Rt. Hon. W.E. Gladstone, M.P.

Woven on silk:-

Printed at bottom of card-mount:-
WOVEN IN PURE SILK BY T. STEVENS, COVENTRY. 
Rt. Hon. W. E. Gladstone, M.P. 

Card-mount:
15.2cm deep by 12.7cm wide

silk:
8.9cm deep by 6.4cm wide

by Sprake:
 

by Godden:
William Ewart Gladstone was born in Liverpool on 29 December 1809.
A keen scholar, taking a double first at Oxford, he first entered Parliament in 1833 as the Member for Newark and in 1847 as the Member for the University of Oxford. He later became a successful Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Gladstone was Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1868 to 1874 and from 1880 to 1885, again in 1886, and again from 1892 to March 1894. He died on 19 May 1898.

The Gladstone portrait first appears on label 21+2 of 1886. Several versions are known, as listed, and these are normally mounted on type D or D1 card-mounts.

so288: Full-face portrait of Gladstone, with the title RT. HON. W. E. GLADSTONE, M.P. printed on the type D card-mount. Woven over the jacket is a spray of flowers, which can vary slightly in colour and composition.
This full-face portrait is the version most commonly found when on type D card-mount; but some few examples are on type D1 mounts, the title being printed in barbed type, although these later specimens are rare.

version above: Portrait of Gladstone facing half right, with the inscription on the card-mount as so288; but no flowers are woven over the jacket.

so296: As the image above, but with the spray of flowers woven over the jacket.

so300: A similar portrait silk to so296, but rare, with smaller head.

so304: A small-size silk portrait with the title, RT. HON. W. E. GLADSTONE, woven above the head. This rare silk measures only 1 5/8 inches by 3 1/4 inches and forms a pair with so96: - the small portrait of THE LATE EARL OF BEACONSFIELD. These are most probably the small portraits listed on labels 21+10+2 to 23+27+2, of 1887 and 1888, as being sold at 4d each.

so308: The last version is similar to the so288 version, except the card-mount bears the amended title THE LATE RT. HON. W. E. GLADSTONE, M.P.
This was issued after May 1898 and is listed on label 32 +29. It is rare.

Other comments:
Two additional titles have been found since Godden catalogued those above. These being:

so290: As the silk above, but with the title: " R't Hon. W.E. Gladstone, M.P. / Home Rule is Ireland's Right ", and the shorter credit of ' Woven In Pure Silk '.

so306: As recorded by Godden as so308, but with " M.P. " missing from the title.