1772
Portrait of William Pitt, Earl of Chatham
Richard BromptonEnglish, 1734 - 1782
As a member of the British parliament from 1735 to 1761 and prime minister from 1766 to 1768, William Pitt the Elder advocated for an amiable relationship between Great Britain and the colonies, opposing the Stamp Act and military action in America. The papers on Pitt's desk in this portrait include a map of the colonies and "A Plan for the Reconciliation between Great Britain and the Colonies." Pitt's colleague Lord Shelburne (later the Marquess of Lansdowne) shared his sympathies and in 1782 signed a peace treaty with the United States.
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