Mounted with PAF6275. The inscription reads 'Olympic staircase' and the sketch compares well with photographs of the grand staircase of the White Star Line's RMS 'Olympic', launched by Harland & Wolff in 1910. The dark figure centre left is a carved and gilded winged putto figure bearing a torchere light-fitting, set on the lower newel post of a central rail dividing the flight of stairs, of which the outer rails in fact splayed outwards at the lower level, though appearing straight here. 'Olympic' was the class-lead ship of three, the others being the short-lived 'Titanic', sunk by iceberg collision on its maiden voyage to New York in April 1912 and 'Britannic', which sank after hitting a mine during war service in the Aegean in 1916. 'Olympic' had a slightly lower tonnage than 'Titanic' but was the same length and at two periods in its career was the largest liner in service in the world. It began transatlantic operation in 1911 and after First World War duty as a troopship was refitted and resumed that during the 1920s. It became less economic owing to changed conditions in the early 1930s and was decommissioned and scrapped, 1935-37. The artist, Arthur Hacker RA (1858-1919), was mainly known for painting religious scenes and portraits. Since the ship was only handed back from war service in August 1919 and he died that November this study, showing civilian furniture, must have been made when it was new, before requisitioning by the Admiralty in May 1915. [PvdM 5/23]