Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
(1848-1930), Prime Minister and philosopher20th Century Portraits Catalogue Entry
Sitter in 140 portraits
Born at Whittingehame House, East Lothian and educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge; 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, as a Conservative member for Hertford; succeeded Salisbury as Prime Minister in 1902 but was unable to keep together a party divided by issues of Free Trade and Protectionism and resigned in 1905; during the First World War he worked as First Lord of the Admiralty and, from 1916 to 1919, as Foreign Secretary; Balfour continued in politics until the age of eighty, having 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
NPG 2949
Joe Chamberlain; Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Sydney Prior Hall
oil on canvas, circa 1895
NPG 5114
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 Philip Alexius de László
oil on canvas, June 1908
NPG 2497
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by John Singer Sargent
oil on canvas, 1908
On display in Room 24 on Floor 2 at the National Portrait Gallery
NPG 6620
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
published by Charles Bruce
collotype postcard print, 1900s (circa 1864)
NPG x197718
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, published by Charles Newman & Co
carbon print, 1887; published before 1895
NPG Ax15876
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by James Russell & Sons
carbon print, 1887
NPG Ax15963
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by James Russell & Sons
carbon print, 1887
NPG x5159
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by James Russell & Sons, published by Ogden's
cigarette card, 1887, published circa 1895-1906
NPG x197000
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by James Russell & Sons, published by Rotary Photographic Co Ltd
bromide postcard print, early 1900s (1887)
NPG x197715
Related People
- Gerald William Balfour, 2nd Earl of Balfour (brother)
- Eustace James Balfour (brother)
- Lady Evelyn ('Eve') Barbara Balfour (niece)
- Eleanor ('Nora') Mildred Sidgwick (née Balfour) (sister)
Tell us more back to top
Can you tell us more about this person? Spotted an error, information that is missing (a sitter’s life dates, occupation or family relationships, or a date of portrait for example) or do you know anything that we don't know? If you have information to share please complete the form below.
If you require information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service. You can buy a print of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at £6 for unframed prints, £25 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, please use our Rights and Images service.
Please note that we cannot provide valuations.
We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.