One of three large group portraits commissioned by the South African financier Sir Abraham (‘Abe’) Bailey in the aftermath of the Great War and conceived as a gift to the nation to commemorate the roles of the Navy, Army and statesmen. Cope’s painting depicts 22 of the Navy’s most senior figures, imaginatively arranged in the Admiralty Board Room in Whitehall. The work was not seen for several decades but following an appeal for necessary funds, it was successfully restored and returned to public view, and is now on loan to The OWO by the National Portrait Gallery.
