LOW, 'BEAVERBROOK WILD WEST' ('SEE WHAT THE BOYS IN THE BACK ROOM WILL HAVE...') INK WITH CRAYON, 1941

305 by 406mm., pen and ink with bodycolour and blue crayon, signed and inscribed ‘Beaverbrook Wild West’, mounted, framed and glazed

EXHIBITED:
‘The Illustrators: The British Art of Illustration 1800-2008’, Portico Library and Gallery, Manchester, November 2008-January 2009

Evening Standard, 26 March 1941

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The Ministry of Aircraft Production generated an enormous increase in aircraft production with factories churning out five hundred Spitfires and Hurricanes a month, considerably more aircraft than the Germans were producing at the time. Beaverbrook’s astonishing achievement was due mainly to his insistence that fighter aircraft production have priority over all other types of munitions production, even bomber production. By inserting an extra margin of fifteen percent above realistic production figures, he ensured an unattainable target, which the industry would push as hard as possible to reach. He also instigated scrap metal drives encouraging the country to save old pots, pans and kettles to donate them to the government. Low’s depiction of Beaverbrook in this cartoon makes reference to his influence and appeal to the country by putting him in the role of Frenchy the saloon singer in George Marshall’s light-hearted western Destry Rides Again (1939). The role revived the career of Marlene Dietrich who had suffered a succession of movie flops, and Frenchy’s song ‘See What the Boys in the Back Room Will Have’ was a popular hit. The phrase ‘back room’ was a term that appeared during the Second World War, to refer to the environments of scientists or researchers.