Archive · 24 Aug 2026
Dadabhai Naoroji Portrait to Display at National Portrait Gallery
Dadabhai Naoroji was the first Asian person elected to Britain’s Parliament.
He won his seat in 1892 by only five votes.
He was also a scholar, businessman, economist and campaigner for Indian self-government.
A portrait of him was painted in Bombay in 1946, after he had died.
For many years, the painting hung in the India Club in London.
The club closed in 2023, so its former owner loaned the portrait to the National Portrait Gallery.
The Courtauld Institute of Art carefully restored the painting.
Visitors will be able to see it in the gallery’s Empire and Resistance section from 2 September.
The display also preserves part of the India Club’s history and Naoroji’s contribution to Britain.
A restored portrait of Dadabhai Naoroji will go on display at the National Portrait Gallery from 2 September.
Naoroji was Britain’s first Asian MP, representing Finsbury Central for the Liberal Party from 1892 to 1895.
The portrait was painted by Sorab M. Pithawalla in Bombay in 1946, nearly three decades after Naoroji’s death.
It hung in the India Club restaurant until the club closed in 2023 and is now being loaned by Yadgar Marker.
The Courtauld Institute of Art restored the painting for display in the National Portrait Gallery’s Empire and Resistance gallery.
- Who
- Dadabhai Naoroji, Britain’s first Asian MP; the National Portrait Gallery; Yadgar Marker; and the Courtauld Institute of Art.
- What
- A restored portrait of Naoroji is being displayed at the National Portrait Gallery.
- When
- The display begins on 2 September; the portrait was painted in 1946 and hung at the India Club until 2023.
- Where
- The National Portrait Gallery in London, in its Empire and Resistance gallery; the portrait previously hung at the India Club in The Strand.
- Why
- The National Portrait Gallery is bringing Naoroji’s political legacy and the India Club’s history to a wider audience after the club’s closure.
Preserve the India Club
Redevelop the Building
Future of the India Club site
Preserve the India Club
Campaigners argued that the India Club should be saved because of its historic importance and its links to the India League and Indian independence.
Redevelop the Building
Marston Properties said it wanted to convert the building into a modern hotel and that its plans had no room for the India Club.
Meaning of the portrait’s relocation
Preserve the India Club
Yadgar Marker and community representatives view the portrait’s new display as a way for part of the India Club’s heritage to survive.
Redevelop the Building
The club itself closed in 2023 after the campaign to save it was unsuccessful, leaving the portrait no longer displayed at its original location.
- Display start
- 2 September
- Gallery
- National Portrait Gallery, Empire and Resistance gallery
- Portrait artist
- Sorab M. Pithawalla
- Portrait date
- 1946
- Loan provider
- Yadgar Marker, former India Club operator
- Restoration
- Courtauld Institute of Art through its Painting Pairs programme
- Naoroji’s parliamentary service
- Liberal MP for Finsbury Central from 1892 to 1895
- Election margin
- Naoroji defeated Frederick Penton by five votes, 2,961 to 2,956