The House of Commons, 1833
| The House of Commons, 1833 | |
|---|---|
| Artist | George Hayter |
| Year | 1843 |
| Type | Oil on canvas, historical painting |
| Dimensions | 346 cm × 542 cm (136 in × 213 in) |
| Location | National Portrait Gallery, London |
The House of Commons, 1833 is a large history painting by the British artist George Hayter. It depicts the first meeting of the House of Commons following the Reform Act 1832 and the subsequent general election that produced a landslide majority for the ruling Whig Government. In the Victorian era the painting was often known as The First Reformed Parliament.
Hayter began the work in 1833, without any commission and took a decade to complete. It was a further fifteen years before he finally sold it in 1858 to the newly founded National Portrait Gallery. In 1895 the Gallery also acquired what functions as an effective companion piece, Hayter's earlier The Trial of Queen Caroline depicting the House of Lords in 1820.