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Primary sourcePainting1917

Field-Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, Commander-in-Chief, France

William Orpen · 1917

A 1917 portrait of Douglas Haig in uniform, painted from life by official war artist William Orpen at his headquarters in France.

A life portrait of Haig painted at his own headquarters during the war, by the official war artist.

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Oil painting of a middle-aged man with grey-brown swept-back hair and a white handlebar moustache, wearing a khaki military uniform with medal ribbons on the chest and red-and-gold insignia on the shoulder. Blue-grey background with dark smudges. Signed GHQ and dated 30th May 1917.
William Orpen, Field-Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, Commander-in-Chief, France, 1917. Imperial War Museums.

About this source

What it is

This oil painting by William Orpen, an official war artist, shows Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig in his khaki uniform with medal ribbons. It was painted at General Headquarters in France on 30 May 1917 and is held by the Imperial War Museums.

Why it matters

Orpen painted many senior commanders during the war, and this portrait of Haig, made while he served as commander-in-chief of the British Expeditionary Force, became the defining wartime image of him. It shows how the state used official artists to record its leaders during the conflict, giving a face to the man directing Britain's war effort on the Western Front.

Look closer

  • What does Haig's pose and expression suggest the artist wanted viewers to feel about him?
  • Why might the army have sent an artist, rather than relying only on photographs, to record its commanders?
  • What is left out of a formal portrait like this that a photograph from the front line might show instead?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Field Marshal Douglas Haig on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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