In this head-and-shoulders portrait, William Dring, has depicted Admiral Sir Max Horton facing the viewer directly, a chart showing the Atlantic Ocean between the coast of Africa and America in the background. Admiral Sir Max Horton played a vital role in the Second World War through his contributions to the Battle of the Atlantic between 1942 and 1945. Thanks to Admiral Horton many German U-Boats were sunk and Britain was able to receive essential supplies. In this portrait, the artist has captured a sense of Horton’s importance and achievements by placing his sitter in front of an image of the Atlantic Ocean, a half smile proudly playing about his features, and multiple rows of medals and awards visible underneath his left lapel. The portrait is signed and dated, and is still in the original mount and frame from the War Artists Advisory Committee. [The original WAAC number is LD. 3541].

William Dring (1904-90) earned his reputation as a fine draughtsman and portrait painter whilst studying under Henry Tonks at the Slade School of Art between 1922 and 1925. He worked as a teacher of drawing and painting at the Southampton School of Art until 1940 when he was employed by the War Artist Advisory Committee, first as official war artist to the Admiralty and later to the Air Ministry. He made a large number of portrait drawings of individuals and groups, all remarkable for their informality. Dring travelled extensively to complete his commissions. The drawing is always precise and carefully modelled using pastel, a medium in which he specialised, and which allowed him to capture the likeness and spirit of his subjects quickly and under a variety of circumstances.