Queen Victoria’s appreciation of German artist Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-1873) began after she saw portraits by him of other European monarchs. Accordingly, between 1842 and 1861 he made fifteen visits to England and painted over 100 portraits of Her Majesty, the royal family and other friends and dignitaries. In 1843 Winterhalter was commissioned to paint matching portraits of Queen Victoria and Albert, the Prince Consort. These originals hang in the Garter Throne Room at Windsor Castle and are part of the UK Royal Collection. Many legitimate copies of Winterhalter’s portrait were produced and presented to the Parliaments of the British Empire, including the Parliament of Victoria. Such copies are referred to as “After F. X. Winterhalter” and artists responsible include William Corden and John Prescott Knight. When creating copies, artists were not restricted by the size of the original portrait. Walterhalter’s original is 2.7m x 1.7m whereas copies can reach an impressive 4.5 metres in height. The portrait that hangs in Queens Hall at the Parliament of Victoria is not signed. Comparison with other copies of the work suggest that the Parliament’s painting may have been completed by William Corden. The Government Art Collection (United Kingdom), has a Queen Victoria copy in their collection and Parliament’s portrait has similar traits. A copy by John Prescott Knight which hangs in the Legislative Council in the Parliament of Tasmania is quite different, particularly with reference to the shape of the young Queen’s face, which is rounder in the Corden portraits.This portrait of Queen Victoria was presented as a gift by the British Government to the Parliament of Victoria in April 1860. Painted on fine linen supplied under Royal Warrant by the workshop Winsor and Newton, London, the frame has been embellished with elaborate wooden carvings. Framed portrait, oil on linen, of Queen Victoria. Victoria is posed in front of a curtain partially obscuring a building (possibly Buckingham Palace) in the background. Timber frame with a layer of gesso and decorative composition ornaments. There are rose, scotch thistle, clover leaf and Acanthus ornaments. A carved wood and composition element crown, resting on a tassled pillow sits on top of the frame.Canvas unsigned. Verso printed: ‘WINSOR AND NEWTON / Rathbone Place, London’. Embossed stamp into stretcher wood, stamped ‘Winsor and Newton’ in black ink.victoria queen of great britain, 1819-1901, winterhalter, franz xaver, 1805-1873, corden, william, queens hall, parliament of victoria

An Irish barrister, politician, Member of Parliament (M.P.), and the founder and first leader of a number of Irish nationalist parties and organisations, including the Irish Metropolitan Conservative Society in 1836, the Home Government Association in 1870 and in 1873 the Home Rule League. (Wikipedia) After being called to the bar in 1838, Butt quickly established a name for himself as a brilliant barrister. He was known for his opposition to the Irish nationalist leader Daniel O'Connell's campaign for the repeal of the Act of Union.[4] He also lectured at Trinity College, Dublin, in political economy. His experiences during the Great Famine led him to move from being an Irish unionist and an Orangeman[5] to supporting a federal political system for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland that would give Ireland a greater degree of self-rule. This led to his involvement in Irish nationalist politics and the foundation of the Home Rule League. Butt was instrumental in fostering links between Constitutional and Revolutionary nationalism through his representation of members of the Fenians Society in court. (Wikipedia) He began his career as a Tory politician on Dublin Corporation. He was Member of Parliament for Youghal from 1852 to 1865, and for Limerick from 1871 to 1879 (at the 1852 general election he had also been elected for the English constituency of Harwich, but chose to sit for Youghal). The failed Fenian Rising in 1867 strengthened Butt's belief that a federal system was the only way to break the dreary cycle of inefficient administration punctuated by incompetent uprisings.[6] In 1870 he founded the Irish Home Government Association. This was in no sense a revolutionary organisation. It was designed to mobilise public opinion behind the demand for an Irish parliament, with, as he put it, "full control over our domestic affairs."[6] He believed that Home Rule would promote friendship between Ireland and her neighbour to the east. In November 1873 Butt replaced the Association with a new body, the Home Rule League, which he regarded as a pressure-group, rather than a political party. In the General Election the following year, 59 of its members were elected. However, most of those elected were men of property who were closer to the Liberal cause.[7] In the meantime Charles Stewart Parnell had joined the League, with more radical ideas than most of the incumbent Home Rulers, and was elected to Parliament in a by-election in County Meath in 1875.[8] Butt had failed to win substantial concessions at Westminster on the things that mattered to most Irish people: an amnesty for the Fenians of '67, fixity of tenure for tenant-farmers and Home Rule. Although they worked to get Home Rulers elected, many Fenians along with tenant farmers were dissatisfied with Butt's gentlemanly approach to have bills enacted, although they did not openly attack him, as his defence of the Fenian prisoners in '67 still stood in his favour.[9] However, soon a Belfast Home Ruler, Joseph Gillis Biggar (then a senior member of the IRB), began making extensive use of the ungentlemanly tactic of "obstructionism" to prevent bills being passed by the house. When Parnell entered Parliament he took his cue from John O'Connor Power and Joseph Biggar and allied himself with those Irish members who would support him in his obstructionist campaign. MPs at that time could stand up and talk for as long as they wished on any subject. This caused havoc in Parliament. In one case they talked for 45 hours non-stop, stopping any important bills from being passed. Butt, ageing, and in failing health, could not keep up with this tactic and considered it counter-productive. In July 1877 Butt threatened to resign from the party if obstruction continued, and a gulf developed between himself and Parnell, who was growing steadily in the estimation of both the Fenians and the Home Rulers.[10] The climax came in December 1878, when Parliament was recalled to discuss the war in Afghanistan. Butt considered this discussion too important to the British Empire to be interrupted by obstructionism and publicly warned the Irish members to refrain from this tactic. He was fiercely denounced by the young Nationalist John Dillon, who continued his attacks with considerable support from other Home Rulers at a meeting of the Home Rule League in February 1879. Although he defended himself with dignity, Butt, and all and sundry, knew that his role in the party was at an end.[11] Butt, who had been suffering from bronchitis, had a stroke the following May and died within a week. He was replaced by William Shaw, who in turn was replaced by Charles Stewart Parnell in 1880. (Wikipedia)Image of a man known as Isaac Butt.

