(1819-1896) in the party's great Glasgow triumph in the general election of 1868 when Glasgow's electoral representation was raised from two to three MPs.
Graham was a friend and patron of Edward Burne-Jones
Edward Burne-Jones
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet was a British artist and designer closely associated with the later phase of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, who worked closely with William Morris on a wide range of decorative arts as a founding partner in Morris, Marshall, Faulkner, and Company...
since 1856. Graham bought several of Burne-Jones's works and the 1886 sale of his collection allowed new Burne-Jones enthusiasts to acquire coveted pieces. Graham also invited artists such as Burne-Jones and Edward Clifford to his country house, Stobhall, in Perthshire. Clifford in turn acquired three paintings from Graham's collection in 1886.
At Rossetti's persuasion, he commissioned Found for 800 pounds in 1869; the painting remained unfinished, and took possession of the work after the painter's death in April 1882. In 1871, Graham commissioned the Blessed Damozel (1871) from Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Dante Gabriel Rossetti was an English poet, illustrator, painter and translator. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in 1848 with William Holman Hunt and John Everett Millais, and was later to be the main inspiration for a second generation of artists and writers influenced by the movement,...
. He also acquired La Donna Della Finestra (1880) from the artist. Graham began to buy from Rossetti in the mid 1860s. When they came on the market in 1874 and 1885, Graham bought his two Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood oils, Ecce Ancilla Domini (1850) and The Girlhood of Mary Virgin] (1849) both now in the Tate Gallery
Tate Gallery
The Tate is an institution that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of British Art, and International Modern and Contemporary Art...
. He also commissioned the large Dante's Dream, although this was found to be too big for his London House. Many of the pictures he owned are now in Tate Britain
Tate Britain
Tate Britain is an art gallery situated on Millbank in London, and part of the Tate gallery network in Britain, with Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is the oldest gallery in the network, opening in 1897. It houses a substantial collection of the works of J. M. W. Turner.-History:It...
.
From Edward Burne-Jones, Graham also acquired many pieces. In the 1870s, Graham commissioned the two large oils Laus Veneris (Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne) and Chant d'Amour (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York), which were the most important items in a large collection of Burne-Jones's work, formed from the mid-1860s. The Graham piano was painted by Burne-Jones for Graham's daughter Frances (Mrs. Horner, later Lady Horner); Frances continued her father's role as friend and patron of Burne-Jones. William Morris
William Morris
William Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement...
and Burne-Jones also prepared a copy, one of four, of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (1859) for Frances.
His importance is not only as a purchaser and a patron, but also as a person whose fine collection of early Italian paintings helped to inspire the artists whom Graham supported such as Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones. After his death, his collection was sold at auction by Christie's
Christie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
in April 1886.
Issue and descendants
He had issue including- Frances Jane Graham (1858-1940) or (1854/5-1940) married 1883 John Francis Fortescue Horner, barrister, later Sir John Horner, of Mells Abbey, Somerset, and had issue.
- Katharine Frances Horner (1885-1976) married the barrister Raymond AsquithRaymond AsquithRaymond Asquith was an English barrister and eldest son and heir of British Prime Minister H. H. Asquith by his first wife Helen Kelsall Melland .- Career and honours :...
(killed in action 1916), and was mother of the present Earl of Oxford and AsquithJulian Asquith, 2nd Earl of Oxford and AsquithJulian Edward George Asquith, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Asquith KCMG , was a British colonial administrator.-Background and education:...
. She was a friend of Ronald KnoxRonald KnoxRonald Arbuthnott Knox was an English priest, theologian and writer.-Life:Ronald Knox was born in Kibworth, Leicestershire, England into an Anglican family and was educated at Eton College, where he took the first scholarship in 1900 and Balliol College, Oxford, where again...
and Siegfried SassoonSiegfried SassoonSiegfried Loraine Sassoon CBE MC was an English poet, author and soldier. Decorated for bravery on the Western Front, he became one of the leading poets of the First World War. His poetry both described the horrors of the trenches, and satirised the patriotic pretensions of those who, in Sassoon's...
. - Edward Horner (1888-November 1917), killed in action in the Battle of Cambrai, a member of The CoterieThe CoterieThe Coterie was a fashionable and famous set of English aristocrats and intellectuals of the 1910s, widely quoted and profiled in magazines and newspapers of the period. It adopted the hostile description as a "corrupt coterie"....
with his brother-in-law.
- Katharine Frances Horner (1885-1976) married the barrister Raymond Asquith
- Agnes Graham (1860/1861 – 1937) married 1881 Herbert Jekyll, later Colonel Sir Herbert Jekyll (1846-1932), brother of the celebrated gardener Gertrude JekyllGertrude JekyllGertrude Jekyll was an influential British garden designer, writer, and artist. She created over 400 gardens in the UK, Europe and the USA and contributed over 1,000 articles to Country Life, The Garden and other magazines.-Early life:...
. Agnes became a Dame of the Order of the British Empire and a Lady of Justice of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. They had issue one son (1882-1965 died unmarried) and two daughters, of whom- Barbara Jekyll (1887-1973) married first 1911 the Hon. Francis McLaren, M.P.Francis McLarenThe Honourable Francis Walter Stafford McLaren was a British Member of Parliament killed in World War I.-Career:...
, who was killed in 1917 in the War, and, secondly, in 1922, Colonel B. C. Freyberg, V.C., later Lord Freyberg (1889-1963), and had issue by both husbands. - Pamela Jekyll (1889-1943) married 1908 the Right Hon. Reginald McKennaReginald McKennaReginald McKenna was a British banker and Liberal politician. He notably served as Home Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer during the premiership of H. H. Asquith.-Background and education:...
(d. 1943), and had issue.
- Barbara Jekyll (1887-1973) married first 1911 the Hon. Francis McLaren, M.P.
Sources
- William Graham MP The Glasgow Story.
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. K. D. Reynolds, ‘Horner , Frances Jane, Lady Horner (1854/5–1940)’, first published Sept 2004, 580 words, with portrait illustration. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/49524full article (needs subscription); citation available
- Obituary: Sir Herbert Jekyll The Times, 30 September 1932.
- Obituary: Barbara, Lady Freyberg The Times, 26 September and 3 October 1973
- Obituary: General Lord FreybergThe Times, 6 July 1963
- Leigh Rayment "THE HOUSE OF COMMONS CONSTITUENCIES BEGINNING WITH "G", last updated 4 November 2006. Retrieved 21 January 2008.
Further reading
- Oliver Garnett, 'The Letters and Collection of William Graham - Pre-Raphaelite Patron and Pre-Raphaelite Collector', The Walpole Society, 1999-2000, pp.249, 254, 290 (no b26)