Name/Title
We are all of us defending…a Cause… Portrait of Winston Churchill (1874-1965), British Prime Minister (1940-1945, 1951-1955)Entry/Object ID
2001.03.02Description
Print
Reproduction print (1943) after 1942 oil painting by Arthur Pan.
This 3/4 view seated portrait depicts Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, DL, FRS, RA (1874-1965), a British statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945, during the Second World War, and again from 1951 to 1955. Churchill is seated in a heavy wood and leather armchair in front of a wood-paneled wall, turned slightly to his right and holding a cigar, as he projects resolute confidence.
Churchill was descended from one of England's great aristocratic families, that of the Dukes of Marlborough. Recognized as an inspirational statesman, writer, orator and leader he led Britain to victory in the WWII, playing a crucial role in supporting the morale of the British people and in helping to craft and deliver the Allied victory.Artwork Details
Medium
Chromolithograph on paperSubject Place
Region
Western EuropeContinent
EuropeContext
The original Churchill portrait was painted in 1942, and this print was published for sale the following year to raise funds for the "Aid to Russia Fund", chaired by Clementine Churchill (wife of Winston Churchill). The fund, was established in 1941 by the Joint War Organization to assist Russians with the deprivations caused by Adolf Hitler. Some £210 million in modern day funds was raised over the course of the war to pay for blankets, clothing, ambulances, medical equipment and related supplies.Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Arthur Pan (1894-1983)Role
PainterArtist
Frost & ReedRole
PublisherArtist
Rudolph Lesch Fine ArtsRole
PublisherDate made
1943Time Period
20th CenturyNotes
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Born in Romania, Arthur Pan was a Hungarian artist and portrait painter. After studies at the Budapest Academy of Art and at the Académie Julian in Paris, he came to England as a refugee from the Nazis. He painted in England from 1920 to the 1960s as a Classical Realist portraitist working primarily in oil. He painted portraits of many historical personages, including Sir Winston Churchill, South African Field Marshal Jan Smuts, Lieut. General Sir Miles Dempsey DSO MC, Queen Elizabeth II, aviator Claude Grahame-White, and Lady Edwina Mountbatten.
On December 25, 1943, The Illustrated London News carried a double page spread of "Mr Churchill—A Characteristic Portrait of the Prime Minister from a Painting By Professor Arthur Pan".Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
Signature, DateLocation
Signed/dated in original painting lower left: Arthur Pan 1942
Lower left margin: Painted by A. PanTranscription
Printed quotation and facsimile signature lower right in margin:
"We are all of us defending...a Cause,...
THE CAUSE OF FREEDOM AND OF JUSTICE; OF THE WEAK AGAINST THE STRONG; LAW AGAINST VIOLENCE; MERCY AND TOLERANCE AGAINST BRUTALITY AND IRON BOUND TYRANNY.”
Winston S. Churchill
December 5th, 1942Dimensions
Dimension Description
SupportHeight
59 cmWidth
67.5 cmAcquisition
Acquisition Method
Legacy collection - detail unknownRelationships
Related Entries
Notes
2001.01.25 The Roaring Lion. Portrait of Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
2001.01.52 Portrait of Sir Winston Churchill
2001.03.02 “We are all of us defending…a Cause…” Portrait of Winston Churchill
2023.04.07 Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the End of the 2nd World WarCopyright
Notes
Copyright Frost & Reed of London and Rudolph Lesch of New York.
