Title: The Kensingtons at Laventie
Description: The Kensingtons at Laventie is a large oil painting on glass by Eric Kennington completed in 1915 that depicts a First World War platoon of British troops. The group depicted was Kennington's own infantry platoon, Platoon No 7, C Company, the 1/13th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Kensington), who were commonly known as the Kensingtons. Kennington completed the painting having been invalided out of the British Army due to wounds suffered on the Western Front in early 1915. The painting is Kennington's most famous work. It has been described as "one of the iconic images of the First World War", and is held by the Imperial War Museum. When it was first exhibited in 1916, the painting had a large impact and hastened the establishment of an official British scheme for war artists.
Author(s): Eric Kennington