' An Omnibus Ride to Piccadilly (Mr Gladstone Travelling with Ordinary Passengers ) Alfred Morgan . English (1862-1904) Oil on canvas , circa 1885 .

William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1888) was British Prime Minister on four occasions as well as the country's oldest serving Prime Minister at 84 years old . During his various ministries he introduced the secret ballot into the British electoral system , oversaw the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland , and in 1866 tried unsuccessfully to pass a bill through parliament to devolution or Irish Home Rule . He was known by the appellation G.O.M., which stood for ' Grand Old Man ' to his friends and supporters , and 'God's Only Mistake ' to his lifelong rival Benjamin Disraeli . Gladstone is also remembered for the bag that bears his name and for using the longest word in a British Parliamentary Debate : antidisestablishmentarianism . .....Alfred Morgan (1862-1904) was an English painter . His extensive range of subjects included , portraits , flowers , animals and landscapes , as well as historical and biblical scenes . In 1885 he completed a portrait of William Ewart Gladstone 'An Omnibus Ride to Piccadilly Circus , Mr Gladstone Travelling with Ordinary Passengers ' The 'ordinary passengers' , in fact were the artist himself and his wife and children .