Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener
- Artist: Alexander Bassano
- Date: 1895
- Medium: print
- Dimensions: 5 3/4 in. x 4 in. (146 mm x 101 mm) image size
- Portrays: Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener of Khartoum
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
In this small but striking cabinet card, you see Horatio Herbert Kitchener in his field‑marshal uniform, looking directly at the viewer. The image is a printing‑out on paper made in 1895 by Alexander Bassano, a prolific Victorian photographer whose work appears on more than 2 800 portrait cards. You can see the crisp detail of his hat, the folds of his coat, and the subtle shading that gives depth to the face. This photograph became one of the key images used for a World War I recruitment poster with the slogan “Your Country Needs You.” It’s part of the Photographs Collection at the National Portrait Gallery in London.
See it in person
Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
