William Ewart Gladstone

NAME William Ewart Gladstone

WHAT FAMOUS FOR Four-time Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and one of the most influential British statesmen of the 19th century. Known as the “Grand Old Man,” Gladstone was a fierce advocate of moral politics, free trade, religious tolerance, and electoral reform.

BIRTH Born on December 29, 1809, at 62 Rodney Street, Liverpool, England. He was baptized in the parish church of St. Peter in Liverpool.

FAMILY BACKGROUND Gladstone was the fourth son of Sir John Gladstone, 1st Baronet (1764-1851), a wealthy Scottish merchant and politician, and his second wife Anne MacKenzie Robertson. His family had made a fortune through transatlantic corn and tobacco trade and owned extensive sugar plantations in the West Indies that employed some 2,500 enslaved Africans. 

Although born in Liverpool, Gladstone was of purely Scottish ancestry, with his grandfather Thomas Gladstones being a prominent merchant from Leith. His maternal grandfather, Andrew Robertson, was Provost of Dingwall and a Sheriff-Substitute of Ross-shire. The family name was changed from Gladstones to Gladstone by royal licence in 1835.

CHILDHOOD Gladstone spent his early childhood at the family residence, Seaforth House, near Liverpool. He was raised in a devoutly Anglican household and showed early signs of intellectual curiosity and a strong moral compass. He was known for his serious demeanor even as a child.

One of his earliest childhood memories was being made to stand on a table and say "Ladies and gentlemen" to an assembled audience, probably at a gathering to promote George Canning's election as MP for Liverpool in 1812. 

In 1814, young "Willy" visited Scotland for the first time with his brother John and father, traveling to Edinburgh, Biggar, and Dingwall to visit relatives. Both boys were made freemen of the burgh of Dingwall. 

In 1815, he also traveled to London and Cambridge for the first time, attending a service of thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral following the Battle of Waterloo, where he saw the Prince Regent.

EDUCATION Gladstone was educated from 1816 to 1821 at a preparatory school at the vicarage of St. Thomas' Church at Seaforth, under the Rev. William Rawson, an evangelical Vicar. 

In 1821, Gladstone followed his elder brothers to Eton College, where he remained until 1828. At Eton, his tutor was the Rev. Henry Hartopp Napp, and his most intimate friend was Arthur Hallam. Sports were his major pursuits initially, but Dr. Edward Craven Hawtrey provided him with the incentive to learn and succeed, turning him into a voracious reader. He was fond of sculling on the river, kept his own boat, and was always a great walker. 

In October 1828, Gladstone matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford, where he read Classics and Mathematics. He achieved a double first-class degree in December 1831, a goal he had long desired. At Oxford, he served as President of the Oxford Union and developed a reputation as an outstanding orator.

CAREER RECORD Gladstone's political career spanned over 60 years.

1832: Elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Newark as a Tory.

Gladstone in the 1830s

1834–1835: Junior Lord of the Treasury and Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies in Robert Peel's government.

1841–1845: Vice-President of the Board of Trade and later President of the Board of Trade under Peel.

1845–1846: Secretary of State for War and the Colonies.

1852–1855: Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Aberdeen coalition government, where he gained a reputation for financial acumen.

1859: Joined the Liberal Party.

1859–1866: Chancellor of the Exchequer under Lord Palmerston and Earl Russell.

1868–1874: First Term as Prime Minister. Implemented significant reforms, including the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland, the Cardwell Army reforms, and the Education Act of 1870.

1880–1885: Second Term as Prime Minister. Known for the "Midlothian Campaigns" and further electoral reforms (Third Reform Act). Faced challenges in Egypt and Sudan.

1886: Third Term as Prime Minister. Introduced the First Irish Home Rule Bill, which split the Liberal Party and led to his resignation.

1892–1894: Fourth Term as Prime Minister. Attempted to pass the Second Irish Home Rule Bill, which was defeated in the House of Lords. Resigned due to age and disagreements over naval estimates.

APPEARANCE Gladstone carried himself with such commanding presence that many assumed he was a giant, but he stood at an unremarkable 5 feet 10 inches. Broad-shouldered and pale, he had striking, nearly black eyes that gave his gaze an intense, almost hypnotic quality. In his 50s, his once-thick black hair began to thin and turn gray. He embraced the fashionable bewhiskered look of the time, letting his hair grow out around his face in a dignified frame. (1)

Gladstone in 1859, painted by George Frederic Watts

He lost the forefinger of his left hand in a gun accident in 1842 and thereafter always wore a glove or finger sheath. 

FASHION  Gladstone typically wore traditional, sober Victorian dress, preferring black frock coats and high collars—befitting a statesman of moral gravity. He  characteristically wore his tie in a bow knot rather than the more modern four-in-hand style. 

CHARACTER Pious, principled, and intellectually intense, Gladstone was dominated by moral conviction. He often said, “Nothing that is morally wrong can be politically right.” Yet he was also deeply emotional and introspective—given to prayer and self-examination.

Gladstone was known for his principle of doing everything "with all thy might" - whether it was mastering budget details or cutting down trees. However, he also had notable faults and could be seen as priggish and overly controlling.

SPEAKING VOICE Gladstone was renowned for his powerful and resonant speaking voice. He spoke with clear diction in a northern (scouse) burr and with animated gestures.  An exceptional orator, capable of holding large audiences spellbound for hours, his speeches were often long, detailed, and intellectually rigorous, yet delivered with passion and conviction.

Even in his later years when his hearing and sight were failing, his voice remained commanding.  In old age, he weaponised his partial deafness by simply not hearing arguments he didn't want to engage with.

Not everyone enjoyed listening to him, however, "A sophisticated rhetorician inebriated with the exuberance of his own verbosity" commented Disraeli.

A phonograph recording of his voice was made by Thomas Edison in 1888, making it one of the earliest recordings of a major political figure. 

SENSE OF HUMOUR While primarily serious in his public persona, Gladstone could display wit when the occasion called for it, though his humor was generally restrained by his strong moral convictions.

RELATIONSHIPS  An awkward and overly intense suitor in his twenties, Gladstone was turned down by two women he hoped to marry—put off by his overpowering moral earnestness. 

At the age of 30 Gladstone married the serene, beautiful, and quick-witted Catherine Glynne on July 25, 1839, at Hawarden Church. Catherine was the daughter of Sir Stephen Glynne of Hawarden Castle. 

Their marriage lasted 59 years, ending only with Gladstone’s death in 1898. Catherine was deeply devoted to her husband. The match brought Gladstone personal happiness and anchored him in the aristocratic ruling class.

They had eight children—four sons and four daughters. One child died in infancy, and their youngest son, Herbert, was born while Gladstone was serving as Chancellor and would go on to become a prominent Liberal statesman himself. 

Though deeply attached to one another—he affectionately called her “the ivy” and she called him “the oak”— William and Catherine  often lived in separate houses and maintained their relationship largely through frequent, if formal, correspondence. His letters to her were typically signed “Ever yours affty., W.E. Gladstone” and addressed in the style of a business letter to “Mrs. W.E. Gladstone.” 

Catherine outlived her husband, continuing to be a gracious and dignified figure in British society.

From a portrait of Catherine Gladstone by Frederick Richard Say. Completed 1856.

Gladstone maintained many strong political and personal friendships, though his intense focus on politics could sometimes strain relationships.

He was much mortified by the coolness of his last official interview with Queen Victoria, who so intensely detested him that by this time she could hardly conceal her feelings.

MONEY AND FAME Gladstone was born into a wealthy merchant family whose fortunes were bolstered by compensation following the abolition of slavery. When over 2,000 enslaved people on family-owned plantations were freed, the Gladstones received more than £100,000—a vast sum at the time. By 1852, he was “beginning to be a rich man in his own right,” combining inherited wealth with his own growing influence and financial acumen.

During the 1840s, when out of office, Gladstone turned his attention to transforming the Hawarden estate into a profitable enterprise. He was also heavily involved in rescuing the Glynne family estates, which had become entangled in the financial panic of 1847.

As Chancellor of the Exchequer, a role he held for a remarkable 14 budgets, Gladstone revolutionised British public finance. He was a fierce proponent of balanced budgets, minimal government spending, and economic discipline. His attempts to abolish income tax—though ultimately unsuccessful—reflected his lifelong belief in limited taxation. At the same time, he was resistant to expansive social reforms that required large-scale public expenditure.

He was a master orator, at a time when public speaking rivalled sport in popular appeal. His speeches stirred the passions of ordinary people and helped build support among grassroots voters. As he once declared in Liverpool in 1886, “All the world over I will back the masses against the classes.”

Despite his wealth and rising political status, Gladstone declined Queen Victoria’s offer of an earldom, preferring to remain “plain Mr Gladstone.” 

