Circa 1941
Overall: 69cm (27in) x 56cm (22in)
Crayon on paper. A period study of a Second World War Fireman in the manner of Eric Kennington. Signed in pencil lower left Ibbetson. Framed and glazed.
Attributable to Ernest Ibbetson (1877-1959), military artist & adventure story illustrator, produced four major series of British military uniforms. He served in ‘F’ Company, The Artists Rifles from 1896 to 1901. In 1903 he won a national competition for a poster portrait of King Edward VII for reproduction throughout the Empire. Ibbetson was the first artist to paint the newly formed Boy Scouts in 1908. He produced both serious and humorous scenes. His art also covered other subjects including police, London life, the Navy, suffragettes, social commentary and a comical postcard series.