Henry Bruce, Home Secretary

Carlo Pellegrini's chromolithograph—plate 106, Statesmen No. 29—depicts Henry Austin Bruce, Liberal Home Secretary under Gladstone, in three-quarter profile, head bowed and hands clasped as if in private deliberation. The exaggerated cranium, heavy jowls, and white side-whiskers are characteristic Pellegrini inflation. The caption bites with genuine political edge: Bruce had recently converted to supporting the secret ballot—a Radical cause—and the text suggests his greater public service would be resignation. The pose of prayerful self-absorption neatly embodies a politician more comfortable performing conscience than exercising authority.