FOOD AND DRINK Gladstone’s tastes in food and drink reflected his blend of austerity, eccentricity, and refinement. His preferred tipple was an unusual concoction of sherry mixed with a beaten egg—markedly different from his rival Benjamin Disraeli, who favored brandy and water. 

As Chancellor, Gladstone championed the reduction of duties on cheaper wines, which led to the popularity of “Gladstone claret” and “Gladstone sherry.” He also encouraged the consumption of “lighter and more innocuous drinks” as part of his broader push for moderation and public health.

During the Irish Famine, he instructed his own household to reduce their food intake as a gesture of Christian solidarity, urging them to “economize the consumption of food.”

Gladstone enjoyed entertaining at breakfast, often inviting a mix of literary figures, politicians, and churchmen to his home for 10 a.m. gatherings—an early start that reflected both his discipline and his fondness for stimulating conversation.

A creature of habit, Gladstone chewed each bite of food exactly 32 times—once for every tooth. 

He was not a restful sleeper and devised a peculiar solution: he filled a stone hot water bottle not with water, but with tea. When he awoke in the middle of the night, the tea was still warm enough to sip—his own version of midnight comfort. (2) 

  

MUSIC AND ARTS Gladstone had a lifelong love of music and the arts, with a particular passion for opera, which he attended regularly. He was also drawn to classical art and architecture, and his home at Hawarden Castle reflected this taste—filled with paintings, cultural artifacts, and objects of aesthetic interest.

As a young man, Gladstone viewed the theatre with suspicion, once declaring it a pursuit “that really involve[s] the encouragement of sin.” Yet age softened his views: by his later years, he could often be spotted in a private box at the Lyceum Theatre, thoroughly enjoying the drama onstage. In fact, he became a devoted theatre-goer, and his enthusiasm for politics and performance frequently overlapped—one observer joked that for years he starred in the anarchic daily production of A Day in Parliament.

Gladstone in his private box at The Lyceum by Perplexity

His admiration for the theatre extended to its stars: he offered the celebrated actor Henry Irving a knighthood—an unprecedented honour for a performer at the time.

Gladstone could also be unexpectedly exuberant. On becoming Prime Minister in 1868, he joyfully waltzed his wife Catherine around the room in celebration.

The artistic legacy he cultivated at Hawarden has been preserved by his descendants. The West End of Hawarden Castle today features more than 100 original artworks, including pieces by Damien Hirst and David Shrigley. His great-great-grandson Charlie Gladstone has filled the estate with what was described as “a magpie’s mish-mash of objects and curiosities,” and even curated a stack of vinyl records for guests to play—ensuring the house remains as culturally alive as it was in William Gladstone’s day. (3)

LITERATURE Gladstone was an insatiable reader, scholar, and diarist whose intellectual appetite defined both his inner life and daily routine. His study at Hawarden Castle—nicknamed his “Temple of Peace”—housed more than 32,000 books, many of which he had read. His daily reading lists, scribbled in his meticulous diaries, and his heavily annotated volumes are a testament to a man for whom reading was both a discipline and a calling.

It’s estimated that Gladstone read over 20,000 books in his lifetime. His interests ranged widely but centered on classical literature, theology, and political philosophy. He was particularly passionate about Homer, on whom he published a three-volume study, Studies on Homer and the Homeric Age (1858), and whom he could discuss for hours. He also admired Dante, Edmund Burke, and Sir Walter Scott’s historical poetry. Tennyson’s "The Princess and Guinevere" were among the works he read aloud to the women he hoped to “rescue” through his social reform work.

He often read the Bible as he dressed or undressed, and religious books were a staple of his daily routine. His reading habits were so intense that Winston Churchill once wryly observed, “So they told me how Mr. Gladstone read Homer for fun, which I thought served him right.”

He began his published writing career in 1838 with The State in its Relations with the Church, a high-minded argument for Anglican privilege. Over his lifetime, he wrote 15 books—mostly on religious or political themes—including Bulgarian Horrors and the Question of the East (1876), a passionate response to atrocities in the Balkans and the perceived indifference of the Disraeli government.

For Gladstone, books were not just sources of wisdom but physical companions. In 1890, he published On Books and the Housing of Them, a treatise on the proper shelving and arrangement of books—something he took seriously enough to wheelbarrow 32,000 volumes to establish St Deiniol’s Library in Hawarden.

He could speak fluent French, Italian, and German, and read Latin and Ancient Greek with ease.  Even his extended family shared a love for language. The family of his wife, Catherine (née Glynne), were said to have their own idiomatic way of speaking—and were credited with coining the now ubiquitous phrase “over the moon.”

Gladstone’s intellectual life was not simply a private pursuit—it was the framework of his moral universe, and in many ways, the foundation of his political mission.

Image by Perplexity

NATURE Gladstone lived much of his life in cities but "was a countryman at heart". His connection to nature was most famously expressed through his beloved Hawarden estate in North Wales, where he spent considerable time in the woodlands and parkland. (4)

PETS  Gladstone enjoyed outdoor activities such as horse riding and dog walking, However, most references to Gladstone and animals note his fondness for the outdoors and animals in connection with exercise and recreation, rather than highlighting a famous pet or pets

HOBBIES AND SPORTS Gladstone's most famous hobby was tree-felling with an axe at Hawarden estate. This became so well-known that Lord Randolph Churchill once quipped to Parliament: "The forest laments, in order that Mr Gladstone may perspire". He would often be seen wielding an axe in the woods, and many Liberal supporters made excursions to Hawarden to witness the great man in action. His prowess as a woodman took on "something of the same cult status as Lincoln's respected skills as a rail-log splitter". 

Gladstone Tree felling at Hawarden Source BADA

His other hobby was book collecting - he personally transported his collection of 32,000 books from Hawarden Castle to his new library. 

At Eton, he enjoyed cricket, football, sculling on the river (keeping his own boat), and walking. Walking remained a favorite recreation throughout his life - he walked very fast and went long distances, and even in old age, took long strolls.

SCIENCE AND MATHS At Eton, there was no mathematics teaching, so Gladstone devoted his half-holidays to teaching himself the subject.

Gladstone achieved a double first in both Classics and Mathematics at Oxford. However, he "personally had no interest in Maths as a subject and only added it to his degree because it was a subject he excelled in". 

He was president of the Royal Statistical Society from 1867 to 1869 and used statistical methods in his analysis of Homer's use of color in poetry, counting and classifying every word used to indicate color. 

When Gladstone once asked the scientist Michael Faraday, “But what good is this electric machine?” Faraday famously shot back with a twinkle in his eye: “What’s the use of a newborn baby? You’ll have to wait and see.”

PRIME MINISTER William Ewart Gladstone was an astonishing figure: a moralist, a workaholic, a ferocious reformer, and a man who often looked like he was late for a very important sermon. He could quote Homer in ancient Greek and had opinions on just about everything, from foreign policy to how many times one should chew a mouthful of food (32, in case you’re wondering).  He was Prime Minister not once, not twice, but four times. This is not just unusual—it is, as of this writing, entirely unmatched in British political history. 

The First Term (1868–1874): Gladstone Goes Full Reformer

Party: Liberal

Start: December 3, 1868

End:  February  17, 1874

Gladstone came to power after Benjamin Disraeli’s brief stint in charge, and immediately started passing laws as if someone had set his trousers on fire. He disestablished the Church of Ireland , made elementary education compulsory (some children were grateful, eventually), and gave voters the secret ballot, allowing them to vote without everyone in the pub knowing their business.

He also reformed the army, universities, and the civil service, often personally drafting the bills. He didn’t just run the country—he practically proofread it. Unsurprisingly, some people thought this was a bit much. After six years of relentless righteousness, the voters politely asked him to take a break.

The Second Term (1880–1885): Reform, Rebellion, and Red Ink

Party: Liberal

Start:  April 23, 1880

End: June 9, 1885

Undeterred, Gladstone bounced back like a Victorian yo-yo. This time, he expanded the electorate (through the Third Reform Act), fiddled with constituencies, and continued trying to fix Ireland, particularly through land reforms.

Unfortunately, this term was a bit of a downer internationally. The British Empire had one of its more embarrassing moments with the Mahdist revolt in Sudan and the failed Gordon Relief Expedition, which sounds like a pub quiz team but was in fact a tragic military disaster. Domestic politics weren’t much cheerier, and once again Gladstone was politely shown the door.

The Third Term (1886): Blink and You’ll Miss It

Party: Liberal

Start: 1 February 1, 1886

End:  July 20, 1886

This was the political equivalent of a weekend city break. Gladstone returned with one big idea: Home Rule for Ireland. It was bold. It was principled. It also completely blew up his own party. Half of his MPs ran screaming for the exit and became the Liberal Unionists, who went off and became best friends with the Conservatives.

