How you can use this image
This image is available to be shared and re-used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (CC BY-NC-ND).
You can reproduce this image for non-commercial purposes and you are not able to change or modify it in any way.
Wherever you reproduce the image you must attribute the original creators (acknowledge the original artist(s) and the person/organisation that took the photograph of the work) and any other rights holders.
Review our guidance pages which explain how you can reuse images, how to credit an image and how to find more images in the public domain or with a Creative Commons licence available.
DownloadNotes
Add or edit a note on this artwork that only you can see. You can find notes again by going to the ‘Notes’ section of your account.
This painting depicts an imaginary event at a formal lecture to Members of the Royal Institution (Ri) or Friday Evening Discourse. The painter is unknown but obviously someone who knew the Ri very well, possibly the Secretary, Charles E. S. Phillips. From the content of the picture it is probable that it was painted around the time of the Second World War. The Ri is in Central London so the threat of bombs falling was a very real one: the Christmas Lectures for children were stopped during the war, the only break since 1825, and the Discourses were moved to the afternoons. Further, the basement was converted into an air-raid shelter for Westminster. The picture may show the artist’s worry for what might happen or be a comment on the general feeling of the Officers and Members.
The Royal Institution
London
Title
An Imaginary Scene Showing a Friday Evening Discourse during the Blitz
Medium
oil on board
Measurements
H 41.7 x W 52.5 cm
Accession number
RIIC 2029
Acquisition method
unknown acquisition method
Work type
Painting