Related Images Gallery

Greyhounds by Gilbert Holiday

Painting by the well-known horse and animal artist, Gilbert Holiday of a greyhound bitch and her two puppies. During the 1930s, the sport of greyhound racing was phenomenally popular during the inter-war years and the Greyhound Racing Association would breed annually more than 100 track greyhounds to satisfy the interests of the regular 75, 000 crowds at stadiums like White City and Wembley

© Mary Evans Picture Library 2015 - https://copyrighthub.org/s0/hub1/creation/maryevans/MaryEvansPictureID/10238105

Krakatoa sunsets, 1883 artworks

Krakatoa sunsets. Artwork of the spectacular red and orange sunsets caused in London, England, by the August 1883 eruption of Krakatoa, a volcano thousands of kilometres away in Indonesia. The ash thrown up by the eruption caused sunsets like these for years afterwards. These three artworks are a sequence, showing twilight and afterglow effects at Chelsea, London, on 26 November 1883, at around: 4.40pm (top); 5pm (middle); and 6.15pm (bottom). These are among the thousands of sunset sketches made by the British artist William Ashcroft. Krakatoa's eruption prompted many reports and investigations. These artworks formed the frontispiece for The Report of the Krakatoa Committee of the Royal Society (1888)

© ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Our ?Little Contemptibles?, 1914

Our ?Little Contemptibles?, 1914.Oil on canvas by William Barns Wollen (1857-1936), 1918 (c); exhibited at the Royal Academy 1918 (No 260).Composed of regular soldiers and reservists, the British Expeditionary Force landed on the Continent in August in 1914. During the early months of World War One (1914-1918) it was engaged in slowing down the German advance. This painting depicts open warfare with British infantry wearing large packs, taking cover behind a hedge; German artillery in the distance. The British Army?s experiences in the Boer War (1899-1902) had resulted in major reforms in organization, administration, tactics, weapons and equipment. Introduced in 1906, the Short Magazine Lee-Enfield rifle, shown in this painting, enabled troops to produce very rapid, accurate fire. Infantry training now placed more emphasis on the ability to shoot straight and fast, and on mobility. These professional soldiers, drilled in new methods of attack, defence, and withdrawal, were taught to take greater advantage of cover.The title of the canvas relates to an order given by Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany (1859 -1941) to the commander of his First Army, Alexander von Kluck (1846-1934), in August, 1914:- ?It is my Royal and Imperial Command that you concentrate your energies? and all the valour of my soldiers to exterminate first the treacherous English; walk over General French's insignificant [or contemptible] little Army. In fact the German advance was checked, and the men of the British and Indian Expeditionary Forces who survived these heavy engagements proudly adopted the ironic title, ?The Old Contemptibles?. These men who served between the outbreak of war and midnight on 22 November 1914 were awarded the 1914 Star.In the 1880s, the artist, William Barns Wollen, served in the 20th (Artists?) Volunteer Battalion, The Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort?s Own), popularly known as the Artists? Rifles. Date: 1914

© The National Army Museum / Mary Evans Picture Library