The Home Rule Bill was defeated, confidence was lost, and Gladstone was—once again—out.

The Fourth Term (1892–1894): The Grand Old Man’s Last Hurrah

Party: Liberal (with Irish Nationalist support)

Start: August 15, 1892

End: March 2, 1894

By now 82 years old and looking rather like a wise but slightly baffled owl, Gladstone returned to Downing Street for a final round. His energy may have flagged slightly, but his sense of purpose hadn't. He introduced a second Home Rule Bill, which passed the Commons but was murdered in cold blood by the House of Lords.

He also pushed for more social and electoral reform, but his health and influence were fading. In 1894, he finally retired, possibly the only Prime Minister to do so with Homer still fresh in his head and moral indignation still burning in his chest.

Gladstone’s political career was like a very long Victorian novel—full of dramatic returns, tragic partings, high ideals, and a lot of people arguing about Ireland. His passion for reform, relentless work ethic, and unshakable belief in the moral power of good government shaped the Britain we know today.

He remains the only person to have served as Prime Minister four separate times. And even when out of office, he never really stopped being William Gladstone—which, in many ways, was a job all by itself.

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY William Ewart Gladstone didn’t merely believe in God. No, he believed in God the way some people believe in oxygen—essential, unavoidable, and very much involved in everything from elections to breakfast. Religion, for Gladstone, wasn’t just a Sunday affair involving nice robes and reasonably tuneful hymns. It was the "pole-star of his existence," which is a poetic way of saying that every decision, major or minor—from constitutional reform to what tie to wear—had to pass through a theological filter before reaching his conscience.

As a young man, he was a devout Evangelical and even considered going into the Church—though, given how much legislation he ended up drafting, one suspects the Church might have struggled to keep up.

Gladstone’s faith evolved over time into something called liberal Catholicism, which in his hands became a very serious intellectual affair, heavy on principle, theology, and good intentions. He had strong views on Christian apologetics—so strong, in fact, that he once described unbelief as “the one controversy which overshadows, and in the last resort absorbs, all others.” Which is the sort of thing you say when you’ve stayed up very late wrestling with St. Augustine and missed tea.

Gladstone once declared, “Nothing that is morally wrong can be politically right,” which probably made for very awkward Cabinet meetings. He was, to put it bluntly, a man dominated by moral principles and general ideas, which sounds splendid until you remember that actual politics usually involves very specific messes.

At home, Gladstone led family prayers, read the Bible at bedtime (and while dressing, undressing, and presumably brushing his teeth), went to church twice on Sundays, and maintained a prayer life best described as "relentless." He was a High Anglican who was also a hero to the Nonconformists—proof that if you’re earnest enough, people will respect you whether they agree with you or not.

But the most eyebrow-raising chapter in the Gladstonian spiritual scrapbook was his infamous mission to rescue fallen women. Yes, Gladstone, earnest as ever, founded the Association for the Reclamation of Fallen Women. This involved walking London’s less reputable streets at night, engaging prostitutes in tear-stained conversation, occasionally bringing them home to meet his wife (who, one hopes, had been warned), and generally doing all this with an intensity that made even his closest allies shuffle their feet and look away.

Sometimes he dashed straight from a House of Commons debate to the nearest alleyway, still in evening dress, to save souls with the same fervour he brought to budget reform. It was all terribly sincere—and terribly Victorian.

Despite all this, he could be surprisingly tolerant of other denominations. He believed that God had revealed Himself to ancient cultures as well, and often looked for biblical parallels in Homer. You can imagine him at breakfast, finding Moses in the Iliad and explaining it in great detail to a politely trapped houseguest.

By the end of his life, Gladstone had managed the rather remarkable feat of becoming both a devout man of faith and one of the most reform-minded Prime Ministers Britain has ever had. A living paradox wrapped in a prayer shawl, scribbling legislation by candlelight, quoting Homer in Greek, and rushing off to save souls in the rain.

It’s hard not to admire him. Exhausting, yes. Slightly alarming, certainly. But admirable in the way only a man can be who truly, deeply, almost inconveniently believes that everything—politics, theology, Greek literature, morality, and street-level redemption—matters. 

POLITICS In his youth, Gladstone was hardly the champion of progress he later became. At Oxford, he was a staunch Tory, proudly opposing Whiggish ideas like parliamentary reform. When he entered Parliament in 1832 as the Conservative MP for Newark, his views were—let’s say—robustly old-fashioned. He defended slavery, distrusted democracy, and generally regarded "progress" as a dirty word.

In 1838, he published a book with the rousingly cheerful title The State in Its Relations with the Church, which—judging from the name—was unlikely to include punchlines or beach-reading potential.

Yet Gladstone would go on to perform one of the great ideological pirouettes in British politics. Over time, he transformed into the 19th century’s most important Liberal leader. His doctrine—“Gladstonian liberalism”—championed equality of opportunity, free trade, and a lean, moral state. Among his many reforms were the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland, the Education Act of 1870, secret ballots, an end to buying army commissions, and a vast extension of the voting franchise via the 1884 Reform Act.

His political career would be increasingly dominated by his fierce belief in Irish Home Rule, for which he introduced three separate bills—none of which passed. His persistence split the Liberal Party and kept it out of office for two decades.

In 1876, appalled by the massacre of 15,000 Bulgarians by Ottoman troops, Gladstone roamed Britain like a political bard, rallying the public with righteous fury and reinventing modern electioneering in the process.

All the while, his legendary rivalry with Benjamin Disraeli added drama to Victorian politics—a clash not just of policies, but of prose, posturing, and personality.

SCANDAL The most notable "scandal" associated with Gladstone was his "rescue work" with prostitutes in London. Driven by a genuine desire to rehabilitate and offer spiritual guidance, he would walk the streets late at night, engaging with these women and attempting to help them. While his intentions were seen by some as noble, the clandestine nature of these activities and the Victorian societal norms led to persistent rumors and accusations of hypocrisy or impropriety, which his political opponents often tried to exploit. 

This and other eccentricities did little to endear him to Queen Victoria, who once complained that he addressed her as if she were "a public meeting." 

Nor did it improve his standing when, in 1885, he was blamed for the failure to relieve General Gordon at Khartoum. The death of the beloved Gordon in Sudan sent Britain into national mourning, and the press, never one to miss a branding opportunity, began referring to Gladstone not as the “G.O.M.” (Grand Old Man) but as the “M.O.G.”—Murderer of Gordon.

His rivalry with Benjamin Disraeli was the stuff of legend. Disraeli thought Gladstone insufferable—once saying, when asked to define the difference between a misfortune and a calamity: “If Gladstone fell into the Thames, that would be a misfortune. If anyone pulled him out, that would be a calamity.” 

Despite all this, Gladstone had a knack for rubbing powerful people the wrong way. In 1871, he was censured by the House of Lords for daring to advise the Queen to abolish the army's archaic system of purchasing commissions. Then, toward the end of his life, he found himself increasingly isolated. By 1894, he was sick, exhausted, and politically cornered—particularly over his principled (and lonely) opposition to increasing naval spending. His resignation was prompted by ill health and the creeping realisation that the cabinet was no longer listening to him. He proposed dissolving Parliament in a last-ditch effort to reclaim control—an idea met with such bewilderment that some insiders began wondering aloud whether he’d finally lost the plot.

MILITARY RECORD Gladstone had no personal military service record, but his political decisions had military consequences. Most notably, his delayed reinforcement of General Gordon during the siege of Khartoum led to Gordon’s death.

His great-grandson Will Gladstone served in World War I, being commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers in 1914 and killed in action near Laventie in April 1915.

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Gladstone maintained remarkable health and physical fitness throughout most of his long life, largely attributed to his rigorous lifestyle, including his famous tree-felling. Even in his eighties, he possessed considerable energy, though his health began to decline in his final years.

He lost the forefinger of his left hand in a gun accident in 1842 while reloading. 

Gladstone generally valued sleep and, for most of his life, got more than four hours a night. However, records from his diary during periods of strain (notably in 1882–83) show nights when his sleep dropped to three or four hours due to insomnia, which he found concerning and abnormal. On other occasions, he aimed for seven hours and considered adequate sleep essential, but political and personal pressures sometimes caused temporary reductions.

By the 1880s, it became more acceptable—even expected—for Victorian professionals like Gladstone to take time off from work to recover energy and vitality. He sometimes retreated to Hawarden for rest and took time in bed to recover from fatigue or overwork, especially when urged by his physician. However, compared to most, he lost remarkably few work days to illness, according to his own calculations.

Gladstone's hearing deteriorated in old age. He would sometimes use his deafness to ignore or evade unwelcome comments or interruptions in Parliament, turning the ailment to his advantage.