John Edward Redmond, was a prominent banker and businessman before entering Parliament as a member for Wexford constituency in 1859; his statue stands in Redmond Square, Wexford town.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Redmond, accessed 21/01/2014) His great nephew, John Edward Redmond (1 September 1856 – 6 March 1918) was an Irish nationalist politician, barrister, MP in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party from 1900 to 1918. He was a moderate, constitutional and conciliatory politician who attained the twin dominant objectives of his political life, party unity and finally in September 1914 achieving the promise of Irish Home Rule under an Act which granted an interim form of self-government to Ireland. However, implementation of the Act was suspended by the intervention of World War I, and ultimately made untenable after the Conscription Crisis of 1918. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Redmond, accessed 21/01/2014)Image of moustached politician John E. Redmond.ballarat irish, redmond, john redmond, irish nationalist party, irish home rule

John Poyntz Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer, KG, PC (27 October 1835 – 13 August 1910), known as Viscount Althorp from 1845 to 1857 (and also known as the Red Earl because of his distinctive long red beard), was a British Liberal Party politician under, and close friend of, British prime minister William Ewart Gladstone. He was twice Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. (Wikipedia) John Poyntz Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer, KG, PC (27 October 1835 – 13 August 1910), known as Viscount Althorp from 1845 to 1857 (and also known as the Red Earl because of his distinctive long red beard), was a British Liberal Party politician under, and close friend of, British prime minister William Ewart Gladstone. He was twice Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. (Wikipedia)Image of a bearded man known as Lord John Poyntz Spencer.ballarat irish, spencer, red earl, john spencer

This object relates to John Henry LAVARS. He was born on 1/10/1897 in Ballarat, VIC. John Henry served in the AIF (928) enlisting on, 21/03/1916 in Ballarat, VIC before being discharged from duties with the 8th BATTN as a Army Non-Commissioned Lance Sergeant (L-SGT) on 16/08/1919. John Henry LAVARS was not a prisoner of war. His next of kin is John LAVARS (Father). John Lavars was awarded the British War Medal.Engraved Plaque - "'-In Memory' Sgt J H LAVARS 8th Battalion No 928 1914-1948 War Donated by: His Family"photo/pictures, ballarat rsl, ballarat

This object relates to John Henry LAVARS. He was born on 1/10/1897 in Ballarat, VIC. John Henry served in the AIF (928) enlisting on, 21/03/1916 in Ballarat, VIC before being discharged from duties with the 8th BATTN as a Army Non-Commissioned Lance Sergeant (L-SGT) on 16/08/1919. John Henry LAVARS was not a prisoner of war. His next of kin is John LAVARS (Father). John Lavars was awarded the British War Medal.Engraved Plaque "Troop Ship 'Norman' 1914-1918 War In Memory Sgt J H Lavars No 928"photo/pictures, ballarat rsl, ballarat

This object relates to John Henry LAVARS. He was born on 1/10/1897 in Ballarat, VIC. John Henry served in the AIF (928) enlisting on, 21/03/1916 in Ballarat, VIC before being discharged from duties with the 8th BATTN as a Army Non-Commissioned Lance Sergeant (L-SGT) on 16/08/1919. John Henry LAVARS was not a prisoner of war. His next of kin is John LAVARS (Father). John Lavars was awarded the British War Medal.Engraved Plaque - "Before Embarking to the 1914-1918 War 39th battalion 10th Platoon Sgt J H Lavars No 928"photo/pictures, ballarat rsl, ballarat

This object relates to John Henry LAVARS. He was born on 1/10/1897 in Ballarat, VIC. John Henry served in the AIF (928) enlisting on, 21/03/1916 in Ballarat, VIC before being discharged from duties with the 8th BATTN as a Army Non-Commissioned Lance Sergeant (L-SGT) on 16/08/1919. John Henry LAVARS was not a prisoner of war. His next of kin is John LAVARS (Father). John Lavars was awarded the British War Medal.Engraved Plaque - " In Memory of Sgt John Henry Lavars No 928 (Standing on Left) 1914-1918 War Photo 8th Battalion Taken in England"photo/pictures, ballarat rsl, ballarat