National Portrait Gallery to unveil historic Dadabhai Naoroji portrait

The National Portrait Gallery in London is set to unveil a historic portrait of Dadabhai Naoroji, the nationalist leader who served as the first Indian Member of Parliament in the British Parliament. The painting, created by artist Sorab M Pithawalla, was previously displayed at the India Club on the Strand for over 70 years.

Following the loss of the India Club's lease, manager Yadgar Marker facilitated the portrait's move to the gallery. The work underwent extensive restoration through the Painting Pairs Programme at the Courtauld Institute of Art. The Marker family, who share Parsi heritage with Naoroji, has loaned the portrait to the gallery for an initial three-year period.

The portrait will be displayed in the Empire and Resistance Gallery, which focuses on the history of the British Empire and movements of resistance. Sarah Moulden, the gallery's Senior Curator of 19th-Century Collections, noted Naoroji's significance as a leading critic of colonial rule in India and a prominent figure in Victorian and Edwardian British politics.