John Skirrow Wright was one of the distinguished pioneers and social improvers of the 19th century in Birmingham, England; and inventor of the postal order. He was involved in many aspects of Birmingham's mid-Victorian life that were intended for the benefit of its citizens, including the General Hospital, the Chamber of Commerce, the School of Art, the Children's Hospital, the early Birmingham Hospital Saturday Fund, and the Blue Coat School.
John Skirrow Wright, 1880 portrait
Cartoon, 1876. Wright's scroll lists his core political principles: "Free Trade; Ballot; Extended Suffrage; Religious Liberty; Progress". The footman in the background has the head of a button, in allusion to Wright's commercial roots.
Cartoon of 1892 depicting Wright's statue beating Joseph Chamberlain with a volume marked "Sturdy Liberalism"
Bust of Wright by William Bloye in Birmingham's Council House
National Liberal Federation
The National Liberal Federation (1877–1936) was the union of all English and Welsh Liberal Associations. It held an annual conference which was regarded as being representative of the opinion of the party's rank and file and was broadly the equivalent of a present-day party conference.
"The Caucus": 1892 caricature of Francis Schnadhorst, Secretary of the National Liberal Federation 1877–93, published in Vanity Fair
