Item 2016.01 - John George Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham

• Graphic material

1 portrait : Epson print on canvas ; 90 x 70 cm (sight) in 101 x 80.5 cm frame

The printing of this image was arranged by Heritage York in 2016. It was printed at QSQ Giclee Boutique in Toronto, framed by Akau Framing and Art, and installed at Lambton House. It was formally unveiled on February 18th, 2017 by the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, OC, OOnt, 29th Ontario Lieutenant Governor on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Canada. The original painting, as well as the mezzotint, are located in the primary collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London, England.

Print is a reproduction of a portrait of John George Lambton, also referred to as "Radical Jack" or Lord Lambton, at 27 years old. It is a reproduction of an oil painting made by Thomas Phillips in 1820. The oil painting is based on a much smaller mezzotint produced a year earlier by Phillips and Samuel William Reynolds.

Lambton was born in 1792 in present-day Westminster. First elected to British parliament in 1813, Lambton served until 1833 and helped draft the Reform Bill of 1832. Following his resignation, he was raised to the house of lords, becoming Viscount Lambton and Earl of Durham. On May 29th, 1838, Lambton arrived in Upper Canada, in the role of Governor General and High Commissioner to British North America. He was tasked with the responsibility of preparing a report on the Canadian Rebellions of 1837. His famous "Report on the Affairs of British North America", sometimes referred to as the Durham Report, was released to mixed reviews a year later, in Jan. 1839. The result of the report was the union of Upper and Lower Canada into a single colony. Lambton's work in Canada also was instrumental in paving the way for responsible government.

William Pearce Howland was so impressed by Lambton that he named Lambton Mills, formerly Cooper's Mills, after him around 1850. The two men most likely never met.