Sir John William Alcock

© National Portrait Gallery, London

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Sir John William Alcock

by Ambrose McEvoy
oil on canvas, 1919
59 in. x 40 in. (1499 mm x 1016 mm)
Given by Rolls-Royce Limited, 1921
Primary Collection
NPG 1894

On display in Room 19 on Floor 2 at the National Portrait Gallery

Sitterback to top

  • Sir John William Alcock (1892-1919), Aviator and RAF Captain; pilot of the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic. Sitter in 1 portrait.

Artistback to top

  • Ambrose McEvoy (1878-1927), Painter. Artist or producer associated with 5 portraits, Sitter in 7 portraits.

This portraitback to top

Alcock's protective gauntlets, goggles and cap are a reminder of how exposed early aviators were.

Linked publicationsback to top

Events of 1919back to top

Current affairs

Sir John William Alcock and Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown pilot the first successful non-stop transatlantic flight from Newfoundland to Ireland, flying 1980 miles in their modified Vickers Vimy bomber plane in just over 16 hours. Their achievement won them a £10,000 prize from the Daily Mail newspaper.

Art and science

John Maynard Keynes publishes The Economic Consequences of the Peace, an influential economic text that criticised the harsh economic treatment of Germany at the Treaty of Versailles and predicted the destabilising effects of the vindictive settlement.

International

The Paris Peace Conference negotiates the peace treaties between the victorious and defeated powers. The Conference culminated in a number of treaties including the Treaty of Versailles, which granted independence for the countries under Austrian and Russian rule and forced Germany to accept responsibility for the war and pay reparations. It also established the League of Nations.

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