Benjamin Disraeli v William Gladstone Silk Election Bookmarks, 1868

DISRAELI, Benjamin, and GLADSTONE, William Ewart. Pair of silk political bookmarks for the General Election of 1868.
 
2 silk bookmarks, each approx. 170 x 50 mm, printed in colours with portrait medallions and decorative motifs, each with original tassel (one purple, one yellow). Disraeli bookmark printed “Rt. Hon. B. Disraeli M.P. / First Lord of the Treasury / 1868” with royal arms below; Gladstone bookmark printed “Rt. Hon. W. E. Gladstone M.P.” beneath the slogan “Economy, Retrenchment, Reform” and “The uncompromising advocate of civil and religious liberty,” with crossed flags below. Both with maker’s imprint “T. Stevens, Coventry” to lower edge. Some light creasing and minor wear consistent with use; slight fraying to tassels; colours generally well preserved and impressions strong. A very good pair.
 
A striking pair of electioneering silk bookmarks issued at the time of the 1868 United Kingdom general election, contrasting the two principal political figures of the period: Benjamin Disraeli, styled as First Lord of the Treasury, and William Ewart Gladstone, presented with the Liberal programme of “Economy, Retrenchment, Reform.” The 1868 election, the first held after the Reform Act of 1867, marked a decisive victory for Gladstone and the Liberal Party.