PAUL DAVIS Disraeli: Portrait of a Romantic, 1979

Very large original advertising poster created by Paul Davis in 1979 for Mobil Oil Corporation, the principal sponsor of Masterpiece Theatre. This striking poster was produced to promote the acclaimed television series Disraeli: Portrait of a Romantic, which aired that same year.

The series dramatized the life of Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881), the charismatic British Prime Minister, novelist, and romantic visionary who rose from outsider status to become one of the most influential political figures of Victorian England. The show explored themes of ambition, love, and power, portraying Disraeli’s political triumphs, his deep affection for his wife Mary Anne, and his enduring belief in idealism within the often cynical world of politics.

Paul Davis’s artwork masterfully captures this blend of romance and intellect, using his signature painterly realism and theatrical composition to evoke both the grandeur of the era and the emotional complexity of Disraeli himself.