Rt. Hon. Lord R. Churchill, M.P.

Printed at bottom of card-mount:-
WOVEN IN PURE SILK BY T. STEVENS, COVENTRY.

Rt. Hon. Lord R. Churchill, M.P. 

silk:
cm deep by cm wide

by Godden:
Lord Randolph Henry Spencer, the third son of John, Seventh Duke of Marlborough, was born at Blenheim Palace on 13 February 1849. In 1874 he was elected Member of Parliament for Woodstock, as a Conservative. However, he soon became a critic of the party leadership and later worked for true representation of the various constituencies in the party machinery.
In 1884 he was elected Chairman of the Central Union of Conservative Associations; and in August 1886 he became Leader of the House of Commons and Chancellor of the Exchequer, but resigned before the end of the year. He died, after much ill-health, on 24 January 1895.

The first son of Lord Randolph Churchill and his American wife was born in November 1874, and was to become Sir Winston Churchill.

This subject is first listed on label 21+9+2 of 1887 and is normally found mounted on card D. The title was included in a Stevens advertisement published in May 1887. It should be noted that Grant had issued a silk portrait of Lord Randolph Churchill in 1885.

Three versions of the Churchill portrait silk are so far recorded.

The first [so188] is without the usual spray of flowers woven across the jacket.
The second, above, has a spray of flowers woven across the jacket
The third [so196] also has the spray of flowers, although it has the title THE LATE LORD R. CHURCHILL, M.P. printed on the card-mount. This amended title is found on labels 31+29a, and signifies a date after January 1895.

Other comments:
From a paper envelope used to post the original pictures and portraits, it is confirmed the flowers are White Violets.