Gladstone's eyesight deteriorated significantly late in life, and he underwent a successful cataract operation on his right eye in May 1894, but quickly developed cataract in the other. The loss of vision and physical decline were major factors in his retirement from public life

Gladstone's health began declining in early 1897, and he was diagnosed with cancer on March 18, 1898. He suffered from bad attacks of facial neuralgia in his final months.

HOMES Gladstone's primary residence from the time of his marriage was Hawarden Castle in Flintshire, Wales. This 18th-century gothic mansion belonged to his wife's family, the Glynnes. He never actually owned Hawarden - it belonged first to his brother-in-law Sir Stephen Glynne, then passed to Gladstone's eldest son in 1874. The castle included his famous study, the "Temple of Peace," where he housed his vast library of 32,000 books. 

The estate remains in the Gladstone family today and has been developed into a luxury holiday destination. 

During parliamentary sessions, he also maintained residences in London, including at 73 Harley Street and 10 St James Square.

TRAVEL William Gladstone was a tireless traveller throughout his life, both for pleasure and politics. After graduating from Oxford in 1831, he embarked on a Grand Tour of western Europe with his brother John, visiting Belgium, France, Germany, and Italy. 

In 1839, while in Rome, William Gladstone proposed to Catherine Glynne—a romantic gesture that reflected both his personal affection and his fondness for the continent. 

Beginning in 1859, his increasingly liberal outlook and expanding role in European affairs created even more opportunities for travel abroad. Gladstone particularly enjoyed visiting spa towns and seaside resorts across the continent, often combining leisure with political strategy. He was known to return from places like Biarritz just in time to launch vigorous campaign efforts back home, seamlessly blending his private interests with public duty.

At home, Gladstone was equally determined to see the British Isles firsthand, visiting nearly every region—though he notably never set foot in the coalfields of South Wales.

He was also an early adopter of new technology: on January 9, 1863, he was among the 600 dignitaries who took part in the inaugural ride on the London Underground from Farringdon station—the world’s first underground railway.

So synonymous was Gladstone with travel that the sturdy, leather-hinged "Gladstone bag" was named in his honour.

DEATH William Ewart Gladstone died on May 19, 1898, at Hawarden Castle, Flintshire, Wales, at the age of 88, two months after he was diagnosed with cancer. He was pronounced dead around 5 AM with nine members of his family and three doctors surrounding his bed. 

His body was placed in an oak coffin and brought to London from Hawarden on a special train. He lay in state in Westminster Hall on May 26-27, 1898, and was buried in Westminster Abbey on May 28, 1898. His funeral was paid for by Parliament, and his funeral procession was the first of a Prime Minister to be filmed.

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA 

Gladstone embraced new technology, and by the 1860s he was one of the most photographed men in Britain. Studio portraits and cabinet cards of him were sold to the public, who saw him as a moral statesman and cultural hero. His distinctive look—tall collar, somber suit, intense gaze—made him instantly recognizable.

Gladstone was a regular subject of satire in Punch magazine, which portrayed him with exaggerated features—particularly his jutting collar, aquiline nose, and animated gestures. The magazine often lampooned his high-minded morality, intense religiosity, and shifting political allegiances. One Punch cartoon famously depicted him as “The People's William,” chopping down a tree labeled “Privilege” with an axe of reform.

A political cartoon depicting Gladstone "kicked out of office" in 1886 by https://wellcomeimages.org/

William Ewart Gladstone has made occasional appearances in modern media, though more as a reference point than a central character. Here are some of the more notable ones:

1. Television and Film:

Doctor Who (2008): In the episode “The Unicorn and the Wasp,” set in 1926, Gladstone is mentioned by name as a historical figure emblematic of Britain's moral standards.

Victoria (ITV Series, 2016–2019): Gladstone is portrayed by actor Nigel Lindsay from Season 2 onward, showing his complex relationship with Queen Victoria. The show dramatizes his moral rigidity and political passion, particularly in his clashes with Disraeli and his reformist zeal.

Disraeli (1978): In this BBC television film, Gladstone (played by Jeremy Brett) appears as Disraeli’s foil, emphasizing their legendary rivalry.

2. Literature and Theatre:

George Bernard Shaw references Gladstone multiple times in his plays and essays, often as a symbol of moral seriousness or high-minded political idealism.

Gladstone has been depicted in numerous biographies, including major works by John Morley (1903), Colin Matthew (1986, 1995), Richard Shannon (1982, 1999), and Roy Jenkins. 

The musical Disraeli and Gladstone was an offbeat, lesser-known production exploring their contrasting ideologies through satire and song.

3. Pop Culture References & Satire:

Gladstone’s famously bushy eyebrows, moralistic tone, and Christianity have made him ripe for parody in British satire. He’s occasionally caricatured in publications like Private Eye and featured in political cartoons comparing modern politicians to his statesmanlike demeanor.

His intense rivalry with Disraeli is often evoked in contemporary discussions of political polarisation, drawing comparisons to modern adversarial figures in British politics.

ACHIEVEMENTS Four-time Prime Minister of the UK

Architect of Britain’s free trade policy

Advocate of elementary education

Reformer of public finance and civil service

Longest budget speech in British history

Britain’s oldest serving Prime Minister (resigned at 84)

One of the defining voices of Victorian morality in politics

Sources (1) Foundation For Economic Education (2) Encyclopaedia of Trivia (3) The Standard (4) BADA

Giotto

NAME Giotto di Bondone

WHAT FAMOUS FOR Giotto is celebrated as the father of European painting and one of the first artists to break away from the rigid, stylized forms of Byzantine art. He is most famous for his frescoes in the Arena Chapel (Cappella Scrovegni) in Padua, which depict over 100 scenes from the lives of Jesus and Mary in an astonishingly naturalistic and human style. His work marked the beginning of the Italian Renaissance in visual art.

BIRTH Giotto's exact birth date remains disputed among historians. Most sources suggest he was born around 1266-67 or 1276. The discrepancy stems from different historical accounts: Antonio Pucci's poem of 1373 states Giotto was 70 when he died in 1337, implying birth in 1266-67, while Giorgio Vasari gives 1276 as his birth year. Recent documentary evidence suggests he was born in Florence to a blacksmith named Bondone, though tradition long held he was born in the village of Vespignano near Florence.

FAMILY BACKGROUND Giotto came from humble origins. His father was Bondone, described in surviving public records as "a person of good standing". Early biographers described his father as a poor peasant, but more recent research suggests Bondone was actually a blacksmith living in the Santa Maria Novella quarter of Florence. This challenges the traditional narrative of Giotto's extremely humble rural origins, though his family was still of modest means compared to the aristocratic classes of the time.

CHILDHOOD Little is definitively known about Giotto's childhood, with most accounts being legendary rather than historically verified. According to Giorgio Vasari's famous but possibly apocryphal story, Giotto was a shepherd boy who tended his father's sheep. The legend states that while watching his flock, he would draw pictures of the animals on rocks and stones with a sharp stone. It was during one of these pastoral moments that the renowned painter Cimabue supposedly discovered him sketching a sheep so realistically that he was amazed and asked to take the boy as an apprentice.

EDUCATION Giotto's artistic education began as an apprentice to the Florentine painter Cimabue around 1272, when he was approximately 10 years old. His apprenticeship in Cimabue's workshop lasted around a decade, during which he learned the fundamental techniques of painting, including how to make paintbrushes and art tools, mix pigments from minerals, and work on drawings and small parts of paintings. 

Around 1280, he traveled with Cimabue to Rome to study at a prestigious school of fresco painters. This Roman period was crucial to his artistic development, exposing him to the works of Pietro Cavallini and other masters who influenced his evolving style.

CAREER RECORD Giotto's career spanned over four decades and took him across Italy. 

1290s: He established his own workshop in Florence and likely contributed to the famous frescoes of the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi, though this is a subject of scholarly debate.

c. 1303–1306: He painted his undisputed masterpiece, the fresco cycle of the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, depicting the lives of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ.

1297–1300, and later: Giotto worked in Rome, where he created the Navicella mosaic for Old St. Peter's Basilica (now heavily restored).

c. 1320s: He executed the fresco cycles in the Bardi and Peruzzi Chapels in the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence.

1328–1333: Giotto worked at the court of King Robert of Anjou in Naples.

1334: He was appointed chief architect of the Florence Cathedral and superintendent of public works, a testament to his fame and esteem. He designed the famous campanile (bell tower), which is still known today as Giotto's Tower.

APPEARANCE Giotto was described by his contemporaries as being short, stocky and unattractive.  Giorgio Vasari described him as "the ugliest man in the city of Florence". Giovanni Boccaccio wrote in the Decameron that Giotto was of "proverbial ugliness". 

