Lord Armstrong wrote to his wife Margaret in 1878, saying that he had given three long sittings to Watts for his portrait, complaining that the artist had asked for another three. He had not then yet seen the portrait himself, except for a brief glance when the artist turned it round. His initial impression of the portrait when he saw it then was simply that it looked very brown, but he told Margaret that Watts was paying a great deal of attention to it and seemed satisfied with his progress.

Oil painting on canvas, Sir William George Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong of Cragside (1810-1900) by George Frederick Watts, OM, RA, (London 1817 – Compton 1904), 1878. A bust portrait of Sir William Armstrong as an elderly man, turned to the right, wearing a dark grey coat and a plum-coloured waistcoat.

Provenance: Presumably commissioned by Lord Armstrong and painted in 1878; thence by descent; transferred by HM Treasury to the National Trust in 1977 via the National Land Fund, aided by William Henry Cecil John Robin Watson-Armstrong, 3rd Baron Armstrong of Bamburgh and Cragside (1919-1987)

Marks and inscriptions: On a gilt tablet, suspended from the frame: 1ST LORD ARMSTRONG OF CRAGSIDE / (1810–1900) 1887 / George Frederick Watts O.M. R.A. / 1817–1904 On a square, gilt label on the frame, lower right: 1

Text from the National Trust website

Object description
Type: Easel painting
Location: Cragside, Rothbury, Northumberland
Material: Oil on canvas
Artist: George Frederic Watts (1817-1904)
Date: 1878

Image Details
Date: 20 June 2024
Camera body: iPhone Xs
Lens: Wide Camera 26mm ƒ/1.8
Focal Length: 26mm
Aperture: ƒ/1.8
Shutter Speed: 1/33s
ISO: 320
Licensing: Image of a National Trust asset. This image cannot be licensed.