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Disraeli portrait among more than 65 artworks missing from Parliament
Photograph of Britain’s only Jewish-born Prime Minister is among works misplaced during upheaval across the parliamentary estate
A historic portrait of Benjamin Disraeli is among more than 65 works of art currently recorded as missing from the Houses of Parliament.
The photograph of Britain’s first and only Jewish prime minister is being sought by House of Commons authorities after apparently becoming misplaced as artworks were moved around the parliamentary estate.
The missing works, all recorded as having been misplaced since the beginning of 2024, were disclosed following a Freedom of Information request by the Press Association.
Parliament has stressed there is little evidence that pieces from its collection have been permanently lost and suggested restoration work across the estate may have contributed to items being moved from their recorded locations.
Disraeli, who served twice as prime minister under Queen Victoria and was later made Earl of Beaconsfield, was photographed by celebrated 19th-century photographer John Jabez Edwin Mayall.
Mayall’s other subjects included Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, Charles Dickens and Karl Marx.
Also among the works currently unaccounted for is a 19th-century engraving of abolitionist William Wilberforce by printmaker William Holl.
A photograph of Margaret Beckett, Britain’s first female foreign secretary, and a satirical image depicting Labour politician Barbara Castle as Florence Nightingale are also on the list.
Another missing piece is a 1995 cartoon by Martin Rowson showing then-prime minister John Major attempting to “lance the boil” of the Conservative leadership contest, as Michael Heseltine and Michael Portillo look on.
Rowson told the Press Association that original cartoons disappearing was not unheard of, adding: “It’s a shame, but it’s hardly the crown jewels – and the point about cartoon originals is that they’ve been published already: the artefact is probably the impression in the newspaper, as that’s its ticket to posterity.
“The original is the modern equivalent to one of Hogarth or Gillray’s copper plates used to create the – reproduced – satirical print. That’s why we belong more properly to journalism than art.”
Parliament has already located five works previously listed as missing since the beginning of the year.
The latest figure is also substantially lower than in 2018, when an audit found 220 pieces whose whereabouts were unknown.
A parliamentary spokesperson said: “There is little evidence of works of art going permanently missing from the Parliamentary Art Collection.
“As a working collection, artworks are frequently moved between their recorded locations and are often subsequently found, meaning none of the items currently recorded as missing have been written off or are considered a financial loss.
“Parliament continues to reduce the number of artworks recorded as missing through ongoing audits.”
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