Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour (1848-1930), Prime Minister and philosopher
Sitter in 113 portraits
Balfour first made his mark as a philosopher, publishing A Defence of Philosophic Doubt in 1879. He entered politics in 1874 through the patronage of his uncle, Lord Salisbury. He succeeded Salisbury as prime minister in 1902 but was unable to keep together a party divided by issues of Free Trade and Protectionism. He resigned in December 1905. During the First World War, he worked as First Lord of the Admiralty and, from 1916 to 1919, as Foreign Secretary. The Balfour Declaration of November 1917 gave British support to 'the establishment in Palestine of a home for the Jewish people'. Balfour continued in politics until the age of eighty: he had served for twenty-seven years as a member of the cabinet.
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by George Richmond
chalk, 1877
NPG 4987
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Harry Furniss
pen and ink, 1880s-1900s
NPG 3337
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Harry Furniss
pen and ink, 1880s-1900s
NPG 3338
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Eveleen Myers (née Tennant)
platinum print, circa 1890
NPG P144
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema
oil on canvas, exhibited 1891
On display in the Dining Room at Bodelwyddan Castle
NPG 2949
Joe Chamberlain; Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Sydney Prior Hall
oil on canvas, circa 1895
NPG 5114
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Philip Alexius de László
oil on canvas
NPG 2497
by Sir Francis Carruthers Gould ('F.C.G.')
pen and ink, 1900s?
NPG 2864
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Sir Francis Carruthers Gould ('F.C.G.')
pen and ink, circa 1900-1908
NPG 2864a
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour; Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
by Sir Francis Carruthers Gould ('F.C.G.')
pen and ink, 1900s
NPG 2866
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Sydney Prior Hall
pencil, 1903
NPG 2331
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by John Singer Sargent
oil on canvas, 1908
On display in Room 25 at the National Portrait Gallery
NPG 6620
by Sir James Guthrie
oil on canvas, 1924-1930
On display in Room 30 at the National Portrait Gallery
NPG 2463
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by London Stereoscopic & Photographic Company
albumen cabinet card, 1870s-1900s
NPG x22246
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by James Russell & Sons
carbon print, 1887
NPG x5159
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Lafayette (Lafayette Ltd)
albumen cabinet card, circa 1888
NPG x134495
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Elliott & Fry
albumen cabinet card, 1889
NPG x12549
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Elliott & Fry
albumen print, 1889
NPG x9487
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Elliott & Fry
chlorobromide print on cream card mount, 1889
NPG x127405
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Elliott & Fry
half-plate glass copy negative, 1889
NPG x82454
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Sir (John) Benjamin Stone
platinum print, 1891-1892
NPG x8283
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by W. & D. Downey
carbon print, published 1894
NPG x179
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by London Stereoscopic & Photographic Company
carbon print, before 1895
NPG x374
by Lafayette (Lafayette Ltd), photogravure by Walker & Boutall
photogravure, 1897
NPG Ax41284
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Sir (John) Benjamin Stone
platinum print in card window mount, November 1899
NPG x8284
by Sir (John) Benjamin Stone
platinum print in card window mount, July 1899
NPG x32628
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Alexander Bassano
half-plate glass negative, 1900?
NPG x96263
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by London Stereoscopic & Photographic Company
albumen cabinet card, August 1902
NPG x177
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by London Stereoscopic & Photographic Company
platinum print, August 1902
NPG x180
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by London Stereoscopic & Photographic Company
August 1902
NPG x181
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by George Charles Beresford
platinum print, 1902
NPG x8451
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Henry Walter ('H. Walter') Barnett
vintage bromide print, 1903
NPG x45401
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Henry Walter ('H. Walter') Barnett
whole-plate glass negative, 1903
NPG x81437
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Henry Walter ('H. Walter') Barnett
whole-plate glass negative, 1903
NPG x81438
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Henry Walter ('H. Walter') Barnett
whole-plate glass negative, 1903
NPG x81439
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Henry Walter ('H. Walter') Barnett
whole-plate glass negative, 1903
NPG x81441
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Henry Walter ('H. Walter') Barnett
whole-plate glass negative, 1903
NPG x81442
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Henry Walter ('H. Walter') Barnett
whole-plate glass negative, 1903
NPG x81443
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Henry Walter ('H. Walter') Barnett
whole-plate glass negative, 1903
NPG x81444
'Luncheon party at the House of Commons'
by Sir John Alexander Cockburn
platinum print, 9 July 1907
NPG x89004
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