When anthropologists exhumed remains believed to be his in 2000, they found evidence suggesting he may have been a four-foot dwarf. His physical appearance was likely influenced by his rural peasant origins, where deformities were more common due to harsh living conditions. (1)

Imaginary portrait of Giotto, made posthumously between 1490 and 1550

FASHION As a successful artist who achieved considerable wealth and social status, Giotto would have dressed in the style of a prominent Florentine man of his time, likely in fine quality fabrics, but without extravagant ornamentation.

One anecdote from Boccaccio describes him and a lawyer friend riding to Vespignano when caught in rain, borrowing peasant cloaks and hats, which led to a humorous exchange about appearances. This suggests that despite his success, Giotto remained unpretentious about his dress and was comfortable in modest attire when practical circumstances required it.

CHARACTER  Giotto was known for his wit, intelligence, and sense of humor. He was a practical joker and a clever conversationalist. Literary figures like Boccaccio and Dante, who knew him personally, characterized him as a sage and insightful individual.

Contemporary sources describe him as modest despite his fame, maintaining connections to his rural roots throughout his life. 

SPEAKING VOICE Giotto was quick, sharp, and humorous in conversation, which made him a favorite at court. He was an entertaining speaker who could engage audiences across social classes, from peasants in his native village to the royal court of Naples.

SENSE OF HUMOUR Giotto was famous for his sharp wit and practical jokes. The writer Boccaccio included several anecdotes in his Decameron that showcase Giotto's cleverness and ability to deliver witty retorts.

The famous story of him painting a fly so lifelike on one of Cimabue's works that his master tried to brush it off demonstrates his playful nature. 

When King Robert of Naples asked him to paint a symbol of his kingdom, Giotto painted a donkey wearing royal regalia, sniffing at another royal saddle on the ground, explaining "Such are your subjects... Every day they seek a new master". 

RELATIONSHIPS Giotto di Bondone was married to Ricevuta di Lapo del Pela (known as "Ciuta"), the daughter of Lapo del Pela of Florence. The marriage took place in Florence in 1287 when Giotto was about 20 years old. 

The marriage was happy and produced eight children: four sons and four daughters. Their eldest son Francesco became a painter and managed the family property when Giotto traveled. Daughter Caterina married the painter Ricco di Lapo.

Giotto maintained important friendships with intellectual figures of his time, including the poet Dante Alighieri, who praised him in the Divine Comedy. 

He enjoyed patronage relationships with powerful figures including Pope Benedict XI, King Robert of Naples, and wealthy banking families like the Scrovegni.

MONEY AND FAME  Giotto was possibly the first artist since antiquity to achieve celebrity status comparable to ancient Greek and Roman masters. By 1301-1304, documents show he owned large estates in Florence and was leading a substantial workshop receiving commissions from across Italy. In Naples, King Robert granted him "all the privileges enjoyed by members of the royal household" and promised to make him "the first man in the realm". 

As chief of Florence Cathedral works, he received a salary of 100 golden florins. His success allowed him to purchase additional properties and maintain both urban and rural residences.

FOOD AND DRINK As a Florentine craftsman, Giotto would have eaten a typical Tuscan diet of bread, olive oil, beans, cured meats, cheeses and wine.

Sacchetti relates how Giotto, riding with friends to San Gallo, fell when a pig ran between his legs. He commented wryly, "After all, the pigs are quite right... when I think how many thousands of crowns I have earned with their bristles without ever giving them even a bowl of soup!".  (2)

ARTISTIC CAREER It’s not often a medieval shepherd boy ends up revolutionizing the history of Western art, but then again, there was never anyone quite like Giotto di Bondone. Born around 1267 in a Tuscan backwater with more sheep than people, Giotto did the improbable and, frankly, the impossible: he made flat, haloed saints look like actual human beings. Before Giotto, religious figures in art floated around like divine stickers, emotionless and unfathomably golden. After Giotto, they wept, hugged, staggered, collapsed, and looked—well—like us. Only holier.

Legend (which is always the best part of any biography, even if completely untrue) tells us that young Giotto was discovered by the artist Cimabue while drawing sheep on rocks. This might sound unimpressive until you realise that drawing sheep well is extraordinarily difficult. They’re all fluff and confusion. Cimabue, recognizing actual talent—or perhaps just desperate for an assistant who didn’t talk much—swept Giotto off to Florence and taught him the ropes: how to grind pigments, slap them on wet plaster, and generally make saints look vaguely ethereal.

By the 1290s, Giotto was let loose on real churches. At Assisi, in the Upper Church of San Francesco, Giotto (or at least someone suspiciously talented) painted scenes so startlingly lifelike that people might have fainted just looking at them. Figures had weight. Faces had expressions. You could tell who was sad and who was just deeply unimpressed.

One of Giotto's Legend of St. Francis frescoes at Assisi, 

Then came Florence, and the “Crucifix” at Santa Maria Novella—a hulking piece of wood that made Christ look, for the first time, like someone actually in pain. Again, a novel idea.

In Rome, around 1300, he tried his hand at mosaics, sticking tiny colored tiles into the “Navicella” in St. Peter’s Basilica—an image of St. Peter walking on water that looked so spatially convincing, you could practically hear the splash. Bits of it survive, though as with all things medieval, most of it has been "lovingly" destroyed over the centuries.

But it was in Padua, from 1303 to 1306, that Giotto fully unleashed his genius, smearing astonishing things across every inch of the Arena Chapel (also known as the Scrovegni Chapel, depending on how pedantic your tour guide is). In just two years, he painted over 100 scenes from the lives of Mary and Jesus, giving them so much emotion and humanity that viewers still come away blinking. He used space and light in a way no one had before. People looked like they might breathe. Or trip.

Giotto’s Christ on the cross, for example, wasn’t just symbolic. He hung. He sagged. He hurt. This wasn’t just radical—it was nearly blasphemous to some viewers who preferred their Messiahs stiff and regal.

Giotto's Lamentation (The Mourning of Christ), Scrovegni Chapel

Back in Florence in the 1320s, Giotto painted the Bardi and Peruzzi chapels in Santa Croce with the same psychological flair. Then he was off to Naples, summoned by King Robert of Anjou, who no doubt thought having the most famous painter in Italy would spruce things up nicely. Giotto was treated like a star, which he sort of was.

By 1334, he had racked up enough fame that Florence named him chief architect of its cathedral. His most lasting contribution? A bell tower—Giotto’s Campanile—which, like most things in Florence, is both ornate and slightly larger than necessary. He didn’t live to see it finished, of course, but when has that ever stopped Italians from naming buildings after people?

Giotto’s true genius lay in breaking from the rigid, floaty, golden style of Byzantine painting. He gave saints hips. He gave them grief. He planted them in buildings that obeyed the rules of perspective—centuries before anyone had even written those rules down. His storytelling was clear and dramatic, perfect for a mostly illiterate audience that nonetheless loved a good visual sob.

He ran a successful workshop, trained loads of followers, and spread this new realism like butter across Italy. And if his name isn’t always on the tip of your tongue like Leonardo or Michelangelo, it should be—because they all got it from him.

Even in his own time, Giotto was a celebrity. Dante name-dropped him. Boccaccio praised him. Popes commissioned him. Kings hosted him. He died in 1337, likely in Florence, and was buried with all the reverence due to a man who could make plaster cry.

Today, you can still walk into chapels and churches across Italy, crane your neck, and see his brushwork: tender, daring, startlingly alive. All from a shepherd boy with a good eye for sheep.

MUSIC AND ARTS  Giotto’s deep interest in the arts extended to architecture and possibly design. 

Giotto lived during a rich period of artistic cross-pollination. His friendship with Dante indicates his appreciation for literature and poetry. His theatrical approach to visual storytelling in frescoes demonstrates understanding of dramatic arts. His artistic innovations influenced not just painting but the broader cultural Renaissance that would follow.

LITERATURE Giotto's friendship with Dante Alighieri placed him at the center of the era's intellectual life. Dante praised him in Purgatory, writing: "Cimabue believed that he held the field in painting, and now Giotto has the cry, so the fame of the former is obscure". 

Giovanni Boccaccio, another contemporary literary figure, wrote extensively about Giotto in the Decameron, describing him as "the best painter in the world". 

Petrarch also mentioned Giotto's work, 

Some sources mention he wrote poetry, including "a song against Voluntary Poverty" that criticized monastic hypocrisy while expressing his own aversion to poverty. (2)

NATURE Giotto's relationship with nature was fundamental to his artistic revolution. Unlike his Byzantine predecessors who used stylized, symbolic representations, Giotto drew from direct observation of the natural world. He was among the first artists to incorporate realistic landscapes and skies into his work, using them to enhance the emotional content of his narratives.

His landscapes in the Scrovegni Chapel show familiar Italian hills, meadows, and houses rather than abstract gold backgrounds. He painted animals with remarkable accuracy, including sheep, birds, and other creatures that appeared in his religious narratives.

