The Welcome Arrival
After John Dalbiac Luard British
Engraver William Henry Simmons British
Publisher McQueen & Co. British
Not on view
Luard exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1857 a topical subject set in the recent past: "Crimea, 1855—A Welcome Arrival". He presents a moment of quiet relaxation away from the battlefields of the Crimean War (1853–56) which the artist experienced firsthand in Eastern Europe. Here three British cavalry officers in their makeshift quarters savor a parcel of provisions, packed in a wooden box, sent from home. Dozens of prints taken from issues of contemporary illustrated newspapers, pasted directly onto the bare wooden walls, add a special interest to Luard's depiction, now in the National Army Museum, London. Individual examples from the "Illustrated London News" that can be identified include, for example, "Shylock and Jessica" (after John Gilbert) from September 30, 1854 and "A Contrast" (after Abraham Solomon) from June 30, 1855.
