Primrose Day marked the anniversary of the death of the British statesman and prime minister

Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician and writer who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a ...

, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, on 19 April 1881. The day was marked each year into the 1920s, with arrangements of primroses left at Disraeli's tomb at St Michael and All Angels Church, Hughenden and his statue in Parliament Square and many supporters wearing primroses as buttonholes, garlands, and hat decorations.

Background

Disraeli served as British prime minister in 1868 and from 1874 to 1880. He formed a close relationship with

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

, particularly after he was widowed in 1872. The primrose was reportedly Disraeli's favourite flower, and the queen would send him bunches of them from

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...

and

Osborne House Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. The house was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat. Albert designed the house in the style ...

. Disraeli often thanked the queen for her gifts of flowers, picking out the primroses for special praise. The queen unveiled a memorial to Disraeli at St Michael and All Angels Church, Hughenden in 1882. Contemporary reports noted that Victoria sent a wreath of primroses to Disraeli's funeral with a note "His favourite flowers: from Osborne: a tribute of affectionate regard from Queen Victoria". However, a few years later, a letter from the Queen's Private Secretary, Sir

Henry Ponsonby Major-General Sir Henry Frederick Ponsonby (10 December 1825 – 21 November 1895) was a British soldier and royal court official who served as Queen Victoria's Private Secretary. Biography Born in Corfu, he was the son of Major-General Si ...

, contradicted that suggestion.

Commemoration

The first celebration of Primrose Day in 1882 was encouraged by the civil servant Sir

George Birdwood Sir George Christopher Molesworth Birdwood (8 December 1832 – 28 June 1917) was an Anglo-Indian official, naturalist, and writer. He served as the first Sheriff of Bombay from 1846 to 1858. Life The son of General Christopher Birdwood, he wa ...

, who wrote a letter to ''The Times'' noting an increase in sales of primroses before the anniversary, and he also proposed primrose decorations at

St Stephen's Club St Stephen's Club was a private member's club in City of Westminster, Westminster, London, founded in 1870. St Stephen's was originally on the corner of Bridge Street and the Victoria Embankment, Embankment, in London SW1, now the location of Por ...

. The success of the event in 1883 led to the creation of the

Primrose League The Primrose League was an organisation for spreading Conservative principles in Great Britain. It was founded in 1883. At a late point in its existence, its declared aims (published in the ''Primrose League Gazette'', vol. 83, no. 2, March/April ...

. An 1885 painting by the

Newlyn School The Newlyn School was an art colony of artists based in or near Newlyn, a fishing village adjacent to Penzance, on the south coast of Cornwall, from the 1880s until the early twentieth century. The establishment of the Newlyn School was remini ...

artist

Frank Bramley Frank Bramley RA (6 May 1857 – 9 August 1915) was an English post-impressionist genre painter of the Newlyn School. Personal life Bramley was born in Sibsey, near Boston, in Lincolnshire to Charles Bramley from Fiskerton also in Lincol ...

, now held by the Tate Gallery, depicts a young girl who has been gathering primroses on Primrose Day, sitting near an engraved portrait of Disraeli. Another Newlyn artist, Ralph Todd, painted a similar scene, now at Penlee House. In 1916,

Pathé News Pathé News was a producer of newsreels and documentaries from 1910 to 1970 in the United Kingdom. Its founder, Charles Pathé, was a pioneer of moving pictures in the silent era. The Pathé News archive is known today as "British Pathé". I ...

recorded commemorative events, with a wreath laid at Disraeli's statue outside

Westminster Palace The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons and the ...

. Pathé recorded similar events through the 1920s, including

Austen Chamberlain Sir Joseph Austen Chamberlain (16 October 1863 – 16 March 1937) was a British statesman, son of Joseph Chamberlain and older half-brother of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. He served as a Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of ...

in 1921, Sir William Joynson-Hicks in 1923, and

Diana Churchill Diana Spencer Churchill (11 July 1909 – 20 October 1963) was the eldest daughter of British statesman Winston Churchill and Clementine Churchill. Personal life Diana Churchill was born at 33 Eccleston Square, London, on 11 July 190 ...

in 1928.

Primrose League

The Primrose League was formed in 1883 to continue the legacy of Disraeli by spreading and popularising traditional Conservative ideals, including the British monarchy, the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

, the

Anglican Church Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

, and free enterprise. Promoted by

Lord Randolph Churchill Lord Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill (13 February 1849 – 24 January 1895) was a British aristocrat and politician. Churchill was a Tory radical who coined the term "One-nation conservatism, Tory democracy". He participated in the creation ...

, who advocated

Tory Democracy One-nation conservatism, also known as one-nationism or Tory democracy, is a form of British political conservatism and a variant of paternalistic conservatism. It advocates the "preservation of established institutions and traditional prin ...

, the League grew rapidly, with over half a million members by 1887, a million by 1901 and over 2 million members by 1910, roughly equally women and men. The Primrose League faded with universal suffrage after the First World War when the Conservative Party pursued direct mass party membership, and was formally wound up in 2004. File:Frank Bramley (1857-1915) - Primrose Day - T03962 - Tate.jpg,

,1885, ''Primrose Day'',

Tate Gallery Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the UK ...

File:Ralph Todd - Primrose Day 1885.jpg, Ralph Todd, 1885, ''Primrose Day'', Penlee House gallery File:W Saull - Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield - Primrose Day $$.jpg,

Wood engraving Wood engraving is a printmaking technique, in which an artist works an image into a block of wood. Functionally a variety of woodcut, it uses relief printing, where the artist applies ink to the face of the block and prints using relatively l ...

by W. Saull, showing Disraeli's statue in Parliament Square decorated with primroses on Primrose Day, published in

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' (stylized as ''Harper's BAZAAR'') is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. Bazaar has been published in New York City since November 2, 1867, originally as a weekly publication entitled ''Harper's Bazar''."Corporat ...

, 1886 File:Primrose League.jpg,

badges

References

{{reflist

External links

'Primrose Day' (Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield)
by W. Saull, published by Harper's Bazaar, National Portrait Gallery * British Pathé *
Primrose Day In London 1916
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Austen Chamberlain and Primrose League Pilgrims lay wreaths on the grave of Lord Beaconsfield on Primrose Day 1921
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Sir W. Joynson-Hicks lays tribute to Lord Beaconsfield on Primrose Day 1923
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A statue to Benjamin Disraeli is unveiled in Liverpool on Primrose Day 1926
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Diana Churchill heads the 'Primrose Day' ceremony 1928
April observances Observances honoring the dead Benjamin Disraeli