Sir Edward Grey, 1926 (colour litho)

Sir Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon (1862 - 1933); British Liberal statesman and Foreign Secretary from 1905 to 1916, the longest continuous tenure of any person in that office; probably best remembered today for his remark at the outbreak of the First World War: "The lamps are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our time"; ennobled as Viscount Grey of Fallodon in 1916, he was Ambassador to the United States between 1919 and 1920 and Leader of the Liberal Party in the House of Lords between 1923 and 1924; also gained distinction as an ornithologist; from the series of 'Straight Line' caricatures produced as cigarette cards by John Player & Sons; the golden age of cigarette cards was from the late 19th century until the Second World War and were immensely popular both as collector items and as a source of instruction, entertainment and amusement before the widespread use of television and radio;