Three quarter length standing portrait, the subject facing right and turned slightly towards the spectator. He wears the Chancellor's robes which are black with gold trim, with the mortar board and books on the table in front of him. He holds a paper in his left hand, and there is a monocle in his right eye. Standing infront of a dark brown background.

Joseph Chamberlain was the leading Liberal politician of the early 20th century. Coming from a family of London leather workers, Chamberlain moved to Birmingham at the age of 16 to pursue this trade but soon became involved in politics, in particular with Education, and was Mayor of Birmingham between 1873 and 1875 . He was the founder of Birmingham University and the father of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. This painting was donated to the University of Birmingham by Mrs Chamberlain in 1913.