Art, Truth, and High Politics

Art, Truth, and High Politics is an important source for scholars of Victorian culture as it highlights a significant class of documents, the Official Lives of British Cabinet members during the reign of Queen Victoria. Although often dismissed by scholars, these biographies form the backbone of most political studies of the period. They are often a treasure chest of documents, illustrations, maps, family pedigrees, and other information essential to an understanding of the minister and the period in which he lived. Entries for the seventy biographies are arranged alphabetically by the minister’s surname; the entries contain extensive bibliographical information, biographical information on both the subject and biographer, and the types of materials incorporated into the biography including archival and primary sources, published sources, illustrations, and cartoons. With illustrations.