Baroness Swanborough takes the oath in the House of Lords 21 October 1958

This drawing shows the first woman being introduced as a member of the House of Lords, Baroness Swanborough.

The artist, Juliet Pannett, was a portrait painter and caricaturist who painted and drew many significant political figures. This drawing was her first commission for the Illustrated London News: she explains in her biography, 'Mr Colourful Life' that she had three days to produce this detailed double page spread. She wasn't allowed to take her drawing board in to the Lords, so she made small drawings in a reporter's notebook from the gallery, and transferred them afterwards to the full drawing.