Gotto Birth of Jesus Scrovegni Chapel

PETS Giotto's legendary background as a shepherd suggests intimate familiarity with sheep and other farm animals. His accurate depiction of various animals in his frescoes - from sheep to birds to fish - demonstrates close observation that suggests either personal experience with these creatures or deep appreciation for their forms and behaviors.

HOBBIES AND SPORTS Aside from painting, there are no records of leisure activities. His wit and conversation suggest he enjoyed storytelling and socializing.

The anecdotes about his riding expeditions with friends indicate he participated in the social activities of his class. 

SCIENCE AND MATHS Giotto made significant contributions to the mathematical understanding of perspective in art, though he lacked formal training in mathematical theory. He intuitively understood how to represent three-dimensional space on two-dimensional surfaces, working hard on representing depth and examining his pictures chronologically shows clear development in spatial understanding. His innovations in perspective and proportion laid groundwork for the more mathematically precise techniques developed during the High Renaissance. 

According to Giorgio Vasari and other biographers, when Pope Benedict XI wanted to select the best artist to decorate St. Peter’s in Rome, he sent a messenger to collect sample drawings from Italy’s leading painters. When the messenger arrived at Giotto’s studio and requested such a sample, Giotto is said to have taken a sheet of paper and, in one sweeping motion, drew a flawless, freehand circle using only a brush—without a compass or any mechanical aid. He handed the messenger this simple drawing, who thought the gesture odd and pressed for a more elaborate example. Giotto replied that the circle was all that was needed: “It is enough and more than enough to show you what manner of man I am.”

When the circle was shown to the Pope and his advisers, they recognized that no one but a master could draw so perfect a form without mechanical help. The phrase “the Giotto’s O” became proverbial in Italy as a symbol of effortlessness masking true genius—a simple act executed with supreme mastery. Giotto's perfect circle drawn freehand demonstrated his exceptional spatial and geometric intuition.

Image by Perplexity

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY You get the feeling, don’t you, that Giotto would have been rather bad at polite religious conversation. The sort of man who, when someone said “Byzantine art has a certain transcendent aloofness,” would nod politely and then go home to paint Jesus actually crying. Not a vague golden icon of theoretical sadness, but a Jesus who’d clearly just lost someone He loved. And Mary—oh, Mary—who, in Giotto’s world, had cheekbones, and opinions, and deep, ordinary grief.

It all fits rather snugly, really, with the Franciscan lot, who were doing their best to drag Christ down out of the clouds and into the mud with the rest of us. They wanted saints who got blisters, not halos. They were big on suffering and simplicity, and probably would have loved a good chat over lentil soup with someone like Giotto.

At Assisi, in the Upper Church of San Francesco, Giotto—or someone very much like him—painted St. Francis looking startlingly like a person you might accidentally sit next to on a quiet bench and end up telling your whole life story. It’s all very human, very close. And in Padua, the Scrovegni Chapel is filled with frescoes so rich in love and loss and bafflement that you feel slightly guilty for looking, like you’ve walked in on something private. The Virgin Mary isn’t an icon—she’s a mother. The angels aren’t ornamental—they’re bereft. It’s all very beautiful and rather uncomfortable in the best possible way.

Giotto Adoration of The Magi. Scrovegni Chapel

Now, was Giotto a lay Franciscan? Hard to say. No documents, no official signatures. But frankly, it doesn’t matter much. If it walks like a Franciscan, paints like a Franciscan, and gets grumpy about monks who own too many robes—it probably is, spiritually speaking, a Franciscan. Giotto worked for them, with them, and in places they loved, and his paintings hum with the kind of radical empathy that St. Francis would have liked enormously.

Of course, Giotto wasn’t always theologically tidy. In the Virtues and Vices series in the Scrovegni Chapel, he put Hope after Charity, which, if you’re the sort of person who arranges your theological virtues alphabetically—or canonically—might cause you some distress. He also wrote a poem grumbling about Voluntary Poverty, which shows that while he admired the saints, he wasn’t quite ready to give up dinner.

And really, who could blame him? He painted God weeping for humanity and didn’t see the point of pretending poverty was always noble. A bit of bread, a roof over your head, and maybe a wall or two to paint on—that was enough. Which, come to think of it, might be more Franciscan than anything else.

POLITICS Giotto navigated the complex political landscape of 14th-century Italy through his patronage relationships. He worked for both secular and religious authorities, including Pope Boniface VIII, King Robert of Naples, and powerful banking families. 

His commissions often reflected the political needs of his patrons - the Scrovegni Chapel served partly as atonement for the family's usury business. His work in Assisi for the Franciscan Order occurred during internal tensions within the Order and conflicts over papal policy regarding poverty. 

As a Florentine citizen, he lived through the tumultuous period of Guelf and Ghibelline conflicts.

SCANDAL The most significant controversy surrounding Giotto involves the attribution of the St. Francis frescoes at Assisi. This scholarly debate, lasting centuries, concerns whether Giotto painted the famous cycle depicting the life of St. Francis or whether they were created by an otherwise unknown "Master of the St. Francis Legend". The controversy stems from stylistic differences between these works and his universally accepted Scrovegni Chapel frescoes. More recently, a painting attributed to Giotto became embroiled in legal controversy when its export from Italy was disputed, leading to complex international litigation. (3) 

MILITARY RECORD  As an artist and civilian, Giotto lived during a period of frequent conflicts between Italian city-states but appears to have remained focused on his artistic career. The 14th century preceded the establishment of regular standing armies, and military service was typically based on feudal obligations related to land ownership, which would not have applied to Giotto as a professional artist.

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Giotto's health was generally good throughout most of his career, allowing him to maintain an active schedule of travel and work across Italy. However, analysis of remains believed to be his showed evidence of arsenic and lead poisoning, chemicals associated with paint, suggesting occupational health hazards. His short stature and possible dwarfism may have presented physical challenges. He died suddenly in January 1337, though the exact cause of death is unknown and believed to be from natural causes. (1)

HOMES Giotto maintained multiple residences reflecting his success and mobility. In Florence, he succeeded to Cimabue's house and shop in the Via del Cocomero. He also inherited and expanded property at his ancestral home in Vespignano in Val Mugello, where his family primarily lived. This country estate included the farmhouse where he was born, and he was known to enjoy returning there for respite from urban life. His daughters married local men from Vespignano, and one son became a parish priest there, indicating the family's continued connection to their rural roots.

TRAVEL Giotto's career required extensive travel throughout Italy and possibly beyond. He worked in Florence, Assisi, Rome, Padua, Naples, Bologna, Rimini, and Milan. Some sources suggest he may have worked in Avignon, France. His travels were primarily for artistic commissions, moving between major urban centers where wealthy patrons required his services. 

In his later years, the Florentine government required him to obtain permission before leaving the city, demonstrating both his value to Florence and his continued desire to work elsewhere.

DEATH Giotto died on January 8, 1337, in Florence at approximately age 70. The exact cause of death is unknown but is believed to have been from natural causes. He fell suddenly ill shortly after returning from Milan, where he had been working for Azzo Visconti. 

He was buried with great honor in Florence Cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore), receiving the first state funeral ever accorded to an artist. Later, Lorenzo the Magnificent placed a marble bust on his tomb with a Latin epitaph by Angelo Poliziano celebrating his achievements.

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA Giotto's life and work have inspired numerous artistic and literary works across the centuries. The ESA space mission to Halley's Comet was named "Giotto" in his honor, referencing his depiction of the comet in the Adoration of the Magi. His perfect circle story has become legendary, inspiring the Italian proverb and numerous retellings. 

Modern scholarship continues to debate his attributions, and exhibitions of his work draw international attention. His innovations in perspective and naturalism are studied in art history programs worldwide, and his name has become synonymous with the beginning of Renaissance art.

ACHIEVEMENTS Revolutionized Western art with the use of naturalistic expression and spatial depth.

Completed over 100 frescoes in the Arena Chapel in just two years.

Considered the first great artist of the Italian Renaissance.

Appointed Chief Master of Works for Florence Cathedral.

Revered by contemporaries including Dante and Boccaccio.

Paved the way for artists like Masaccio, Michelangelo, and Raphael.

Sources: (1) Napoli Unplugged (2) Gutenberg.org (3) Roderickconwaymorris.com

King C. Gillette

NAME King Camp Gillette

WHAT FAMOUS FOR Inventor of the disposable razor and founder of the Gillette Safety Razor Company. His innovations revolutionized personal grooming and popularized the concept of disposable consumer goods.

BIRTH Born January 5, 1855, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, United States

FAMILY BACKGROUND His father, George Wolcott Gillette, was a patent agent and an inventor, while his mother, Fanny Lemira Camp Gillette, was also an innovator who wrote a successful cookbook. 

