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 ('Statesmen. No. 529.')
by Sir Leslie Ward
chromolithograph, published in Vanity Fair 24 September 1887
NPG D44351
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
after Violet Manners, Duchess of Rutland
lithograph, 1888
NPG D23379
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
published by Paul and Dominic Colnaghi & Co, after Charles William Sherborn, after Violet Manners, Duchess of Rutland
photogravure, 1889 (1888)
NPG D20769
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Charles William Sherborn, after Violet Manners, Duchess of Rutland
etching, 1889 (1888)
NPG D7482
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
published by Paul and Dominic Colnaghi & Co, after Charles William Sherborn, after Violet Manners, Duchess of Rutland
photogravure, 1889 (1888)
NPG D9613
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
after Sir Francis Carruthers Gould ('F.C.G.')
glass lantern slide, circa 1892-1895
NPG D41936
Joe Chamberlain, Gladstone, Balfour, Harcourt et al
after Sir Francis Carruthers Gould ('F.C.G.')
glass lantern slide, circa 1892-1895
NPG D41942
Arthur Balfour, Frederick Temple, Edward White Benson et al
after Sir Francis Carruthers Gould ('F.C.G.')
glass lantern slide, circa 1892-1895
NPG D41949
Arthur Balfour, Joe Chamberlain, Viscount Chaplin et al
after Sir Francis Carruthers Gould ('F.C.G.')
glass lantern slide, circa 1892-1895
NPG D41950
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Minnie Lee Everett (M. Cormack), published by Paul and Dominic Colnaghi & Co, after Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema
mezzotint, published 25 May 1892
NPG D7484
'On the Terrace, A Political Spectacle: - "The Ayes have it - the Noes have it."
by Sir Leslie Ward
chromolithograph, published in Vanity Fair 30 November 1893
NPG D44675
by Harry Furniss
chromolithograph, published in Vanity Fair 1 December 1898
NPG D44936
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Sir Emery Walker, after (George) Fiddes Watt
photogravure, early 20th century
NPG D7483
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
after Sir Francis Carruthers Gould ('F.C.G.')
line block postcard, circa 1903
NPG D42277
after Sir Francis Carruthers Gould ('F.C.G.')
line block postcard, circa 1903
NPG D42280
after Sir Francis Carruthers Gould ('F.C.G.')
line block postcard, circa 1903
NPG D42281
The Unready Reckoner (Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour)
by Bernard Partridge
pen and ink on artists' board, 1903
NPG D9687
by Bernard Partridge
pen and ink on artists' board, 1903
NPG D9993
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour ('Men of the Day. No. 1214. "Dialectics."')
by 'XIT'
chromolithograph, published in Vanity Fair 27 January 1910
NPG D45539
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by Alexander ('Alick') Penrose Forbes Ritchie
colour relief halftone cigarette card, 1926
NPG D2654
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)
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