The English-born politician and businessman Sir Henry Parkes (1815–1896) is known as the Father of Federation for his role advocating for the federation of the Australian (states) colonies. He served as a Premier of New South Wales five times between 1872 and 1891. Here Parkes is shown at the age of 78, the year after he completed his great apologia, Fifty years in the making of Australian history. This is one of a triptych of formal portraits Roberts painted of ‘Church, State and the Law’ and is one of three that Roberts painted of Parkes.