The Gillette paternal ancestors were French Huguenots who sought refuge in England in the late 16th century. One or two generations later, in 1630, Nathan Gillette sailed from England to the newly founded Massachusetts Bay Colony in North America. 

His father was described as "a sometime postmaster, weekly-newspaper editor, and inventive thinker," while his mother was "serene" but also a "stern disciplinarian, always in control of her household". (1)

He was the youngest of three sons and also had two sisters. 

His royal first name honored a Judge King who was a friend of George Gillette's.

CHILDHOOD Gillette was raised in Chicago, Illinois, after his family moved there from Wisconsin. The Gillette family survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 when King was 16 years old. His father lost everything in the fire, prompting the family to initially plan a move to New York City. However, young Gillette stayed in Chicago and clerked for a wholesale hardware company while his family relocated. 

During his childhood in Chicago, "The Gillette boys were encouraged to work with their hands, to figure out how things work and how they might be made to work better".  (1)

The family also spent time in Dowagiac, Michigan, where King was known as a champion roller skater.

EDUCATION King Camp Gillette was an avid reader with strong intellectual curiosity, but he did not receive a traditional higher education. His education was largely practical, gained through work experience and self-education rather than formal schooling. 

CAREER RECORD 1872-1890s: Started as a clerk for a wholesale hardware company in Chicago at age 17. For the next 20 years, he worked in a succession of jobs and became a prosperous and successful traveling salesman. By 1890, he had earned four patents for his innovations.

1890s: Worked as a salesman for the Crown Cork and Seal Company, where his employer William Painter (inventor of the crown cork bottle cap) advised him to "invent something people use and throw away". This advice proved pivotal to his later success.

1901-1931 Founded the American Safety Razor Company on September 28, 1901 (renamed Gillette Safety Razor Company in July 1902).  Gillette remained president of his company until 1931 but retired from active management in 1913.

APPEARANCE Gillette was a tall, well-groomed man with a signature mustache and a formal, clean-cut appearance in keeping with the early 20th-century business style.

Gillette was universally recognized from his picture on razor blade packets, with his face becoming one of the world's most famous marketing images. People were often surprised to discover he was a real person rather than just a marketing image. In non-English speaking countries, people would often ask for blades of "the kind with the Man's Face".

FASHION He dressed in sharp, tailored suits typical of American industrialists of the era. His personal grooming reflected the ideals his company promoted—clean, neat, and efficient.

The picture below showing King C. Gillette wearing a Panama hat, circa 1908, is said to be Gillette's favorite picture of himself.

CHARACTER Visionary and idealistic, Gillette was also practical and deeply committed to progress and innovation. He had a perfectionist streak and was passionate about social reform.

Gillette was characterized as having "a lifelong belief in efficiency, and his hatred for wasting time," likely influenced by his mother's stern discipline. He enjoyed "tinkering" and tried to invent new products, often without success initially. Gillette was described as having "an impulse to think and invent" which "was a natural one, as it was with my father and brothers". (1)

SPEAKING VOICE There are no recordings, but contemporary accounts describe him as persuasive, articulate, and confident.

SENSE OF HUMOUR He occasionally made witty or ironic observations, such as:

"There are two kinds of men who never amount to much: those who cannot do what they are told and those who can do nothing else.

RELATIONSHIPS Gillette married Alanta "Lantie" Ella Gaines (1868–1951) in 1890. She was the daughter of an Ohio oilman. They had one child together, King Gaines Gillette (1891–1955), who was nicknamed "Kingie" but called "Babe" by his father. The marriage lasted until Gillette's death in 1932.

MONEY AND FAME Gillette became a millionaire by 1910, thanks to booming razor sales. His safety razor, priced at $5—a hefty sum at the time, equivalent to around $175 in 2024—cost about half the average working man's weekly wage. Yet, it sold by the millions, making him one of the era’s most successful entrepreneurs.

However, Gillette's wealth did not last. He spent heavily on real estate and lost much of his company stock’s value during the Great Depression. By the late 1920s, his fortune was gone. In Palm Springs, he became a familiar figure at the Desert Inn, where he was often seen strolling the grounds in a worn bathrobe. When asked why she allowed such a shabby-looking man to linger at her hotel, proprietor Nellie Coffman reportedly replied, “Why, that is King C. Gillette. He has practically kept this place in the black the last few years.”

When Gillette died in 1932, his remaining assets were just enough to cover his debts. (2)

BUSINESS CAREER King Camp Gillette was, as names go, already halfway to being famous before he ever picked up a razor blade. But it was what he did with the other half that made him a household name—and gave the world one of its earliest and most enduring lessons in how to sell something cheap, sharp, and utterly indispensable. 

King Camp Gillette, inventor and businessman

Gillette began his career in the rather smoky aftermath of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which had the helpful side effect of flattening the city and creating demand for nearly everything, including hardware salesmen like young King. He soon distinguished himself not just by his knack for sales, but by a relentless urge to improve things. Before long, he was dabbling in inventions and collecting patents the way other people collected train timetables or gout.

Then came the idea that would change everything: in 1895, Gillette envisioned a razor that didn’t need sharpening, honing, stropping, or—most blessedly—care. Just use it and toss it. A razor so disposable it would make a paper plate seem permanent. Of course, it wasn’t immediately obvious how one might actually make such a thing, and Gillette spent several years perfecting the idea, ultimately enlisting the help of a supremely capable MIT engineer named William Emery Nickerson, who somehow turned a vision into a product and a product into a production line.

In 1901, Gillette and a group of backers founded the American Safety Razor Company (a name about as exciting as dry toast), which they wisely rebranded the following year as the Gillette Safety Razor Company—because if you’re going to sell blades, you might as well use a name that sounds like it already belongs on a banknote. Production began in 1903 with sales of just 51 razors and 168 blades—not exactly a commercial tsunami. But the following year, word got around and numbers ballooned to nearly 91,000 razors and 124,000 blades.

Gillette wasn’t just selling razors—he was inventing the future of consumerism. His "razor-and-blades" model (practically giving away the razor and profiting endlessly from the blades) would later be adopted by everyone from inkjet printer makers to coffee pod merchants. In essence, Gillette turned personal grooming into a subscription service, long before the internet decided everything should be one.

By 1906, the company had gone international, with offices popping up in London, Paris, Canada, and Mexico. Then came the First World War, and with it, a windfall disguised as khaki uniforms: the U.S. government handed out Gillette razors to millions of soldiers. Nothing cements brand loyalty quite like surviving trench warfare with a clean shave.

Despite a roaring business, Gillette’s later years weren’t all smooth. Patent battles, fierce competition, and the inevitable legal entanglements of success took their toll. He stepped back from day-to-day operations in 1913 but remained president until 1931. By then, the company was a global empire, and King Gillette was a very rich man—at least until the Great Depression arrived and spirited away most of his fortune like a magician doing a particularly cruel trick.

Gillette died in 1932 with just enough assets to square his debts. But if his bank account was empty, his legacy was anything but. The company he founded would go on to become a cornerstone of the global shaving market and was eventually scooped up by Procter & Gamble in 2005. Today, the Gillette brand is sold in over 200 countries, and the razor-and-blade model remains a blueprint for consumable goods everywhere.

All from a man who looked at a straight razor and thought: There must be a better way.

FOOD AND DRINK King Camp Gillette's mother, Fanny Lemira Camp Gillette, was a noted cookbook author best known for writing The White House Cook Book, first published in 1887. This hugely influential book became one of the most popular American cookbooks of its time and has remained in print through many editions

MUSIC AND ARTS There is no evidence that music or the arts played a significant part in his known personal or professional life.

LITERATURE Gillette authored several books detailing his vision of a utopian society. His first book, The Human Drift (1894), proposed a socialist utopia where all industry was controlled by a single public corporation. He later co-authored The People's Corporation (1924) with author Upton Sinclair.

NATURE Gillette purchased a large 640-acre ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains near Calabasas in 1926. The ranch was situated in the heart of the Malibu Creek Watershed, by the confluence of five major tributaries, and adjacent to Malibu Creek State Park.  The ranch is now a 588-acre public park that serves as "a haven for larger mammals of the Santa Monica Mountains" and offers "a rare unspoiled view of California's rich archeological, cultural, and historic resources". (3)

HOBBIES AND SPORTS During his childhood in Dowagiac, Michigan, Gillette was known as a champion roller skater. He traveled extensively in his later life. Beyond his business interests, he enjoyed inventing and "tinkering" with various mechanical devices.

INVENTING CAREER The story of King Camp Gillette’s most famous invention begins, as all great inventions do, with intense personal annoyance. In 1895, while confronting the wearying business of sharpening his straight razor yet again, Gillette had the sort of epiphany that changes the world—or at least the part of it that grows stubble. Why not, he thought, design a razor with a thin steel blade that was so cheap and small it could simply be thrown away when dull?

