Portraits and photographs of famous figures on display in Museum exhibition

An exhibition currently on display at the City Museum and Art Gallery includes paintings and images of some of the most well-known names from British history.

‘Nancy: The Life and Times of Lady Astor’ gives an overview of the political career, family life and local legacy of Viscountess Nancy Astor (1879-1964). Nancy was the first female MP to take a seat in the House of Commons in 1919 and represented the Sutton Ward of Plymouth for 25 years. She was also the Lady Mayoress during the Blitz.

Nancy lived through a time of many changes in British society - changes that had an impact on the status of women and the role of government, all set against the backdrop of the turbulence of the First and Second World Wars. Throughout her time in Parliament she came into contact with a number of famous politicians and Prime Ministers and was also great friends with a number of well-known people.

The exhibition features a number of items from the city’s permanent collections including the outfit Nancy wore when she was introduced to Parliament, photographs, silver and a diamond necklace and earrings. There are also key loans from national galleries and collections that help to tell her story.

Visitors to the exhibition can see a stunning oil painting of former Prime Minister, David Lloyd George on loan from the Government Art Collection, as well as an oil painting of British Army Officer and writer, TE Lawrence (otherwise known as Lawrence of Arabia), on loan from the Imperial War Museum. Lawrence was a great friend of Nancy’s and they regularly met while he was based at the RAF station at Cattewater.

A watercolour on loan from the National Portrait Gallery, London of famous playwright, George Bernard Shaw is also featured in the exhibition. Shaw, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925 and an Academy Award in 1938, was another great friend of Nancy’s. Over the course of their 22-year friendship he wrote nearly 150 letters to her.

A number of other works are also on loan from the National Portrait Gallery including two iconic photographic portraits – one of former Prime Minister, Winston Churchill and one of showgirl, Christine Keeler. Churchill was a life-long adversary of Nancy’s and they often heckled each other in the House of Commons. The Astor family home of Cliveden, Buckinghamshire was the place where Keeler first met politician, John Profumo – although the scandal of their affair and the press coverage were kept from Nancy by her staff and children.

Nancy: The Life and Times of Lady Astor is on display until Saturday 12 October. Exhibition opening hours are 10am to 5.30pm Tuesday to Friday and 10am to 5pm on Saturdays. Admission is free.