Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
19 of 138 portraits of Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour







© National Portrait Gallery, London
- Buy a print
- Use this image
- Share this
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
by James Russell & Sons, published by Ogden's
cigarette card, 1887, published circa 1895-1906
2 3/8 in. x 1 5/8 in. (60 mm x 40 mm) overall
Given by Terence Pepper, 2014
Photographs Collection
NPG x197000
Sitterback to top
- Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour (1848-1930), Prime Minister and philosopher. Sitter in 138 portraits.
Artistsback to top
- Ogden's, Photographers. Artist associated with 231 portraits.
- James Russell & Sons (active 1850s-1940s), Photographers. Artist associated with 692 portraits.
Events of 1887back to top
Current affairs
Queen Victoria celebrates her Golden Jubilee, marking 50 years of her reign.In what becomes known as 'Bloody Sunday', or the Trafalgar Square Riot, the police attack a meeting of the Social Democratic Federation, led by among others) Elizabeth Reynolds, John Burns, Annie Besant and Robert Cunninghame-Graham, killing three and injuring more than 200 crowd members.
Art and science
A Study in Scarlet, the first of Arthur Conan Doyle's detective mysteries featuring Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr Watson, is published. One of only four novels (there were a further 56 short stories) featuring Holmes, the mystery turns around the discovery of a corpse in Brixton.The essayist and critic Walter Pater publishes Imaginary Portraits in which he consolidates his doctrine of Aestheticism, 'art for art's sake'.
International
Britain ratifies the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, thus accepting the terms of the International Copyright Act (1886), which abolishes the requirement to register foreign works and introduces an exclusive right to import or produce translations.The British annex Zululand; it becomes part of Natal in 1897.
Tell us more back to top
Can you tell us more about this portrait? 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 this 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.
Related pages
- Letter from Alice Balfour - 21 July 1908
- Letter from Arthur James Balfour - 24 July 1908
- Card from Alice Balfour - 31 August 1908
- Card from Alice Balfour - 14 September 1908
- 2019 Anniversaries
- Lives and Letters
- Alexandra of Denmark
- Before Windrush: Images of Black and Asian Figures
- Photographic holdings - Albums 1-75
- Women Poets and Photography, 1860–1970
- Thomas Hardy
Tell us more
Join & Support
Framed & unframed prints
Choose your favourite portrait from our Collection as a framed or unframed print for your home.