This was not just a stroke of shaving genius—it was an early glimpse of the disposable future we now live in, where entire coffee machines are discarded because the pod slot sticks. Gillette’s idea was clever not only from an engineering standpoint but from a business one: a product people would need to replace constantly. It would be safer, more convenient, and (here’s the kicker) infinitely profitable.

Unfortunately, engineers and metallurgists at the time greeted his plan with the sort of enthusiasm usually reserved for perpetual motion machines and edible glue. Making thin, hard, double-edged steel blades cheaply enough for the masses was deemed, in expert terms, “not a thing that can be done.”

Undeterred, Gillette spent several years nudging the impossible into the realm of the achievable. He found his breakthrough partner in William Emery Nickerson, an MIT-trained engineer who seemed constitutionally incapable of giving up. Nickerson devised the fiendishly complex machinery needed to mass-produce blades that were thin, sharp, and affordable—three things blades up to that point had never been all at once.

In 1901, the pair founded the American Safety Razor Company (an uninspired name that sounded like it should be engraved on a wrench), which wisely rebranded to the Gillette Safety Razor Company in 1902. The following year saw their first product roll off the line: a razor that looked like a tiny folding chair and 168 blades to go with it. That’s not a typo—168 blades and only 51 razors sold in the whole year. It wasn’t exactly a stampede.

But by 1904, thanks to sharper manufacturing, savvier marketing, and the slow-building magic of word-of-mouth, sales skyrocketed to over 90,000 razors and 123,000 blades. By the standards of early 20th-century capitalism, this was the equivalent of inventing sliced bread and getting rich slicing it.

Gillette didn’t stop there. He spent the next two decades refining everything—handles, heads, blade shapes, packaging, even the way people thought about shaving. One of his more elegant achievements was the “Gillette Thin Blade,” an improved version that practically screamed "modernity" in the 1920s. He patented numerous razor-related gadgets, including U.S. Patent No. 775,134, granted on November 15, 1904, which immortalized his original design in the archives of American ingenuity.

Patent drawing of the razor

But Gillette's greatest innovation wasn’t made of steel—it was conceptual. He introduced a now-universal idea: give people a durable item for cheap or free, and make your fortune on the accessories. It’s the same model that now powers industries selling printer ink, electric toothbrush heads, and enough coffee pods annually to tile the Pacific Ocean.

By the 1920s, the Gillette Safety Razor Company wasn’t just a business—it was a grooming empire. Offices opened around the world. Manufacturing spread like lather. Gillette razors became so culturally embedded that the U.S. Army issued them during World War I, ensuring that millions of young men associated a clean shave with the name “Gillette” for the rest of their lives.

In retrospect, Gillette didn’t just invent a safer way to shave. He helped invent modern consumer culture: the idea that convenience, disposability, and sleek design can combine to create global habits. He took a deeply personal inconvenience—shaving with a blade that dulled faster than a vaudeville act—and turned it into a billion-dollar global ritual.

So next time you’re tossing a dull blade, or replacing a pricey cartridge that clicks in with all the satisfaction of a Lego brick, spare a thought for King C. Gillette. The man who made it all possible—and made shaving history one stubble-free morning at a time.

SCIENCE AND MATHS Gillette worked with metallurgists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) when developing his razor blade concept. He collaborated with William Emery Nickerson, an MIT-trained inventor and expert machinist, who helped perfect the blade design and created the machinery to mass-produce them. Gillette held multiple patents for his inventions, demonstrating technical and engineering capabilities.

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY Gillette was a Freemason, initiated to the York Rite of Freemasonry and elevated to the highest degree of Grand Master. He was raised in Adelphi Lodge in Quincy, Massachusetts in June 1901 and later affiliated with Columbian Lodge in Boston.

POLITICS While best known for revolutionizing shaving, King Camp Gillette also harbored grand ambitions to revolutionize society itself—ideally all at once, and preferably with Niagara Falls providing the electricity.

Gillette was a committed Utopian Socialist, which in his case meant he didn’t just dream of a better world, he tried to sketch out the blueprints. In his 1894 book The Human Drift, he proposed that all industry in America should be consolidated under one enormous, benevolent corporation owned by the public. Not content with tweaking the system, he wanted to replace it entirely—with one giant company in charge of everything. Picture Amazon, but run by a committee of idealists and powered by a waterfall.

At the heart of Gillette’s vision was a mega-city called Metropolis—an unimaginably vast urban utopia where everyone in the United States would live together in perfectly engineered harmony, ideally somewhere near Niagara Falls, which he believed could power the whole thing. This new society would be peaceful, selfless, and so advanced that war would seem as outdated as dueling with umbrellas. “Selfishness,” Gillette wrote, “would be unknown.” You can almost hear him humming utopian elevator music while writing it.

In 1910, he published a follow-up, World Corporation, which wasn’t so much a book as a prospectus. He even tried to recruit Theodore Roosevelt to be the first president of this global business-government hybrid, offering him the tidy sum of one million dollars—a fortune at the time. Roosevelt, sensibly or otherwise, declined.

Gillette described both U.S. political parties as "wedded to boodle, and managed and controlled by dishonest and unprincipled methods". 

SCANDAL There were patent disputes during Gillette's early years, including a notable case against the AutoStrop Safety Razor Company owned by Henry J. Gaisman. The case was settled in 1920 when Gillette agreed to purchase a controlling interest in AutoStrop, with Gaisman becoming the largest shareholder in Gillette's company. 

There was also controversy when it was revealed in an audit that Gillette had been overstating its sales and profits by $12 million over a five-year period and giving bonuses to executives based on these inflated numbers.

His political ideas—such as proposing that Theodore Roosevelt lead his utopian corporate state—were considered eccentric.

MILITARY RECORD While Gillette himself did not serve in the military, his company played a crucial role in both World Wars. During World War I, the U.S. military began issuing Gillette shaving kits to every American serviceman starting in 1917. This was partly because military regulations required soldiers to maintain a clean shave for proper gas mask fit due to the threat of mustard gas and other chemical weapons. In 1918, Gillette's sales rose to 3.5 million razors and 32 million blades due to this military contract. The company also produced military-specific razor sets with U.S. Army and Navy insignia.

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Gillette's health declined in his later years, coinciding with his financial troubles during the Great Depression.

HOMES Gillette owned multiple properties:

Chicago/New York: Early homes with his family, lost everything in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

Palm Springs Estate: Around 1922 or 1923, he built a residence at 324 West Overlook Road in "The Mesa" district of Palm Springs, consisting of a 4,800-square-foot main home and 720-square-foot guest house on 1 acre of land. This estate, likely designed by architect Wallace Neff, has been carefully preserved and restored.

King Gillette Ranch: In 1926, he purchased 640 acres in the Santa Monica Mountains near Calabasas for a large ranch. The master plan and buildings were designed by renowned architect Wallace Neff in Spanish Colonial Revival style. After his death, his wife sold the ranch to film director Clarence Brown, who later sold it to Bob Hope. The ranch eventually became a public park and has been used as the filming location for TV shows and movies.

Other Properties: He also owned a luxurious mansion near the Beverly Hills Hotel, a ranch near Palm Springs, a vast ranch in Tulare County, and a seaside retreat in Newport Harbor.

TRAVEL He traveled throughout the United States and England as a salesman before founding his company

In his later life, Gillette traveled extensively and was universally recognized from his picture on razor blade packets. His business required international travel as the company expanded to manufacturing facilities in the United States, Canada, Britain, France, and Germany by 1908.

DEATH King Camp Gillette died on July 9, 1932, at his Calabasas ranch home in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 77. He passed away from an intestinal illness. 

Gillette was interred in the lower levels of the Begonia Corridor in the Great Mausoleum located at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. At the time of his death, his assets barely covered his debts due to financial losses during the Great Depression.

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA Gillette's face became one of the world's most recognizable marketing images, appearing on millions of razor blade packets worldwide. 

Gillette has been referenced in business histories and biographies, and his name endures as a brand. His life inspired documentaries and is occasionally referenced in discussions of innovation and consumer culture.

His ranch has appeared in modern media as the filming location for NBC's reality show The Biggest Loser since 2008. The ranch was also featured in the 2019 Netflix series Ratched and in the 2021 movie The Starling starring Melissa McCarthy.

ACHIEVEMENTS Invented the disposable safety razor

Founded the Gillette Safety Razor Company

Pioneered mass production and marketing of personal grooming products

Authored books on utopian social reform

Left a lasting legacy in both business innovation and branding strategy

Source (1) Stories and Narratives (2) Craftsmen Online (3) Trip Advisor