An iconic print by Frederick Roe titled 'Goodbye my lads'. Measures 100cm x 74cm.
From a supplement to ‘Holly Leaves, The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News’ Christmas Number, 1905. From the painting by Fred Roe this shows Lord Nelson leaving Portsmouth to join ‘Victory’, before the Battle of Trafalgar. He stands in the stern of the ship’s boat as he is being rowed out to the flagship in the distance behind him, looking back towards the crowd cheering him from the shore and waving his hat in response. By such gestures and imagery, including a draped Union flag, the print seeks dramatic and patriotic effect but the appearance of the sailors and crowd on the quayside owes more to the Edwardian era than the early 19th century. This was one of many interpretations of Nelson that appeared in 1905, the centenary year of his death.