The portraits of the Hon. James Stuart and that of Lady Rachel Cavendish were painted just before their marriage on 4th August 1923.
The Hon. James Gray Stuart was born on 9th February 1897, the third son of the 17th Earl of Moray. Educated at Eton, he served in the Great War as captain of the 3rd Battalion Royal Scots 1st of Foot. In 1923 he was elected Member of Parliment for Moray and Nairn and remained so for thirty-six years. He was Winston Churchill's Chief Whip in Parliment during the 2nd World War, a Lord Commissioner for the Treasury 1935-1941 and later during Churchill's post-war term of office he was appointed Cabinet Minister and Secretary of State for Scotland. He worked under Eden and Macmillan, retiring with the Prime Minister, who created him 1st Viscount Stuart of Findhorn in 1959. He died on 20th February 1971 and was succeeded by his eldest son, The Hon. David Randolph Moray Stuart.
We are very grateful to The Hon. Mrs. de Laszlo for her assistance in cataloguing this work.