Antique Portrait of William Russell by Houbraken (c.1750)

Description: Antique portrait titled 'William Russel, Earl of Bedford'. William Russell, 1st Duke of Bedford (1616-1700) was an English nobleman and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 until 1641 when he inherited his Peerage as 5th Earl of Bedford and removed to the House of Lords. He fought in the Parliamentarian army and later defected to the Royalists during the English Civil War. He is also known for developing the Bloomsbury area of London. This print originates from 'The Heads of Illustrious Persons of Great Britain, engraven by Mr. Houbracken, and Mr. Vertuewith their Lives and Characters by Thomas Birch, A.M., F.R.S'. 

Artists and Engravers: Published in London by John and Paul Knapton 1742-1756.